I have only had mine for about 200 miles however it has either met or exceeded all my expectations. I live in So. California near the summit of the El Cajon pass with unreal mountain trails and zillions of miles of desert and it has yet failed to get me where I need or want to go. I am 6'6" tall and it has plenty of head room with a helmet and fair enough leg room. If it holds up then I am pleased beyond anything.
Hey Gary , thanks for the comment for i have been looking at this utv for a while. Anything else you wanna add ? For example i have heard that this is more for work and less for recreational. I also live in socal and i DO want something mid recreational were i can put my kids in it and tour around. I do not want something extreme performance so i think this might be the one for me! Let me know , thanks!
Erchachanfles, I now have around 600 miles on mine and it still continues to amaze me. I keep pushing the limits of it and have found myself in areas that I would not have thought it capable. For just wanting to tour around you will have no problems getting through any terrain that I have yet to find. It is a very 'stout' machine and without adjustable shocks it is not the most smooth ride. Also utv's tend to be loud and the Viking is in that category. Ear plugs are a must and I would always make children wear them to protect their hearing. NOW FOR THE REAL BAD NEWS; Recently the state stopped allowing these to be on most dirt roads and trails. Now they have 'designated' OHV (off highway vehicle) area for them and will fine you for being outside those areas. I happen to live in an area where it is easy to take my chances and , so far I have escaped the long arm of the law, however I know that will not always be the case (RATS). It's like they want you to have to purchase a $50,000.oo Jeep or other make of 4x4 to use those roads which is foolish thinking on the part of our law makers in Sacramento. But if you have a trailer and a vehicle that can tow it and the Viking on it to one of those designated OHV areas then you and your family will enjoy a very dependable and extremely safe off road ride with the Viking. I hope this info helps you.
Honestly, who wears a helmet to putt around a jobsite anyway? I like how in these videos they show somebody putting around at 5 mph wearing a helmet. Nobody ever does that in the real world. Helmets are good for when the ride gets a bit sporty but creeping around on the farm or construction site, you'd get ridiculed for wearing a helmet. You'd constantly have to take it off to get any real work done, you'd simply leave it at home.
If the Viking is anything like the older Rhinos then I'll take it. The one we have in the surveying company is a beast. Has only let me down once. We have 2 Rangers and they have been in the shop way more than the Rhino and are way newer. I will be doing more research on these Vikings. So far, I like what I see.
Just bought a 2014 Viking. Done a bunch of research on UTV's; Yamaha is very reliable. This one only had 628 miles on it and the former owner said he had no issues with it. Other than the noise level seems to be a solid machine. Anxious to try out the new twin available.
It would be interesting to see if Yamaha does come out with a more powerful v-twin to put in a sportier sxs to compete with the rzr xp. This Viking looks to be a great utility machine with plenty of low-end grunt.
yamaha viking vi is AMAZING , great suspension , rips through mud , it will take you anywhere , but if i keep it it would take too much abuse , theyre made for work , not for hardcore offroading , im going with a rzr , which is made to jump , high speeds , and mudding , a close friend will take her , im glad it will be used for what it was made for , and not abused
Trade my ranger in for a viking, love the room and handles 100% better than the ranger on the trails. I do hope to see a big bore v-twin in the future but with the design of this 700 it performs better than my ranger 800. Plus a diff unlock for the rear would be nice when doing the chores around the property, shredding the grass in the yard isn't fun!!
My family has always owned Polaris, but a guy who helps us move cows bought a Viking. I hear they last longer than Polaris, which would be better for our farm, and you don't need that extra speed while just working in the field. I'm more of an expert on trucks and tractors, so I don't know which side x side is best, except saying the Honda Pioneer is so small; my legs probably would've been cramped had I been riding in a Pioneer for much longer than I did. I might want to try out a Viking myself some time.
I just need the power steering due to my illness Want to trade my Arctic cat HDX Xt 500 prowler for a Yamaha Viking 700 power steering what do you think ? The Arctic cat is very very noses not good on my ears 👂 and it steering is very heavy thanks for your help!!!!
I bought a brand new 2017 Viking last year. The 700 is more than enough power for me. But, the thing I can’t fathom is how do you take a motor from a Grizzly meant for 1 rider, put it in a bigger, heavier machine, add a driver and 2 passengers, add cargo, then add a 1500lb pulling payload. How the hell does that even make any since?
if they were going to make something this big they should have kept the rhino around for people who dont want a jeep size utv. I love everything yamaha does except this and it pains me that I have to buy a damn polaris if I want to have a fun machine.
OK, lets be honest.... 1st off I'm the biggest Yamaha fan ever, I still think the Grizzly 700fi is one of the best bikes ever made. But this Viking is Ugly.... its Huge... and like the rino and even the 700 Grizzly it's "under-powered" when comparing to the Can-am, Polaris, Kawi Brute. Yamaha is very reliable, and whats why I have it. But a Twin cylinder will deff push it past the rest, Quality and power.
