[Paul_Cerminara]

Hey guys, just so you all know I currently ride a 2008 teryx 750. At some point I will be in the market for an upgraded machine. I have narrowed it down to probably three of the following vehicles.



Polaris Ranger XP 900

Yamaha Viking

Andthe all new teryx T2 800



I probably use this vehicle for 80% work around my yard and 20% trail riding. The thing about it though is when I'm out on the trail I want to make sure I have plenty of giddyup. I currently love my old carbureted 750 with muzzy duals and all the other usual ad dons for the infamous v-twin 750 monster but the lack of EFI power steering and being older is starting to get to me. I've had a chance to drive a Polaris Ranger 800 midsize and was pleased with the ride. I was not as impressed with the power. It had plenty of torque and I appreciated the lower gearing for yardwork.

My question is with the Viking be the perfect fit? I enjoy seating three across and would probably put a center console for trail riding. Also I would put an extended cage and a seat in the rear for the kids. They are still very small so I can't justify a T4 plus I use it for work way too much. I love the larger bed on the Viking but don't like that you cant unlock the rear during yardwork.

How has everybody liked their new chassis for work and play. Also what have you found that you had to do the maintenance wise or upgrades that you've needed. More than likely I would put some 28" terms on because I love the look of the viking with some big ol meat on them.

Also, I came from a grizzly 660 so I am a yami fanatic just not sure if the viking offers enough over the other two in power and handling. I don't need to be the fastest but I hate being waited on



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[tmcelheny]

Hmm let's see.. IMO, the viking is awesome for work, hunting, land maintenance, hauling dump bed that holds plenty and has tons of bottom end grunt.. Great for 3 people plenty of room.. The thing is loud, very loud in the cab which you will find out when you test drive.. I find it a bit rough on the trails, that is when compared to that of a rzr or commander.. The ride is overall kinda stiff. The powersteering is an absolute must and trust me, get some 28's on there and u will be wrestling the thing big time.. As far as add ons go, just like em all they are endless.. Yea also, the no turf mode sucks!! I have to make huge radius turns in my yard or else I am tilling it up bad.. Servicing is a breeze which is awesome.. Overall the thing is a tank, bit it has it's downfalls.. In short, I'm still glad I bought it over a Polaris.. My brother has had a ranger and when he got rid of it with just under 3800 miles, he had changed every ball joint, bearing, bushing, and tie rod end at least twice over!! Watching the endless work and cash he put in his, I decided no Polaris for me,,, as for speed, u ain't gun a be waited on, I've rode with a teryx 800 and kept right up..roughly 500 miles on mine, mostly happy so far..

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

Thanks for the great feedback and real life experience tmclheny. Noise is a concern for me as I got a bit spoiled driving that ranger 800. Very quiet and the 900 from what I hear is half as loud as that.
I love the doors and clearance for big tires with absolutely no mods. I guess my biggest fear is will there be a never ending search for more power as the generations of rhino owners have done. Don't get me wrong! Even maverick/xp1k owners feel 101hp isn't enough but we're not talking about those. But coming from my machine I would hate to feel like stepping backwards in power/capability.


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[tmcelheny]

Lol i like the signature

 

[Michigan Viking VI]

I traded my 2012 T4 for a 2015 Viking 6. The T4 has more snap out of the hole but is very loud when making them ponies. Noise is one factor why I went back to Yamaha. I had 2300 miles on my T4 with only a broken floor board. And had to replace the upper a-arm bushing with Garage products bushings. The bushings are bad from the start. They have the same wet clutch as the Yammys do now. The viking is much quiter than the t4. But has about the same power once the Rpms are up. The yammy rides better on the trail junk and at cruising speeds even thought the t4 had piggy back shocks.theres a lot less storage on the t4. I like the Vikings gas pedal to seat angle much better, it's more natural. The t4 was better on fuel but every Yamaha I've owned has been a gas gusler. Now that being said the viking is a lot better than I would have guessed. My 2011 Grizzly 550 was horrible on fuel. The more I drive my Viking the more I like it ! The new Vikings with the sound deadning kit are great ,very low noise compared to my T4 or the Commander 1000 I drove. The kits are available from your dealer. I run 27" Rip Saws with no issuse's.

