300/440/550 silly 550 newb questions

[Canadian_driver]

what do people use for hooks on the front of the ski to get it on the off the trailer? my hole is too deep, lol I've got some black plastic bumper of the front with a tube that goes through it.

is there any way to keep the fire extinguisher cap on? I've lost two in the lake and they are the non screw in type, getting hard to find replacements.

what length is the spring that makes the ski circle you when you fall off? mine rusted out and needs to be replaced.

will any handle bar grip work on the bars or is there a certain size or style, like MTB for ATV or something.

Thanks for the help

 

[Lake Erie Monster]

don't EVER rely on this ski to circle for you! order a lanyard as your FIRST mod. the last thing you need is a torpedo heading towards some yuppies $300000 yacht.

 

[Kalwren]

Yeah, exactly.

There's a lanyard conversion that you can do and it's easy.
Just remove the faceplate from your existing Start/Stop switch and replace it with one in the photo below.

You can get one of these from John Zigler on here. Thats where I bought this one and it's inexpensive.

It replaces the existing Start/Stop faceplate and allows for a lanyard to be hooked to it. It pulls the stop switch into the "Off" position, so when the lanyard is yanked, it forces the stop button forward and shuts off the engine.

The cool thing is, even with the lanyard in the "On" position, you can still use the stop button to turn off the engine.

Here's a pic of one:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/Kalwren/JetSkiBuilds/IMAGE_174.jpg

don't EVER rely on this ski to circle for you! order a lanyard as your FIRST mod. the last thing you need is a torpedo heading towards some yuppies $300000 yacht.

 

[jetski9010]

where do you get that setup from?

 

[Motorheads5]

We just loop a rope through the tow eyes and braid it into a 4" loop both front and rear just be sure your rear loop is not to big so you can hang your foot into it and get towed around the lake at idle.

 

[agua]

i just changed my carbs idel to only run for a few second before it dies from lack of gas. works fine and i dont have to spend any extra money on a lanyard.. wouldent do this in salt water though just because...

 

[Laserman]

i just changed my carbs idel to only run for a few second before it dies from lack of gas. works fine and i dont have to spend any extra money on a lanyard.. wouldent do this in salt water though just because...

This is NOT better than the lanyard! I saw the above "trick" on here when I got my ski, and I set mine up that way.

The throttle cable broke (common on these), the cable got pinched, and my ski took off.

Luckily no one was hurt, and my ski was the only thing damaged, but it could have been much worse.

The switch plate is less than $30 I believe. Buy one. Use it. This could have easily killed someone.

 

[Canadian_driver]

just called my local Kawasaki dealer and they cant get the plate, it was $34 before it was discontinued, lol

 

[agua]

the above ski is totally re useable... should of put it up for a sale as, "needs a little glass work

 

[Canadian_driver]

another question, when putting in a primer kit, can i get a flame arrestor adapter that is set up for oil injection and use that for the fuel line, and just unscrew the butterfly for the choke, but leave the bar there? is there a better way?

 

[Canadian_driver]

so i was out riding this weekend and once i got some speed going the ski started proposing a fair bit, it slowed if i kept constant pressure forward on the pole. is this something that's normal?

if its not normal would a aftermarket ride plate or intake grate fix it?

the water was pretty flat, but its still lake Huron so there were some smaller rollers, you can see the water conditions and my sorta riding "style" maybe im just doing it wrong, lol

 

[Maxumflux]

nice pic! props to the camera man/women!

 

[GSXRchris85]

experiment a bit. theres not one magic riding position, ya gotta move around and feel what works for you and your boat. Aftermarket parts are not gonna make you a better rider especially on flat water condition.

move around, feel it out.i can take my stock 550 on flat water and go WOT and it sticks to the water and im gone. and it has a stock ride plate

all i can say is your porpoising issue is body position/weight distribution

 

[Canadian_driver]

experiment a bit. theres not one magic riding position, ya gotta move around and feel what works for you and your boat. Aftermarket parts are not gonna make you a better rider especially on flat water condition.

move around, feel it out.i can take my stock 550 on flat water and go WOT and it sticks to the water and im gone. and it has a stock ride plate

all i can say is your porpoising issue is body position/weight distribution

okl good to know, ill feeler out a bit more this weekend. maybe she'll let me get to 3rd base:Banane09:

 

[showmepro1200]

REgarding the fire extinguisher cap, I put an extra o-ring on the cap just under the rubber sealing lip - it provided just enough pressure to hold the cap in tight. You'll have to play with the various o-ring sizes to get it right but it does work.

 

[Polish jet pilot]

The more up front you are, teh more stable it will be. The more in the back (and low) the faster you will go (usually). try switching legs in turns...hold it strong!

 

[Canadian_driver]

The more up front you are, teh more stable it will be. The more in the back (and low) the faster you will go (usually). try switching legs in turns...hold it strong!

yeah ive noticed that too, i rode it last saturday for about 2 hours untill i ran out of gas and really tried playing around with it. i even got it carving on left hand turns, lol. i will try the feet switching thats probably the reason i can only carve the one direction. i do find it difficult to be more forward because the handle bars are in the way, is there a way to shorten or adjust the handlepole?

 

[Canadian_driver]

is a finger throttle a finger throttle? will any work or is there a specific kind that will fit?