? on 02 viper rear susp,

Fast sled

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Aug 23, 2005
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I have a 02 viper i really like this sled but the rear susp, does not work the greatest, so i have i mind of putting a polaris edge rear in, or a cat rear in, i have heard that some guy's have put cats in the rx-1 so i am just checking if anyone has done this before, i am pretty sure that a cat will fit in their better but don't know fo sure , if any one has any kind if info or if anyone has done something like this before i would really appreciate it. Thank you
 

private mesage mook as he had put a f-cat suspension in a sx chassis. i think the sled pics are posted here under a little 600.
 
I put a Cat skid (136") in mine. Works well, there is some fine tuning to do, but that is to be expected when going to a completely different skid. The primary reason I went with the Cat skid is for the weight loss, and better transfer.
If your looking for a better ride, there is a lot that can be done with revalving the shocks. Especially if your 02 has the OEM stiff azz shock valving! Either the Yamaha updated shocks or a revalve from Bruce at Pioneer performance will make a big difference.
 
Thank's guy's for the info, I do have the shock upgrade in my viper, i have tried ever adjustment that can me made after i put the new shocks in, but i am not happy with it yet, so i would like to something diffrent in it, my freinds ride cat's and polaris they ride alot better, i thought i could maybe put up something at haydays. So if anyone has more info in which one would fit in there better. i think the polaris would ride just a little better,but might have to move jackshaft, i don't want to do that. Thank you
 
you dont need to move the jackshaft or driveshaft. you need to move two support plates and drill new mounting holes. only a couple hours work.
 
When your shopping for skids, try to find the lattest version possible. Both for the potential lower miles and manufactures usaully upgrade their suspension's as the year's go by.
As mentioned before you will need to relocate the suspension mounting point's in the tunnel, with Polaris or Arctic Cat skid's. I have some mounting spec's for the 136" Cat skid, not sure if they are the same as a 121" though.

If your looking for a Cat skid, try Troy at RV sports. They get the take offs from the factory. They usaully have very little or no miles on them. They are usaully at Haydays also.
 
hey guy's thank for more info, I have a ? for n2oiroc,have you done this before, if you have what kind did you put in. I have another ? for all of you, i notice that the polaris and cat's tunnels taper up towards the back,the viper don't is that going to be a problem,just wondering if that might rub,or catch anything. I guess i need everyone's input which skid would work the best for a viper,it don't matter to me what kind just so it rides better then the stock susp. Thank you
 
Fast sled said:
hey guy's thank for more info, I have a ? for n2oiroc,have you done this before, if you have what kind did you put in. I have another ? for all of you, i notice that the polaris and cat's tunnels taper up towards the back,the viper don't is that going to be a problem,just wondering if that might rub,or catch anything. I guess i need everyone's input which skid would work the best for a viper,it don't matter to me what kind just so it rides better then the stock susp. Thank you

i havent done it. i just checked into it for another member. i have an 03 pro x and a viper. at the time both had their rear suspensions out so i went to measuring. inside dimensions on all tunnels are all nearly the same. dimensions are taken from the driveshaft and top of tunnel, so it mounts in the exact same spot as the donor sleds suspension with the same clearances. i still prefer the polaris suspension over the cat rear. i have ridden a riding partners cat a few times and was never really impressed. the polaris just offers more tuning capability and a better ride without massive ski lift when you dont want it. second choice for me would be a ski doo rear.
 
Fast sled, with the Cat skid, the rear mount needs to down at the bottom of the tunnel. Because of the Yamaha straight tunnel. Rear bumper height is the same as it was with the Yamaha 136" skid.
The Cat tunnel is 3/16" wider then a Yamaha tunnel, so I did have to shave off 3/32" on the outside of the front arm where it bolts to the tunnel. It's very easy to do with a stationary bench belt sander though. The rear wasn't an issue because of tunnel taper/flex and the torque sensing links can be moved around a bit.
Here are some pic's of the mounting area's
 
Thank you for the info, i would have to agree with you i think you polaris is better do you know if the pro-x is the same as a standard model
 
no, they are different. i have the pro x measurements and my first post on this subject has a link to the edge one.
 
