2014 Viper Reviews?

[switch07]

I have read in other threads bits and pcs on the 14 Viper. Anyone want to comment on how theirs ran, how they liked it compared to what they replaced? I am replacing a 2012 Adventure and a 2011 Rush LX with a pair of Viper L-TX DX's. I need info guys, it's gonna be a long summer waiting for our new Vipers to arrive.......

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[maddog24]

I put on 2200 miles on my Viper LTX SE. For comparison, I came off an 2006 Apex RTX. For starters, I had no real issues.I did replace the primary spring at 1700 miles. I have been sledding for 24 years and I am not brand loyal. This is, so far , hands down my favorite ride to date. The seating position, handling and ride has been outstanding. Corner to corner this thing is a rocket. It lacks the top end that the Apex had. That being said , up to 70 MPH this sled is right there. It pulls slightly ahead of my buddies Etec 800 for about 4-500 feet. There is some top end left in the clutching I feel. It steers super easy, has a real comfy seat,and bar height is perfect for me. So far, Im Lovin it. Enjoy!

 

[lenny]

I put on 2200 miles on my Viper LTX SE. For comparison, I came off an 2006 Apex RTX. For starters, I had no real issues.I did replace the primary spring at 1700 miles. I have been sledding for 24 years and I am not brand loyal. This is, so far , hands down my favorite ride to date. The seating position, handling and ride has been outstanding. Corner to corner this thing is a rocket. It lacks the top end that the Apex had. That being said , up to 70 MPH this sled is right there. It pulls slightly ahead of my buddies Etec 800 for about 4-500 feet. There is some top end left in the clutching I feel. It steers super easy, has a real comfy seat,and bar height is perfect for me. So far, Im Lovin it. Enjoy!

wow, better acceleration than a doo 800e, impressive!

 

[switch07]

I put on 2200 miles on my Viper LTX SE. For comparison, I came off an 2006 Apex RTX. For starters, I had no real issues.I did replace the primary spring at 1700 miles. I have been sledding for 24 years and I am not brand loyal. This is, so far , hands down my favorite ride to date. The seating position, handling and ride has been outstanding. Corner to corner this thing is a rocket. It lacks the top end that the Apex had. That being said , up to 70 MPH this sled is right there. It pulls slightly ahead of my buddies Etec 800 for about 4-500 feet. There is some top end left in the clutching I feel. It steers super easy, has a real comfy seat,and bar height is perfect for me. So far, Im Lovin it. Enjoy![/

When I test drove a Viper by Kip's in December, I thought it steered a bit hard. It may have been set up with more carbide in the front than I would normally run. That concerned me with my wife's arm strength, but with the new tuner skis, and the mag reviews, I feel better about that. Did you do your own oil changes? Or is that a dealer thing. I am curious about why you replaced the clutch spring. Was it a failure or a tuning issue. Did you run 87 or stick with premium? Thanks for the info...

 

[whitedust]

wow, better acceleration than a doo 800e, impressive!

Viper 0-30mph faster than snot in AM shoot out beat everything out there in stock.

 

[momoney2123]

Viper 0-30mph faster than snot in AM shoot out beat everything out there in stock.

I ran one on lake minocqua this year with my 11 800E, wasnt close. APEX much better race.

 

[lenny]

I ran one on lake minocqua this year with my 11 800E, wasnt close. APEX much better race.

so, should we assume Maddog24 is lying than? No offense momoney but you are very ridgid when it comes to Doo and very protective, easily offended when someone says something about doo that makes something look better. Here is what maddog24 posted: The seating position, handling and ride has been outstanding. Corner to corner this thing is a rocket. It lacks the top end that the Apex had. That being said , up to 70 MPH this sled is right there. It pulls slightly ahead of my buddies Etec 800 for about 4-500 feet.

Is this an exaggeration or is it possible that it was an actual experience? Just asking.

 

[momoney2123]

so, should we assume Maddog24 is lying than? No offense momoney but you are very ridgid when it comes to Doo and very protective, easily offended when someone says something about doo that makes something look better. Here is what maddog24 posted: The seating position, handling and ride has been outstanding. Corner to corner this thing is a rocket. It lacks the top end that the Apex had. That being said , up to 70 MPH this sled is right there. It pulls slightly ahead of my buddies Etec 800 for about 4-500 feet.

Is this an exaggeration or is it possible that it was an actual experience? Just asking.

haha no and i believe it as an 800E comes from factory with a lot of clutching left on the table so im not suprised at all about his expirence. was just stating what mine was.

 

[Banks93]

He also said super easy steering and anyone that has ridden a 4 stroke of any kind knows that is not true compared to a 2 stroke. EPS Vector is super easy.

