sidewinder

bensen

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What are differences between 18 and 19 sidewinder mtx 162. Found good priced new 17 is it worth to spend extra on 18
 

Turblue

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18-19...better shocks, narrower running boards, rolled chaincase with 8t drivers. That’s about it.
 

Lund

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Yes the difference between a 17 and 18 is as Turblue said but also the cold air intake is slightly improved over the 17.
The bigger question is, is the 18 improved or better then 17? IMO no. It is a matter of opinion only.
Here is my opinion on why i say this, the only real improvement on the 18 imo is the 8t driver but at an expense of making the drive system vulnerable to impact. Guys are having to armor the chain cases to protect that sensitive area at a cost.
Performance wise, you would never notice a difference between the 2.
The shocks are a great feature and when you buy the 18 they come this way saving the expense of upgrading in the future. Does it make or break a sled? In the case of the SW IMO NO. I run the stock 17 shocks on mine, Float 3 and i can do anything with it from big chute climbs to tight up hill hooks and cookies. I'm not a good trail rider so the the 17 shocks work fine. If your the trail basher ditch banger type and like mach1 on the trail then the 18 shocks probably work a little better. Off trail, i doubt most would notice a difference.
The only exception would be in the case of controlling wheelies on a chute climb, then the QSL is a very nice feature.
The running boards on the 18 are narrower, again this is a matter of opinion. Personally i hate narrow boards, i'm 250+lbs with size 13 feet, when push comes to shove on a climb i don't want to feel for the boards with my toes LOL. Plus IMO SW/Cat boards SUCK no matter how narrow or wide they are.
That is the first thing i did to mine....ditch the cheezy boards.
As for the cold air intake, it was rumored that the 17 could choke, never seen it happen on the 17 Winder out there yet but Yamaha felt they needed to improve it. Most guys trying to get the most out of these are installing aftermarket CAI kits anyways, so the OEM is deleted either way.

Choose your year, you can't go wrong these Winder's DOMINATE the mountain hands down, even though them 2 smokers will laugh at that. Where there is a Winder in a group, it is always the one getting in and out first and putting to the mark to beat. The machine is up to it, but are you?

BTW if your a mod guy, the 17 would be my choice for the saving for mod components.
 

Lunch_Box

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I was in the same boat last November when I bought mine, but for the savings that I could get on a hold over 2017 I have been able to put into mods and personalize the sled. I can only imagine the savings you will find on a hold over 2017 if they are still around, well worth it.

My buddy bought a 2018 and prefers the wider boards on my sled, says his feet fit in the boards better and finds them to slide off of his from time to time.
 

bjd68

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Im am looking right now at a 17 sidewinder and was wondering could I just buy the rear QSL shock off the 18 to fit in the 17?
 
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