tungsten
New member
Hey, I keep seeing people mention that they have "updated" shocks. Was there a problem with the first run on shocks on the 02 Vipers? How would I be able to tell if I have the old or new version of the shocks?
Thanks
-Jeff
Thanks
-Jeff
vipertripplexxx
New member
Does it pound the krap out of you?
quebec#1
New member
I Bought a 2002 viper in july with 1000 miles on her, the owner never had the upgrade, so far ive done about 100 miles and im very please with the rear skid.
I think to many owners were looking for a soft plush trail machine when they bought the viper. If your like me and ride hard you wont want the upgrade.
Maybe to many old men bought this machine when it first came out and were looking for a grand touring machine !
I would ride your machine for a while if the upgrade wasnt done and them see how you like it.
My 2002 seems to corner and ride way better than my friends 2003 with the new upgraded rear.
I think it was just to much hype about the 2002 rear from a small crowd that may have been looking for a grand touring ride from the viper.
I would leave it alone !
Just my 2 cents worth !
I think to many owners were looking for a soft plush trail machine when they bought the viper. If your like me and ride hard you wont want the upgrade.
Maybe to many old men bought this machine when it first came out and were looking for a grand touring machine !
I would ride your machine for a while if the upgrade wasnt done and them see how you like it.
My 2002 seems to corner and ride way better than my friends 2003 with the new upgraded rear.
I think it was just to much hype about the 2002 rear from a small crowd that may have been looking for a grand touring ride from the viper.
I would leave it alone !
Just my 2 cents worth !
The 02 I bought had the updates, and I hate them. I am going to Ohlins fronts, and selling the updates. Maxdlx
vipertripplexxx
New member
It really depends on your weight alot, and how much rear spring preload you can run. Quebec1 is right, if your a heavy rider they might be a good choice to leave them alone. In my case i was unable to get the skid to come out from under the sled when riding big bumps (packing up inside the tunnel). There was just too much rebound dampening. If you jack the spring up it helps this issue, but then you have no ride sag, and this makes for bad handling, and stutters are bad. I would say if your over 200 lbs then you may want to keep it, but there is still room for improvement. If you want the valve stack info i have, PM me and I will give ya the setup I was running. My weight is 165lbs.
I believe the Fronts needed re-valving also, I bought a set (re-valved) and put them on my SRX and love them! They soak up some of the nastiest woops Ive been through!!
Canuck
New member
quebec#1 said:
Guess I fall into the old man category as I was not impressed with the ride on my Viper but I wasn't in the market for a touring sled so I didn't consider trading it for a Venture. My 92 Vmax-4 actually rode better on a trail than the Viper. I'm about 230lbs and the valving was just way too stiff. The way I see it is if the travel is there then you should be using it to your advantage. I did the upgrade and although I like it, it is actually a bit too soft.
I'll agree that the handling is better with the original shocks but there is no way that ride is way better. The upgrade wasn't just to the rear, it was too the front also.
Must have been from more than a small crowd because it prompted Yamaha to offer the upgrade and change the valving on future Vipers.
Personally I would recommend that you have your current shocks revalved and you should see an improvement in ride and handling.....then when you become an old man your back will still be in good shape and you can keep riding well into your golden years!!
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tungsten
New member
I am 6' 200lbs, So I guess I'll just see how it does this season and go from there.
Thanks for the info guys!
Thanks for the info guys!
quebec#1
New member
Im getting their ! 34Canuck said:
I've had all 3 versions, (stock, revalve, and updated shocks).
I'm not a big guy at 165#s, and but I ride aggressive. I found the stock shock's to be way to stiff. It didn't matter how fast I rode, in fact the faster I rode the worse it handled. I played with suspension for what seemed like forever, just couldn't make it work.
So I sent the shock's (all 4) off the Pioneer Performance for revalving. This is before Yamaha came out with the updated shocks.
There is HUGE improvement in handling with the revalved shocks. While there is an improvement in ride, it's handling I was most impressed with. The sled stayed all lot more flat through the bumps. When I turned it up a notch or two, I could be in control of the sled, with out getting wildly pitched around.
That said the rear skid still was a little stiff.
So when Yamaha came out with the updated shocks, I decided to give them a try. The yamaha updates give the best ride, you'll notice the improvement in the stutter bumps. The handling is not as crisp as the revalves, although for my weight, it's still way better then the stocker's.
One thing I was going to try, but never got around to. Was using the Pioneer revalved fronts, with their progressive valving and the Yamaha updated rear shock's. I think that would have been a good set up, but I have since installed a Cat rear skid in the sled.
You can tell if the rear has updated shock's by looking at the center shock spring. The Yamaha updated center spring will be a straight rate spring, the OEM 02 spring is a variable rate spring.
I'm not a big guy at 165#s, and but I ride aggressive. I found the stock shock's to be way to stiff. It didn't matter how fast I rode, in fact the faster I rode the worse it handled. I played with suspension for what seemed like forever, just couldn't make it work.
So I sent the shock's (all 4) off the Pioneer Performance for revalving. This is before Yamaha came out with the updated shocks.
There is HUGE improvement in handling with the revalved shocks. While there is an improvement in ride, it's handling I was most impressed with. The sled stayed all lot more flat through the bumps. When I turned it up a notch or two, I could be in control of the sled, with out getting wildly pitched around.
That said the rear skid still was a little stiff.
So when Yamaha came out with the updated shocks, I decided to give them a try. The yamaha updates give the best ride, you'll notice the improvement in the stutter bumps. The handling is not as crisp as the revalves, although for my weight, it's still way better then the stocker's.
One thing I was going to try, but never got around to. Was using the Pioneer revalved fronts, with their progressive valving and the Yamaha updated rear shock's. I think that would have been a good set up, but I have since installed a Cat rear skid in the sled.
You can tell if the rear has updated shock's by looking at the center shock spring. The Yamaha updated center spring will be a straight rate spring, the OEM 02 spring is a variable rate spring.
Chasx7
New member
I'm 6"5 260 lbs. Unlike normal sized people who can move around on a sled and even stand up I am stuck on the seat. My 02 pounded the crap out of me until I found the right guy to re-valve the shocks and now it is awesome. Quebec is right maybe I wanted a trail cruiser, but I needed to upgrade my 97SX and I found this 02 at a pretty good price and jumped on it. Didn't want to change brands as Yammi's have been excellent. I like to hammer a little bit once in a while and with the sled setup the way it is now it takes everyhthing real good. If you want the info on the guy that re-valved my shocks PM me.