Jetskilopnik: My new 2015 FX Cruiser HO

"Upshift" (Upshift) 04/16/2015 at 21:43 • Filed to: Jetskilopnik, Yamaha, Waverunner, PWC, Personal Watercraft, FX, HO, High Output, 1.8, 1812cc, 180hp, Cruiser, 2015, White, RiDE, Sea Doo, JetSki, Pictures, New

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As some of you might recall, I previously mentioned that I would be replacing my 2013 Yamaha VXR with a 2015 Yamaha FX Cruiser HO. Well, I finally brought the new PWC home and she looks mighty impressive!

First thing is how striking the white is. I like how there’s plenty of dark metallic grey to ease off the intensity of the whole thing though. It lacks in the youthful sportiness that the VXR displayed. But, it compensates with a nice, mature cruiser look which should appeal to it’s target buyers.

The other thing that stood out is just how BIG the whole thing looks. Which, is to be expected as it’s about a foot longer than the VXR and 4 inches wider and a few inches taller as well. Thankfully, Yamaha’s proprietary NanoXcel hull material pays off nicely by keeping the weight of the craft relatively low; At only 827 lbs, it’s a good chunk lighter than any of it’s direct competitors. Heck, it’s only 30lbs more than Sea Doo’s entry level GTS/GTI range. Plus, with the 1812cc 180hp engine under the seat, acceleration should still feel pretty sporty. The bow of the hull also features a much sharper V shape than the VXR (which was actually very rounded) which means it should slice through chop nicely.

The rest of the features include a TON of storage - Spacious at the bow, a wet storage compartment at the stern, an under-seat watertight storage container that can be removed to access the battery and a watertight cubby on the dash for cellphones and wallets with a small recess for Yamaha’s remote fob - , Cruise Assist, No wake mode, Electronic Trim, A super deep reboarding step, Yamaha’s awesome Cruiser Seat, Tilt Steering, Pull-Up cleats, An analog gauge for displaying your choice of RPM or Speed, Two small digital displays to show a bunch of info - Speed, trim, fuel, warnings etc - , two-tone Hydro-Turf (Though, let’s be honest, all PWCs have hydro-turf now), A nice and deep glove-box is also present with a removable foam insert that acts as a cup holder, there’s even a random cup holder on the dash which I think will likely be fairly useless and sketchy haha. Oh and let’s not forget about Yamaha’s new RiDE system, it’s answer to Sea Doo’s iBR.

I spent a good part of the evening exploring every nook and cranny of the craft. I also made sure to remove all of the dealership and non-regulatory warning labels from the craft after some of the pictures were taken. I noticed a few things after hopping onto the craft. First, the seat is very comfortable and roomy on all three positions and the rear bolsters provide good support for the lower back. The only issue is that the seat is a bit wide at the thighs for the driver but it’s something you can get used to. The tilt steering adjusts to four different positions. I liked the lowest setting for sitting down and the highest one proved perfect for standing.

Since most of the river is still frozen, an on-water review will have to wait. In the meantime, however, here are some pictures of the beast.

Whew! Done. Enjoy!

 V8 Rustler > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 21:50

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H.O.

Do car makers still use this term? I remember the 2011-2013 Boss 302 used that term.

CB > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 21:50

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Boreleans, eh?

Lovely looking craft, though. I'm more of a boat guy than a jet ski person, but that looks awesome. Any place for tow rope equipment?

Machingadera > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 21:54

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I don't want to say it's an alien,

...but it's an alien.

jkm7680 > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 21:55

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Whaaaaat? No wake mode button? What is this sorcery?

cbell04 > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 21:58

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Nice ride! hope you never have to use the paddle! I've only owned boats but couple friends have owned pwc's and they are always a blast. I'd love to drive one this nice sadly I've been limited to 5-10 year old near beater status models for most of my rides. Good luck and be safe us boaters love to shake our fist in your direction (cause were secretly jelly of your power to weight ratio). :)

Brian Silvestro > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 22:12

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Just to let everyone know, this thing is fourteen thousand dollars.

I can buy several very good cars for that money.

Vicente Esteve > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 22:24

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Cupholder!?

These things go like hell to even think of drinking anything!

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Brian Silvestro 04/16/2015 at 22:47

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Yeah but how many of those would get you to 80mph on water?

Brian Silvestro > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/16/2015 at 22:52

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who cares

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Brian Silvestro 04/16/2015 at 22:55

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Well aren't you a bucket of fun tonight, Jetskis are awesome. I mean have you ever seen an unhappy person on a jetski? people will spend there money on what they want to spend it on and that includes bitch in watercraft. It's a toy, just like any track car

WhiskeyGolf > Upshift 04/16/2015 at 23:21

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Nice ride! Someday I'm going to get a SeaDoo Spark... where do you do your riding? (Quebec plates!)

Brian Silvestro > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 04/17/2015 at 07:13

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that's a Daniel Tosh joke!

