My 2019 ultra 310r and 310x problems

[Chris288]

Its a very curious situation Kawi is currently experiencing with their stalling, bogging, hesitation and erratic rpm problems with their 310 skis. Kawi initially informed me they had 5 units experiencing this " currently " un-fixable problem,,, i was unfortunate enough to have purchased 2 of them.... Several people have since come to the board as well as pm'd me in regards to experiencing the same problem with their brand new skis,,,, somebody even posted their problematic 2018 was replaced by kawi with a 2019 which is experiencing the same problem.

Anyway, this ski has essentially been around since 2011 and not much has changed... i dont claim to be any expert mechanic, but how can the master techs at KMC not be able to troubleshoot and solve this problem for what seems to be going on 2 years. It appears there are many more than 5 units experiencing these problems and mine seemed to be ecu / ignition related.

They told me every 2019 ski whether in a crate or on the showroom floor could possibly experience this problem, so its obviously more severe than they are letting on.. How could they put the onus on their customers, who pay upwards of 15,000 dollars for their product to be defective out of the crate and let us deal with dealers who dont appear to be able to fix them either and spend months at dealerships.

I remember my 250 and 300 had a very slight vibration and worble at about 4,000 rpms never thought much about it.... My 2019 skis experienced these problems mostly between 3,800 and 4,500 rpms,,, right when the S.C. starts creating positive boost, there were bad vibrations, stalling surging and erratic rpm fluctuations but much more severe....

Anyway,,, dont know what were going to do for skis, figured we would wait until 2020, but how to know if they ever really slove this problem ? Very surprised this is the first time anyone is hearing / posting of this what seems like a very serious defect on current 310 kawis...





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[steve45]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a 2019 at the end of the year to get better pricing on it, but this doesn't sound like something I want to deal with. Sorry you're going through it. Did you get to talk to the Kawasaki rep, or is this info coming from your dealer?

[Chris288]

Initially from dealer, now Directly from 2 different csr's from Kmc in cali.

Right now there is no fix for this. Were out 12k at 8.375% trade in value plus 600.00 in covers and another 500.00 in ramp fees gas, tolls, spark plugs, and fuel trying to troubleshoot these things.

Ive been a kawi customer for 20 plus years dont like any other brand pwc. Wasted away this summer and right now unless this problem is solved, 2020 isnt looking good.

No dealer should sell / deliver / register a ski in a customers name without a sea-trial first, no customer should have to go through this.

[wa2fst]

Sorry you got an issue with your ski, but its not as big an issue as you might think. just ask your dealer to fit a new fuel pump assembly.

[DoubleTap]

My 2018 has been running perfect. Oh wait that was after the engine was rebuilt.
Kawi needs to get their shit together!!!

Chris288 do you have any water in your hull when you ride? I have notice on the my 2011 300,2015 310 and 2018 310 if there is ANY water in the hull and it gets on the belt it will have issues like you discribed.. It's common for hoses to fail on these skis. I've gone through at lest 10 hoses on the 3 skis I've owned and everytime I could tell because the of the issues you described.

[Chris288]

Not a drop,,,,, both skis stalled the very first time they were in the water, the 310x about 4 or 5 times in 30 seconds. Put 105 hrs on my 250, 167 hrs on my 300x, 110 on my 310r and 450 hrs on 2 ultra 150s. These are defective from factory, im being told the techs in cali are aware and trying to solve this problem, no luck yet

[Rescue1]

It is probably a super long shot, but the pivot point for the belt tensioner comes dry from the factory. I wouldn't be surprised if it's seized up already and not moving, which would cause some surging issues... Either way, please keep us updated on their findings, I am super curious..

[TJK]

As far as the amount of skis that are having problems.... you'll never know. Kawasaki lies. Plain and simple. I have two 310s that's have had the piston issue. Wifeys is back in the shop for the second time now for piston problems. She called the customer service # and they told her that they've never heard of a piston problem 🤪. Yeah, insulting I know.
Im done. Just bought a RXTX. They have problems also but I'm at least hoping for better service when it happens as I know a mechanic that I can go to for help. Started with seadoo and at least the motors hold up as long as you take care of the SC.
when hers gets out the shop it will be gone also.
its a shame. I do like the 310s, just tired of the BS.

[Chris288]

As far as the amount of skis that are having problems.... you’ll never know. Kawasaki lies. Plain and simple. I have two 310s that’s have had the piston issue. Wifeys is back in the shop for the second time now for piston problems. She called the customer service # and they told her that they’ve never heard of a piston problem 浪. Yeah, insulting I know.
Im done. Just bought a RXTX. They have problems also but I’m at least hoping for better service when it happens as I know a mechanic that I can go to for help. Started with seadoo and at least the motors hold up as long as you take care of the SC.
when hers gets out the shop it will be gone also.
its a shame. I do like the 310s, just tired of the BS.

