REAL WEIGHT COMPARISON: Yamaha Viper vs RMK vs XM! (Video W/Ryan Harris from SnoWest)
- Thread starter christopher
- Start date
One problem
Interesting video - certainly we all care about real world weights and power to weight ratio. However, there is something yamaha is forgetting. Some dudes (like me) are weak little keyboard pushers. For some people (like me, I'm not that strong) gross total weight is about 3 times as important as power to weight ratio.
This is where Yamaha just kills me. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they can't build something along these same lines, but with a smaller engine, and therefore a lighter sled. At elevation the T-Nytro has almost double the hp as the pro. But guess what? The pro that has less than 110 hp at 9,000 feet has enough for me to have fun!!
So make a phazer with just a 500CC 4-stroke that will put out 115 hp at elevation with a pump gas turbo (or preferably super) and make it weigh 550 pounds when I leave the parking lot with my gas and oil tank full. I WILL BUY THAT SLED!!!!!!! Yammi just won't build it.
Interesting video - certainly we all care about real world weights and power to weight ratio. However, there is something yamaha is forgetting. Some dudes (like me) are weak little keyboard pushers. For some people (like me, I'm not that strong) gross total weight is about 3 times as important as power to weight ratio.
This is where Yamaha just kills me. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they can't build something along these same lines, but with a smaller engine, and therefore a lighter sled. At elevation the T-Nytro has almost double the hp as the pro. But guess what? The pro that has less than 110 hp at 9,000 feet has enough for me to have fun!!
So make a phazer with just a 500CC 4-stroke that will put out 115 hp at elevation with a pump gas turbo (or preferably super) and make it weigh 550 pounds when I leave the parking lot with my gas and oil tank full. I WILL BUY THAT SLED!!!!!!! Yammi just won't build it.
S
No, but Coyote Motorsports in Denver has my old Phazer the girlfriend rode early last year before the Viper. 160hp Supercharger with Nytro 153 track and skid with less than 500 miles. Still not as much fun as a Viper though.
Too funny.
The guys in the Pro forum are all going nuts over this video.
Poor Pro riders are just apoplectic over the weight and power issues of their baby in the real world. Just makes me laugh to see how worked up they all get when anything even marginally threatens their world view.
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392917
The guys in the Pro forum are all going nuts over this video.
Poor Pro riders are just apoplectic over the weight and power issues of their baby in the real world. Just makes me laugh to see how worked up they all get when anything even marginally threatens their world view.
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392917
You are no different about Yamaha.
If they were adding electric start because the Yam had one, then they should have added turbos. And who would let their boards and tunnel build up with snow like they did on the Pro. WTF
But the truth remains, we choose to ride the brand that is the most fun for our style of riding. After riding the viper, I agree it is fun to ride. But, for me it was not nearly as fun or easy to ride in the type of terrain I spend most of my time.
When they become as easy and fun to ride we start seeing them in the groups we ride with. I sure would love to see a 4S that handles like a poo or a doo.
The whole thing just makes me LAUGH though.
Its sooo funny to see how everyone gets SO worked up about it.
The Yamahas are HEAVY.
I am the first one to admit it.
They are the HEAVIEST SLED in the mountain segment, no bones about it.
But the Pro guys just go nuts over the weight issue.
For them being the "Lightest" is the HOLY GRAIL of sledding.
Nothing else matters.
So when their button gets pressed it is just so dang entertaining to watch them go into nuclear meltdown mode!!
For me, my mission in life is to DISPEL the false myth that WEIGHT is the Be-All and End-All in sledding.
Its just not.
Make NO mistake about it.
I want a lighter Viper!!
And I really think that Yamaha has the technology to bring it to market.
But for reasons that they have not been willing to share with me, they have chosen NOT to do so as yet.
I think they COULD take -50lbs off that sled IF they set all of their engineering talent to the task!!
Then we add in the weight of Snow accumulation and the Pro guys started screaming and yelling about how unfair it was!
