New 2017 Kawasaki 4 stroke sx-r!

F

faxon

Location
tampa, fl
37 said:
You're more than welcome to use the SLO key. :p

I've had 60 MPH race skis forever. It's normal now. Falling at that speed isn't my concern, it's hanging on that I think about.
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Is it going to actually have a SLO key? Heard the rumor it would but didnt see confirmation. Would be welcome for new riders thats for sure.
 
Jhucke

Jhucke

Location
Wisconsin
chixwithtrix said:
I saw the SXR at World Finals, one of the riders was doing leg drags in the back part of the course while Pro Freestyle R1 was going on. It was right in front of where we were pitted, pretty cool to see. Hit a few of the choppy waves to jump and man that thing has some pop! Looked like it landed effortlessly too.

I'm interested to see what happens with the classes, etc. It looks like a ton of fast fun that is stock and under $15k. Should be epic at both closed course chop cutting and easy rec riding.

The people who really hate on the Kawi have small minds for growing our sport. I'm honestly surprised Yamaha has been producing a 2 stroke watercraft this far with all the government regulations. Four strokes are the future mainly because of that. I suspect they made the hull so large for a few reasons. Obviously to house a big 4 stroke. But the big one is to not be sued for making a small, twitchy, powerful death rocket that the average Joe could come in and buy off the showroom floor. Imagine putting a newbie on a 1100cc Pro Force and seeing what happens. The size makes it easier to ride for someone who has never ridden and your rec rider looking for something new from a dealership. The new SXR should appeal to those afraid to buy a used ski, which all of them are except the Superjets, and those afraid of 2 stokes. A lot of people don't even understand how mixing oil works so the 4 stroke should appeal to those types.

I'm not surprised its a big hull, but I'm surprised and pleased they went with such powerful engine. I think it's a good thing!
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I don't agree with the safety point at all. Imagine putting a newbie on a 450f race bike, any giant 4wheeler (not necessarily sport quad), any snowmobile, or how about a 1000cc rocket on the highway. I would imagine the risk there would be 10-fold.

Kawasaki is not liable for injuries. Same way gun manufacturers are NOT liable for injuries.

Any hull with any engine setup is a hell of a lot safer than any of the toys I just mentioned. This particular hull is huge because required skill level will be minimal and it will cut through chop like you said.
 
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Jetfiend

Jetfiend

Location
PNW
Kudos to Kawasaki for breathing new life into the stand up market. It's been a long time coming. That being said, this thing is the last ski I want to see at my local riding area. Personally I will just place it in the couch category (requires zero skill, possible kook, stay clear until they go away) because there is no way to look at the ski and rider and determine if they are dangerous or not. With a 550, superjet, or almost any other stand up, you can tell almost immediately if someone is dangerous to you and others just by watching the way they ride. Unfortunately (just like the couches), this thing is going to bring in a whole new group of people that don't know WTF they're doing!
 
V

Vortex

Location
Southeast
Jetfiend said:
Kudos to Kawasaki for breathing new life into the stand up market. It's been a long time coming. That being said, this thing is the last ski I want to see at my local riding area. Personally I will just place it in the couch category (requires zero skill, possible kook, stay clear until they go away) because there is no way to look at the ski and rider and determine if they are dangerous or not. With a 550, superjet, or almost any other stand up, you can tell almost immediately if someone is dangerous to you and others just by watching the way they ride. Unfortunately (just like the couches), this thing is going to bring in a whole new group of people that don't know WTF they're doing!
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Yes exactly. More people on stand up skis is not necessarily a good thing. The old skis being hard to control helped weed out the undetermined riders from getting on a race course.
 
chixwithtrix

chixwithtrix

Addicted
Location
Houston
Jhucke said:
I don't agree with the safety point at all. Imagine putting a newbie on a 450f race bike, any giant 4wheeler (not necessarily sport quad), any snowmobile, or how about a 1000cc rocket on the highway. I would imagine the risk there would be 10-fold.

Kawasaki is not liable for injuries. Same way gun manufacturers are NOT liable for injuries.

Any hull with any engine setup is a hell of a lot safer than any of the toys I just mentioned. This particular hull is huge because required skill level will be minimal and it will cut through chop like you said.
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Agreed on the risk and literbikes/450s being sold to just about anyone, maybe I emphasized the safety point incorrectly. A lot of people I talked to were hyped to see a new, fast, sleek boat and are upset about it being large and bulky. I'm just not sure what they were expecting, a large manufacturer making beasts like the aftermarket companies? Expecting that is like Honda making a CRF450 with a CBR1000 motor swapped in. Their engineers and lawyers would have a field day with that. Anything mainstream has to be 'dummed down' to a point. But that's what aftermarket is for!
 
