Franken SKI ?

[zwaysfs]

I have a Modded sxi pro but im looking to do something new. IM tired of messing with carbs and settings and I want more power. After talking to a few people ive decided I want to take a seadoo 951 Di motor and place it in a sxi sxr hull for now untill i can afford a carbon fiber one. I know it will require some work cutting into the hull and making lots of room. Has anybody ever done it and how did it work. I want something more reliable then a 750 with tons of mods im good with engines but i am tired of itnkering all the time to get more power i think the 951 di would make lots of power but still be super reliable

 

[WaveDemon]

you're tired of messing with carbs and you want more reliability so you're putting in a SD 951? Are you feeling ok? Those are terrible reasons to put that motor in your ski.

 

[zwaysfs]

Its direct injected the misxture is always perfect for alititude or condition it dosent weigh much more then a 750 and has 130 hp rather then 105 or 110 like the one I have with 2000 dollars in mods and its a seadoo motor I work at a shop and they are prety reliable

 

[WaveDemon]

you don't want a DI motor. The 951 might fit in a sxi hull with no mods, I know it can in an SXR.

fixing carb problems is a lot easier than put in a SD motor. It's cool if you want to run a 951, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

if you go to PWCtoday.com you'll find some 951 sxr conversions by tweeker for reference.

 

[zwaysfs]

what is bad about a di

 

[Cliff]

what is bad about a di

junk

 

[SXIPro]

More reliable than a Kawi 750? Jesus, those things are nearly impossible to kill. I've owned 3 and they were amazing as far as reliability. Pretty much bulletproof.

 

[djkorn1]

The problem with running a 951 is the intakes are too low...it will suck in water and blow up...especially if you let rookies ride it! If you build some kind of intake system, it may work, but its going to cost a fortune for all the parts to make it line up, all the new electronics etc etc etc....(probably 3000 for the complete conversion with a used motor) That DI system would rip, but it's gonna cost alot of cash and it will be a ton of modding to make it work.

If you want wayyyyyyy more power (I hear your looking for full blown speed) sell the sxipro, buy a used 800 SXR with a wetpipe. It will be alot faster than your sxipro with the wierd, and difficult to tune, factory mod pipe. It'll be twice as quiet, twice as reliable and You'll never look back..... plus it will dust Kralovics SJ all day long....... The porting in the SXRs makes all the difference in the world.

 

[vitalikol]

X2^^

 

[djkorn1]

More reliable than a Kawi 750. Jesus, those things are nearly impossible to kill. I've owned 3 and they were amazing as far as reliability. Pretty much bulletproof.

Until you try to get low end out of them. They are ported wrong for out of the hole ripping and it makes them difficult to tune.

 

[zwaysfs]

Dj thats about what I expected to pay. Where did you get you carbon fiber hull? Kralovick is getting rid of his Sj its tore up right now and he lives on his air nautique. im looking for a new project Mels car is done as far as im for a While all thats really left is upholstry and paint and I dont do either so...

 

[Waternut]

Do more research on the swap. It has been done before. However, you're going from a solid motor that doesn't need any tinkering once properly sealed and tuned to an engine that has an undeniable reputation for breaking, blowing up, and generally being one of the most unreliable motors out there. In fact the DI motor has the worst reputation of all the 951 motors.

Don't get me wrong, I would like to put a 951 in my ski. The biggest difference between our mentalities is I enjoy wrenching about as much as riding and I'm completely prepared to tinker on it all the time.

My recommendation is...if you're having trouble tuning the carbs, you've got another problem. Maybe the carb needs rebuilt, maybe the engine needs to be leak checked, maybe the electrics are crappy, or maybe it just doesn't have the right mods (prop, grate, etc.).

My 750 will wear your back and shoulders out because the throttle is so touchy but I've modified the crap out of it and squeezed about every ounce out of that motor within reason. Unless you've got the ability to do flatwater backflips, the power a 750 can produce is plenty.

 

[djkorn1]

Dj thats about what I expected to pay. Where did you get you carbon fiber hull? Kralovick is getting rid of his Sj its tore up right now and he lives on his air nautique. im looking for a new project Mels car is done as far as im for a While all thats really left is upholstry and paint and I dont do either so...

I just wouldn't put that kind of money into an SXIPRO hull...the handling isn't even good enough to handle that kind of power...

Go on tues or thurs at 4pm to the fiesta island with your ski. (They actually practice on the right side of the bridge, not the left where you normally ride). See if one of the racers will let you test ride their sxr and then make a decision. I doubt you'll ever want to ride the sxi again. :Banane35:

 

[zwaysfs]

I went out there a few times and cruised arround the bouies when they wern't running they are way to good for me to ride with as of now I can hit the turns but keeping up is another story I just get in the way. I blew my head a few weeks ago i was adjusting my carbs on the beach and some dick on a couch flooded my ski so I blew an o ring on my ada head and havent been able to dial my carbs back in i just dont have the patience in adjust re assemble ride adjust ride reassemble when its as cold and windy as its been im seriously considering calling group K and draggin my ski out to have the pipe properly tuned and carbs adjusted. I re jetted and changed my springs last summer after I put all my stuff on but I never had it dialed in exactly. Not many people know how to tune a MOD pipe jeff and I dont have the patience or time.

 

[Waternut]

Not to be a dick but if you don't have time to tune a ski...you're in WAY WAY over your head if you think you'll have time to make a 951 fit in any stand up hull.

 

[zwaysfs]

You would be right. I love building stuff but fine tuning just isnt fun for me like my old car 1965 lemans i completely rebuilt a 400 ci engine stuffed it into a space that was made for a 326 then found out the ht300 yea ht300 tranny its a 2 speed aka tempist turbine was blown so I had to mate the engine to a ht 400 that I rebuilt then installed power breaks. runs like a champ but body work and upolsty is kinda boring to me. since nobody likes the 951 maby ill begin looking at the 3 clinder kawi motor thats DI at least they would mate up betterbut the 3cyl is quite a bit heavier. Any Ideas im mostly looking for torque and power
zac

 

[djkorn1]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-Kawasaki-SXR-800-Stand-up-Jet-Ski-MUST-SEE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1171Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem27a9362c96QQitemZ170342624406QQptZPersonalQ5fWatercraft


This'll be plenty of power for ya. I wouldn't try to fit some other motor in that ski. The sxipro hull just simply isn't worth it.

Sell your ski for 1500 and buy this one...you'll come out way ahead moneywise, plus the ski will be super reliable and fast. No more carb tuning. I haven't touched my carbs in 4 years.

 

[WaveDemon]

you need to stay away from DI motors. All DI motors will eventually (more likely sooner than later) have computer problems. DI computers are incredibly expensive.

The early kawi 3 cyl DI motors used to over heat and fry. the new computers are water cooled, I personally wouldn't want a computer that would need to be cooled by salt water.

All the 951 swaps have modified electronics so that they are usable and tunable.

What ever sit down motor you stuff into your stand up will need to be tuned (even DI) Those motors are made to push a much bigger ski with more load on the engine. NO motor swap will be bolt and go.

If you can't tune or don't want to then build what ever you want and buy new carbs from a real carb builder. they'll set them up so they can just bolt on (with much more limited tuning). there are even aftermarket PV cylinders for kawi motors now, You could build one of those w/ a AM carb, that would be pretty close to bolt on and go. there will always be some tuning. Ask yourself if you are a mechanic or a parts swapper before you jump into this.


Does your sxi have kiehn (sp?) carbs? I think it does, that could be your problem. Makuni SBN carbs are a lot more user friendly.

 

[WaveDemon]

FWIW I've done a sit down motor swap into my stand up. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. If I were to do it again I'd make sure I had another ski to ride in the mean time.
riding > wrenching

 

[djkorn1]

Demon is right. Except for the fact that your ski already has mikunis (unless they are aftermarket)....either way, if your not liking the power of your 750, an 800 has wayyyy better porting which makes all the difference in the world.

Once again, go hang with those race guys and introduce yourself. Someone will let you take a ski for a spin. I promise that you'll be sold on an SXR from what I understand the type of riding your looking to do.