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But of course, this is the one that makes them all go apoplectic.!
The Viper MUST BE BOOSTED to be considered a Mountain Sled.
That is just a HARD COLD FACT.
To say otherwise is to kid yourself.
Should it come with a Factory Install Turbo? YES.
Why doesn't it, BEATS the heck out of me.
Very much hoping that Yamaha announces Factory Boost next week and puts an end to this silly argument once and for all.
The Viper MUST BE BOOSTED to be considered a Mountain Sled.
That is just a HARD COLD FACT.
To say otherwise is to kid yourself.
Should it come with a Factory Install Turbo? YES.
Why doesn't it, BEATS the heck out of me.
Very much hoping that Yamaha announces Factory Boost next week and puts an end to this silly argument once and for all.
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22 replies in the whole thread in the Polaris section......doesn't seem like a huge melt down to me.
Pleeease stop the Viper / Proclimb "snow weight" parody!
My sled keep as much snow as all other sleds ive been driving with, some times maybe a couple of lbs less, but some times more cause of the space between upper and lower a-arms been fully packed with wet heavy new snow, when Pro had much less in same area.
So i not buying it, and i think they loose reputation since many agree with me.
My sled keep as much snow as all other sleds ive been driving with, some times maybe a couple of lbs less, but some times more cause of the space between upper and lower a-arms been fully packed with wet heavy new snow, when Pro had much less in same area.
So i not buying it, and i think they loose reputation since many agree with me.
I
The weight gain claims are ridiculous. I rarely ride above 4k' in AK, our mountains start at sea level and can get 500+" at sea level. The majority of my riding is around 2K'. So HP loss at elevation is minor for me.
Obviously a turbo viper has no advantages for people in my situation, especially with the new axys capable of 170hp with just an SLP pipe and a dry weight of 395lbs after the exhaust install.
Obviously a turbo viper has no advantages for people in my situation, especially with the new axys capable of 170hp with just an SLP pipe and a dry weight of 395lbs after the exhaust install.
I want to see what this picture says when the Yamaha is stock.............
95.9hp
But lets be real.
NO BODY is buying this sled to ride in the mountains at altitude and NOT taking advantage of the Yamaha/MPI Turbo package.
Even the sleds in the Yamaha videos are all boosted.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbyw_y8tyLg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Stupidest video ever. Not apples to apples at all. First off the pro was obviously carrying more snow. But why so much on the skis. ( because it was put there). I agree it carries more snow but not to the extent you are showing. Plus, you top them up with fuel and fail to mention the pro has a 1.5 gallon bigger tank and will go much further than the 180 kit on a yami. You also compare power to weight with a turbo. Why don't the others have turbos. I was a yami guy for years and still like them but falling on the artic cat bandwagon with this vid is bull****. Christopher as far as I'm concerned you have no credabilty you only see in one direction.
M
fuel tanks bigger? Are you kidding me? It's part of the chassis. Since the other sleds have more nuts and bolts on it should we subtract the weight for all that too?
Dry weight is irrelevant, that is a weight that is never seen out in the mountains. Everything should be weighed wet.
My viper holds a less amount of snow than my other riding partners but not as much as the video portrayed.
Only way to get an accurate video would be to have a representative from each of the big 4 present.
