Bakemono
New member
Hi. A new sled is a little bit more than I can really afford right now (spending $8000-$9000 is just more than I can really justify spending on a sled) and Id like to hear some opinions on SX Vipers.
90% of my riding is on tight and twisty trails that sometimes are rough. I ride fairly aggressively but top speed is not a major concern for me.
Reliability and decent fuel economy is important to me.
Do you guys think that an SX Viper would be a good sled for the kind of riding I do? I figure that I should be able to find a good used SX Viper for $3000-$4000.
What about the SX Venom? Like I said, top speed isnt a priority for me, would a Venom be a better choice than a Viper?
Are there any major areas of concern on these sleds? Ive heard about issues with w-arms as well as water pump seals. Are there any other issues?
Thanks in advance,
Cap'n
90% of my riding is on tight and twisty trails that sometimes are rough. I ride fairly aggressively but top speed is not a major concern for me.
Reliability and decent fuel economy is important to me.
Do you guys think that an SX Viper would be a good sled for the kind of riding I do? I figure that I should be able to find a good used SX Viper for $3000-$4000.
What about the SX Venom? Like I said, top speed isnt a priority for me, would a Venom be a better choice than a Viper?
Are there any major areas of concern on these sleds? Ive heard about issues with w-arms as well as water pump seals. Are there any other issues?
Thanks in advance,
Cap'n
Cuzino19
New member
Good in tight twist trials..... CHECK!
Reliabilty....CHECK!
Very Good fuel economy....CHECK!
$3000-$4000.........CHECK!
The only thing that i would be worrying about is the suspension. Depends on how hard these bumps are. I do not think the viper is the best to handle the bigger bumps.
Reliabilty....CHECK!
Very Good fuel economy....CHECK!
$3000-$4000.........CHECK!
The only thing that i would be worrying about is the suspension. Depends on how hard these bumps are. I do not think the viper is the best to handle the bigger bumps.
Bakemono
New member
Ive been reading some older posts and it seems like the Viper has a pretty stiff suspension.
If nothing else, I will just invest in some better shocks. With the money Id be saving over buying a new sled I could put Ohlins on it.
I will also end up putting a bar riser on it, I tend to stand up a lot when the trails get bumpy.
It sounds like the Viper/Venom would be a good sled for where I ride. I appreciate the feedback, Cuzino.
Cap'n
If nothing else, I will just invest in some better shocks. With the money Id be saving over buying a new sled I could put Ohlins on it.
I will also end up putting a bar riser on it, I tend to stand up a lot when the trails get bumpy.
It sounds like the Viper/Venom would be a good sled for where I ride. I appreciate the feedback, Cuzino.
Cap'n
yamvip
New member
Or you could just get your shocks revalved.
blueblooded
Member
If you ride agressive like i do the shocks work great.I think alot of people whine about the shocks on vipers because they dont ride hard like the viper was intended for,those people that complain should of bought a venture.I have an 04 viper s and i love the way it rides.
Its about time your on a Yamaha Heibi.
vipertripplexxx
New member
Most of the people who really had alot of problems with the ride, had the 2002 model, without the upgrade. It had terrible valving! most of the problem was rebound dampening was so stiff it would not allow the suspension to come back down out of the skid(packed up),also the compression valving was very hard. If you get one of these vipers you'll probably need to get the shocks revalved. Other than that it's a great all around sled, the handling is gonna really be wayyyy better than that xc600, i had an xc700, and went to the viper....WOW!
its not the sled, its that dam seat. i have a srx foam inside my viper seat it rides great. want to buy it, slightly altered, check the units for sale for black viper
SRX RIDER
New member
Captain_Toyota said:
For the price range your looking for, I don't think you could go wrong with a used Viper or Venom. Personally I'd opt for the Viper unless you don't want to deal with power valves. The 20 extra horses are worth it and you will probably find a Viper (or at least have a bigger selection) quicker than a Venom. In my area Vipers are MUCH more common than Venoms. In fact, look around the web, Venoms just don't seem to be very common?
