Yamaha WaveRunners a PWC Blast

by Trailer Boating Canada on 11 Aug 2009 Have you done it lately? Because if you haven't ridden Yamaha's exciting new WaveRunners, you've gotta try it!

Yamaha invited us up to Tapatoo Resort to try out four of their new Yamaha WaveRunners. You don't have to go fast... but you sure can!

The acceleration, handling and top speed of Yamaha's new FZ SHO Supercharged WaveRunner is about the quickest ride you can get. Like a Ferrari F40 or a Turbo Porsche, the Yamaha can accelerate from 0 - 60 miles per hour in around 4 seconds! Of course, we couldn't really time ourselves - we could barely hang on!

Yamaha's new supercharged 1812 cc engine with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder is pretty much Formula 1 technology and so is the performance. In a heartbeat, the Yamaha practically 'wheelstands ' in a dramatic rush of acceleration to its top speed of 66 mph. Even at these vision-blurring speeds, the new-for-2009 hull refinements deliver amazing control and dropping the throttle slows you back to sane speeds almost as fast as it accelerates.

If you have the courage and the skill to toss it into a hard turn, the WaveRunner can come around and head back the other way in a matter of a few yards. And, from any cruising speed, the supercharged engine delivers instant throttle response. Top speed is never more than seconds away. That is certainly a big part of the appeal for Yamaha's top-performing machine, but after riding several WaveRunners that day, something else got us even more excited.

When we hopped onboard Yamaha’s basic VX model WaveRunner, much of the excitement was still there, but at speeds that don't shrink the size of your lake.

Even in the most basic and affordable form, the VX WaveRunner is still faster than almost any regular boat and yet it rides dry, smooth and you always feel in control. It's stable too. Three adults can hop onboard and there is more than enough power to pull a water skier, yet the VX has a manufacturer's suggested list price of just $9,995. Right - it's under 10 grand!

At Tapatoo Resort, Yamaha took us through the full range of features and options. Depending on the model, you can choose from features like Three Position Telescopic Handlebars to suit many sizes of riders, Cruise Assist which reduces throttle fatigue on long cruises, Reverse with Traction Control so you can back up or stop it on a dime and also, a Low RPM mode that can reduce fuel consumption by up to 26%.

If you haven’t done it lately, get a test ride from your Yamaha dealer. These personal watercraft are a blast to drive!

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