Thank's n2oiroc , so a pro-x skid i guessing would almost work better? I do have mesurement's off of my freind's 02 800 edge they were not even close to what i thought i need, i think i would have to move my driveshaft to make a standard work, but i don't know for sure, it might bolt in there with so diffrent brackets made. Thanks for the pictures of the vip with ac rear skid in, i do have a ? for you how does it ride, it does not look like it would be to hard to put that in. Thanks guy's
 
Fast sled said:
Thank's n2oiroc , so a pro-x skid i guessing would almost work better? I do have mesurement's off of my freind's 02 800 edge they were not even close to what i thought i need, i think i would have to move my driveshaft to make a standard work, but i don't know for sure, it might bolt in there with so diffrent brackets made. Thanks for the pictures of the vip with ac rear skid in, i do have a ? for you how does it ride, it does not look like it would be to hard to put that in. Thanks guy's
a pro x skid isnt as plush as a standard edge. it will suck up huge high speed moguls and jump a house, but its also more expensive to buy and maintain (rebuild on the remote resivoir clickers). if you pound the hell out of it or are really heavy then the pro x is the best choice, if you trail ride and still beat it a little or you dont weigh 250lbs+ than an edge would be best. either one is better than a proaction.
 
Bender is coming out with a mono shock skid that will bolt right in.
2datrl
 
AC skid ride with the Ryde FX shocks is better then the Pro-action, and is what I would call a good ride.
I have a set of ACT (OEM Cat/Fox) shocks, that were off of a King Cat. I tried them as is. They are to stiff as I expected, so I sent them off to Bruce, to have them revalved. I just put them on, so I havn't been able to try them out yet.
What I'm shooting for is a ride similiar to the Ryde FX, with the rough terrian ability of the ACT shock. The ACT's are very tuneable, so I should be able to find just the right set up for my riding style and weight.
There is more transfer then the Pro-action, but not as much as when it's mounted in a Cat. When you move the rear TSL mounting point down in the tunnel (to compensate for the straight tunnel) it dial's out some of the excessive transfer that Cat's are known for.
When the skid's are mounted in Cat's, the front and rear TSL mounting points are on a horizontal plane. Most Cat rider's I know will install rear drop brackets (usaully about 1-2" drop) to reduce transfer and improve deep snow performance. You dont want to get to crazy on the drop or ride quality will suffer.
 
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Thank's guy's ? for 2datrl do you no how much the mono will cost and do you no how well it ride's. Mtnviper it looks' like in your picture that it really fits nice in the viper, if you were going to put a 121 susp in what would be the better susp to put in, i have a general idea on what sled it would come out of i think it would come out of like a 02 800 standard ZR am i right or do you have a better idea, when you put yours in do you measure everthing off of the driveshaft i think it could be a little bit of a head scratcher, maybe not, i no you have to have everything just right. Do you now how much a good price would be, i don't think i will have a problem finding one. Thank you
 
you should be able to pick up a nice complete skid for $400 or less depending on the shocks. if you do go with a cat rear, check the bolt holes in the rails. they use a 1/2" shaft (not much support area) and tend to oval the holes a lot.
 
I would think the 02 would be a good choice, although I must admit that I'm not up on all the short track skid's. We have mostly mountain sled's out here. I would get one that has re-valveable shock's, so you can change the ride if need be. A ZR should have rebuildable shocks.
Yes I did measure from the drive axle, and the top of the tunnel. Some friend's that live about 1/4 mile from me have a 03 600 MC. It uses the same skid I did, so they let me come down and take some measurements off their sled. Which helped a lot! Just be sure an compensate for driver size, if they are different from what you are using.
 


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