The Viper will excell at tight and twisty while offering FLAT, confident cornering. It was intended to be an agressive mogul sled and that's why most casual trail riders moaned about its stiff suspension. There are plenty of reasonably cost effective options for the suspension IF you don't like the stock shock valving. Remeber, Yamaha offered update shocks and screwed with the valving every model year, and buying used you may find one changed already. Watch out for later years that don't have the KYB rebuildable shocks. Could be a negative IF you want to revalve. Viper WILL handle the ruff stuff! Not like a Rev, but it will do it. No it isn't a Jump sled, but it can be a decent bump sled.
Reliability and fuel economy will be at the top of the 2 stroke class (unless you pipe it!) maybe with the exception of the SDI's. I'd say reliability still falls in Yamahas favor!
The Viper will offer you plenty of options too. Electric start and reverse can be added if you want it, and there are TONS of aftermarket goodies.
allyammies
New member
I've always said it was the seat too.I sit on my 97 sx and it is like a pillow compaired to my viper other than that the viper rolls pretty good. Jason
Bakemono
New member
Thanks guys.
Ejcamaro, Im not back on a Yamaha yet, but I hope to be soon and believe me, the time cant come soon enough.
Vipertriplexxx, my XC actually handles pretty well. Ive got the front shock preload turned all the way down and it corners pretty flat. The shock collars were threaded almost all the way up when I first got it and that sled was almost impossible to corner with. I must have almost crashed at least a dozen times before I turned the collars down. Now, you can pitch it into the corners as hard as you want and it only lifts the inside ski about 2" max. I know what you mean though, Yamahas are known for flat cornering.
Im not really worried about the Viper/Venom's big bump performance. I probably will put a bar riser and handguards on it (to make it look like a sno-x sled), but Im not all about riding the ditches.
Thanks again,
Cap'n
Ejcamaro, Im not back on a Yamaha yet, but I hope to be soon and believe me, the time cant come soon enough.
Vipertriplexxx, my XC actually handles pretty well. Ive got the front shock preload turned all the way down and it corners pretty flat. The shock collars were threaded almost all the way up when I first got it and that sled was almost impossible to corner with. I must have almost crashed at least a dozen times before I turned the collars down. Now, you can pitch it into the corners as hard as you want and it only lifts the inside ski about 2" max. I know what you mean though, Yamahas are known for flat cornering.
Im not really worried about the Viper/Venom's big bump performance. I probably will put a bar riser and handguards on it (to make it look like a sno-x sled), but Im not all about riding the ditches.
Thanks again,
Cap'n
n2oiroc
New member
if you dont get one by the first ty ride, come with what you have. im sure there are a few of us that would gladly let you take one of ours for a good test ride.
Chasx7
New member
I bought one in 02. Really likethe sled. Handles very well. The one gripe I had was the suspension. I don't ride as hard as it sounds like most of you do but this thing beat me silly (I'm 6' 5" 260 lbs). I got stuck in the UP on a 230+ mile day in 1-2 foot studders and was ready to get rid of it. Then I had a guy I found over the internet re-vale the shocks and the difference is unbelievable. I had tried Pioneer and it was better but after this guy did the valves I absolutely love the sled now. I put a tempa-flow on the second year to clean up the carburation. Overall very happy. About 5000 miles now and running fine.
n2oiroc
New member
who did the shocks?Chasx7 said:
Bakemono
New member
Well, I appreciate that, but I doubt I will be able to attend any TY rides this year unless you guys have one near Minocqua, WI.n2oiroc said:
Thats really cool that you guys would let someone who you barely know ride your sled, Im not sure if I could be that trusting.
Im sure Id love a Viper. I had a '95 Polaris XCR 600 (580 triple, single pipe) that I really liked. I loved the sound of that engine and overall it was nice. I had it geared (went 2 teeth smaller on the top sprocket) for all low-end. It would only do 80 mph but nobody could beat me on short runs. My brother had a Polaris 680 Ultra (single piped model) and I could smoke him all day long with my little 600.
Im sure a Viper would be a lot like my XCR, but with more power and Yamaha quality. 
xsivhp
Active member
Bakemono
New member
Thats a nice Viper S. If that were mine Id probably say I love it too.
