Installation and Review: Simmons Gen III Flexi-Ski

[christopher]

Last May I placed an advance order for a pair of the Simmons Gen III Flexi-Skis for my Yamaha Nytro after having heard some wonderful comments from test riders who had access to prototype versions last winter.

Today, my order arrived!

 

[christopher]

As with most good things, the skis arrived in a plain brown box!

Skis came with NO packing material, just slid into the box.

One thing that really surprised me is that there is NO documentation of any kind. Not so much as a note from Simmons, just the box and the skis.

 

[christopher]

In the box were 2 mirror image skis.
I say mirror image as they are identical, but OPPOSITE.
They is a Left ski and a Right ski!

And the two skis are CLEARLY marked so there is no mistaking which one goes on which side of the sled.

 

[christopher]

The mounting plate is "robust" if not very sturdy!

 

[christopher]

The bottom of these skis is clearly what sets them apart from everything else on the market. They have dual keels that are Asymmetrical, which is why the skis are labeled Left and Right.

 

[christopher]

The small carbide.

The Long Carbide.

Inside width of the dual Keels.

 

[christopher]

Ski in profile

 

[christopher]

Comparing the Yamaha OEM ski to the new Simmons Gen III Ski.

 

[christopher]

Side by Side of the OEM and the Simmons lined up at the mounting bolt.

 

[christopher]

Yamaha OEM Ski

New Simmons Gen III Ski

Total Weight Gain = 2.2lbs PER SKI

So about 4 and a half pounds more on your sled.

 

[christopher]

Next I will get the old skis off the sled and mount the new ones.
This weekend I should have 3 days of on trail and off trail riding at the SnoWest Forum ride in West Yellowstone to TRY out these new skis.

 

[christopher]

Why does work always have to interfere with the important things in life, like mounting your new skis??

 

[Scott]

So when they are mounted is the short keel on the inside or the outside?

 

[slash]

Why does work always have to interfere with the important things in life, like mounting your new skis??

W O R K ???????

 

[christopher]

WORK = Dirty Four Letter Word.

But, things are calm now, and I am headed down to MOUNT my new skies!!

 

[christopher]

So when they are mounted is the short keel on the inside or the outside?

Short Keel goes on the OUTSIDE edge of the ski.

 

[christopher]

Sled the sled lift in and jacked her up a couple inches off the ground to remove the OEM skis.

The OEM ski comes off with very little effort.

 

[christopher]

With the OEM ski off the sled, the rubber bushing has to be removed to be used on the Simmons.

Nut comes off and the bolt slides out

And the OEM Bushing drops right into place.
PAY ATTENTION when you do this, as the bushing is NOT symmetrical!
Make sure you insert it in the same orientation that you took it out of the OEM skis or you will end up doing this whole process twice like I did!

 

[christopher]

With the use of the Sled Lift I slowly lowered the spindal back down into the bushing only to find that it did not fit.

With both skis the new cradle was about 2mm too narrow so the original mounting shaft would NOT fit down inside the ski. A gentle tap with a hammer opened both of them up wide enough to allow it to slide into place smoothly.

 

[christopher]

With both skis mounted I quickly noticed that all was not well.
The Left ski was almost perfectly flat, while the right ski was 15 Degrees tip up.

I removed both skis, took out the rubber bushings and rotated both of them 180 degrees and remounted the skis. This left both skis with about a 5 degree Tip Up orientation.