Great review. I have owned Yamahas for years, started with late 70's two strokes and changed to 4 stroker with an 03 RX1, traded with 15,000 plus miles for an apex that I still use. 21000 miles and still runs strong! I now ride a sidewinder 2021 in the Yamaha cat chassis. The cat does work well and ride nice. The build quality I feel is weaker than the Japan built Yamaha's. the motor is Yamaha strong so the rest of the sled longevity time will tell. Thanks
Great reveiw! I had a 14 Viper XTX as my first 4 stroke. Nice sled, great engine. The starting issue never materialized for me and I never had a single re-flash. Battery levels are critical, and I had a quick charger connection in place and had a battery maintainer on it when parked at home. I just picked up an 11 Apex XTX at a great price this fall and loved it so much I sold the Viper. If a good value Viper turbo comes up, I may go back to a Viper and keep the Apex as a second sled. You are bang on with your 4 stroke assessment. When shopping used sleds, I don't bat an eye when I see a Yamaha with 10,000+kms on the clock. Not many people could say the same thing about a 2 stroke with under 5000 kms. Now, if we can only get Arctic Cat to adopt some of Yamaha know how into its chassis and drive train to improve longevity! Ride on BM! And keep the videos coming!
Hey thanks Diggs! Yes its a great idea to keep a battery tender on all the toys! An Apex XTX was on my list when I went shopping for my viper... I decided on the Viper obviously but I know full well the viper motor doesn't hold a candle to the genesis 4cyl with exup! Again the Industry raves about the 3 pot yammie but its nothing in comparison. The Apex 4cyl being naturally aspirated nothing will perform and last like it! period!! Great choice! power steering, longer track, bigger lug, all Yamaha quality, and a bit better ergos then previous apex's Maybe I should have got one....hahaha
I picked up an immaculate 2015 SR Viper last year with 1200 miles on it. Also have a super clean ‘05 RX-1 I picked up for almost nothing and keep that for backup or if someone wants to ride with me. Both are a blast on our Maine trails. I found steering the Viper was really scary at first with the way it grabbed and skidded, but figured out simply leaning into each turn seemed to smooth that out nicely. I’m sure I could do well with having a skilled suspension tech set it up for me. Love your vids Mike! Super informative for a non-mechanical guy like me.
Sounds like you have a pretty sweet back up sled! Your friends are spoiled! The vipers really are great all around sled. Getting anything set up takes time of trial and error.. and not all trails are the same. So sometimes it is a compromise of what will work good everywhere.
Thanks Bro! I'd love to put up more footage like that, we will have to get out there for more in the future! Maybe some clips of the sidewinder feeding my viper some snow dust LOL!
Thank you for all your videos Mike. I have a ZR 7000 and you've been a great help to me! I just installed the shmitty racing HV end caps on my qs3's today.
Thanks for that compliment! Glad to help! Keeping those shocks filled with a full charge of nitrogen is critical! Especial the rear one! Those caps and Schrader valves make it a breeze! And they will hold pressure better! Its night and day difference if you were low on nitrogen.
@@bikermike I added the HV end caps to the qs3's on my 7000 and my zr 8000 today. One of the front shocks on the 7000 definitely needed it, there was barley any pressure left and air had gotten past the stainless part (plunger?) inside the reservoir. Besides learning the technique to get the snap ring out with a pick the install was a breeze. The first one I did took about as long as it took me to do the remaining 5 haha. I think next summer I'll repack the bearings on the 7000 like you did. Mine only has about 2000 km's now. Looking forward to your upcoming videos!
