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We’re nearing the 1,000-mile mark on our Yamaha Viper LTX SE. A quick recap of those miles here gives you the inside track on this sled!
All of our test riders have had nothing but good things to say about the comfortable ride the LTX provides. This is the longer 137-inch track on this sled and it has the Fox Float 3 shocks. I’ve put the most recent 300-plus miles on this sled and been extremely impressed with the overall ergonomics of the sled, save the handle bars. I came away with some pretty intense blisters on my palms after a 150-mile ride a couple weeks ago, but I’m hopeful some tinkering with bar positioning can erase that issue.
The sled really handles great through the stutter bumps. I actually think it got better the more I rode it. The front end hadn’t been touched since pickup from the dealer and I felt it wanted to push through the corners a bit in looser snow conditions. Again, something that should be easily corrected by adding a few PSI to the Fox Float 3s up front.
The 4-stroke power plant is downright impressive 0-60 mph. This thing’s got plenty of punch off the line and can hang with just about any trail sled corner-to-corner. I would call the fuel consumption average at just over 13 mpg. I was hoping to see a little bit more on the top end of this engine, but overall the Viper LTX has plenty to satisfy probably 90 percent of consumers.
If I were to purchase my own, the only upgrade I would make is adding a windshield. The stock low shield looks trendy and sporty, but does little for directing wind away from the rider.
Finally, the longer track definitely makes this a versatile machine. The added length (compared to a 129-inch Viper) went largely unnoticed by me on the trails, but it’s there and comes in handy if you find yourself somehow off the trail!