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real world weight you guys are right the yamaha viper is a tank at 614 lbs 
and polaris rules the world. can we move on now
Arctic Cat
2013 M8 HCR 153" RTR (ready to ride) 569lbs
2012 ProClimb HCR 153" RTR 502lbs
2006 M7 153" RTR 577lbs
2010 M8 153" RTR 554lbs
2013 m1100 153" RTR 677lbs
2006 CF/M7 146" RTR 589lbs
2013 800 RR RTR 574lbs
Polaris
2009 Dragon 800 163" RTR 557lbs
2014 Assault 800 155" RTR 546lbs
2013 Pro 800 155" RTR 515lbs
2012 Pro 600 155" RTR 535lbs
2014 Pro 800 163" RTR 531lbs
1995 XLT 144" RTR 625lbs
Ski-Doo
2014 XM 163" RTR 560lbs
Snow Hawk
?year? 800 151" RTR 514lbs
Yamaha
2014 Viper 141" 544lbs
2014 Viper 162" 549lbs
Nytro RTR 644lbs
2014 Nytro 592lbs
Nytro 617lbs
Apex 162" with turbo kit RTR 687lbs
2015 Viper 162" RTR Turbo 614lbs
Propex 630lbs
and polaris rules the world. can we move on nowArctic Cat
2013 M8 HCR 153" RTR (ready to ride) 569lbs
2012 ProClimb HCR 153" RTR 502lbs
2006 M7 153" RTR 577lbs
2010 M8 153" RTR 554lbs
2013 m1100 153" RTR 677lbs
2006 CF/M7 146" RTR 589lbs
2013 800 RR RTR 574lbs
Polaris
2009 Dragon 800 163" RTR 557lbs
2014 Assault 800 155" RTR 546lbs
2013 Pro 800 155" RTR 515lbs
2012 Pro 600 155" RTR 535lbs
2014 Pro 800 163" RTR 531lbs
1995 XLT 144" RTR 625lbs
Ski-Doo
2014 XM 163" RTR 560lbs
Snow Hawk
?year? 800 151" RTR 514lbs
Yamaha
2014 Viper 141" 544lbs
2014 Viper 162" 549lbs
Nytro RTR 644lbs
2014 Nytro 592lbs
Nytro 617lbs
Apex 162" with turbo kit RTR 687lbs
2015 Viper 162" RTR Turbo 614lbs
Propex 630lbs
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Thought it was worth repeating..
This is RYAN HARRIS's post from the beginning of this thread.
This is RYAN HARRIS's post from the beginning of this thread.
This is legit.
But there are a few background notes that I find important to point out:
1. Both the Pro and the Summit were equipped with electric start.
That's why the wet weights are higher than what we have measured in our own testing.
The Viper is electric start, too...
2. The Summit was an SP, not an X.
3. The Viper 153 was not a Float-equipped SE version.
It was the base model with coil spring shocks.
3. The snow conditions on the day of this ride were what I would define as March snow: dense powder up high and heavy wet down low. And the tree weights were done at a lower elevation where the snow was heavier. But all three sleds were ridden for a couple hours, filled up, ridden around again and driven right to the hanging scale. In my opinion, that's why the weights on the Pro and Summit are higher than what the Cat video showed.
4. I was shocked.
As stated in the video, it still feels like you're riding a 4-stroke and it still feels heavier in the snow, but with the 180 boost kit, it was light enough to feel fun. Wasn't expecting that.
5. The results have already been pointed out to some extent in Cat's tree-weight video.
The ProClimb chassis just doesn't carry as much weight in snow.
6. It doesn't mean the Pro and Summit suddenly suck (although social media will probably take it that way anyway).
All I take it to mean is that Yamaha has made big progress toward having a 4-stroke mountain sled that is competitive with the 8s and is actually fun to ride. It is fun to ride.
That's my take. Read into it however you want.
-Ryan Harris
Here's some iphone shots I took on that ride before the weigh in up higher on the mountain.
Flame on...
To quote Will Ferrel in Zoolander:
"I feel like I'm taking Crazy Pills!"
The Video is total BS(Period)
This whole thing is really Highschool.
Polaris is the really Skinny Girl,...not the prettiest though
Cat and Doo are Hot but have a little more meat on the bones.
Yamaho......well she won the state title in Shot-put, and really wants to punch Polaris for being so skinny....
ha ha ha
"I feel like I'm taking Crazy Pills!"
The Video is total BS(Period)
This whole thing is really Highschool.
Polaris is the really Skinny Girl,...not the prettiest though
Cat and Doo are Hot but have a little more meat on the bones.
Yamaho......well she won the state title in Shot-put, and really wants to punch Polaris for being so skinny....
ha ha ha