Hey Mike, Great channel. I’ve been enjoying all your videos on the Yamaha Viper. So to comment on this video, your spot on with your take on the Fox QS3 shocks. For ease of use they’re good shocks for the masses who typically don’t want to fine tune their shocks for that perfect ride quality and just want to click between soft, medium and firm. In my opinion the big buzz on these shocks are for riders who never touch there shocks once the dealer sets the sled up and for most riders who set it once on medium and forget it. I’ve been riding and working on sleds for just over 40 short years (Yeah I’m getting up there)😁 and with all the Brands of sleds I’ve owned and worked on over those years I’m ready to ride and work on something different, so I pre-ordered my first ever Arctic Cat this season. I’ve owned Polaris, Yamaha and many many Skidoo’s so I’m really looking forward to trying the new EPS on the T-Cat but it comes with a minor disappointment so far which baffles me. You buy the most expensive Polaris or Skidoo and you get their best shock packages they offer. You buy the the most expensive sled AC sells and it doesn’t come with shocks that have rebound adjustment on them?🤔 You would think that sled would at least come with the Fox QS3R shocks like the ones that come on the RR’s so people would have rebound adjustment. As you know rebound adjustment is a must have to tame trail chatter and stutter bumps. I currently own a ‘20 Skidoo Renegade XRS 900 Turbo with Skidoo’s top of the line offering of KYB shocks w/compression and rebound adjustments. I have even made improvements to the ride quality of that machine by adding a dual rate springs package front and rear from Accelerated Technoligies out of Canada. So back to the T-Cat. Because the QS3’s come standard on the T-Cat I opted to custom order a set of 4 Elka Stage 5 shocks with two speed compression and of course rebound to get that Kitty to ride like everyone expects that highest priced AC offering should handle and ride.. Take Care and keep the video’s coming. Subscribed !!👍🏼
The T CAT EPS should be one heck of amazing sled! Your choice of suspension components will be the icing on the cake!👌 Wise upgrade for sure!! I agree that the yamacats fall short on suspension offerings compared to the others. Thanks for the support and I hope to do more sled vids this season! Keep me posted on the future elkas I’ve always wondered how’d they be. Hopefully it’s a good season this year!
Loved my 06 Yamaha Attak. For a trail machine wow smooth power nice handling. You need to be a experienced rider if you are going to drive hard. Ski lift on turns could be dangerous if you are not prepared. Went back to the two stroke Viper which is a great sled but not enough suspension. I am going back to four stroke next year.
I went from two stroke viper triple (love the sound) to an 06 Apex (ultimate 4 stroke sled engine) to my brand new viper! Wish they put the Apex motor in the Viper! Agree on the older sled suspension. Newer designs are so much nicer riding position and suspension.
Hey Mike have to agree the Viper is a nice sled and i enjoy listening to the sound of that Yamaha motor. What’s your thoughts on the tuner skis and what carbide setup are you running. I’ve heard the new stryker skis are supposed to be great. I’m running the tuners with the shaper bars and 6” carbide on the inside with just the regular round bar and 2” carbide on the outside. Handling is pretty good on the trail but i still get some push in the corners with the 141” track.
Hey Russ. Yes they do sound great! I know some in the industry dump on the tuner skis but I don't mind them as they are great to eliminate the darting! Personally I prefer to keep the front end light in steering effort so I don't mind a bit of understeer to conserve my arms and shoulders for the day. 6" carbide round inside 2" round outside.
Hope u had a great season, mike. Getting ready to tackle my starter motor. Wondering if you’ve had any experience replacing this on your machine? If so, any comments would be appreciated. Hope you’re well and looking forward to your future posts. Be good...
Wasn't a great season for me, didn't even get a chance to get out this year at all. All is good just been busy and weather wasn't cooperating. I've never had an issue with my starter so I can't really offer any advice on that. Maybe try the totally Yamaha Forum? I'll try to get something sled related done as I would like to get back making some vids again soon! Hopefully your season was better then mine!
@@bikermike I'm sorry that you didn't get out.this year. Down here it seemed like it was a constant struggle for winter to catch on. East of lake Ontario in NY is at a 100+ inch deficit so it's been subpar here too. Literally a 7 week season. I appreciate the response. Looking forward to boating in a few.months I guess.
