superfan75
New member
I got an 02 Viper a couple weeks ago and I got it running nice. It has Bender pipes, Bender heads and V Force 3 reeds. It does run nice and smooth considering all the work that's been done to it, but I'm thinking about getting stock pipe and silencer. The clutches engage at around 3300 rpm, is there anyway that they are stock and maybe I wouldn't have to mess with them. All the clutch parts I can see look stock. It would be nice if all I had to do would be to get the jets I need. Is there anything else I'm not thinking about to switch it back ?
yamyrider
Active member
if its piped then clutching was changed. Pipes make more power which meant engine will rev higher. They may have simply changed riviets in the primary clutch.
superfan75
New member
OK thanx. I'm sort of on the fence about changing it back. It definitely is faster than my brothers stock Viper. I'm just a little paranoid about getting a ticket since Vermont is cracking down on loud pipes, although these pipes really aren't much louder than the SRX I had. Everything works well so I might just leave it as is.
Motorhead
Member
Hey Superfan75, I installed a set of Bender pipes on my Viper last year, and so here is a list of what was needed to make it work.
Jetting changes to pilot from 45 to 52.5
Jetting change to Mains from 156.3 to 167.5
Needle clip was left stock.
Primary clutch tip weights, 7 gram lead from Bender.
Secondary helix and spring change, my used kit came with Bender components made for the pipes, many different combos for same out there, but most probably yours is not stock.
Extra cooling components needed, rear heat exchanger and opticool head gasket. You say "bender head "I take it the stock head has been sent out and machined by Bender, so I would think the opticool was put in during that change out.
Engine torque limiter should have been installed to prevent motor mount probs with extra horse power.
Under hood mods to accept pipes...
Power valve cables are now under exhaust instead of stock location, to do this a 1" spacer was added to your servo to help lenghten the cables.
Shock towers metal shields were installed on both, the mag side installation, needed to cut the stock hood cable mount for fitment, and then new location on pipes. That will leave a hole once the shield is removed.
Under hood harness location moved in quite a few locations to prevent melting..
Cold Air Mod, check your air box it may have been cut to allow more air to the carbs, if so a slot 1 3/8" x 9" would have been cut from the top of air box, you will have to remove the top foam cover (4 screws)to see this.
Hope this helps, just a quick memo concerning your changes , hope I did not miss anything..
Jetting changes to pilot from 45 to 52.5
Jetting change to Mains from 156.3 to 167.5
Needle clip was left stock.
Primary clutch tip weights, 7 gram lead from Bender.
Secondary helix and spring change, my used kit came with Bender components made for the pipes, many different combos for same out there, but most probably yours is not stock.
Extra cooling components needed, rear heat exchanger and opticool head gasket. You say "bender head "I take it the stock head has been sent out and machined by Bender, so I would think the opticool was put in during that change out.
Engine torque limiter should have been installed to prevent motor mount probs with extra horse power.
Under hood mods to accept pipes...
Power valve cables are now under exhaust instead of stock location, to do this a 1" spacer was added to your servo to help lenghten the cables.
Shock towers metal shields were installed on both, the mag side installation, needed to cut the stock hood cable mount for fitment, and then new location on pipes. That will leave a hole once the shield is removed.
Under hood harness location moved in quite a few locations to prevent melting..
Cold Air Mod, check your air box it may have been cut to allow more air to the carbs, if so a slot 1 3/8" x 9" would have been cut from the top of air box, you will have to remove the top foam cover (4 screws)to see this.
Hope this helps, just a quick memo concerning your changes , hope I did not miss anything..