Upshift > WhiskeyGolf 04/17/2015 at 11:21

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Good eye! I do the bulk of my riding at the "Rivière des Outaouais" (Ottawa River for the english folk or anyone not living in Quebec). Though I intend to check out the Lièvre at least once and I'm doing a week-long treck of the Rideau Canal in July!

And good choice for the spark. It seems like such a fun ride! Just make sure you want a play-thing and not a cruiser though because that little thing isn't built for distance riding on rivers unless you're really athletic.

Upshift > Brian Silvestro 04/17/2015 at 11:24

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And I could have bought several really good cars for the prices of my 2014 Mazda3. I've been in the very used car/toy path before and it just wasn't for me. Just like how jetski's aren't for everyone.

You can buy a TON of good cars for the price of a Porsche 911 Turbo S but it doesn't detract from the fact that it's a genuinely good car and that there is a market for it.

If you prefer buying 7 used Miatas for the price of my FX then more power to you. Do what makes you happy.

WhiskeyGolf > Upshift 04/17/2015 at 11:26

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Sweet. My dad wants to do the Rideau in our bowrider sometime during the summer. Not looking forward to those last locks haha. How far south along the river have you gone before?

Upshift > cbell04 04/17/2015 at 11:30

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I hope Yamaha's reputation is well founded and that I really will never need that paddle! But, better safe than sorry and I've even practiced using it, just in case.

And honestly I can't blame boaters for hating PWCs with the way most riders behave on the waterways. The well-earned stigma is the only thing I hate about PWC ownership.

That's why I do my part to be courteous and safe on the water. I give fishing boats, canoes and kayaks a wide berth to avoid rocking them, spooking away the fish or messing up their gear. If The geography prevents me from giving them at least 100 meters of space then I slow down to "trolling" speed to not cause a wake and wait until I'm far away before getting back on the throttle. As tempting as it may be I don't cross behind wake boats because they usually have someone in tow and give right of way to all other boats because, well, my craft is more agile.

If only everyone else on these beasts were well behaved. Sigh.

Upshift > CB 04/17/2015 at 11:33

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hahaha I'm actually riiiight across the river from Trim road on the Quebec side! And yeah! That wet storage compartment where I have the two ropes in is actually more than big enough for a tow rope for a skiier/wakeboarder, is located at the stern before the swim platform and is right under the tow-hook. The lid even has a notch to allow the rope to stay attached to the hook!

Upshift >  V8 Rustler 04/17/2015 at 11:40

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Seems to be a Yamaha thing only. They have 4 engine designations:

-The MR-1 which is a 1052cc inline 4 with 5 valves per cylinder (yes five). Aprox 110hp. This is their entry level engine.

-The High Output engine. 1812cc inline 4 with 4 valves per cylinder. Biggest displacement engine in the industry. About 180hp.

-The SHO or Super High Output. Take the above HO engine, drop the compression ratio, add a supercharger. About 210hp. This one disapoints Yamaha diehards a lot because it was severely underpowered compared to the competition.

-Finally, the SVHO or Super Vortex High Output (yes I agree it's a rediculous name). Take the SVO engine, give it a beefier HKS supercharger, bigger intercooler and oil cooler. Slap on bigger injectors and replace the pistons with Forged parts. Result? Close to 270hp.

Upshift > Vicente Esteve 04/17/2015 at 11:42

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I agree. But this being a cruiser model, having access to hydration when trekking for a whole day under the sun is nice to have haha.

Upshift > WhiskeyGolf 04/17/2015 at 11:55

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i haven't been on the Canal yet. As for the Ottawa river I usually hang around Ottawa/gatineau and the Casino. Two summers ago I made a trip from Gatineau to Hawkesbury and back. How about you? Where do you boat?

Upshift > Machingadera 04/17/2015 at 11:55

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I know right?!

Upshift > jkm7680 04/17/2015 at 11:56

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It pretty much holds a 5mph speed so you can cross no-wake zones as fast as possible without creating a wake.

WhiskeyGolf > Upshift 04/17/2015 at 12:58

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My family cottages north of Toronto so dad and I have gone the length of the Trent-Severn over 2-3 trips and boat primarily at the south end of Muskoka. Our lake is land locked, though, so we try to do day trips instead.

cbell04 > Upshift 04/18/2015 at 15:44

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I wave you guys in and ask if you want to hit my wake. Cant say I haven’t had an issue or 2 but just as likely to have problems with clueless boat owners out there.

Upshift > cbell04 04/18/2015 at 15:56

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That’s pretty cool! I mean if the boat owner wants me to jump their wake I’ll gladly oblige!

lonestranger > Upshift 04/20/2015 at 11:44

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Somewhere in Georgia, a redneck buys a BRP because they think it’s more ‘Murican than one of those Jumpanese Yammy-haws.

Upshift > lonestranger 04/20/2015 at 12:15

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I was wondering if someone would spot that bit on the sticker the moment I took that photo. Good eye!

The irony being that BRP is Canadian and most of their models are manufactured in Quebec. With a new plant in Mexico handling Sparks.