Thanks Ryan! I have to admit the two strokes sound better, more lively and snappy! But I love the longevity, reliability and torque of the Fourstroke Yammies!
Very dissappointed in drivetrain bearings on clutch side they fumbled on being able to grease an clogged shaft is too small or the drive bearing in a tunnel is too big allowing for spin inside of the bearing race causing a thousand dollars worth of repairs this is a problem with the Yamaha that has the Arctic cat chassis and it's a shame that's they need to be fixed or a lot of people are going to be leaving Yamaha and Arctic cat
I have a video on keeping those bearings greased, they didn't come with much grease in them. Bit of a chore to do them but probably get away with doing once every two years.
Ima get my vipet fixed again even if it means sending it to the dealer in anchorage AK FROM NUNAM IQUA AK ny viper is just to much of a mess i just miss that 4 stroke torque and power
@@bikermike i got the engine going again myself tho fr fr after 2 to 5 years of earths elements getting to it all i did was hook up a new battery to it seen that it cranked over got super happy went and got gas for it charged the battery put it on backwards (was to happy) blew the ignition fuse 30 amp swapped that turn the battery around to positive on positive negative to negative then it fired up the viper had no side panels it needs so much work rn
@@bikermike at the time of owning that snowmachine the viper i didnt care about my life or my snowmachines life at all if i can send a picture to you of how that viper is rn you wont believe it
@@edwardabrahamiii3742 sounds like you may live in a very northern remote area! That’s great you are bringing the yammie back to life! I’m sure once you get on it again you’ll be glad you put in the effort! It’s kinda funny I’m opposite my truck is old and wore out and I need it for transportation but all my toys are mint! Hahaha.. 🤷♂️
Great review. I have owned Yamahas for years, started with late 70's two strokes and changed to 4 stroker with an 03 RX1, traded with 15,000 plus miles for an apex that I still use. 21000 miles and still runs strong! I now ride a sidewinder 2021 in the Yamaha cat chassis. The cat does work well and ride nice. The build quality I feel is weaker than the Japan built Yamaha's. the motor is Yamaha strong so the rest of the sled longevity time will tell. Thanks
Great reveiw! I had a 14 Viper XTX as my first 4 stroke. Nice sled, great engine. The starting issue never materialized for me and I never had a single re-flash. Battery levels are critical, and I had a quick charger connection in place and had a battery maintainer on it when parked at home. I just picked up an 11 Apex XTX at a great price this fall and loved it so much I sold the Viper. If a good value Viper turbo comes up, I may go back to a Viper and keep the Apex as a second sled. You are bang on with your 4 stroke assessment. When shopping used sleds, I don't bat an eye when I see a Yamaha with 10,000+kms on the clock. Not many people could say the same thing about a 2 stroke with under 5000 kms. Now, if we can only get Arctic Cat to adopt some of Yamaha know how into its chassis and drive train to improve longevity! Ride on BM! And keep the videos coming!
Hey thanks Diggs!
Yes its a great idea to keep a battery tender on all the toys! An Apex XTX was on my list when I went shopping for my viper... I decided on the Viper obviously but I know full well the viper motor doesn't hold a candle to the genesis 4cyl with exup! Again the Industry raves about the 3 pot yammie but its nothing in comparison. The Apex 4cyl being naturally aspirated nothing will perform and last like it! period!! Great choice! power steering, longer track, bigger lug, all Yamaha quality, and a bit better ergos then previous apex's
Maybe I should have got one....hahaha
I picked up an immaculate 2015 SR Viper last year with 1200 miles on it. Also have a super clean ‘05 RX-1 I picked up for almost nothing and keep that for backup or if someone wants to ride with me. Both are a blast on our Maine trails. I found steering the Viper was really scary at first with the way it grabbed and skidded, but figured out simply leaning into each turn seemed to smooth that out nicely. I’m sure I could do well with having a skilled suspension tech set it up for me.
Love your vids Mike! Super informative for a non-mechanical guy like me.
