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Viking Hits the Trail

Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
The 2014 Yamaha Viking exhibits the ability to take tough terrain in stride. (DTN/The Progressive Farmer photo by Dan Miller)

There was a moment on a high trail in Wyoming's Big Horn Mountains when the new Yamaha 2014 Viking side-by-side I was driving hit a sizable rock -- hard enough that the back of the Viking pitched to the right.

But I didn't feel a jarring hit. The front suspension sucked up the impact. And more, none of the energy from that hit was transferred up through the steering wheel to my hands. I didn't lose control of the Viking, not even for a second.

In the interest of full disclosure, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, invited a group of journalists to Wyoming in early September to drive its new 2014 Viking (starting at $11,499, not including power steering). We rode on trails cut across the 27,000 acres of Red Reflet Ranch outside Ten Sleep, Wyo. From High Plains sagebrush to aspen forests and mountain meadows up to 8,500 feet, we spent a day largely doing what we wanted to do with these vehicles.

I came away impressed. We hit some pretty tough trails -- narrow, steep with hair pin curves -- all handled well by the Viking. Among the many well-designed features, my notes included three features prominent among all the rest.

First, was suspension. The Viking has four-wheel independent suspension with 8.1 inches of travel front and back. Travel is the distance of suspension travel between full extension and maximum compression. It's that travel distance that absorbed that rock and many, many more that day. There were times when I hit a decent-sized rock and never felt it. In fact, I thought I'd missed them entirely. Yamaha has installed nitrogen gas charged shocks and Maxxis tires. The manufacturer says the shocks offer consistent performance over a long period of time in varying conditions.

Second, was steering. It's probably something that Yamaha's folks would frown upon, but I found that even on some of the more difficult trails, it was pretty easy to steer the Viking with one hand. The side-by-side's electronic power steering responded well to my turn input. There are a good many technical reasons describing how the Viking turns. But the best way to describe it is that it turns how you expect it will, at the moment you turn the wheel. In other words, it is easy to have confidence that the Viking will go where you want it to go without having to fight through a turn.

Third, was throttle control. It's hard to describe good throttle control, until you drive a side-by-side that has poor throttle control. It's that herky-jerky battle you wage with the vehicle and the gas pedal as you negotiate farm and ranch terrain. The Viking does not do that. Its throttle control is even and smooth. The system allows quick acceleration (up to 50 mph) and constant, steady control at speed over any type of terrain.

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I say there are three features I liked. Allow me to add a fourth. It was something I didn't feel at the end of nine hours on the trail. That would be tired. The suspension, the steering and the throttle all made for a surprisingly comfortable ride given the terrain. The design of the cab pulled it altogether.

The Viking is five inches wider than the Rhino it replaces. That extra space allowed Yamaha to install what it calls "true" three-person seating in the Viking. The pass-through crew compartment holds three bucket seats to accomplish it. Each seat has a 3-point seatbelt, a headrest and cleated floor space (the center passenger has his own footwell). What makes the cab work for three people is that the middle seat is reclined 5% back from the other two. That incline creates extra shoulder space for all three passengers. The center headrest also is mounted back a bit from the two outside headrests.

The seats are comfortable and sit down into the Viking a bit. That positioning is made possible because the 686 cc, liquid-cooled engine, is installed under the steel (tilting) cargo box. The steering wheel is tilted a bit, more like an automobile. There is a good amount of legroom. Altogether, the relation of the seat, arms and feet to the vehicle make for a slightly pitched back and comfortable ride. More, there is plenty of headroom. Even with a helmet on, my head didn't come close to hitting the rollover bars and suntop.

Three other points about the cab: First, an adjustable handhold mounted to the dash is conveniently located for the two passengers. Two, the driver's seat is adjustable up to three inches by removing, and reinstalling, four bolts. That seemed clunky at first, but Yamaha believes that a sliding seat adjustment rail risks becoming clogged with mud and other debris. In truth, it didn't take long to make the adjustment with the tool supplied by Yamaha (the bolts can be removed also by any standard ratchet). Third, the easy-latch doors work well to keep debris and water out of the cab compartment. But even better, in my opinion are the shoulder-height side panels. These help steady the ride for the driver and outside passenger by providing support for their shoulders. They also divert brush and other objects away from the passengers.

One downside -- And this is something I've found with other side-by-sides -- Because the engine is liquid cooled, there is a radiator located at the front of the vehicle. On a long ride, especially one at higher RPMs, the heat from that radiator tends to migrate into the crew cab. In the winter, that may be a good feature. But when it's warm, that heat makes the ride even warmer.

Some other features to note:

-- The Viking's wheelbase is 84.1 inches long (front to rear tire). It's 9 inches more than the Rhino. The longer wheelbase helps smooth out the ride.

-- The steel bed can carry 600 pounds and accommodate a full-sized pallet. There are competitors with higher bed capacities, but Yamaha believes 600 pounds is a good fit for most farm and ranch work and is a good tradeoff with its suspension system. The Viking can tow up to 1,500 pounds, about 300 pounds more than its Rhino.

-- The Viking has a ground clearance of 11.8 inches, just three-tenths of an inch lower than the Rhino. But the Viking's boxed steel frame has an "up sweep" design at the edges. It's a design feature that gives the Viking at bit more clearance at its outside edges when the machine is riding at a steep angle.

-- The Viking has a 9.7-gallon fuel tank, almost two gallons more than the Rhino.

-- With a dash-mounted dial, the driver can select two-wheel drive, limited slip, four-wheel drive, or fully-locked differential four-wheels drive.

--Downhill travel is controlled with all-wheel, downhill engine braking.

A NEW COMMNADER HITS THE TRAILS

BRP, a manufacturer and distributer of powersports vehicles, has expanded its line of Can-Am side-by-side vehicles with the new 2014 Commander MAX 1000 DPS and XT. Based on the Can-Am Commander 800R and 1000 two-seat side-by-side vehicles, the Commander MAX platform features a 29.5-inch longer wheelbase and comes in three colors (including camouflage). It includes Dynamic Passenger Comfort with rear stadium seating, power steering and enhanced heat reduction in the cockpit. The side-by-side retains its industry-exclusive dual-level cargo box and Rotax 1000 electronic fuel injection, V-Twin engine. The Commander MAX tows 1,500 pounds and runs on a 10-gallon fuel tank.

The XT package includes a WARN winch, front bumper and mud guards, among other features. Colors include Pure Magnesium Metallic and NEXT G-1 Vista camouflage.

Pricing starts at $16,199.

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