 

[PylesinNC]

Yamaha is and always has been the best choice for someone who wants the perfect balance of quality, performance and value. I love my Viking. It has more than enough power for work or play. 50mph in the woods will get your blood pumping every time...

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

I traded my 2012 T4 for a 2015 Viking 6. The T4 has more snap out of the hole but is very loud when making them ponies. Noise is one factor why I went back to Yamaha. I had 2300 miles on my T4 with only a broken floor board. And had to replace the upper a-arm bushing with Garage products bushings. The bushings are bad from the start. They have the same wet clutch as the Yammys do now. The viking is much quiter than the t4. But has about the same power once the Rpms are up. The yammy rides better on the trail junk and at cruising speeds even thought the t4 had piggy back shocks.theres a lot less storage on the t4. I like the Vikings gas pedal to seat angle much better, it's more natural. The t4 was better on fuel but every Yamaha I've owned has been a gas gusler. Now that being said the viking is a lot better than I would have guessed. My 2011 Grizzly 550 was horrible on fuel. The more I drive my Viking the more I like it ! The new Vikings with the sound deadning kit are great ,very low noise compared to my T4 or the Commander 1000 I drove. The kits are available from your dealer. I run 27" Rip Saws with no issuse's.

I have had a chance to take the family on a half hour jaunt in a t4 and if your telling me the viking is or can be made to be quieter than that it is a huge bonus. Compared to teryx that t4 was much quieter. Power wise that's good to know. Obviously the 750 vtwin and now the 800 are very torquey motors. That was one of my pluses towards the ranger was the larger cc twin engine. But if most folks feel the motor is sufficient I don't mind doing a little work to it to give some extra umph. I.e.- filter, fuel controller, clutch, exhaust coupled with like a hush power to lose whatever noise an exhaust might gain.

Price wise you can argue with the teryx or the viking. I just know the yamaha quality is second to none. The factory doors are big for me. Also, I'd plan on doing bigger tires and not having to do forward a arms is a $300 savings right off the bat. Also, if their 4/110 bolt pattern is still the same it's easier to track down a set of wheels on craigslist. I think the viking is a mean looking machine with wheels and tires for sure. When they first launched I was disappointed with the look but I actually prefer it now over the ranger and have grown quite fond of its burley character.
One other question I had is on the handling. My teryx handles pretty well for a more utilitarian oriented sis and was wondering if the viking does or could perform close to that. I know it's early in the aftermarket but perhaps rt or someone else will step up soon and produce a nice set of dual rate springs for these machines to really improve the ride? Or perhaps someone will find a piggyback spring/shock combo that will bolt right in with little mods.
Thanks again everyone. Hope to be a true member some day.


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[Ben]

I use mine for hauling rocks and fire wood and what ever I want, It doesn't care what you put in the bed, it has the grunt to do what ever you want. It has proven itself to me as possible the most stable thing on the market, even with the 2" lift and 28" tires I have yet to feel tipsy and I live on some pretty steep ground.

I also have some small children, one still in a booster seat. I have mounted a removable rumble seat in the back of mine with an independent roll cage in the bed so I can still use my dump bed. This set up allows me the ability to haul my two oldest daughters in the back on the rumble seat and my youngest in the front in the middle with her booster seat. I though we would be cramped with a booster seat in the front, but was pleasantly surprised that me and my wife had plenty of room with the three of us in the front.

The suspension is tight, but I found that after putting a lift under it that it rides much better. Plus you can go anywhere you could ever want to go, just point it and hod on, it doesn't care if its mud or climbing a steep hill side, or going over logs and ruts.