Sounds like you have a pretty sweet back up sled! Your friends are spoiled! The vipers really are great all around sled. Getting anything set up takes time of trial and error.. and not all trails are the same. So sometimes it is a compromise of what will work good everywhere.
Great Viper Bartman... such gorgeous scenery, oh and look at all that snow. Sled sounds good in the video also. I could watch that all day long.
Thanks Bro! I'd love to put up more footage like that, we will have to get out there for more in the future! Maybe some clips of the sidewinder feeding my viper some snow dust LOL!
Thank you for all your videos Mike. I have a ZR 7000 and you've been a great help to me! I just installed the shmitty racing HV end caps on my qs3's today.
Thanks for that compliment! Glad to help! Keeping those shocks filled with a full charge of nitrogen is critical! Especial the rear one! Those caps and Schrader valves make it a breeze! And they will hold pressure better! Its night and day difference if you were low on nitrogen.
I have another product coming to me soon and I will doing a video on it. It will be of value to you and is pretty inexpensive. Stay tuned!
@@bikermike I added the HV end caps to the qs3's on my 7000 and my zr 8000 today. One of the front shocks on the 7000 definitely needed it, there was barley any pressure left and air had gotten past the stainless part (plunger?) inside the reservoir. Besides learning the technique to get the snap ring out with a pick the install was a breeze. The first one I did took about as long as it took me to do the remaining 5 haha. I think next summer I'll repack the bearings on the 7000 like you did. Mine only has about 2000 km's now. Looking forward to your upcoming videos!
Hey Mike, Great channel. I’ve been enjoying all your videos on the Yamaha Viper. So to comment on this video, your spot on with your take on the Fox QS3 shocks. For ease of use they’re good shocks for the masses who typically don’t want to fine tune their shocks for that perfect ride quality and just want to click between soft, medium and firm. In my opinion the big buzz on these shocks are for riders who never touch there shocks once the dealer sets the sled up and for most riders who set it once on medium and forget it. I’ve been riding and working on sleds for just over 40 short years (Yeah I’m getting up there)😁 and with all the Brands of sleds I’ve owned and worked on over those years I’m ready to ride and work on something different, so I pre-ordered my first ever Arctic Cat this season. I’ve owned Polaris, Yamaha and many many Skidoo’s so I’m really looking forward to trying the new EPS on the T-Cat but it comes with a minor disappointment so far which baffles me. You buy the most expensive Polaris or Skidoo and you get their best shock packages they offer. You buy the the most expensive sled AC sells and it doesn’t come with shocks that have rebound adjustment on them?🤔 You would think that sled would at least come with the Fox QS3R shocks like the ones that come on the RR’s so people would have rebound adjustment. As you know rebound adjustment is a must have to tame trail chatter and stutter bumps. I currently own a ‘20 Skidoo Renegade XRS 900 Turbo with Skidoo’s top of the line offering of KYB shocks w/compression and rebound adjustments. I have even made improvements to the ride quality of that machine by adding a dual rate springs package front and rear from Accelerated Technoligies out of Canada. So back to the T-Cat. Because the QS3’s come standard on the T-Cat I opted to custom order a set of 4 Elka Stage 5 shocks with two speed compression and of course rebound to get that Kitty to ride like everyone expects that highest priced AC offering should handle and ride.. Take Care and keep the video’s coming. Subscribed !!👍🏼
The T CAT EPS should be one heck of amazing sled! Your choice of suspension components will be the icing on the cake!👌 Wise upgrade for sure!! I agree that the yamacats fall short on suspension offerings compared to the others. Thanks for the support and I hope to do more sled vids this season!
Keep me posted on the future elkas I’ve always wondered how’d they be. Hopefully it’s a good season this year!
This is very helpful as a kid looking to buy one as I love my viper 03 but I’m getting bored of it and great vid
Glad I could help
Loved my 06 Yamaha Attak. For a trail machine wow smooth power nice handling. You need to be a experienced rider if you are going to drive hard. Ski lift on turns could be dangerous if you are not prepared. Went back to the two stroke Viper which is a great sled but not enough suspension. I am going back to four stroke next year.
