How does everyone rate their Viking
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I only have 15hrs on mine but like it very much so far. Very large interior , comfortable seating, very stable, steers easy, good ride, metal belly pan, excellent fit and finish, excellent safety features, plenty of pulling power and speed, large cargo bed, very good quality of accessories available. Negatives- Squeaks in the brake areas which go away above 10mph, thumper engine exhaust note is loud and annoying to me but I will probably learn to love it.. Real good machine though.
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575 Posts
X2 on that, mine to have the annoying break squeak, and it is a little loud for my taste. My canan outlander 800 is loud, buts more of pleasent to my ears
I researched them all before spending the bucks and for me it was the best choice. I live on a farm but still like to have fun and hunt. I have had Yamaha
atv's before that were very very durable and like that aspect. The new Honda pioneer would have been next in line. Tried the Polaris, nice ride, but when all things
were considered I felt the Viking had it beat convincingly.
atv's before that were very very durable and like that aspect. The new Honda pioneer would have been next in line. Tried the Polaris, nice ride, but when all things
were considered I felt the Viking had it beat convincingly.
on the brake squeal thing---With the strong engine braking system on the Viking, which would be great for steep trails, you rarely have to use the brakes. The squeaking might be caused by lack of use. Possibly accumulating dust or grit that just needs rubbed off-just guessing. The actual pads will probably never wear out.-
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575 Posts
oh yeah, i forgot about the engine braking, i hate it.
So far so good here I have about 800 miles on mine haven't been back to the dealer like when I had my Polaris.
The only things I see so far is it's loud and it's not grass friendly, and that I think I'm going to have to put some diff shocks on it mine is sagging almost 2 inches already other then that I love it.
The only things I see so far is it's loud and it's not grass friendly, and that I think I'm going to have to put some diff shocks on it mine is sagging almost 2 inches already other then that I love it.
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I love mine so far. Two trips and it is living up to my expectations. I like the engine breaking. Barely used the breaks coming down from the Shuteye Peak OHV trail in Madera, CA. Drove right by the jeeps on the way up.
I've got about 16 miles on mine and I love it. The couple things about it is visibility is limited kinda tough navigating in tight areas of my woods because of that. And the other thing mine has the plastic sun top and when driving threw trails the top wedges small limbs and sticks between it and the roll bar I'm just kinda afraid of the top getting broke or ripped off its just some thing we need to be carful about. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a 10. It has awesome power going up the hill to my hunting cabin and the engine breaking is great I barley use the break when coming down the hill with it in low. And this hill pretty steep. Over all I'm very impressed with this machine.
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575 Posts
yeah, ive also noticed the limbs and such, getting stuck between top and roll cage.
Also, i find it hard to back up, cause your view is obstructed by the middle headrest and such.
One more thing, ya'll be sure to keep an eye on your rear Diffs. Im a moderator over on Vikingforum.org, and theres several members reporting there diffs getting up over 200 degrees after riding due to the Exhaust right over the diff. Alof of us are getting exhaust wrap, and making heat shields to help with this issue. Some members say there seals around the diff are leaking due to the heat.
Also, i find it hard to back up, cause your view is obstructed by the middle headrest and such.
One more thing, ya'll be sure to keep an eye on your rear Diffs. Im a moderator over on Vikingforum.org, and theres several members reporting there diffs getting up over 200 degrees after riding due to the Exhaust right over the diff. Alof of us are getting exhaust wrap, and making heat shields to help with this issue. Some members say there seals around the diff are leaking due to the heat.
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12 Posts
ive got 100kms on my mine and the front right squeals crazy ive tired riding the brakes to clean it off dosn`t work the only thing that works is get the rotor wet it stop the squeal for a while
plus does anyone else exhaust glows cherry red when I warm up the bike the pipe is glowing at first I thought the brake lights where on???
plus does anyone else exhaust glows cherry red when I warm up the bike the pipe is glowing at first I thought the brake lights where on???
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575 Posts
Did you read my post above? It has to do with the heat, from exhaust, and yes, other folks exhaust glows red too. I hat to say go to another site, but go to Vikingforum.org, and theres plenty of talk about this subject there. Im a moderator over there.
