Last year, Yamaha made a statement with the introduction of a 162-inch Viper MTX powered by its steadfast 1,049cc triple.
The sled got the attention of a cadre of mountain and hill riders who were looking for a reasonably light, high-floatation deep snow 4-stroke with the potential to make some mountain men forget about their 2-strokes.
The sled was a limited success and accomplished what Yamaha set out to do. This year the ante has been raised and there has been more mods and much rethinking of the category.
The 2016 SRViper M-TX 162 has a completely new front end this year with skinny and streamlined wide-spaced front spindles. The new SRV-M front end is 36-inches wide and has dropped weight in the process. It uses gas coilovers front and rear and has a 2.6-inch lug PowerClaw track.
The early-order-only MT-X 162 LE uses Fox Float 3 EVOL airs up front, an EVOL 3 on the center arm and a Fox EVOL R on the rear arm. It also comes with a heated seat, a special tunnel bag and a 3-inch PowerClaw track.
Really worth considering if you’re a serious mountain man. The Viper M-TX LE 153-inch version gets exactly the same equipment package.
The MT-X 141 SE is clearly a mountain sled targeted at the freerider. This shorter and more nimble sled has the new SRV-M front end but with a 40-inch ski-stance (also has a swaybar) and comes with a 2.25-inch PowerClaw track. Fox Float 3 air shocks are used up front and on the rear arm of the skid. There is no LE version of this sled.
All 2016 viper M-TX sleds come with a new, redesigned mountain ski this year generating better floatation and quicker ramp-up out of deep snow situations with less resistance when blowing through powder.
Clearly, Yamaha is addressing the needs of mountaineers and wants to establish the fact that 4-strokes have the potential to go anywhere and do pretty much anything 2-strokes can. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off.
Visit yamaha-snowmobiles.com for more!
