First Ride: Yamaha Viper MT-X 162 LE

[christopher]

So, after months and months of waiting today I had my first opportunity to take my brand new Viper out for her maiden voyage.

This sled has NOTHING in common with the Nytro other than the Engine and Clutch. I unloaded it from the trailer in 12 inches of fresh powder, leaned over the boards to pull a left handed 180 turn around my trailer and promptly rolled it onto the ground! To say this sled responds to "body language" would be an understatement. It is VASTLY more nimble than my Nytro ever was.

Brought my Turbo Nytro along on this ride for some side by side comparisons.

First thing I noticed was the steering!
The Viper is SO much lighter on the steering.
There was a very noticeable different in total exertion required.
The Viper is far more nimble and willing to turn with less rider input.

But.
At the same time I felt like the front end would "skid" more frequently than the Nytro did. Meaning that I could turn the steering further left and right without the sled always making a turn. I remember this same feeling riding an RMK PRO. As though the front end was floating above the snow, rather than being firmly attached to it like the Nytro.

Slot Car vs. Drifting through a corner.

I managed to get 40 miles on the sled, all at 6,000 rpm or less trying my best to follow the engine break-in guidelines. So I have NO idea at all how the sled really performs yet.

Liked the LARGE easy to read display.

Thought the Throttle paddle stuck out further than the Nytro did, found my first joint on my thumb hurt more than on the Nytro.

Very different sound with the forward exhaust, and much louder than I would have expected for a new factory sled. It really has a nice rich tone to it.


Will get started on the MODS the week after Thanksgiving when the Turbo kit arrives.

 

[2Huskies]

https://vimeo.com/112608244
<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/112608244?byline=0&portrait=0&color=ec5727" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/112608244">1737028-CBP - SnoWest</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tapatalk">Tapatalk</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>


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[2Huskies]

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[blown addiction]

Where were you riding at? I would love to get a few miles on the trail> before it's full throttle time.

 

[christopher]

Where were you riding at? I would love to get a few miles on the trail> before it's full throttle time.

We drove up to Island Park thinking we MIGHT scrape by with a poor trail ride. Who would have guessed we would find 12 inches of fresh powder in the parking lot! And then the higher we climbed out of the valley the better it got!

Plan on going back for a 2nd ride on Monday!

 

[BOOSTD]

Just run it! Forget all that under 6k rpm stuff and just have fun on it.
Glad you got out but don't waste another ride without boost!

 

[motojunkie101]

Yep, break it in hard and make sure the rings are seated.

 

[2Huskies]

Haha I kept telling him to open it up!!


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[JackSprat]

Update

Thanks for the update.
Looks like it was fun!
:cheer2:

 

[slash]

suck up the front torque arm strap and it will plant the skis , just remember it's STOCK as delivered nothing set to you the rider .

 

[motojunkie101]

You can also try taking some preload off the front shock on the skid to give you a little more ski pressure.

 

[christopher]

For now I am just learning how the new sled behaves itself

 

[Turbo11T]

I would suggest that the light ski pressure is something that exists to strike balance to make the sled feel light. I had read that Yamaha had changed something in the rear skid vs. what cat had been doing on the 1100's. Of course about 90% of what you read online is crap. But made sense to me. Be careful trying to change the setup to get more ski pressure. Obviously ski pressure on the trail is awesome. But you didn't buy a trail sled. You want to machine to follow your body language not your arms or you will be tired at the end of the day.

 

[turbo800]

Yes, Yamaha is using a longer front arm and longer center track shock. They also raised the rail mounting point hole ~3/4".

 

[christopher]

I would suggest that the light ski pressure is something that exists to strike balance to make the sled feel light. I had read that Yamaha had changed something in the rear skid vs. what cat had been doing on the 1100's. Of course about 90% of what you read online is crap. But made sense to me. Be careful trying to change the setup to get more ski pressure. Obviously ski pressure on the trail is awesome. But you didn't buy a trail sled. You want to machine to follow your body language not your arms or you will be tired at the end of the day.

As of right now I am NOT ready to make any changes to the sled at all.
Handling wise, this is a VERY DIFFERENT beast from my Nytros.
Really has nothing in common at all.
The Turbo WILL go on in the first week of December, I consider that a MUST HAVE item on a 4S sled.

Running Boards will "Probably" be the first major mod after the turbo.

The boards aren't "bad", but they simply don't have the grip that I have become accustomed to with the Skinz Air Frames over the years, nor the snow shedding ability.