You know,,, they initially said there was a lean condition at that rpm range causing my problems, the ecu from the 2015 310lx really helped but not 100% wondering if their piston problems are also related to a lean condition. Initially dealer said to go ahead and ride them, i said NO WAY they are known to have piston problems and if they are running lean, why would i risk blowing them up..

weve ridden the gp1800r, my wife thinks it too skitchy, went to the dealer last night to take a look at the FX svho but just cant force myself to like it,,, the stupid rubber straps holding the glove box and trunk closed, the stupid plastic accent panels with stupid colored inlays bolted all over the place that arent even color matched because the hull is painted and the plastic isn't, so you have a really nice blue hull with baby puke blue plastic inserts, and dont even get me started about the white bumpers, these things look like they were designed and built by Mattel. I thought i was sick of black hulls and top decks on the Kawis, but the red and blue hulls with the white tops look old and cheap, and the white cruiser seats are horrible. The gp1800s are a color block angular nightmare, angles, colors, cheap plastic accent stripes, flimsy hood hinge that digs into the the front of the ski and chips the paint. we shouldn't have to force ourselves to like 36,000 worth of jet skis,,,,,, just want a running 310r and red 310x come on KAWI !

[K447]

...

we've ridden the gp1800r, my wife thinks it too skitchy,

.... The gp1800s are a color block angular nightmare, angles, colors, cheap plastic accent stripes, flimsy hood hinge that digs into the the front of the ski and chips the paint. ...

I have two 2017 GP1800.

My approach is that the stock machines are a good starting point. Careful selection of aftermarket products can better align the handling and performance to my specific preferences.

Not sure what skitchy means, but the GP1800 does have a specific handling 'feel'. The 2019 GP1800R has the upgraded factory ride plate and intake grate, which does improve tracking and cornering precision over the stock GP1800. I have Worx ride plate with Jim's cut, which is longer but overall similar to the GP1800R ride plate.

2019 GP1800R intake grate is not bad, but a friend has GP1800 with the Riva intake stainless steel grate which he feels is noticeably better.

Last week we rode all these variations on a variety of water conditions. GP1800 and GP1800R are capable of being fast and quick, fun handling and yet competent riding at speed across rough water. The hull does bounce and play but it can cover distance and snake through a twisty path.

I ride mostly standing up, especially when the water is not smooth. I do find that my GP1800 turns differently when standing up and applying weight to the outside foot in a hard turn. Sitting down it still turns nicely but the tracking/feel is different.



I also have the Worx extension on the trim motor arm and find that I prefer riding with trim one or two clicks down when the water is not smooth or when I want maximum turning ability.



Regarding appearance, it is straightforward to remove unwanted factory graphics and to swap in different color body/hood/side panels and trim items. In the photo above only one is unchanged from the factory look.



Yes, the molded Yamaha plastic trim pieces can differ in shade from the painted hull surfaces. I don't let it bother me, the machine is still fun to ride and looks good enough on the water.

Three summers on our two GP1800 and so far the hood has not made a mess of the front top paint despite how close the point of the hood seems to get to the painted surface.

Would I prefer that Yamaha had better paint durability and better color matching? Sure. But how it rides and handles matters a lot more. Same for a lot of other mostly minor gripes. I have posted fixes and work arounds for many.

With only three manufacturers left in the game, and only two actually putting out new hull designs, we have to work with the factory products that are available.

[Chris288]

I have two 2017 GP1800.

My approach is that the stock machines are a good starting point. Careful selection of aftermarket products can better align the handling and performance to my specific preferences.

Not sure what skitchy means, but the GP1800 does have a specific handling ‘feel’. The 2019 GP1800R has the upgraded factory ride plate and intake grate, which does improve tracking and cornering precision over the stock GP1800. I have Worx ride plate with Jim’s cut, which is longer but overall similar to the GP1800R ride plate.

2019 GP1800R intake grate is not bad, but a friend has GP1800 with the Riva intake stainless steel grate which he feels is noticeably better.

Last week we rode all these variations on a variety of water conditions. GP1800 and GP1800R are capable of being fast and quick, fun handling and yet competent riding at speed across rough water. The hull does bounce and play but it can cover distance and snake through a twisty path.

I ride mostly standing up, especially when the water is not smooth. I do find that my GP1800 turns differently when standing up and applying weight to the outside foot in a hard turn. Sitting down it still turns nicely but the tracking/feel is different.



I also have the Worx extension on the trim motor arm and find that I prefer riding with trim one or two clicks down when the water is not smooth or when I want maximum turning ability.



Regarding appearance, it is straightforward to remove unwanted factory graphics and to swap in different color body/hood/side panels and trim items. In the photo above only one is unchanged from the factory look.



