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Hi everyone,
I managed to tear up my faithful '97 GP1200 and am now in the market for a new ski...
I'm looking at the GP1300R's and FZR's. I already have a GP1200R so I am pretty familiar with the capabilities of that family (1300 included) and how to fix them, how they handle, and how much abuse they can take.
Since I'm shopping, I'm also looking at the new FZR's. Since apparently 4-stroke is the way of the future, and the FZR has an insane stock hole-shot, it's an interesting consideration.
My concern is its size, weight and complexity. The boat is about 1.5 feet longer than the GPR's and it weighs almost 200lbs more! Then you add in that a 4-stroke has a gazillion more moving parts than a two-stroke and I am concerned about how well the boat would handle and hold together.
I ride mostly in the ocean... specifically, in the breakers... where 8-10' waves are common and while the take-off's might be graceful, the landings aren't always so pretty. My 2-strokes... a '97 GP1200 and an '01 1200R have served me well. That little '97 had the living crap beat out of it for almost 12 years and I only replaced the engine once! :-) Finally, as it's famous for, the hull broke at the engine mount... did I mention how sometimes the landings aren't so pretty?
I'm used to the 550-650lbs rockets that the GP-series represented. I can still get a 1300 at some pretty sweet prices, but... with any luck... the ski should last a few years and I'm just wondering if I should make the jump to a 4-stroke and if I did, would I be happy with such a big, heavy, complex machine.
Do any of you have any experience with the 4-stroke Yamaha's in general, or with the FZ series specifically, where your normal riding environment is a bit more on the rough... drop a ski in the water from 20' and hope for the best kind of riding? If so, I would be very interested in your feedback on how these ski's perform and how well they have held together.
Thanks to you all in advance,
-Michael
I managed to tear up my faithful '97 GP1200 and am now in the market for a new ski...
I'm looking at the GP1300R's and FZR's. I already have a GP1200R so I am pretty familiar with the capabilities of that family (1300 included) and how to fix them, how they handle, and how much abuse they can take.
Since I'm shopping, I'm also looking at the new FZR's. Since apparently 4-stroke is the way of the future, and the FZR has an insane stock hole-shot, it's an interesting consideration.
My concern is its size, weight and complexity. The boat is about 1.5 feet longer than the GPR's and it weighs almost 200lbs more! Then you add in that a 4-stroke has a gazillion more moving parts than a two-stroke and I am concerned about how well the boat would handle and hold together.
I ride mostly in the ocean... specifically, in the breakers... where 8-10' waves are common and while the take-off's might be graceful, the landings aren't always so pretty. My 2-strokes... a '97 GP1200 and an '01 1200R have served me well. That little '97 had the living crap beat out of it for almost 12 years and I only replaced the engine once! :-) Finally, as it's famous for, the hull broke at the engine mount... did I mention how sometimes the landings aren't so pretty?
I'm used to the 550-650lbs rockets that the GP-series represented. I can still get a 1300 at some pretty sweet prices, but... with any luck... the ski should last a few years and I'm just wondering if I should make the jump to a 4-stroke and if I did, would I be happy with such a big, heavy, complex machine.
Do any of you have any experience with the 4-stroke Yamaha's in general, or with the FZ series specifically, where your normal riding environment is a bit more on the rough... drop a ski in the water from 20' and hope for the best kind of riding? If so, I would be very interested in your feedback on how these ski's perform and how well they have held together.
Thanks to you all in advance,
-Michael
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