Last edited:
superfan75
New member
Hey thanx Motorhead for the detailed response. I think all the things you mentioned that should've been done were done by the previous owner. It has a Bender head made by Peak ( I assume the opticool gasket was used ),the rear heat exchanger and torque limiter were added and the wiring harness was moved. The air box was opened up and the baffle was removed, but I got a stock one and it seems to run just as good as the hacked up one did. At least I feel better that all the bases were covered. I always wonder about someone else cutting corners when hopping up a sled. I'm still not decided, especially with all that went into making it all work the way it does. It feels about as fast as my old SRX was, but a stock Viper is plenty fast. I think it comes down to sound, mpg's, and ease of maintenance. Those pipes really take up a lot of room.
Agpetro
Member
superfan75 said:I got an 02 Viper a couple weeks ago and I got it running nice. It has Bender pipes, Bender heads and V Force 3 reeds. It does run nice and smooth considering all the work that's been done to it, but I'm thinking about getting stock pipe and silencer. The clutches engage at around 3300 rpm, is there anyway that they are stock and maybe I wouldn't have to mess with them. All the clutch parts I can see look stock. It would be nice if all I had to do would be to get the jets I need. Is there anything else I'm not thinking about to switch it back ?
3300 rpm?? really?? should be around 4500 rpm. 3300 sounds like stock to me. What is your peak rpm?
superfan75
New member
To be honest I don't know what the peak rpm is, I haven't been able to really open it up yet. I did one 60 mile ride so far and played a little in my field. We don't have much snow in Vt so I've been avoiding stones and taking it easy. I was surprised myself about the low engagement, but they seem to work OK. When I hit the throttle there is no delay and the engine doesn't seem to be lugging or bogging. Clutches are one of those things I never screwed with other than regular cleaning and maintenance.
Motorhead
Member
My clutch set up comes in @ 4500 and WOT is at 8600 and will creep to 8800.
Per Bender, 8700 -8800 is WOT target range...
I have got 2 vipers, 03 stock with HH only, and the Bender piped 02.
They are very close gas mileage wise but not power wise. 11-14 MPG depending upon throttle use and trail conditions. The 02 prevails at the pump by a tad.
Bender pipes are quiet until about 4200...
Per Bender, 8700 -8800 is WOT target range...
I have got 2 vipers, 03 stock with HH only, and the Bender piped 02.
They are very close gas mileage wise but not power wise. 11-14 MPG depending upon throttle use and trail conditions. The 02 prevails at the pump by a tad.
Bender pipes are quiet until about 4200...
superfan75
New member
I guess my clutch setup might not be quite right, although it seems to work pretty good for the trail riding I do. I don't ride aggressive anymore, getting old I guess.LOL. Although it is fun with the extra HP when I punch it across a short straight. I will be paying attention to my mpg and how the clutching feels in different conditions. If it turns out that its not working good in some conditions I might want to change it to Benders specs. There's plenty of good info here to set it up properly. If everything is set up good and works efficiently I may just leave everything as is. Thank you everyone for the good advice.
Agpetro
Member
motorhead said:My clutch set up comes in @ 4500 and WOT is at 8600 and will creep to 8800.
Per Bender, 8700 -8800 is WOT target range...
I have got 2 vipers, 03 stock with HH only, and the Bender piped 02.
They are very close gas mileage wise but not power wise. 11-14 MPG depending upon throttle use and trail conditions. The 02 prevails at the pump by a tad.
Bender pipes are quiet until about 4200...
Sounds just like my bender piped viper. Peak is at 8700-8800. I get 10-12 mpg with it depending on how the trails are.
Motorhead
Member
Not bad for a piped Viper from what I have read.Agpetro said:Sounds just like my bender piped viper. Peak is at 8700-8800. I get 10-12 mpg with it depending on how the trails are.
Last trip on hard trails which allowed 50-70 MPH cruising, I got 13.5 MPG.
Other trips on much bigger and faster trails dropped mileage down to about 11.. those were a few 120s on the dreameter in safe locations and much higher cruising speeds overall !!
I think it is due to 2 factors, clutching allows this thing to free wheel compared to stock and throttle response is very crisp, never more than 1/4 throttle for 80MPH!! Just a tad under my friends SRX mileage.