I have a 2002 viper bone stock (5188 km) expect ripsaw 1"1/4 with 96 picks.As title says why do some have issues an some don't?? I have read the articles on here about poor head design (coolant flow) and that u need a opticool headgasket and/or srx rear heat exchanger.My viper I ride in all conditions and have only seen the temp warning once!! and that was because I was on the frozen lake with no snow cover for hours ripping up and down at all rates of speed and finally it came on was close to shore line so I put snow on the running boards with the sled off for 5 mins or so and all was well for the rest of the day.I have also been crispy frozen hard packed sled trail with very little snow dust to speak off and all was well.I think Yamaha quality is second to none so I would consider all vipers built in the same manner so why the varied cooling issues??? When I ride my grizzly 700 in the swamp and the rad gets plugged with mud at some point that day I expect the temp warning light if friend with the same quad do the same route of mud as me we all get are temp warning light within 5-10 mins of each other.I believe this to somewhat prove Yamaha high quality standard as all there products (quads) put in the same condition responded the same.Where as other makers of powersports products I have seen a varying amount of different types of failures with no common ground.Hope I got my point and question across well thanks guys Awesome site love it!! 
Bluemonster2
New member
grizz686 said:I have a 2002 viper bone stock (5188 km) expect ripsaw 1"1/4 with 96 picks.As title says why do some have issues an some don't?? I have read the articles on here about poor head design (coolant flow) and that u need a opticool headgasket and/or srx rear heat exchanger.My viper I ride in all conditions and have only seen the temp warning once!! and that was because I was on the frozen lake with no snow cover for hours ripping up and down at all rates of speed and finally it came on was close to shore line so I put snow on the running boards with the sled off for 5 mins or so and all was well for the rest of the day.I have also been crispy frozen hard packed sled trail with very little snow dust to speak off and all was well.I think Yamaha quality is second to none so I would consider all vipers built in the same manner so why the varied cooling issues??? When I ride my grizzly 700 in the swamp and the rad gets plugged with mud at some point that day I expect the temp warning light if friend with the same quad do the same route of mud as me we all get are temp warning light within 5-10 mins of each other.I believe
this to somewhat prove Yamaha high quality standard as all there products
(quads) put in the same condition responded the same.Where as other makers of powersports products I have seen a varying amount of different types of failures with no common ground.Hope I got my point and question across well thanks guys Awesome site love it!!
The reason some people are having problems are probably due to bad gas and poor maintenance otherwise they would ALL be blowing.
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my guess is also maintenance this is a very clouded topic at best I have been in the automotive field as a transmission tech for 15 years and some of the things people bring me in that is maintained or in "good" shape YIKES!! or they think it is.All u can do is smile and scratch your head sometimes lol!!
Snowsnake
New member
Yeah I've only had my light come on once in 25,000 klm's on glare ice and even then it really wasn't all that hot.Seems like the light comes on pretty early which is a good thing.Mine is all stock with no rear exchanger.My nephews was the same as it never really got that hot,but the light would come on occasionally before we figured out the belly skid plate was causing it.
I have an 04 with the rear cooler. The light came on once. It was easy to find the problem the arctic cat I was towing pushed my flap up in front of the cooler.
Bluemonster2 said:
The reason some people are having problems are probably due to bad gas and poor maintenance otherwise they would ALL be blowing.
The other big variable is rider or drive cycle but as you and others suggest, fuel and the definition of "well maintained" rates right up there.