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Personally, I'd throw out the Kawasaki just because of reliability issues. For me that would leave the Yamaha and the Honda, which IMO both will give you a similar ride. They are both a little bouncy in the rough stuff, and you will get wet in the chop on either machine. I think the Yamaha handles the turns better, and the Honda will be faster on the straight stretches for sure. If you are going to be in the ocean, or on a large, rough lake you may rarely notice the speed difference. I was riding today, and it was so rough that it was all I could do to hang on at 40 mph on my FX HO.
The Honda will get you closer to your goal for speed, but the turbo does require some extra maintenance, since it tends to rust easily (especially with salt water use). The F-12X is selling for a good price right now as dealerships are clearing unsold inventory. Honda has stopped production of PWCs for now and there is some concern as to whether this may be a permanent shutdown or not. I still think parts will be available in the future no matter what, but it may be harder to find dealerships for service work. The Honda will prefer premium fuel also.
The Yamaha VX has been around since 2005, and is considered the most reliable ski on the market (over 70% of ski rental places use it for its stability, ease to ride, and reliability). Yamaha redesigned the VX just this year, so the 2010 model has some upgrades that supposedly make it a more comfortable ride, and according to what I've read more stable in rough water. The new model has the same engine, but they have tweaked the computer management system to get 10% better fuel economy on the ski that already had the best fuel economy, and it like the other Yamaha's run fine on regular fuel (less $$$ at the pump).
As you can see I'm biased toward the Yamaha...........so take that into consideration. If you are going to be in salt water, I'd definitely recommend the Yamaha. If your primary concern is speed then the Honda is the obvious choice, but unless you plan to do a lot of racing, you will find that you spend very little time at WOT.
I'd look at the VX Cruiser model rather than the Deluxe, which will give you the re-boarding step and the cruiser seats, which are more comfortable IMO.
I think you will be comfortable on either machine. Best advice I can give you is to test ride both and then decide. :ShowLetter18:
The Honda will get you closer to your goal for speed, but the turbo does require some extra maintenance, since it tends to rust easily (especially with salt water use). The F-12X is selling for a good price right now as dealerships are clearing unsold inventory. Honda has stopped production of PWCs for now and there is some concern as to whether this may be a permanent shutdown or not. I still think parts will be available in the future no matter what, but it may be harder to find dealerships for service work. The Honda will prefer premium fuel also.
The Yamaha VX has been around since 2005, and is considered the most reliable ski on the market (over 70% of ski rental places use it for its stability, ease to ride, and reliability). Yamaha redesigned the VX just this year, so the 2010 model has some upgrades that supposedly make it a more comfortable ride, and according to what I've read more stable in rough water. The new model has the same engine, but they have tweaked the computer management system to get 10% better fuel economy on the ski that already had the best fuel economy, and it like the other Yamaha's run fine on regular fuel (less $$$ at the pump).
As you can see I'm biased toward the Yamaha...........so take that into consideration. If you are going to be in salt water, I'd definitely recommend the Yamaha. If your primary concern is speed then the Honda is the obvious choice, but unless you plan to do a lot of racing, you will find that you spend very little time at WOT.
I'd look at the VX Cruiser model rather than the Deluxe, which will give you the re-boarding step and the cruiser seats, which are more comfortable IMO.
I think you will be comfortable on either machine. Best advice I can give you is to test ride both and then decide. :ShowLetter18: