Big Kahuna
Administrator
- Location
- Tuscaloosa, AL
It was.
What mods have you done?
- Thread starter Big Kahuna
- Start date
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
Rode my ski in bone stock form over the 4th of July weekend, woof. It was a lot of fun but steering and hookup are bad, no surprise there. I'm glad I rode it to get a good baseline feel for the ski. My Riva Stage 1 kit arrived this past week and I was able to get some of the parts installed late Friday when I got back into town from work. Riva OVP steering set back 5/8", Riva intake grate and free flow exhaust installed. Prowatercraft ride plate and quick steer adapter installed on the nozzle. These mods have made it much more comfortable to ride, hook up is way better but the Riva grate leaves something to be desired. It is better than stock but only helps mildly in rough chop. I have a Blowsion 5 fin on order and should have that in a few weeks when they are re-stocked. I didn't measure how much shorter the steering is now, but I am 6'2" and the Riva steering is plenty short for me, any shorter I don't know that I'd be comfortable. I am happy with these mods as I was able to keep the ski hooked up and it feels better connected to the water when railing turns or cruising through the rough chop we get on the lake.
Mods left to install are Prowatercraft rear sponsons, Riva air intake with stage 1 tune and Solas prop. Major improvements with the parts listed above, I'm excited to add the rest of these mods to see how it runs and handles. I am trying to add mods "one by one" so to speak so I can feel the difference of each part, so far so good. I think this ski makes pretty good power in stock form for most people on our lake. The handling mods are definitely required, as we all know.
Incoming parts: Waiting on some goodies from Blowsion as well. New finger throttle, vacator valve/drains, ski cover, some billet parts just for aesthetics. I need to order Hydro Turf or Jettrim, not sure which I'm picking but not too worried about that yet, although the bottom of my feet and elbows would appreciate some padding!
Future mods: Intake ribbon delete, exhaust restrictor plate removal, possibly/probably upgrading steering cable and bracket.
Overall, I think Yamaha did a great job of producing this ski. The lack of turf and graphics were a good move to let owners easily individualize the ski to their liking as they always do. Any ski in bone stock form leaves a lot to be desired in the handling department so I am not upset with how it performs out of the crate. The pump tunnel could have been bigger and the use of the runabout nozzle is laughable, but unfortunately probably makes sense from an OEM production standpoint. The size and weight of this ski is impressive and still lends itself to a fun, fairly nimble and enjoyable ride experience. I love the power of the Kawi 1500 but I just cannot get over the size of that ski, I don't hate the deep V of the stock hull but I cannot say I am a fan of it either. The new Superjet is, so far, a great ski for the riding type and style I experience on Lake St Clair.
Looking forward to installing the rest of these mods and seeing how it performs, but more importantly I'm excited about jet skis again and enjoying every second of it.
I need to cut the "nub" off of the handlepole too, that thing is a peckerwrecker. Yikes!
Mods left to install are Prowatercraft rear sponsons, Riva air intake with stage 1 tune and Solas prop. Major improvements with the parts listed above, I'm excited to add the rest of these mods to see how it runs and handles. I am trying to add mods "one by one" so to speak so I can feel the difference of each part, so far so good. I think this ski makes pretty good power in stock form for most people on our lake. The handling mods are definitely required, as we all know.
Incoming parts: Waiting on some goodies from Blowsion as well. New finger throttle, vacator valve/drains, ski cover, some billet parts just for aesthetics. I need to order Hydro Turf or Jettrim, not sure which I'm picking but not too worried about that yet, although the bottom of my feet and elbows would appreciate some padding!
Future mods: Intake ribbon delete, exhaust restrictor plate removal, possibly/probably upgrading steering cable and bracket.
Overall, I think Yamaha did a great job of producing this ski. The lack of turf and graphics were a good move to let owners easily individualize the ski to their liking as they always do. Any ski in bone stock form leaves a lot to be desired in the handling department so I am not upset with how it performs out of the crate. The pump tunnel could have been bigger and the use of the runabout nozzle is laughable, but unfortunately probably makes sense from an OEM production standpoint. The size and weight of this ski is impressive and still lends itself to a fun, fairly nimble and enjoyable ride experience. I love the power of the Kawi 1500 but I just cannot get over the size of that ski, I don't hate the deep V of the stock hull but I cannot say I am a fan of it either. The new Superjet is, so far, a great ski for the riding type and style I experience on Lake St Clair.
Looking forward to installing the rest of these mods and seeing how it performs, but more importantly I'm excited about jet skis again and enjoying every second of it.
I need to cut the "nub" off of the handlepole too, that thing is a peckerwrecker. Yikes!