I know that buying used I cant afford to be picky, but Id love it if I could find a blue Viper. Ive loved the blue Yamahas ever since the blue SXs came out in '98 (correct me if Im wrong) and Ive always wanted one. At the same time, if I found a nice Viper S, no way would I pass up on it.
Id probably even go for an '01 SXr if I could find one that didnt have a ton of miles on it.
Thanks for sharing your pics.
I know that buying used I cant afford to be picky, but Id love it if I could find a blue Viper. Ive loved the blue Yamahas ever since the blue SXs came out in '98 (correct me if Im wrong) and Ive always wanted one. At the same time, if I found a nice Viper S, no way would I pass up on it.
Id probably even go for an '01 SXr if I could find one that didnt have a ton of miles on it.
Thanks for sharing your pics.
xsivhp
Active member
Well, I got 'er all cleaned and waxed today - unbelievable weather. Usually I'm freezing my butt of when I do it! Had to share it with somebody - the wife just thought it would be a good time to sell it since it's a shiney now.
SXR 700 is a great sled too. I got a buddy of mine has a 2000 with 7946 miles (or something very close to that) motor's never been touched. I'd use Turk's set-up on the tech page for clutching, gearing and jets though. Lots of people say the non power valve triple was better than the power valve triple.
I rode a guys 97 bender piped Vmax 700 triple last year and that thing was spot on. If it would have had the long travel suspension on it like an XTC I would easily have been satisfied riding that for the rest of my days just as easily as my Viper.
My dad's got a 98 XTC Deluxe 700 that he picked up him last spring. Threw a Ripsaw on it last week & some Viper skis, Next I'm going to re-jet the carbs, add spacers and tune the clutches per Turks recommendation. Thing should be a blast for him to ride and the price was right.
I just hope it doesn't smoke my Viper!! (That would suck.)
Read through the tech pages and posts - there's a ton of good Yammie info on here. Really a great resource and a great website. There are a lot of good people on here.
SXR 700 is a great sled too. I got a buddy of mine has a 2000 with 7946 miles (or something very close to that) motor's never been touched. I'd use Turk's set-up on the tech page for clutching, gearing and jets though. Lots of people say the non power valve triple was better than the power valve triple.
I rode a guys 97 bender piped Vmax 700 triple last year and that thing was spot on. If it would have had the long travel suspension on it like an XTC I would easily have been satisfied riding that for the rest of my days just as easily as my Viper.
My dad's got a 98 XTC Deluxe 700 that he picked up him last spring. Threw a Ripsaw on it last week & some Viper skis, Next I'm going to re-jet the carbs, add spacers and tune the clutches per Turks recommendation. Thing should be a blast for him to ride and the price was right.
I just hope it doesn't smoke my Viper!! (That would suck.)
Read through the tech pages and posts - there's a ton of good Yammie info on here. Really a great resource and a great website. There are a lot of good people on here.
I traded my 01 pro-x for a Venom. A Viper will have more scoot, than a Venom.
I rode over 1300 miles last season, no problems at all. For this season I will be putting in revalved KYBs and strudding the track. Clutch work will follow . The Venom is not in the same class as the Pro-x, but the reliabilty is a BIG plus. My Pro-xwas a piece of crap.
Anyway, given a choice, the Viper has more snap.
The Venoms are the same basic machine withn the differences being the shocks and motor.
good luck!
2datrl
I rode over 1300 miles last season, no problems at all. For this season I will be putting in revalved KYBs and strudding the track. Clutch work will follow . The Venom is not in the same class as the Pro-x, but the reliabilty is a BIG plus. My Pro-xwas a piece of crap.
Anyway, given a choice, the Viper has more snap.
The Venoms are the same basic machine withn the differences being the shocks and motor.
good luck!
2datrl
Bakemono
New member
Yeah, I hear you on the Pro-X. My brother let me ride his '03 Pro-X 700 last winter and I wasnt impressed. Its got nice power and its great in the big bumps but the quality is so-so at best. Its got 2,000 miles on it and the steering has about 1" of freeplay in it.