Stop and Swap
As we focused on the EzRyde suspension in an effort to make the sled more versatile in the deep powder, we came to one definite conclusion-the suspension in Puff wasn't quite fitting the geometry as the suspensions Polakowski was testing in Michigan. We soon discovered that the "one-off" suspension that was hand-built for Puff was a few millimeters off from the final production versions.
Neely had removed his EzRyde suspension so he could see how the stock skid handled in the powder. And since his EzRyde had the correct geometry, we slipped it into Puff and headed back out on the snow.
Now we were comparing Puff to Neely's Dragon which basically had the same SLP setup (so power was identical except for the happy juice). We also had a stock Dragon for comparison.
Puff still had a tendency to trench in the trees more than the other two sleds. But it also was very easy to control. The rear suspension seemed to have a soft roll to it, allowing you to carve around the trees and pick sharper lines. It was only when you were trying to climb up a slope through the trees that you felt the suspension wouldn't get up on the slow as quickly as you would like.
On a steep, deep powder slope near Lookout Mountain, Puff separated itself from the other two sleds (thanks to the NOS). The steep n' deep was just too much for the snowmobiles that day . but made for some good highmarking. Two hard runs at this slope put Puff a good 20 yards above the others. In fact, on the second run, Puff got caught up in its own trench and found itself buried just above some pine trees in a very tedious spot. The trouble was neither of the other two sleds could climb up close enough to offer assistance . and the snow was just too deep to make it on foot.
But thanks to a shovel and a little patience, Puff managed to get slid down out of its hole and in position to resume a sidehill above the trees to a safe descending spot.
On the way out of the mountains, we managed to get an infinitive test between Puff's suspension and that of the stock suspension in Neely's sled. While Neely struggled to negotiate the trail through the moguls, Puff just flew by like it was out on a Sunday ride. (The irony of the story is that it was Neely's own EzRyde suspension that was allowing Puff to fly by . and by the way, we did load up Puff and take it back to Idaho Falls with Neely's suspension still tucked neatly in the chassis.)