Finally got a chance to ride my '18 SW earlier this week.
The sled:
2018 Sidewinder MTX LE 153
Conquer 280 track
MBRP Race Exhaust
Viper MTX Vertical Steering
Cat Pro Mtn Boards
Running av gas with no tune
Skinz Freeride seat
Old sled:
2016 Viper MTX LE 153
Conquer 280
Skinz boards
MPI base kit with electronic boost controller reflashed to 9psi, lightweight exhaust
Headlight delete
Lightweight brake rotor
Skinz Freeride seat
I loved my old sled, took me anywhere I wanted to go and then some. Weight never was an issue, as I was able to find another line 99% of the time to get me where I was wanting to go. It pulled hard, never had an issue with it trenching, and was a great all around sled. I ended up blowing the motor, insurance totalled it and I ordered an '18 SW. Built it pretty similar out of the box, so wasn't expecting to be much different. I was proven wrong very quickly.
The bad:
It's a massive wheelie machine. Came over backwards on me so fast I couldn't react quick enough to step off or shut the sled off. The rollover valve allowed a full quart of oil to go by and shoved it into the breather. Ended up smoking like a freight train for awhile until it all got burnt out of it.
The good:
Everything. The dropped and rolled make this thing climb up out of the snow better than I could have ever imagined. Just about when you think your stuck, you shake it a little bit and it walks right out of the 6ft trench you dug. Throttle response is quick, and I never had any issues getting the sled to respond to my inputs. The lockout feature on the shock works great, I just wish I was able to adjust it on the handlebar instead of having to get off. I ran it in position 2 most of the time, switched it to lock once to see if it worked. Fronts I ran on position 1 the entire time and don't think I'll change anything.
Overall, I love this sled. Works better than I could have imagined, and don't see any desire to add anything else to this sled. No, they're not going to be as light as a carbon fiber two stroke, but the dependability and how easy these are to ride for the everyday Joe, you can't go wrong with buying one.