Yamaha revealed today its newest vehicle, the Viking, a rec/utility side-by-side that is the company's first all-new side-by-side in nearly 10 years.
In addition to the new Viking, Yamaha has revamped the YFZ450R and unveiled a more powerful Grizzly 700. All the vehicles are for model year 2014.
However, the Viking is by far the biggest news out of the Yamaha camp for 2014. The Viking replaces the Rhino, which was first introduced in model year 2004 and will not be in the 2014 lineup.
The Yamaha Viking and Rhino share only a few components and technology as the Viking is pretty much new from the tires up. The Viking is designed to be very versatile, meaning you can use it to get around on the ranch and haul supplies or take it hunting and haul out an elk or just go off-roading on your favorite trails.
The Yamaha Viking's 686cc liquid-cooled EFI engine is Yamaha's most powerful yet, featuring a new air injection system and engine location--under the cargo bed and easily accessed when the bed is lifted. Placing the engine under the cargo bed--or more toward the center of the chassis instead of in the front--improves the center of gravity and thus the handling.
Another exciting feature on the Viking is the configuration of the three-passenger seating. Instead of a bench seat, the Viking comes with three bucket seats with 3-point seatbelts for all three occupants. The center bucket seat is offset--set back 76.6mm (a little more than 3 inches) from the other two seats headrests--while the seat itself is reclined 5 degrees for shoulder clearance.
The Viking is available with and without electric power steering.
2014 Yamaha Viking
Engine: SOHC, 4-stroke, 4-valve
Displacement: 686cc
Fuel System: YFI
Cooling: Liquid with fan
Fuel Capacity: 9.7 gallons
Transmission: Yamaha Ultramatic V-belt with all-wheel engine braking; L, H, N, R
Drive System: Yamaha On-Command pushbutton; 3-way locking differential; 2WD/4WD, locked 4WD; drive shaft
Front Suspension: Independent double wishbone, 8.1 inches travel
Rear Suspension: Independent double wishbone, 8.1 inches travel
Brakes: Dual hydraulic disc
Wheels:
Front Tires: AT25x8-12
Rear Tires: AT25x10-12
Wheelbase: 84.1 in.
Length: 122 in.
Width: 61.8 in.
Height: 74.1 in.
Ground Clearance: 11.8 in.
Wet Weight: 1,342 lbs.
MSRP: $11,499 (steel blue); $11,699 (red, hunter green w/suntop); $12,249 (Camo w/suntop); $12,499 (EPS steel blue); $12,699 (EPS red, hunter green w/suntop); $13,249 (EPS Camo w/suntop)
Grizzly Gets More Power
The big news in the Grizzly ATV segment is that the 700 is more powerful for 2014. Yamaha did point out that some of the engine changes were driven by new EPA regulations that go into effect for 2014 but the company is quite proud that it was able to accomplish meeting those goals without sacrificing performance.
Yamaha is using a new forged piston, increased the engine compression from 9.2:1 to 10.0:1, is using a new cylinder head and new heat treatment on the connecting rod and new camshaft and timing.
Other changes to the Grizzly 700 include wider A-arms, new tire construction and optimized Electric Power Steering settings.
Not only does the Grizzly 7 have new Maxxis tires but also new wheels. The Maxxis tires' construction, a Yamaha exclusive, help maintain the positive steering effort while on the wheels the outside curl on the 2013 wheels have been changed to an inside curl for 2014.
The engine and suspension changes found on the Grizzly 700 EPS will also be on the non EPS model in 2014.
Another bit of good news is that the Grizzly 450's price drops in 2014. Yamaha is offering a $500 price reduction on the non EPS model so for 2014 the vehicle's MSRP is $6,399 while there's a $300 price drop on the EPS model, which will retail for $7,199 in 2014.
YFZ450R
Changes have been made to the engine to make it the most powerful 450R powerplant Yamaha has made, new Maxxis tires (instead of Dunlop) can be found on the front and back, there are new longer front shocks and the vehicle now has the industry's first A&S Clutch.
The new A&S Clutch offers a 25 percent light clutch pull, which reduces arm pump, and has better braking bump performance as well as reduced engine braking thanks to the slipper function of the clutch, which causes the clutch to "slip" just a little. What actually happens with the slipper function is during deceleration, the cams slip to force the pressure plate outward to a degree that cancels out the back-torque while retaining sufficient engagement force.
A complete report is available in the August issue of Dirt Toys Magazine, which will be mailed later this month and also available on the newsstand by July.
