Older Kawasaki ski with 2023 reverse set up

[Dougs 1100]

Used 2023 310LX ride plate and 2023 310 reverse bucket little fabrication installed on 2009 260 Ultra Lx.

[K447]

Is the rider control a manual reverse lever or the new 2023 thumb press electric reverse control?

[steve45]

Why? This model came with reverse.

[Dougs 1100]

I left it manual ( For Now) The reverse on the Kawis was never the greatest. They finally joined the other guys in this concept.

[Dougs 1100]

Hi, the reverse system was very archaic this concept has been out for awhile with the other manufacturers Kawi finally followed suit .

[steve45]

So, you're saying that it works better?

[Dougs 1100]

Absolutely have you drove any of the Seadoos or Yamahas with this feature? It works great that's why Kawi finally said we have got to do this. Lets face it the reverse system now really isn't the best. There have been talk of this before on Greenhulk.

[steve45]

I rode Yamaha once that had it. Took me a minute to figure out why it was going the 'wrong' way. I didn't ride it long enough to get accustomed to it. I don't use reverse much except for getting off the trailer. My Ultra 150s don't even have it.

[rotortiller]

I think there might be more to it than just hooking up a new bucket and ride plate to your older ski. If you were to engage reverse with the old style manual reverse at speed the nose will dive and you will likely get hurt. Seadoo gets around this problem by shooting an unobstructed jet of water upwards pushing the ass end down during thrust reversal at speed. Looking at the pictures I see none of this. Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree and kawasaki has a simpler angle on braking?

[K447]

- more to it than just hooking up a new bucket and ride plate to your older ski.

If you were to engage reverse - at speed -

That is braking, not reverse. Braking does use the reverse bucket but it is controlled differently.

Yamaha and Seadoo (and now Kawasaki) offer electronically controlled braking. Applying the 'brakes' causes the computer to adjust engine power and reverse bucket angle together. It is done such that the rider remains in control and the handling does not become 'suddenly strange'.

Simply yanking on a manual reverse lever is a different deal. There is no electronic control overseeing the system.

[Dougs 1100]

This mod is to just make better reverse not braking.

Why would you want to lower the reverse bucket at speed?

I'm sure we could all agree that the old reverse was never the greatest when trying to back into docs etc.

[rotortiller]

Why would you want to lower the reverse bucket at speed?

To slow down.

[steve45]

Why would you want to lower the reverse bucket at speed?

If you ever rode an STS 750, putting it in reverse while traveling at 25-30 MPH was about the most fun you could have with it. It would submarine and it was a challenge to stay on it. Good way to cool off on a hot day.

I'm sure we could all agree that the old reverse was never the greatest when trying to back into docs etc.

I rode for years without reverse, and still do on my 150.

[Cranofwaterfell]

Partial reverse via the manual handle is the only way to ease onto boat lift slowly. Idle speed is way too fast and is how I dinged the front of one of my skis. Pulling onto a submerged boat/jetski lift is completely different than pulling onto trailer at boat ramp. It's more like you are trying to stop at a specific point in space, i.e., docking.

[K447]

This kind of very controlled maneuvering is what the Yamaha RiDE system does well.

Creep forward while steering to put the hull exactly where you want it. Proper neutral with responsive short controlled pulses of forward and reverse thrust as needed.

Changing from forward to reverse mode using RiDE maintains a consistent yaw direction of rotation. Handlebars turned right will swing the nose to the right, always. Going forward or reverse. Quite intuitive in use.

The nose does not swing in the opposite direction when changing from forward to neutral to reverse, unlike some other 'classic' PWC with reverse.

Partial reverse via the manual handle is the only way to ease onto boat lift slowly.

- Pulling onto a submerged boat/jetski lift is completely different than pulling onto trailer at boat ramp. It's more like you are trying to stop at a specific point in space, i.e., docking.