 

[christopher]

Yes, Yamaha is using a longer front arm and longer center track shock. They also raised the rail mounting point hole ~3/4".

And if their goal was to "lighten" the feel of the front end of the sled, they have absolutely succeeded.

What I REALLY need are just a few more miles on the engine in break-in mode so I can begin to open her up and actually find out how she runs.

 

[Turbo11T]

And if their goal was to "lighten" the feel of the front end of the sled, they have absolutely succeeded.

What I REALLY need are just a few more miles on the engine in break-in mode so I can begin to open her up and actually find out how she runs.

Honestly I would not be afraid to squeeze the flipper to the bar once and a while. If you read about how rings seat you may have a different understanding of how you want to break in your engine.

Figure out a way to put a good hard load on the engine. And run it up to full throttle a few times. Motorcycle guys would say a good way to do this is to put the bike in a gear that once already rolling they can roll the throttle right to full and allow the engine to rev slowly, but not to the point it joints and jerks. The pressure from the combustion in the cylinder brings great pressure which will seat the rings. Most of those same guys claim that if you miss the window that you likely will never get a set of rings to seat properly.

This method is not as easy on a sled with a cvt. But still can be achieved. A good example on a sled would be an area that is high traction. Possibly heavy wet snow or on grass.

This rpm not over 6000rpm thing is for the bearings to break in, but this happens fast as well. Mostly they do not want long sustained periods of full rpm operation because that causes a great deal on heat in the bearings. But also steady revving at 6000rpm will cause heat as well.

I am not saying the manufacturer is wrong to give the guidelines they set out to give but they want this to be one size fits all. Which it is not because if they said go ahead no break in needed some might go hold it to the bar right away for 60 seconds right after they didn't even take the time to warm it up before this thrashing.

If yamaha felt so strongly that the engine needed to be below 6000rpm for a given period or percentage they would likely have a break in on the ecu that did just that because they are looking out for the warranty claims and I have not heard. Any times of warranty being denied because of incorrect breakin.


Just food for thought. But getting the rings seated well will sure help it when you get that turbo on it.

 

[CHAZWILDMAN]

Honestly I would not be afraid to squeeze the flipper to the bar once and a while. If you read about how rings seat you may have a different understanding of how you want to break in your engine.

Figure out a way to put a good hard load on the engine. And run it up to full throttle a few times. Motorcycle guys would say a good way to do this is to put the bike in a gear that once already rolling they can roll the throttle right to full and allow the engine to rev slowly, but not to the point it joints and jerks. The pressure from the combustion in the cylinder brings great pressure which will seat the rings. Most of those same guys claim that if you miss the window that you likely will never get a set of rings to seat properly.

This method is not as easy on a sled with a cvt. But still can be achieved. A good example on a sled would be an area that is high traction. Possibly heavy wet snow or on grass.

This rpm not over 6000rpm thing is for the bearings to break in, but this happens fast as well. Mostly they do not want long sustained periods of full rpm operation because that causes a great deal on heat in the bearings. But also steady revving at 6000rpm will cause heat as well.

I am not saying the manufacturer is wrong to give the guidelines they set out to give but they want this to be one size fits all. Which it is not because if they said go ahead no break in needed some might go hold it to the bar right away for 60 seconds right after they didn't even take the time to warm it up before this thrashing.

If yamaha felt so strongly that the engine needed to be below 6000rpm for a given period or percentage they would likely have a break in on the ecu that did just that because they are looking out for the warranty claims and I have not heard. Any times of warranty being denied because of incorrect breakin.


Just food for thought. But getting the rings seated well will sure help it when you get that turbo on it.

So should break in be done before turbo is installed?

 

[motojunkie101]

You can break it in either way. Breaking in a new engine is a personal preference. The Internet isn't paying for repairs, so do your homework and decide what you want to do.

I'm breaking mine in boosted, and will be doing the following:

1. Warm up to operating temp.
2. Run it easy for a mile or two, stop and check for leaks.
3. Find a spot where I can roll on the throttle to wot and let the engine decelerate as well.
4. Make a few pulls and take a break to let the engine go through a heat cycle.
5. Rinse and repeat, just always varying the throttle and not making any prolonged wot runs for awhile.

Expect the engine to loosen up and gain a couple hundred RPM around 500 miles.

 

[stingray719]

When standing on the Viper move forward on the boards. This chassis is not fond of standing rearward. Ride it like a jet ski not a Nytro.