I would say the Viper is a good sled but way overpriced for what you get and to say it is the best sled in 24 years of riding is a reach. I wouldn't even put it in the top 5. They have obviously never ridden the 800 R-Motion, 800 Cat, or the 800 Pro-S sleds. Those are the best three trail sleds on the market today.

Acura TL is a great car but it sure isn't a BMW M6.

 

[maddog24]

Banks 93, are you having a bad day, unhappy about the current state of the economy, not hugged enough as a child? If you actually read my post, it states " my favorite ride to date." As in, sleds I've owned. I also am comparing , most recently , to my 06 Apex that I logged almost 10,000 miles on. I mentioned that as well. The 2 guys I ride with the most , both have R motion Ski Doos and another buddy has a Cat 800. So yes, I have ridden both. You certainly welcome to your opinion. I am basing my opinion on a lot of saddle time .

 

[maddog24]

Switch07 to answer your question, I had the primary spring changed because it broke at 1700 miles. I had the dealer do the first oil change. I will do form here on out. I ran 87octane the whole year except for the last tank which I put premium in for storage.

 

[whitedust]

I ran one on lake minocqua this year with my 11 800E, wasnt close. APEX much better race.

Documented shootout results are what they are. Fact is Viper was fastest 0-30mph as part of the competition which doesn't mean a whole lot to me other than the Viper will jump any sled off the line so expect it then wave bye-bye.lol

 

[Banks93]

I like that post. We could be riding sled if we had cold weather and snow. Here is wishing you another 24 years of good riding.

 

[switch07]

I'm not real concerned about top end anymore. What I want is the 0-40 response, a good ride, fuel economy, and dependability. I really did not think the price was out of line for the technology you are getting, so I didn't think it was over priced. Sure, I'd like it to be like my first Indy 400, at $3995, but it is what it is I guess. But then I make a heck of a lot more money now than I did in 1990, lol. How many more months until the trails open back up?

 

[misty_pines]

American Snowmobiler Mag did a Real Word Shootout in March. Pretty interesting results. The sleds tested that apply to the thread were a MXZ XRS 800 etec, a SR Viper and a Viper LTX SE. Several other sleds were also tested. The Doo was faster and quicker in almost every category except the 0-30 in which the SR Viper was .01 seconds quicker. The Doo was 1.47 secs and the SR Viper was 1.46 secs for the 0-30 run. The Viper LTX was 1.57 secs.

Time to 660 feet was: Doo 7.71 secs (89.60 mph), SR Viper 8.26 secs (78.67 mph) and Viper LTX was 8.09 secs (83.36 mph).

Looking at all the times, speeds and distances, it appears the SR Viper has a great hole shot, then after 30 mph, the 800 etec pulls away...according to this test on this day with these stock sleds anyway.

This test was done with all sleds on the same course with the same driver. Also, over 350 miles were put on all the sleds prior to the testing which is not done during the Old Forge Shootout American Snowmobiler does every December. It is work a read just as more information.

You might have to be a magazine suscriber to read the whole article just as an FYI.

http://www.amsnow.com/Subscriber Extras/Shootout Results/2014/03/2014 Real World Shootout.aspx

 

[switch07]

American Snowmobiler Mag did a Real Word Shootout in March. Pretty interesting results. The sleds tested that apply to the thread were a MXZ XRS 800 etec, a SR Viper and a Viper LTX SE. Several other sleds were also tested. The Doo was faster and quicker in almost every category except the 0-30 in which the SR Viper was .01 seconds quicker. The Doo was 1.47 secs and the SR Viper was 1.46 secs for the 0-30 run. The Viper LTX was 1.57 secs.

Time to 660 feet was: Doo 7.71 secs (89.60 mph), SR Viper 8.26 secs (78.67 mph) and Viper LTX was 8.09 secs (83.36 mph).

Looking at all the times, speeds and distances, it appears the SR Viper has a great hole shot, then after 30 mph, the 800 etec pulls away...according to this test on this day with these stock sleds anyway.

This test was done with all sleds on the same course with the same driver. Also, over 350 miles were put on all the sleds prior to the testing which is not done during the Old Forge Shootout American Snowmobiler does every December. It is work a read just as more information.

You might have to be a magazine suscriber to read the whole article just as an FYI.

http://www.amsnow.com/Subscriber Extras/Shootout Results/2014/03/2014 Real World Shootout.aspx

I picked up Snowgoer, Snowtech, and American Snowmobiler, spring editions last week to read on the airplane to Atlanta last weekend. Wifey thought I was nuts and said "be patient, you have a long time to wait," lol. I'm just pumped up and want to know all I can about the sled. Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[momoney2123]

Yea I mean 155+ hp lightweight 2s should destroy the viper. Better comparison would be the 1200 vs viper. My 800e took alot of tweaking and testing to get right and was significantly faster than one we left box stock. Just clutching and gearing mods