Picked up my new Viking today and almost did not get it home. I have a double snowmobile trailer that can haul my Grizzly and Kodiak next to one another. But not the Viking. I had people from the dealer running around with tape measures and trying to figure out how to make it fit on the trailer. My trailer is about 8.5 feet wide and they ended up using the fork lift to sit it on sideways. The wheels just fit on and the bed and hood hung over a ways. But it was on, and ready to go home. Needless to say we had allot of of people staring at the bright red Viking going down the road sideways filling every inch of the lane. By the time we got it home all I had time for was a quick ride around the yard for the kids and to install the folding windshield. Hopefully tomorrow I can put a few of the break in hours on it before the rain gets to our area. Wish me luck.
as compared to everything else out there 10. I call it my old rhino on steroids with power steering, I had a 900xp for about 2 months and hated it. The only thing I miss is the quietness, Viking is kind of loud but what a pleasure to drive. I've got about 350 miles in 2 months. Also one reason I hated the Polaris was lack of engine breaking and always waiting for belt to engage. I tell people the only ones who like the xp have never tried anything else. I have a nephew with a 800 Polaris and he likes the Viking better. I have not experienced brake squeal but I think my dump bed latches cause a high pitch noise, have tried some old inertube between but it wears through, any thoughts
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575 Posts
I ddropped my Viking off this morning for the 20hr breakin service. There gonna look at the brakes for me, for the squeaking they do.
There's 3 things i dont care for on the Viking:
I really like the Viking overall, but im not a big fan of the engine braking at all, i dont need it here, i like to let off the gas and roll when riding on the trails, instead, i let off the gas at a low speed, and the thing just plain stops, i dont like that.
The Brakes squeak all around, even at high speeds i can hear the brakes going squeak....squeak....the whole time im riding, VERY annoying.
I dont like the Digital Display, its very dark and i cant read it when its in the shade, and with a roof, 99 percent of the time it is, unless the sun is shining in and hitting it directly, its useless to me. They should have either put it in a better spot, or made it with a nice bright background, like bright white backscreen, with bold black numbers, that you could see in any light.
There's 3 things i dont care for on the Viking:
I really like the Viking overall, but im not a big fan of the engine braking at all, i dont need it here, i like to let off the gas and roll when riding on the trails, instead, i let off the gas at a low speed, and the thing just plain stops, i dont like that.
The Brakes squeak all around, even at high speeds i can hear the brakes going squeak....squeak....the whole time im riding, VERY annoying.
I dont like the Digital Display, its very dark and i cant read it when its in the shade, and with a roof, 99 percent of the time it is, unless the sun is shining in and hitting it directly, its useless to me. They should have either put it in a better spot, or made it with a nice bright background, like bright white backscreen, with bold black numbers, that you could see in any light.
Please let us know what they say about the squeaking cause mine does it too. I don't notice it above 10mph. I would like to turn the engine braking off most of the time cause I live in a flat area. I can see where it would be great in the mountains though.
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Will do, i hope theres something they can do!!! Drives me nuts
And far as the Engine Brakeing, agreed, i wish there was an off/off feature. I too, live in a flat area, so i have absolutly no need for it it all, its just to much, i didnt have it on my 2010 Ranger 500, and i liked it that way, like i said, when im driving around the yard or slow trails, and wanna just slow down and let off the gas, it just stops cause of the EB, and i dont like it at all, i just want to roll when i let off the gas.
And far as the Engine Brakeing, agreed, i wish there was an off/off feature. I too, live in a flat area, so i have absolutly no need for it it all, its just to much, i didnt have it on my 2010 Ranger 500, and i liked it that way, like i said, when im driving around the yard or slow trails, and wanna just slow down and let off the gas, it just stops cause of the EB, and i dont like it at all, i just want to roll when i let off the gas.
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I had a 2013 Rhino and my Viking blows it out of the water for power and ease of handing as I got the model with power steering. I put tracks on it and found it to have way more power when dogging in deep snow. I put a plow on it and it is like a tank or cat the way it pushes a 72 inch blade. I am not a speed demon or a thrill seeker so this type of machine suits me fine. The visibility thing was cleared up with a large convex tractor mirror. The thing is wide but mose trails I go on are made for oil and gas seismic so no problem on the steep hilly terrain. I would also give it a 10. The only thing is the door latch broke on me so I had to replace that but maybe I was a little too rough when it was very cold outside? Can't wait to drive it tomorrow.
Hi, kureoutdoors.
Would you please be a bit more clear / explain to me this part of your post? As a "profane" I would imagine trails for oil and gas seismic are large and not very steep because there are large machines running on. Am I wrong? But you say "no problem on the steep hilly terrain". So, do you say you don't have any trouble because you don't need to run on steep hill terrain, or because the Viking is powerful enough to run on?
Thanks for the input.
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