Yes, the molded Yamaha plastic trim pieces can differ in shade from the painted hull surfaces. I don’t let it bother me, the machine is still fun to ride and looks good enough on the water.

Three summers on our two GP1800 and so far the hood has not made a mess of the front top paint despite how close the point of the hood seems to get to the painted surface.

Would I prefer that Yamaha had better paint durability and better color matching? Sure. But how it rides and handles matters a lot more. Same for a lot of other mostly minor gripes. I have posted fixes and work arounds for many.

With only three manufacturers left in the game, and only two actually putting out new hull designs, we have to work with the factory products that are available.

Appreciate all the useful feedback, thanks !

its just really hard for us to try and force yourself to like something if your not all that thrilled about how it looks and feels. The cruiser seat puts my nuts up into my stomach. The motor just doesnt feel as snappy and fun to ride at the kawi. like i said, we had an fzs, rode a 17 gp1800 a 19 gp1800r and trying to get our hands on a 19 fx svho. I visited a dealer in CT yesterday, he is willing to let us demo a fx but hate to have him prep one if we dont end up buying it. dont know what 2020 has in store for either yamaha or kawi,,,, wont ever consider a sea-doo unless everybody else goes out of business lol.....

ideally my wife would like the red limited with flat seat other than white,,,, i'd like the blue cruiser with a flat seat other than white. but it all comes down to actually riding one....

we really like the minimalistic design and looks of Yamaha's lower line skis, nice paint, sleek stylish, no gaudy plastic crap bolted all over the place with eye straining angles and graphics.... Their flagship FX should follow the same approach, it should be classy, sleek, appealing, dont know why they feel they have to bolt on a bunch of ugly useless plastic accent pieces that actually detract from how good it could / should look.

[K447]

Appreciate all the useful feedback, thanks !

... not all that thrilled about how it looks and feels. The cruiser seat puts my nuts up into my stomach.

The motor just doesnt feel as snappy and fun to ride as the kawi. ...

we had an fzs, rode a 2017 gp1800, a 2019 gp1800r and trying to get our hands on a 2019 fx svho. ...

don't know what 2020 has in store for either yamaha or kawi,,,,

ideally my wife would like the red limited with flat seat other than white,,,, i'd like the blue cruiser with a flat seat other than white. but it all comes down to actually riding one....

...

I will mention that the SVHO engine responds quite nicely to aftermarket engine tunes.

I currently use the Riva MaptunerX Stage 1 Plus (Low Octane) tune, where Low Octane = 91 minimum. The Riva Stage 1 Plus tune wants 93 octane, and it does pull harder right through the mid-range and top end, including higher top speed.

Even the Low Octane tune is quite snappy. GP1800 top speeds can exceed 75mph (80mph is quite possible depending on the tune, water and air conditions, ride plate, etc).

Test riding a totally stock GP1800R can certainly give you a taste of what is possible, but unless a dealer (or friend) has one available that has been tuned nicely, that test ride is not giving you the full experience.

We often ride long distances and 91 octane is hard enough to find on the water, let alone 93. I also generally carry a lot of gear in front storage so my top speeds can be less than what others achieve.

The stock Yamaha GP1800 impeller is ‘OK’. Consensus is that the Solas impellers offer better launch and mid-range pull, less cavitation and better top speed. I have Solas on both of my GP1800. Works well.

Regarding seats, the seats from different years and trim levels can be swapped around, for the same Yamaha hull generation. For GP1800 you can fit any of the seats from (2015-2019) VXR, VXS, Cruiser, HO, etc. And of course Jet Trim offers custom seat covers in a wide range of fabrics and colors.

The 2019 FX SVHO is an all-new hull design, top and bottom. It typically takes a year or more for accumulated rider experience and the aftermarket to work out the best combinations of parts and settings for a new hull. The GP1800 was new for 2017 and the Riva ride plate availability was about a year later. That Riva ride plate made a big improvement to the handling, and is essentially what Yamaha now uses for the GP1800R.

My take (reading what others have reported) is that the 2019 FX SVHO is already a good hull but needs some aftermarket experience to get the best from it, especially the ride plate. I have not yet ridden the 2019 FX myself.

[john belton]

Chris288 it sure sounds like an ECU issue to me. They should be able to do an ECU swap and see what happens . . .

My 2014 310X needed an ECU change . . . KAW did it; that Ski has 120 hours on it now. It's the best running Ski of my 3 Ultras.

JB

[Chris288]

Chris288 it sure sounds like an ECU issue to me. They should be able to do an ECU swap and see what happens . . .

My 2014 310X needed an ECU change . . . KAW did it; that Ski has 120 hours on it now. It's the best running Ski of my 3 Ultras.

JB

I tried 3 different ecu's in them. None of them solve the problem 100%

[troyheb]

If you are looking for a great rough water machine, put your dislike of SD aside for just a few minutes and try a 19 RXTX.