new here but am looking for some help. im looking at upgrading to a 04 viper er . was wondering what the total suspension travel for these sleds is ? is it a 10" rear suspension ? looked but couldnt find it anywhere. are these sleds know to have any major down falls or bad areas ? my 94 v-vax still runs strong but just looking add something newer.

I think you'll be pretty happy going from your current ride to the 04 Viper. It has 11" rear travel. The proaction takes some tinkering to get it riding decent. Even still , it wont be as nice as doos SC10-IV skid in 121" form. Toss the stock front skiis. If you can find a Viper "S", thats better, Ohlins shox up front . Motor is smooth and bulletproof. I love my '02 but it was USI skiis and stretching to 136" with a camo 1" predator track and 168 studs really made the difference.

First and foremost, have you seen the prices of used Vipers? They usually start around $3500 (but don't sell) and then drop quickly to $2500.
I have a 2003 ER in perfect condition that I can't sell for the life of me (asking 3k). Yeah, maybe if I drop the price to $2500 the going rate but that is crazy. Do your research on these sleds. The pro action skid is a piece of garbage that completely ruins your back. Anyone that knows anything about this generation of sleds will tell you the Viper has a horrible suspension. On occasion you will hear someone say the pro action just requires some tweaking. Don't listen to them. It's still a piece of crap. Don't get stuck with a Viper like I am.

On the other hand, for $2500 you can pick up a really nice sled with an excellent motor that will run forever but you have to be willing to deal with a bad suspension or have the money to upgrade to a M10.

Hope this helps,
Tim

Geez that's a bum wrap. I'm not sure I'd go quite so far in saying the rear suspension is total absolute garbage, but yes it isn't the best. It certainly isn't any worse then my 97 XLT with the Xtra 12", which some people actually put in their Vipers?!?!?

Anyway, it's a nice sled, very reliable and probably a decent upgrade from your old V-max.

Agreed, overall great sled for the money ($2500) and an upgrade from where he is now. But you really shouldn't compare a 1997 skid with a 2002 and above. But honestly the pro action is a 1990'ish skid in a 2003 sled, which is the problem. Check the Yamaha forum and you will find Viper guys have been swapping the rear skid with just about everything under the sun.
One might ask, why are so many people swapping the skid? My opinion is it sucks.

Again, look at the resale. Its low for a reason. $2500 is the going rate which is a great price for a sled that will run forever but it doesn't even compare to today’s (2002 and above) rear suspensions.

My advice is not to spent anymore then $2600 for a Viper and you will be happy with what you get for the money. If you have a bad back steer away from the Viper.

Do the research.

Tim

Oh, I'm a hard core TY guy, so i know exactly what everyone is doing to their Viper. Like I said, some even put the old Xtra 12" in them and I never understood that. The last two mods I'd like to do on my Viper are a bar riser and a different rear skid like you say (either an M10, an ExpertX, or the new ZX2). But I'll probably buy a 4 stroke before I ever swap the skid.

excellent , this is the kind of infomation i was looking for. this viper im lookin at has around 800 miles on it and the guys lookin to get around $3500 for it.... sounds like that might be kinda steep regardless of electric start and reverse.

SnowmoNH - I have a bad back and riding a viper since 2002, It's not that bad, but to each their own. I've ridden similar year Poo's and AC's and didn't feel that were any better, except for stutter bumps. He'll find out if he like it or not. If he's like most, he'll swap it out. I think too many people want a sports car to drive like a cadiliac. IMO.

quick question , i did ride a 2003 v-max and didnt mind the ride at all. my main comcern is , is the suspension the same between the 2003 v-max and a 2004 viper and will the ride be the same ?

Wrong. I've put 17,000 klicks on mine, my back is fine. And I beat the shit out of the sled. Mind you, it's a 136", which makes a bit of diff. And I maintain meticulously. I can pound pretty big junk, run railbed washboard at 70 mph, no sweat. How many miles did you put on yours? If you hate it so much get rid of it and ride something your happy with My bud has a custom 00 MXZ 700 with 136 SC10-IV and mine rides as good.


An '04 w/800 miles for $3500. Sounds like a good deal to me, I'd buy it if were in the market, if it's clean. The motor is bulletproof.
Recharge/ rebuild shocks every 5000 miles or so as well. If you could score it for $3K, ride it a bit and then stretch to a 136"

Over 5k on my sled now and I can ride out my back yard every night if I want. Clough State Park
Congrads on 17000 you must have a lot of free time.

Again, these things sell all day long for $2500, and that is a fact.

I would love to sell mine been trying for 3 freaking years now. Started at 3500 without a bite. Went down to 3 and not even a tire kicker. It is a beautiful sled not even a scratch so it is hard to justify 2500.

Oh yeah, look up used skids on the internet and you will find a million pro actions for sale. Why, because they suck.

I'm done with this thread, I was just trying to help the buyer avoid the same mistake I made.

Again buyer do the research and you will find there a lot lot of people that are not satisfied with the pro action rear skid. However if you are used to an old sled this might be a perfect fit for the money.

I have an 04 viper and have been happy with everything. Except for the big bumps. And I mean the stuff that you would want a sno pro skid or m10. If all you do is groomed trails you will be more than satisfied.

Bold> dont blame ya. I'd hang on to it too, $2500 is a give away


Werd. They wont thrash big stuff at 121"

The resale on vipers is excellent up here,The suspension? while i ride an srx i'm sure the viper is close with more travel and i have no trouble with it.....but then again i like them low (cog)

well i went ahead and pick up a 2004 sx viper er , with alittle under 800 miles on it. clean lookin sled , wanna do a few changes to it but nothing major , will keep it mostly stock.

here it is ,




now all i need is some snow

thanks for all the input early on , like i said i rode a friend of mines 98 and didnt seem to mind it at all , if mine rides as good as his i'll be happy.

I dont think you'll be disappointed. Tinker with it a bit

Hey congrats on your new sled.. I bought the exact same sled this time last yr. I put about 2000 kms on it this past winter and I gotta say I love this sled. The motor is Bullet proof, and the rear suspension works great for me and I'm 6 foot, 265 lbs, Take your time and set it up the way that you ride, tweak it a little and I recomend adding some studs, and a set of woody's dualy runners this will really help with the sled darting on the trails. I think you got a good deal on a great sled that will last you a long time. Happy trails