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- Location
- Corona, California
On that runabout nozzle note , I wonder if anyone has upgraded to a different style ? Any companies out there producing extended nozzles or different set ups ? Just curious as I’m taking notes on what upgrades I’d get if I do pull the trigger on a new Tr1. Sounds like you are off to a great start on add ons and up coming mods.
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
I'm curious about the nozzle as well, I have not seen any aftermarket replacements yet. Solas does make a 144mm pump for this ski, I'm curious if they will make a bigger pump. I test rode the 4 stroke SJ two years ago for a day, a friend of a friend owns one. It was terrible and I was not impressed by the (lack of) power and never ending cavitation. I couldn't believe it, in a bad way. I had similar expectations for my ski, but after riding a buddies Riva stage 1 equipped ski last summer, I saw the potential. When I hopped on my bone stock ski 2 weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised at the power delivery and better hookup compared to the original test ski. Knowing what I now know about the first test ski, it was ridden hard and not taken care of. The pump was used as a weed grinder, so that likely lead to my original disappointment.
For the type of riding I do on Lake St Clair, this ski is a ton of fun to ride and makes great power, I highly recommend it. We go for long family style rides in the morning through flat water, marsh "trails", rough water and occasionally run some fictitious laps around buoys that no longer exist...our old buoy course followed a pattern in the marsh that we all remember, so we just pretend. Those buoys will be making a comeback soon. This ski does a fine job at jumping boat wakes as well and does not feel like you're on an airborne tank like the SXR 1500.
I would recommend that you start off with similar handling mods like I have done and go from there.
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
Installed a Blowsion 1 finger throttle lever this weekend. I really like the feel of the finger throttle and like that it isn't a big bulky hunk of plastic like the OEM throttle, plus it looks sweet. I also installed my Prowatercraft rear sponsons....holy chit. What a difference! I have never noticed the benefit of rear sponsons as much as I have with these. They absolutely help rail turns and definitely provided an increase in top end speed! I don't have a GPS but I absolutely believe in the 2-3mph gain, it is entirely noticeable.
I should receive my Blowsion 5 fin intake grate tomorrow and will get that installed this weekend. The RIVA grate is fine for cruising around but does little to eliminate cavitation when making hard turns etc. I'll get my Riva air intake installed this weekend and the following weekend I'll probably do the stage 1 tune. I've been enjoying adding mods 1 at a time and seeing how they improve this ski. So far this new Superjet is an absolute blast to ride!
I should receive my Blowsion 5 fin intake grate tomorrow and will get that installed this weekend. The RIVA grate is fine for cruising around but does little to eliminate cavitation when making hard turns etc. I'll get my Riva air intake installed this weekend and the following weekend I'll probably do the stage 1 tune. I've been enjoying adding mods 1 at a time and seeing how they improve this ski. So far this new Superjet is an absolute blast to ride!
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IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
I installed my Blowsion 5 fin grate today and am impressed with its hookup in sharp turns. It also hooked up REALLY WELL in rough washing machine chop on the lake today compared to the Riva grate. I don’t have a gps and haven’t used any gps apps on my phone yet, but I’m confident I lost a few mph with this grate. I’ll go as far to say that on a stock tune you’ll likely have to prop it down in size a little bit to pull your full RPM potential with the 5 fin grate. Has anyone else tried this grate and experienced this? This was all based on ear/feel as I don’t have a tach to hook up. This grate loads the pump hard, but I still have my Riva stage 1 tune and Solas prop to install. Might have to pick up their 3-fin grate for days that I just want to cruise, or swap my Riva grate back on the ski on those days.
I also installed my Prowatercraft rear sponsons last weekend. These improved rear corner stability and hookup and added a mph or two as they claim. I’d like to think these sponsons and the blowsion grate cancel each other out in the mph category. Highly recommend these sponsons!
Mods installed so far:
- Riva OVP steering set back 5/8
- Blowsion single finger throttle
- Riva free flow exhaust
- Blowsion 5 fin intake grate
- Blowsion hood locators
- Prowatercraft ride plate
- Prowatercraft rear sponsons
- Prowatercraft quick steer plate
- Riva stage 1 tune
- Solas prop
- Riva air intake, bracket etc.
- Steering cable and bracket upgrade this winter
- Burn more fuel and enjoy!!
- Location
- Pueblo, CO
Mods installed so far:
Then, just recently, when I added the WCOT plate and PWC wedges it made the braking effect of the WCOT grate feel less aggressive to me. It is a blast to ride buoys with this setup now, so much cornering confidence and hook up!
