Other Need advice ...looking to buy a new ski

R

rapiddarby

Location
Asheville, NC
I bought my first stand up ski last year. I love riding and I'm hooked! BUT I made the mistake of buying an older ski that was beat up and I paid too much and now its worth nothing! Its a 1995 550sx - ran "great" for a number of times ( not many) that I used it but now its f#@$ up and no one seems to be able to get it fixed - I'm tired of paying for it to be "fixed" and looking for parts and still not having it work and messing with it and I've sunk $1600-$1700 into it at this point and its worth NOTHING! --- Time to cut my loses - live and learn and move on! -- I'm looking at a 2001 RN superjet completely stock supposedly low hours looks great in pics... The question is --- Whats it worth and what do I look for if i make the two and a half hour drive to go buy it? Thanks in advance for any advice. --- This is a BIG commityment for me since I live in the mountains of western North Carolina and i have to drive an hour just to get to a lake, but i love it and its probably safer for me than buyingt a motorcycle again ( being a family man I have to think of these things ;) )

BTY anyone want to buy a running (but not well) 1995 550sx project - CHEAP
 
Lumpy

Lumpy

Location
Iowa
I gave 3200 for a 2000 rn with footholds, trim, steering and some othee nickel and dime chit in the chicago area
 
ajmps1

ajmps1

Location
Pa
totally stock is nice cause the people with stock standups usually took good care of them however i would wait till something with a pipe comes up. you still have a bit of time to look and find a ski before summer.
 
burton148

burton148

Location
CT
I bought a bone stock 2001 for 3 grand. Make sure the ski startts up no problem. Bring a compression tester and test compression. Stock is around 150psi and there shouldnt be a difference of no more then 5psi between the two cylinders. Look under it and make sure the hull looks good with no repairs.
 
chadman154

chadman154

#Itsonlymoney !!!!!
Location
Dirty south
burton148 said:
I bought a bone stock 2001 for 3 grand. Make sure the ski startts up no problem. Bring a compression tester and test compression. Stock is around 150psi and there shouldnt be a difference of no more then 5psi between the two cylinders. Look under it and make sure the hull looks good with no repairs.
Click to expand...

No more than 10% between cylinders
 
S

swanny199

Location
Gold Coast, Australia
3-3.5 depending on the condition..
Do all the usual checks for compression, if its ok then its probably worth it if the hull and paint are in good condition also.

IMO i always tear something down when i buy them second hand anyway, its a good measure to do the piston, rings and clean the carb out.
 
96superjet

96superjet

Location
Home of the Steelers!
I just picked up a bone stock 2004 for $3,300. Looked great from the outside and compression was good, but I also adhere to the full tear down idea. It's the only way to discover problems, like a bad mid shaft housing :(

You'll have to learn how to turn a wrench. It seems like every guy on here is some type of mechanic. I'm a computer guy, but ya gotta learn where your resources are. First thing is to download the service manual from the "Tech FAQ" section and familiarize yourself with all the diagrams on Riva's OEM parts finder page. Next thing ya know you'll be a self sustaining grease monkey ;)
 
Vumad

Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
rapiddarby said:
I bought my first stand up ski last year. I love riding and I'm hooked! BUT I made the mistake of buying an older ski that was beat up and I paid too much and now its worth nothing! Its a 1995 550sx - ran "great" for a number of times ( not many) that I used it but now its f#@$ up and no one seems to be able to get it fixed - I'm tired of paying for it to be "fixed" and looking for parts and still not having it work and messing with it and I've sunk $1600-$1700 into it at this point and its worth NOTHING! --- Time to cut my loses - live and learn and move on! -- I'm looking at a 2001 RN superjet completely stock supposedly low hours looks great in pics... The question is --- Whats it worth and what do I look for if i make the two and a half hour drive to go buy it? Thanks in advance for any advice. --- This is a BIG commityment for me since I live in the mountains of western North Carolina and i have to drive an hour just to get to a lake, but i love it and its probably safer for me than buyingt a motorcycle again ( being a family man I have to think of these things ;) )

BTY anyone want to buy a running (but not well) 1995 550sx project - CHEAP
Click to expand...

This depends only on what kind of riding you are doing. If you race at the lake, you could consider a different model. If you are trying to do free ride and rec ride, the SJ is where is is at. I am a believer in Yamaha reliability.

You are on the right track buying a all stock SJ. It should be mostly hassle free. Buy something in the nicest condition you can afford. I could have bought something with a pipe and what not, it would have been cheaper in the short run, but I was glad to not inherit as many of another persons problems as I otherwise could have.

Go for it. Just make sure you are getting something clean, and strong.

I drove 3 hours (6 round trip) for my 2004 SJ, all stock, $2800. Summer 2011. i was offered $3400 for it summer 2012. prices are going up since availablity has gone down, but it is winter and prices are cheap. They drop before christmas, go up again a tad when people don't need money anymore, then go down again in feb/march when the haven't been used in a while.
 
Wakerider26

Wakerider26

Peter Waldron -doing jetski tricks
Location
Alabama
That's a darn nice square. I'd bring him $2200 cash and take it home. Its January, and he probably would love it off his garage floor.
 
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Midlake Crisis

Midlake Crisis

Site Supporter
Location
Bakersfield, CA
That is a very nice looking SN - the shortened hull is probably a plus but I would ride it before I paid that much for it. It definitely looks like the owner cares about their stuff.
 
Scraggly

Scraggly

Location
hhh
That's a nice square. And you couldn't build it for anywhere close to that price.
Dude has got to be a member here to. Maybe he will chime in.
 
davy87nj

davy87nj

Location
Santa Maria, CA
that square looks familiar, like I have seen it on here before. Really clean. Nice that its shortened. Pole is moved forward also. For sure cant build them for that much and its very time consuming.
 
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