I love mine and would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

Then this is exactly what I wanted to hear. It's great to have some real world feedback regarding children and exactly what I would plan to use mine for. I love the fact that you noted about kids in the back with a rumble seat in a separate cage for protection. This is exactly what my plan would be to do with it.
ben, once you have it loaded full of rocks or whatever kind of material, do you find it to have plenty of power for everything you need it to do? I know it might not have the low end torque of a v-twin but it seems like in the comparison videos I've watched from Yamaha it seems to be right on par with at least the 800 Ranger. And from the video it does not seem like it's very far from the 900 Ranger. The price difference is significant between the Ranger 900 and the Viking which also plays a huge contributing factor to my decision as well. For what I can see and have read the Vikings interior is more comfortable and setup for passenger comfort than the Ranger is. Also the seating looks a little bit more reclined and comfortable compared to the bench style seating of the Ranger that is more church pew oriented.
I would love to hear more from everyone about the comfort of the interior and ride performance. Ben, thanks again for all the input regarding the children. Naturally that's a big part of it for me.

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

This is my little crew that I have to try to accommodate. As you can see it will be awhile before my daughter gets out of a car seat / booster seat. But my boy would fit perfectly in a seat in the back bed with a quality harness installed. Ben I meant to ask if you have any closer pictures of your cage and how it was mounted. Obviously safety is a big key component for any parent and I know my wife would certainly appreciate that.

 

[sandbagger]

paul,where did u get those fender flairs

 

[Michigan Viking VI]

I have had a chance to take the family on a half hour jaunt in a t4 and if your telling me the viking is or can be made to be quieter than that it is a huge bonus. Compared to teryx that t4 was much quieter. Power wise that's good to know. Obviously the 750 vtwin and now the 800 are very torquey motors. That was one of my pluses towards the ranger was the larger cc twin engine. But if most folks feel the motor is sufficient I don't mind doing a little work to it to give some extra umph. I.e.- filter, fuel controller, clutch, exhaust coupled with like a hush power to lose whatever noise an exhaust might gain.

Price wise you can argue with the teryx or the viking. I just know the yamaha quality is second to none. The factory doors are big for me. Also, I'd plan on doing bigger tires and not having to do forward a arms is a $300 savings right off the bat. Also, if their 4/110 bolt pattern is still the same it's easier to track down a set of wheels on craigslist. I think the viking is a mean looking machine with wheels and tires for sure. When they first launched I was disappointed with the look but I actually prefer it now over the ranger and have grown quite fond of its burley character.
One other question I had is on the handling. My teryx handles pretty well for a more utilitarian oriented sis and was wondering if the viking does or could perform close to that. I know it's early in the aftermarket but perhaps rt or someone else will step up soon and produce a nice set of dual rate springs for these machines to really improve the ride? Or perhaps someone will find a piggyback spring/shock combo that will bolt right in with little mods.
Thanks again everyone. Hope to be a true member some day.


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My 2012 T4 was very loud. Your sitting on the engine and clutches. Now I have heard the 800 T4's are a bit quieter.
The Vikings come with a sound damping kit from the factory now and are being fitted on floor models at the dealers that made a great improvement in noise reduction. Now we can hear and talk to our kids in the back seats with the Viking.

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

My 2012 T4 was very loud. Your sitting on the engine and clutches. Now I have heard the 800 T4's are a bit quieter.
The Vikings come with a sound damping kit from the factory now and are being fitted on floor models at the dealers that made a great improvement in noise reduction. Now we can hear and talk to our kids in the back seats with the Viking.

MivikingVI- when my family and I drove a 2012 t4 us it was extremely quiet compared to my t2. We were very happy with the sound level and felt we could have a decent conversation inside with all four of us. Not the case with my to see her. So if you are telling me that your Viking can be quieter than your old Teryx 4 seater I am completely stoked about that. I've read quite a few threads in seen a few videos of how you can make the Viking a lot quieter. Unfortunately with the Terex, they are about as quiet as they can get.

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

paul,where did u get those fender flairs

Sandbagger, believe it or not I believe that they are just your auto store rubber fender extenders that you would use for a pickup. They were actually on there before I picked the machine up and to be honest until I really got under there and looked at them after I bought it you can't really tell that they are not made for it. Honestly I would use them again because you can shave them really well to the contour of the factory fender and you can bevel and angle the edges to follow the lines to the edge of the fender wells. I think you can buy a roll of 400 feet on Amazon for like $20 or so haha. But looking at my picture that I posted now they do look really good, and they are simply just that cheap rubber.