- Old skool Cold Fusion steering to give additional set back with stock pole (I'm tall and kept kicking the front of the tray with previous RRP OVP)
- Tubbies
- WCOT intake grate (previously had Kommander grate)
- WCOT Gen2 ride plate
- Prowatercraft rear wedge sponsons
- Riva Tune
- Solas impeller with nozzle bored 1mm for altitude
- Jettrim mats w/ kicktail - stock tray was a JOKE!
Then, just recently, when I added the WCOT plate and PWC wedges it made the braking effect of the WCOT grate feel less aggressive to me. It is a blast to ride buoys with this setup now, so much cornering confidence and hook up!
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
Update from my latest post:
Mods installed so far:
Adding the Stage 1 tune and prop have made this ski so much more fun to ride. I like that the ski has usable power throughout the powerband and is not a lightswitch. I can ride this ski casually or aggressively and am comfortable all the time. This ski is still very rideable for my wife who is new to stand ups as well as other friends who have little stand-up experience, and experienced riders also enjoy it. I think there will be a few new superjets in our gang next summer.
The Blowsion 5 fin intake grate is a major improvement over the Riva grate and provides phenomenal hookup in chop and for rec riding, however I'm not positive it is the grate needed to race/shred buoys as it still cavitates a bit. I will also say that I try and lean this ski over like an 800 in turns and it is probably more of a "flat" turning ski...need to spend more time running buoys and learn the hull better. I definitely recommend the Blowsion 5 fin grate. I did ride a Riva Stage 1 ski equipped with WCOT grate and plate and really loved it, the hookup is great! I ordered the new Prowatercraft RB300 intake grate and am hoping this gives the hookup of the WCOT grate without the braking effect and loss of top speed.
Mods installed so far:
- Riva OVP steering set back 5/8
- Blowsion single finger throttle
- Riva free flow exhaust
- Blowsion 5 fin intake grate
- Blowsion hood locators
- Prowatercraft ride plate
- Prowatercraft rear sponsons
- Prowatercraft quick steer plate
- Riva stage 1 tune
- Solas prop
- Riva air intake, bracket etc.
- Jettrim
- Steering cable and bracket upgrade this winter
- ProWatercraft RB300 Intake Grate on the way...
- RRP Handlebar Pad to protect me from the handlepole/bars...yikes.
Adding the Stage 1 tune and prop have made this ski so much more fun to ride. I like that the ski has usable power throughout the powerband and is not a lightswitch. I can ride this ski casually or aggressively and am comfortable all the time. This ski is still very rideable for my wife who is new to stand ups as well as other friends who have little stand-up experience, and experienced riders also enjoy it. I think there will be a few new superjets in our gang next summer.
The Blowsion 5 fin intake grate is a major improvement over the Riva grate and provides phenomenal hookup in chop and for rec riding, however I'm not positive it is the grate needed to race/shred buoys as it still cavitates a bit. I will also say that I try and lean this ski over like an 800 in turns and it is probably more of a "flat" turning ski...need to spend more time running buoys and learn the hull better. I definitely recommend the Blowsion 5 fin grate. I did ride a Riva Stage 1 ski equipped with WCOT grate and plate and really loved it, the hookup is great! I ordered the new Prowatercraft RB300 intake grate and am hoping this gives the hookup of the WCOT grate without the braking effect and loss of top speed.
Big Kahuna
Administrator
- Location
- Tuscaloosa, AL
Check out the RSKI pole pad, I have one on my Edge, really nice, not worried about hitting my knees under the pole now!!!!!!!!! Yes, The 4T likes to be more flat turned than your old SXR. It still will carve, but just different.
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
The RRP pad is at the house now, too late! But I may look into the RSKI pad...
- Location
- Michigan
Curious: Is a stock 4 stroke Superjet more of a buoy ski or flat water freestyle ? Also : with added weight with the newer Superjet , does the 4 stroke engine more than make up for it ? I have ridden an 800 converted to an 1100 SXR and I could feel the added weight. Didn't like the feel but not really experienced with Kawasaki's either. I pretty much flat water basic freestyle and jump wakes.
- Location
- Ahwahnee, CA
Buoy ski IMO. Can do some rec riding but more oriented towards the course.
IceRocket1286
Site Supporter
- Location
- Metro Detroit
The 4 stroke SJ is a great ski for rec riding and buoys. I jump plenty of boat wakes and it’s an absolute blast with the power it makes.
This is not a freestyle ski, and I’d say it probably would be fun in the surf for those who just want to mess around and keep it simple, but definitely not a surf ski otherwise. An 1100 SXR is nothing but a race ski, and not really comparable to the new SJ.