Maritimer i just bought the new pioneer 700 because I’m the same way, Honda and Yamaha make the most reliable ATVs. Il always take reliability over top end any day. I wish Honda would make a pure sport side by side too though like the yxz
Im watching yamaha n honda very closely to see when the bigger engines come out. Id rather have too much than not enough. I also like hondas auto tranny better! I will buy one but i can wait. That can am renegade though sure is nice 😀!
This is another well thought out machine from yamaha people that can complain about the power are just mad cause there buddys 900 is a bit faster it toes 1500 and carries 600 thats no too much my 250cc motor would handle that seriously what do you need 800 v-twin for?
I bought a 2015 Viking 6 in 2016 left over the motor blowed up 3 times already I bought the extended warranty they fixed it the first 2 times never worked like it did
Sorry about that anyway I had a 5 year warranty and the last time it blowed up they won’t fix it have to get a lawyer and fight it there saying it was run in water the bike never seen the water yes it has be road in trails with sand but always keep it away from any kind of water long story shorted I will never own another Yamaha product again it has been nothing but problems and now going to cost me 3000 to just get it running and don’t know if it will do the same thing next ride I take
Travis Prince put an oil pressure sensor and water temp sensor on it so you stop blowing it up. Sounds like they just replacing the head gasket but your engine is heat warped
i think Yamaha should just go insane with this platform 3 across is not just another rzr remake so Polaris can just cram there silly patients for the sport side by side style being theirs only. in the engine compartment there is enough space for the 150+hp Yamaha APEX engine and it just begs for long travel just look at how much room those fenders have above the wheel, picture 18in travel on all four tires . i believe a full on sport version of this machine would destroy anyone's idea of the RZR1K being the top dog for a long time.
+jay pax Only in towns that have approved their use. There are several towns in Northern New Hampshire that allow these on specific roads. Look into the Jericho Festival in Berlin, NH and the "Ride the Wilds" trail network for info.
dealer tells me the viking is only 5 inches wider then the rhino??? does anyone know if this is true... it looks a lot wider then that... imhop the new 4 up is fugly
I can see a market for this machine and a more powerful v-twin model. If you don't want to break the piggy bank, get the 700 single. If you want more power, then have a 900+cc v-twin model available that no doubt will cost more but will deliver more performance and still be able to have the utility as well. It works for Polaris, they have everything from 400 cc up to the 900 cc Ranger XP. I could see Yamaha making both a 550 and 700 single and then a more powerful 900 v-twin flagship model for those who want more sport than utility. Only having one choice limits your target audience and ends up sending many potential buyers somewhere else, most likely to Polaris.
I do like the yamaha belt drive system I had a rhino and my brother has a 2012 yamaha kodiak 450 with that same belt drive but I might get a another yamaha but a quad because they can at least do 100 or 105 kilometers but agin the rhino just did not suit me for what type of stuff I do like a rzr or a can am with there V twin engines could do but I already got a 2014 rzr 1000 xp all modded and the belt drive on mine was upgraded so you could take it off trail or on and my rhino could do around 68 kilometers an hour but did not suit me like the rzr that can do 130 or 134 kilometers an hour.
Yamaha dropped the ball big time with this one. I was waiting to see if they would come out with something along the lines of the Razr. I guess they don't want my money. This things a TURD !!
4 new machines in the next 4 years... i think your dreams of a yamaha fun machine will be there and I hope for a new rhino... viking is too wide... but i'll never get my wish so its either a kawi 4 up or wait for honda to fix the pioneer with more power
Not everyone was a razor and they’re not even the best thing out there. Polaris stuff breaks too much. You buy Yamaha for a reliable work machine. I can speak from experience because I have a 86 moto 4 that still has stock everything even tires and it runs smooth as butter.
A 700 cc motor is not gonna cut it, most other brands offer 900 cc motors, Yamaha comes out with something new and its still behind other utv brands, not really surprised though, Yamaha r&d really needs to get it together and stop producing under powdered ATV and utv models!
They compare themselves to Polaris as the market leader but Polaris says that not only are their Rangers better all around, they are cheaper too, so I am wondering, why not just buy a Polaris Ranger??? My real opinion is that for most people, these are just expensive toys with no practical value, and they are expensive, not very reliable, expensive to fix, and did I mention expensive? Hey, I have my toys too, and I can justify having more, so I may get me one, but I dont know if it will be a Yamaha, Honda, Polaris or whatever at this point.
I'm a huge yamaha fan, and love my Grizzly 700, but this is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. I can't believe they would make something so hideous that I have to go buy a Polaris Ranger because this just can't be an option. I hate Polaris, but will probably buy one just because there are no other market options. Swing and a miss Yamaha, fire your designers.
I bought one and this thing is a big pile of shit. it gets stuck on everything no power no ground clearance just a all around pile of shit should have bought a odes 800
Yeah it has 4 inches of ground clearance in the rear and the dealer has had it longer than I had it said the shocks were busted in the factory sounds like a Friday night special and I don't smoke dope.
somethingnuw no I wish I was but mine has been to the shop twice now for the same damn thing no ground clearance but they seem to have it fixed now so we will see but as far as the no power thing I was pissed when I wrote that it does fine
