The Yakima Viper is described as the company’s “mid level” roof-mounted bike rack. The price point is lower than the King Cobra’s, but performance is not sacrificed a bit. Made with the same high-quality materials and industrial paint coatings, the Viper delivers features that make it a favorite among roof rack enthusiasts. The ergonomic design allows for easy, no-tool installation and single hand tightening of the skewer, which helps as you keep your ride in place with the other.
Once your bike is secured in the 39.5 inch tray, you can forget about it till you are ready to ride. The Viper will bite nicely on any factory-mounted crossbar, whether round or square, and will allow room for 4 bikes on most vehicles. The system secures the front fork of your bike, providing superior security for trips to the park across town, or the National Park across the country.
Who Should Buy a Yakima Viper Bike Rack?
The Yakima Viper will appeal to cyclists who prefer a roof rack system that doesn’t get in the way of vehicle storage compartments. And the fork-secured design offers a greater degree of safety for your bike. Families with a wide variety of bikes, from roadsters to mountain bikes, will appreciate the full range of tire widths the Viper bike tray can accommodate. This rack delivers affordable quality and reliability in every mount!
THIS HIGH-END RACK IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL AND HAS QUITE A SET OF FANGS. THAT�S WHY IT�S CALLED �VIPER� INSTEAD OF �GARTER SNAKE.� 9mm stainless steel, lockable, long-throw skewer keeps your bike secure like a baby in a blankey. Compatible with most disc brakes. Fits a wide range of wheels and tires. Quick no-tool installation to avoid �are my tools really adequate� panic attacks. Ergonomic lever for single-side adjustment.
9mm stainless steel, lockable, long-throw skewer
Compatible with most disc brakes
Fits a wide range of wheels and tires
No-tool installation to avoid are my tools really
Ergonomic lever for single-side adjustment
Great Roof Top Rack
Review Date: August 10, 2008
Reviewer: Don Jr, Rochester, NY USA
I just got back from a week camping trip in the Adirondacks with this unit. It hauled my Gary Fisher Kaitai perfectly. I used it backwards so I could have my girlfriends bike and the canoe on top as well. It's easy to use but you must read the instructions so you know how to set it depending on whether or not it's outside the towers. I drove about 450 miles doing around 60-68 mph on winding roads and never had an issue. This rack is good for bikes with disc brakes.
Yakima Viper solid
Review Date: November 12, 2009
Reviewer: Smart Buyer,
Amazon soliciting a review a few months after a purchase is, in some cases, inappropriate. I would not expect this bike rack to need maintenance for several years, and the front wheel skewer is stout. Since I don't yet have much experience with the product, here are the reasons that I decided to buy this particular bike mount.
1. Can be placed in fixed or adjustable setting. Fixed allows placing mount outside of towers.
2. Compatible with disc brakes.
3. Tray type bike racks (as opposed to stand up) have a lower center of gravity and therefore less lateral wobble or more stability.
4. Adjustable skewer. I am not sure, but it may also be larger at 9 mm than other skewers.
All of this info can be gathered by comparing models on Yakimas website. You may also consider models that fit directly on to your car's factory crossbars (if equiped).
Harder to install than other Yakima bike racks
Review Date: July 12, 2009
Reviewer: Garrett Schiff, San Diego, CA
I used to have two Steelhead bike carriers but one was damaged during an unfortunate incident involving roof-mounted bikes and a low parking structure (ouch). I bought the Viper as it seemed like an upgrade, and I must say it's a bit more solidly build than the Steelhead, but there's a few things I don't like.
I don't keep the racks on my truck all the time, only when I'm going biking. Taking off and mounting the Steelhead was basically a clip-on task, and didn't change the skewer length so it was always ready to fit your forks. Putting the Viper on involved completely removing the skewer bolt and re-threading on the lock mechanism from the end, having to thread it on an overly long length of threads. And this is done by having to hold up the lock lever and turn this rough knurled knob that always chafes my fingertips, and it's tough to do because only a small edge of the knob is exposed when you lift up the lever. Then when it's mounted, you have to put your bike up and adjust the threading again to get it to the right width and tension for your bike forks. Taking off involves the reverse unthreading.
I know the different design adds security, but for me it's an annoying extra several minutes and raw fingertips each time.
Doesn't fit 185mm rotor disc brakes
Review Date: July 25, 2010
Reviewer: Eric Godfrey, Utah
This is a solid rack, as long as you don't have 185mm rotors on your bike. The larger rotor sets the brake casing back far enough that it touches the rack. I can still push the bike onto the rack, but it causes rubbing on the housing and the rack. I end up readjusting the brake position all the time because after I put the front tire back on, it's usually rubbing. (Hayes Elixer 5's, btw. It's close enough that other brakes may not have this problem, or could be more dramatic.)
I tried my bike on a friend's forklift, and it fits great. I'll be buying on of those, but will keep the viper around as my friends have the smaller 160mm rotors, or rim brakes.
Also, adjusting the fork clamp to not flop around when there isn't a bike on it is somewhat cumbersome. However, it's common to all fork mount racks that I've seen...
Great Roof Top Rack
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