I went from two stroke viper triple (love the sound) to an 06 Apex (ultimate 4 stroke sled engine) to my brand new viper! Wish they put the Apex motor in the Viper! Agree on the older sled suspension. Newer designs are so much nicer riding position and suspension.
Hey Mike have to agree the Viper is a nice sled and i enjoy listening to the sound of that Yamaha motor.
What’s your thoughts on the tuner skis and what carbide setup are you running. I’ve heard the new stryker skis are supposed to be great.
I’m running the tuners with the shaper bars and 6” carbide on the inside with just the regular round bar and 2” carbide on the outside. Handling is pretty good on the trail but i still get some push in the corners with the 141” track.
Hey Russ. Yes they do sound great! I know some in the industry dump on the tuner skis but I don't mind them as they are great to eliminate the darting! Personally I prefer to keep the front end light in steering effort so I don't mind a bit of understeer to conserve my arms and shoulders for the day. 6" carbide round inside 2" round outside.
Hope u had a great season, mike. Getting ready to tackle my starter motor. Wondering if you’ve had any experience replacing this on your machine? If so, any comments would be appreciated. Hope you’re well and looking forward to your future posts. Be good...
Wasn't a great season for me, didn't even get a chance to get out this year at all. All is good just been busy and weather wasn't cooperating. I've never had an issue with my starter so I can't really offer any advice on that. Maybe try the totally Yamaha Forum? I'll try to get something sled related done as I would like to get back making some vids again soon! Hopefully your season was better then mine!
@@bikermike I'm sorry that you didn't get out.this year. Down here it seemed like it was a constant struggle for winter to catch on. East of lake Ontario in NY is at a 100+ inch deficit so it's been subpar here too. Literally a 7 week season. I appreciate the response. Looking forward to boating in a few.months I guess.
Yamaha forever!!
Sounds very quiet compared to the two strokes? Great video.
Thanks Ryan!
I have to admit the two strokes sound better, more lively and snappy! But I love the longevity, reliability and torque of the Fourstroke Yammies!
How many miles / kilometers do you have on the viper now?
5700kms
Very dissappointed in drivetrain bearings on clutch side they fumbled on being able to grease an clogged shaft is too small or the drive bearing in a tunnel is too big allowing for spin inside of the bearing race causing a thousand dollars worth of repairs this is a problem with the Yamaha that has the Arctic cat chassis and it's a shame that's they need to be fixed or a lot of people are going to be leaving Yamaha and Arctic cat
I have a video on keeping those bearings greased, they didn't come with much grease in them. Bit of a chore to do them but probably get away with doing once every two years.
Ima get my vipet fixed again even if it means sending it to the dealer in anchorage AK FROM NUNAM IQUA AK ny viper is just to much of a mess i just miss that 4 stroke torque and power
Sometimes ya gotta give in and get some help with it. They do have some incredible torque!
@@bikermike i got the engine going again myself tho fr fr after 2 to 5 years of earths elements getting to it all i did was hook up a new battery to it seen that it cranked over got super happy went and got gas for it charged the battery put it on backwards (was to happy) blew the ignition fuse 30 amp swapped that turn the battery around to positive on positive negative to negative then it fired up the viper had no side panels it needs so much work rn
@@bikermike at the time of owning that snowmachine the viper i didnt care about my life or my snowmachines life at all if i can send a picture to you of how that viper is rn you wont believe it
@@bikermike this time ill take better care of it i got boys now to take care of and i need a snowmachine like you need your car to go to work
@@edwardabrahamiii3742 sounds like you may live in a very northern remote area! That’s great you are bringing the yammie back to life! I’m sure once you get on it again you’ll be glad you put in the effort! It’s kinda funny I’m opposite my truck is old and wore out and I need it for transportation but all my toys are mint! Hahaha.. 🤷♂️