 

[Ben]

This is my little crew that I have to try to accommodate. As you can see it will be awhile before my daughter gets out of a car seat / booster seat. But my boy would fit perfectly in a seat in the back bed with a quality harness installed. Ben I meant to ask if you have any closer pictures of your cage and how it was mounted. Obviously safety is a big key component for any parent and I know my wife would certainly appreciate that.

I think the Viking has plenty of power for what I do. The roll cage is attached with 12- 3/8 bolts, 3 at each corner of the bed with 1/8 inch plate on the bottom of the cage and the same under the bed to strengthen the bed in these areas.

Honestly I dont think you could find a safer or more comfortable SxS on the market. For me I chose the viking over the 4 seaters and the "crew" units for 2 reasons. 1-the fact that it doesn't require 2 acres to turn around, or a 20 foot trailer to haul in on. 2- in a few years my kids will be riding there own bikes and at that point I'm not stuck with a long SxS with extra seats I don't need. I will be honest, I had looked at the Honda Pioneer 4 at first, but when I sit in the Honda I felt like I was sitting on a school bus seat and you sit straight up. I have a bad back and I found the viking to be much more comfortable. plus the you dont have any storage when the seat are up in the pioneer. and for me I still couldn't haul the 5 of us.
Hope this is helpful.

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

Thanks again been as usual your information and insight has been helpful. I agree that it looks to be the most comfortable. Unfortunately I have not made it to a dealer yet because my wife doesn't really want to upgrade yet. I know if I go there I will probably harass her until we either end up in a divorce or she tells me to move into the garage. The garage doesn't sound like such a bad idea but now the temperatures are dropping close to freezing and I certainly don't want the divorce haha. I think in the spring when it comes down to it price and availability will have a lot to do with it. Around here there are no used Vikings for sale as of yet and there are some XP 900 for sale. However the price difference between the two is huge. You can still buy a brand new Viking for the most part cheaper than a used XP. I definitely will have to have some time in both. Thanks again everyone for all of your information.

 

[Ben]

You are welcome, thats why we are here, to help each other as much as we can.

 

[B767 Driver]

paul,where did u get those fender flairs

Sandbagger, if you're looking for fender flares for the Viking, you can get original ones from Yamaha for just under $50 from gearhead.com

If you order the front and rear ones off a viking special edition model, it comes to just under $45. This does not include the hardware (nuts and bolts) to hold them on. That would run you about another $50. I think you could probably pick something up cheaper at your local hardware store. I don't think there is any difference in the body between the SE edition and a standard viking so the flares should fit. If you order them as accessories from Yamaha they are just south of $200.
Hope this helps.

Front Left part number: 1XP-F1551-00-00
Front Right part number: 1XP-F1555-00-00

Right Rear part number: 1XP-F1559-00-00
Left Rear part number: 1XP-F1560-00-00

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

Well when you cant afford what you want you learn to like what you can afford. With a little ******* ingenuity I was able to turn the old Terex t2 into a regular old 3 seater! Works great with a 500 pound ratchet strap, the problem is now I have a booster seat jamming into the right side of my kidneys haha

 

[Paul_Cerminara]

Sandbagger, if you're looking for fender flares for the Viking, you can get original ones from Yamaha for just under $50 from gearhead.com

If you order the front and rear ones off a viking special edition model, it comes to just under $45. This does not include the hardware (nuts and bolts) to hold them on. That would run you about another $50. I think you could probably pick something up cheaper at your local hardware store. I don't think there is any difference in the body between the SE edition and a standard viking so the flares should fit. If you order them as accessories from Yamaha they are just south of $200.
Hope this helps.

Front Left part number: 1XP-F1551-00-00
Front Right part number: 1XP-F1555-00-00

Right Rear part number: 1XP-F1559-00-00
Left Rear part number: 1XP-F1560-00-00

I honestly think that the Vikings look boss with the fender kits on them. The Viking is a big machine to begin with and to add on the fender kit it just makes it look Burley all around. Of course if you have the stock donuts on it it looks a little bit silly but cool none the less. I couldn't believe that for a factory part they are that cheap!