37

37

Precipitation Hardened
Location
Indy
Kawasaki used the 1500 because all of their other Jet Ski models use the same engine. This saved on parts and inventory costs, making the cost of the new SXR lower. The hull was larger to float the engine and meet USCG specs. The handlepole was recycled because tooling already existed and new tooling is expensive. The same goes for most of the driveline parts. Weight is a byproduct of the hull being manufactured in this size using chop-gun fiberglass without vacuum bagging or infusion. It could absolutely be made lighter but lighter would come at additional cost.

There are reasons why things ended up where they did besides marketing gibberish or "safety". The ski never would have happened with a newer, smaller engine and entirely new hull. Kawasaki tried that about 10 years ago and the bean counters shot it down. Ask Kanamori.

One's excitement over the new ski is personal preference. Nothing more or less. Not liking it doesn't mean one is against progression in the sport. It only means a person doesn't like this particular product. More products will come. This isn't the last of the last. Let's not get too wrapped up in keyboard psychology here. ;)
 
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chixwithtrix

chixwithtrix

Addicted
Location
Houston
Heh, guess I came off pretty cunty in the original post. Long day at work and in a lot of pain, ya know how it goes.

I'm not particularly interested in owning a new SXR, but I am super excited Kawasaki came up with something. I talked to so many people online and in person who were pretty negative on it, just seemed to me like they weren't seeing the big picture and that got my feathers ruffled. I do love the sport and want to try to help it how I can. That kind of negative mindset only brings about only more negativity which this small sport doesn't need more of. But what can I expect, it is a forum where people voice ideas and opinions...with my recent injury I actually have free time, been a long time since I actually engaged in discussion and I'm out of practice haha.

Just my thoughts, not here to argue and I see where you are coming from ;)
 
37

37

Precipitation Hardened
Location
Indy
mbrick said:
I wonder if it will be faster than these:
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Brad's triple in that video clocked around 67.5 MPH per an email exchange I had with Brad. According to one builder in a pwctoday thread, his stock SJ 1200 was just shy of the 100 KPH mark (<62 MPH). Not sure about the one in that video.

I'm sure both skis would be both quicker and faster. The SJ 1200 looks like a fun project for a spare ski.
 
INDebtSJ

INDebtSJ

Having a VISION!
Location
Ga
I didn't think any of the stand ups sold that we'll at 7k. Why would all of a sudden people rush out to buy one for 15k?
Young guys always asked about stand up when the do tricks because it looked fun. If they want to go fast they get on a couch that can ride 2 or more.

15k for a novelty item that they will only ride a few times a year because of school,football or what ever is crazy.
Would been better to make it smaller and more affordable like the spark.
 
tshank123

tshank123

Yo hablo ingles
Location
Vegas
chixwithtrix said:
I saw the SXR at World Finals, one of the riders was doing leg drags in the back part of the course while Pro Freestyle R1 was going on. It was right in front of where we were pitted, pretty cool to see. Hit a few of the choppy waves to jump and man that thing has some pop! Looked like it landed effortlessly too.

I'm interested to see what happens with the classes, etc. It looks like a ton of fast fun that is stock and under $15k. Should be epic at both closed course chop cutting and easy rec riding.

The people who really hate on the Kawi have small minds for growing our sport. I'm honestly surprised Yamaha has been producing a 2 stroke watercraft this far with all the government regulations. Four strokes are the future mainly because of that. I suspect they made the hull so large for a few reasons. Obviously to house a big 4 stroke. But the big one is to not be sued for making a small, twitchy, powerful death rocket that the average Joe could come in and buy off the showroom floor. Imagine putting a newbie on a 1100cc Pro Force and seeing what happens. The size makes it easier to ride for someone who has never ridden and your rec rider looking for something new from a dealership. The new SXR should appeal to those afraid to buy a used ski, which all of them are except the Superjets, and those afraid of 2 stokes. A lot of people don't even understand how mixing oil works so the 4 stroke should appeal to those types.

I'm not surprised its a big hull, but I'm surprised and pleased they went with such powerful engine. I think it's a good thing!
Click to expand...

A big stable 64 mph ski is more dangerous than a small twitchy ski. Small and twitchy is why non-standup riders don't ever ask to ride my skis. Sit downs that take zero skill to hop on and do 60+ are far more dangerous.
 
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