Jet ski questions.

Hey guys and gals,
I am looking at buying a jet ski and I'm kind of mind boggled by all the types and models. To add too it I was looking to buy used. So here are a few questions I had to any owners or previous owners...(+rep for best responses)
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What is the advantage or disadvantage to 2 vs 4 stroke?
What year models started four strokes?
Is there any brand Or model I should steer clear of?
Is there any features that are a must?
What is considered low hours or a regular hours per year that is norm?
Are any models or brands known for their reliability or low maintenance costs?

Thanks to anyone in advance who can help!

 

bump!

i have been lookin in to gettin some in the next year or two

 

I highly recommend staying away from anything that's not Kawasaki or Yamaha!

 

x2 and get a 2 stroke stand up! Those sit downs are beyond boring in comparison lol. We have a '95 kawasaki 750 sxi which is my favorite and an '08 800 sxr which is a beast but is too big for my liking.

 

I agree 100%! Sit downs are like riding a couch! Get a stand-up!

 

I doubt it. That is certainly not the case with dirt bikes.

 

I have two 2000 Yamaha 2 strokes. One of them is finally going in to the shop to have the carburetor rebuilt. Not bad for 10 years of me riding the crap out of them. The 2 strokes require oil to be added in a seperate tank whereas the 4 strokes run straight pump gas and require oil change every so often. I believe the 2 strokes have better acceleration. Yamaha was still making the 1300R 2-stroke (2 cylinder) while they had other 4 stroke models in production for a couple of years. Now they are all 4 stroke (most of them 4 cylinder) because they are more efficient and produce cleaner emmissions. I'm no expert but thats what I can tell you.

 

When I lived in Las Vegas and had to work on these things, they wouldn't allow 2 strokes at Lake Mead for a period of time. I don't even think Utah would sell 2 strokes. You may want to check and see if your area has a restriction on 2 strokes. Just a thought.

 

definetly seadoo as your first choice. what i personally really enjoy riding and have never had problems with are honda's PC (personal watercraft). they have a naturally aspired motor as well as the turbo charged one which I would recommend. it is a little heavier on the fuel consumption but the fun on driving that hugely outweighs the con!

oh and to add now seadoo offers ones that have a brake so that might be a great safe feature to look into!

 

Those are nice! I rode a stand up a couple times and it was fun as hell! I've always wanted one.

 

haha what the hell bro you have every toy wana hang out?? haha jk

anyway why arent you coming to the 4corners meet?! 3 of us from town are leaving tomorrow.

 

Thread jacker use PM lol

 

OP: Do you live on the lake? If so, I would look into the stand ups. That way you can just ride it home when you get tired. If your towing it to the lake, sit down all the way. That way it will be more comfortable to spend all day on the lake. They are still very fun.

Any of the big brands will do just fine. 2 strokes are becoming obsolete due to the emissions. I think Yamaha was the first to produce a 4 stroke engine on their waverunners in 2002.

If buying used, try to find one that didn't belong to someone who lived on the lake. That usually results in less hours on the engine considering the loading/travel time involved. Also, check for salt water corrosion.

 

Actually will be on the river in jax. I'm not really into the stand up but I respect em. More of a redneck yacht club kind of guy. I'm looking at a seadoo rx and gtx 2001 ish. Unfortunatley they arnt 4 stroke so I have to look into the regulAtions around the area. Direct injection on the other hand I think is a must for me. I hate carbs solo bad lol.

 

haha, anytime! I couldn't go up because of work. I just got a new job and I didn't have time to get the time off.

I think a 4 stroke would probably be better than. I didn't realize all the laws about 2 strokes since they really don't care out here.

 

dang that sucks haha well next time man, im actually gettin ready to leave now gotta go meet the other guys before we head outta town!

 

First off, what are you looking for?

Meaning: are you riding alone, or plan to tour with the wife and kids? Are you planning to learn freestyle tricks, or just cruise and tool aronund on something faster while alone?

Basically, shop in regards to your plan of use (commons ense there)....

So if you ask a guy like me, i sya get a good condition Seadoo RXP. The newer version of that is an RXP-X.....

I own an '05 RXP (2-seater). The RXT is a 3 seater.....it's a supercharged 1500cc 4-stroke. Rated 215hp stock and will GPS and honest 67-69mph bone stock (RXP 2 seater)....

With $2K in mods (sensible mods), I GPS'ed 75.9 with 1/3 tank of fuel in cool weather (Feb)!

This thing is a beast (a sportbike on water) and a white knuckle ride in light chop or hard turns. I plan to do a couple more basic things for handling to get to 78mph. With an aftermarket ECU and valvetrain, you will reach 80mph
This motor is hardcore.....runs hard all day and won't cry like a bitch!

 

For a first ski,If you're looking at a couch, I'd look at a Yamaha VX110. It's not the fastest on the market but it's probably the most efficient. Not to mention the lack of maintenance. Plus a used one can be picked up relatively cheap. Just don't buy a rental. But that's another plus, they are ,at least around here, the most used by rentals. That should tell you something about how good they are.

IMO you should go rent and see what you want.

Rent here: http://www.sunshinewatersports.com/ for a seadoo gti. I've personally rented from this guy and he delivers and is the best deal or at least was two years ago.

Then there are some rentals by the beaches and st augustine that are more expensive but have the Yammy's that I was talking about.

 

I believe those may have the 130hp 951's. Stay away!!!

Also direct injection has a big downfall. If it stops pumping oil you engine will DIE! Many convert back to mix for peace of mind.

Check out these four strokes. Relatively new and cheap compared to any of the super high performance suck tons of gas models

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/boa/1858057641.html

 

im here right now!!!!
but with a boat