8FK-23711-00BK ski bottoms? Skis are finally mounted to my 2012 XTX!

[ranger1]

All the ones I've seen have been steel because are clamped in there to hold the collar that goes through the bushings stationary. The ski then pivots on the collar.

That makes sense as the spindle collar/bushing is slightly longer than the width of the spindle, therefore when the spindle bolt is tightened the bushing will not be pressed up against the spindle, it will butt up to the spindle collar. This is why I am thinking aluminum won't work for long as it might work its way past the collar then bind on the spindle.

 

[TBay Sledhead]

Your right on than. Soon as you tighten it, it will start to deform.

 

[ranger1]

OK, I made a slight error, I thought the yamaha bushings were $15 a piece, apparantly I was looking at the wrong part as after double checking it they are only 5 bucks each, cheap like Borscht!! Lol Ordered those today

 

[TBay Sledhead]

Well that's better.

 

[ranger1]

The one thing I forgot to ask is, how are these skis on hard packed trails??? The one thing I noticed is that they are a very deep ski, not just the keel which is about an 1 1/2" deep, but from the ski bottom to the top of the ski is very deep also. They are supposed to be as good as the Powder Pro in the deep stuff but I wonder how they compare on the trails?

 

[ranger1]

Finally got the Mountain skis on my sled! It ended up costing a bit more than anticapated, I thought I was only going to need the ski bottoms & the main ski bolts. I ended up buying those as well as the ski spacers, spindle collars & the runners. In total it ended up costing $350 + tax, Not bad but I probably could have sold my new oem skis for 2- $250 + the $350 I invested in these, I could have bought the Powder Pro. The one thing I noticed is the deep keel, hope that isn't an issue on the trails. The only thing they have in common with the Powder Pros is the raised rounded sides of the ski, everything else is different, nice looking ski though.

 

[steiner]

I have found that the deeper keel has better trail manners than the stock ski.

 

[ranger1]

I have found that the deeper keel has better trail manners than the stock ski.

Thanks Steiner, that is great to here! Haven't had a chance to try them due to snow conditions

 

[maxdlx]

You can also putt both spacers on the inside or outside to change ski width. I had them on my 02 viper and loved them on and off trail.

 

[yamajohn]

How are the skis working for you ranger1?

 

[ranger1]

How are the skis working for you ranger1?

Well yamajohn, better than I had expected! I never could figure out why they had such a deep keel, probably almost twice as deep as my factory ski. Low & behold I found out why last weekend which came as a pleasant surprise, lol! As I was cruising into a bay with about a foot of snow I went to lean to turn but realized that with these skis I could now turn in the powder!! I guess the combination of deep keel & deep sides of the ski helps bigtime in turning in snow! One other thing to note is the concave type design helps to push the snow away from the ski. A good percentage of my riding are on powder lakes as I am surrounded by all different size lakes so these are perfect for me. Haven't done much trail riding but darting doesn't seem to be an issue thus far, I only have 5" 90 degree cardbides. A buddy that I ride with has a 2011 SE & wants to order a set of these, lol!

 

[yamajohn]

Thats really what I wanted to know was if it will steer in the powder. It can be worked on for the trail with snow trackers or cobra head carbides. My xtx will go just about anywhere in the powder, just wont turn so that is the remedy for my problem. We have about 2 1/2 feet of snow here now, and its been like this every year since I've owned it. Nothing worse than going off a trail and having zero control from the front end.

 

[ranger1]

I also painted the hoops to match the sled, was a pain in the butt painting the "Yamaha" in black though, lol

 

[TBay Sledhead]

Thats really what I wanted to know was if it will steer in the powder. It can be worked on for the trail with snow trackers or cobra head carbides. My xtx will go just about anywhere in the powder, just wont turn so that is the remedy for my problem. We have about 2 1/2 feet of snow here now, and its been like this every year since I've owned it. Nothing worse than going off a trail and having zero control from the front end.

When riding in powder the skis aren't really used to steer when up on top of the snow. That's why you stand, lean and counter steer, the back of the inside ski is used as a rudder. To go left you actually lean and turn the skis the other way.

 

[ranger1]

When riding in powder the skis aren't really used to steer when up on top of the snow. That's why you stand, lean and counter steer, the back of the inside ski is used as a rudder. To go left you actually lean and turn the skis the other way.

All I was saying is that with these skis you can steer in the powder when need be. Leaning & turning the skis in the opposite direction works great in really deep snow in fields & such but cruising 80-90 mph down the lake with under a foot of snow is better & easier if you have skis that will turn in snow. Don't know about your sled but mine is hard to lean steer when the snow isn't deep enough.