Sponsons provide added traction in the water, allowing for superior control of the vessel and help eliminate your craft from breaking free in a turn or unexpectedly lose traction in other-than-flat conditions. When turning at higher speeds, a ski will lean in, lowering the sponson deeper into the water, providing greater “bite” the more you lean. This gives you the control you need to make the appropriate turn.
Many find the stock sponsons to be sub-par. This may be due to the desire by manufacturers to offer a less aggressive, more mild-performing feel to the average buyer. Thankfully, there are many aftermarket companies that have created a better sponson. Kspeed, one such innovator in Kawasaki aftermarket parts, has created the Kspeed Ultra Racing Spnosons after dedicating an impressive four years in research and development.
These sponsons are manufactured in-house from milled billet alloy – a process that takes around 10 hours. They are fully adjustable to suit all water conditions and rider skill levels with 48 usable settings. No one else has that many settings. So whether you enjoy zipping around on your local river, racing in a high speed closed course circuit, or anything in between, these will have a setting that is perfect for you.
Best of all, they’re incredibly easy to install and is done in just a few short steps. First, remove the factory sponsons with a 12mm socket. Next, clean the surface of any silicone or dirt that may have collected under the factory one-piece sponson. Then place the Kspeed backing plate to the hull using the bolts and washers provided by Kspeed (6mm Allen key) using a small dab of blue Loctite on each of the threads.
Apply a bead of silicone to the plate’s leading edge, so that as you tighten the bolts, it’ll seal the backing plate to the JetSki’s surface. It’s always a good idea that when tightening the bolts down you “walk the bolts in.” In other words, start them all by hand and then from the front to back, turn each bolt one turn. Then do the same from the back to the front, making sure these are tight. This tightens the backing plate evenly to the surface.
Finally, decide what position you would like to try the new sponsons and tighten the supplied 4mm Allen bolts and washers a dab of blue Loctite. Thankfully, with so many different positions to choose from, Kspeed provides a graphic to help you fine tune your blade setting (see in gallery below video). Don’t be afraid to experiment with different settings; you might be surprised what best fits your riding style. And as a reminder, always check the bolts after the first two rides and then after a month or two. You will need to make sure the bolts are remaining tight.
