Why so Many Vipers in the Classifieds?

[Shattered1]

I've noticed that there are several 2014 and 2015 Vipers in the classified section. I'm curious why so many guys are selling. Are they dissatisfied with their performance? Just no snow to run them on? Like to get a new sled every year? Need to free up some money?

It seems that most, if not all of them are boosted and modded. Yet it seems that many of them are asking right around what a new stock sled would cost. It just seems odd to me that these guys would put that kind of money and/or effort into a new sled and get rid of it before they really used them. Most of them seem to be screaming deals.

And I don't really care to hear from the usual clowns that have never ridden (or barely ridden) a Viper to weigh in on how awful they are and that's why they are for sale. I'd kind of like to hear from those that have some first hand experience.

We know, we know...Polaris good, Yamaha bad. Post it in the Polaris section. We really don't want to hear about it here.

 

[hollywood69]

I have mine in there and absolutely love the sled and power! The sled works great. I have a 2012 RMK and bring both sleds. Always seem to ride the Yamaha. The turbo is so much fun. Yes the RMK is easier in the trees but I don't care I always ride my Yamaha. As for selling I got a great deal on my 2015 Yami and love the new front end on 2016. I rode one back to back with 2015. Sled is way easier to ride. Feels pretty close to my RMk.

 

[CO Powder]

It isn't just Vipers, there are lots of great deals out there due to a poor snow season and some pretty good improvements coming for '16.

I noticed a couple of them selling for around msrp, most were well above that. I saw turbo Vipers from $13,500-25,000. The reason you see deals on mod sleds is because you have a REALLY hard time re-couping money spent on mods. Most mod guys want it their way and are willing to pay. Most used buyers see the mods as a bonus (like you), which they are when done correctly but, rarely are used buyers willing to pay full boat for mods or they would be doing it themselves on new machines.

The market looks like this most years during snow-check season. There are usually some screaming deals this time of year.

 

[RACINSTATION]

You will see this in any brand. You can buy a turbo Pro RMK for about $12,000 in awesome shape. If you buy a new one and build it up, it will run about $20K. I am in the same boat. I was going to sell my Viper, but now I am thinking, low miles, and it is already done. It is probably worth $12,000 to 15,000 market, but will cost $20 to redo.......so I am going to keep it and that is one less thing I have to worry about in the fall.

Point is, mod sleds are always a bargain because the seller is usually trying to move on to the newest model with more bells and a bigger whistle.

 

[thamax]

I build a new sled every year and sell one every year!
Zero issues best performing 4-stroke they have built runs along side custom nypexs and full titanium sleds.
When most riders only put 2-300 miles due to no snow and late delivery by yamaha and MPI! Really screwed up a lot of the season.

 

[thamax]

one more factor! no dealer will take a sled on trade right now!

 

[Shattered1]

That's good to hear.

I haven't seen a ton of first person reviews that weren't corporate sponsored since the season got into full swing nor have I seen many videos of Vipers in the mountains. It was making me wonder if they were everything that they were promised to be. Most everything I have read has been positive and most of the videos I've seen have been impressive, but I haven't seen very many of them.

The "new sled every season" philosophy seems counter intuitive to why most people own a four stroke. Not that it's wrong to think that way, but if I weren't a big fan of longevity and reliability, I would probably ride a two stroke. But I like the idea of a sled that I can expect to run for 10-20,000 miles without worrying about the motor and accept the extra weight as a trade off.

I know many two stroke guys that sell or trade in a sled every season or two so they can still get a decent price for them before the engine goes. Most motors will hold up for 1500 to 2000 miles if you don't forget to put oil in them, so they are usually fairly reliable for the first season or two. And as an added bonus, they get the latest, greatest wiz-bang technology as well.

I'm getting off on a rant here, but I'm glad to hear that the sled isn't the reason why people are selling. I hope to own one myself one day.

 

[thamax]

2 stroke that makes 210 hp and lives 1500 miles in the mtns! Maybe in my dreams I always broke something around 500 miles every time! I probably have the most turbo viper miles besides the mcx outlaw viper! 99% of the sleds I saw this year be a t-3 or viper never even got broke in fully