SHO-Stoppers
Yamaha's new PWCs, the FX SHO and FX SHO Cruiser, up the ante with top-tier performance and intriguing technical breakthroughs.
by Michael Verdon
There's a jolt of adrenaline - and a lump of fear that rises in your chest - as you feel the
raw acceleration of the Yamaha FX Cruiser Super High Output (SHO). It's a wild feeling, an edge
that's present as you hit the throttle and the jet bike rips out of the hole, leaving you perched
in mid-air like Wile E. Coyote hovering over a cliff for a nano-second before realizing he's going
down.
The new SHO engine pushes the FX Cruiser SHO from 0 to 30 mph in 1.9 seconds, leaving your
heart not in your throat, but about 100 feet behind. You make sure your rear is glued to the seat
as the WaveRunner rips up Lake Allatoona, hitting speeds in the 60s. It's a heck of a ride, without
worries about getting thrown over the handlebars like you've felt on some other jet bikes you've
ridden in the past.
Yamaha might have done more than just put the SHO label behind the FX name, though, because
there's a whole lot more new features than just the SHO supercharged engine. A new name would have
been justified. In fact, just about everything except the hull shape has been retooled,
reconfigured and even reinvented. Having tested watercraft since the early '90s, you can also say
the ride and technology on this jet bike are almost perfect, as you soon discover on Lake
Allatoona.
Yamaha's NanoXcel technology gives the FX Cruiser a lighter hull for a smoother,
more-precise ride.
Yamaha has legitimate bragging rights on this flagship model for a number of breakthrough
features. Its 1.8-liter Super High Output supercharged engine isn't only 300cc larger than many of
the other high-performance watercraft out there, but also 50 pounds lighter than one of its main
competitor's engines. Yamaha used a lot of advanced engineering to achieve such weight savings, but
suffice it to say that the Super High Output rips out of the hole and gets you to a blistering top
end without the time lag typically associated with turbochargers. There's a gradual but fairly
steep feeling to the acceleration, unlike the big burst you often get with other performance
engines. One of its most practical features is that it runs on regular unleaded gas, so you don't
have to be on the constant lookout for high-octane fuel.
But the engine's only a portion of the new-and-improved FX Cruiser rollout. Yamaha has
engineered its proprietary NanoXcel technology into the hull, reducing its weight by 25 percent
compared to the 2007 FX Cruiser. There's a lot of good marketing hype about reconfiguring the hull
at a molecular level - and it's technically true - but Yamaha's engineers basically have found a
way to use a different type of binder in the lay-up process that reduces the amount of silica
needed for a significantly lighter hull.
It also results in a stronger hull with more-precise tolerances. You can feel the difference
jumping back between the new hull and last year's model (Yamaha outfitted them with the same
engines during the
BW test for an apples-to-apples comparison). The Nano hull ride is definitely smoother and
noticeably more responsive than the last-generation FX Cruiser.
The list of other bells and whistles is longer than any other watercraft launched in the last
10 years. The new engine has the industry's first "Cruise Assist" throttle control, which will be a
big help to jet bikers who like to cruise or tow. Essentially, there are 10 possible settings -
five up and five down - that let you run at different 250-rpm increments. That means you can cruise
all day long at, say, 15 mph or 45 mph by keeping your finger on the throttle. It takes a little
time to acclimate yourself to the cruise control, but you don't get that fatigued feeling in your
fingers because you simply hold the throttle lever at any position to maintain the same speed. The
Cruise Assist automatically cuts out when the speed falls below the desired RPM level - kind of
like applying the brake to cut off cruise control in a car.
The FX Cruiser SHO also has a nifty reverse function called traction-control reverse.
Essentially, Yamaha engineers have discovered that excessive throttle in reverse causes cavitation,
so they've set the limit to about 3000 rpm. The optimum RPM level and a newly designed reverse
bucket means very precise reverse, although you have to take it in and out of gear pretty quickly
when you're maneuvering in tight quarters. Still, it's a big improvement over other reverse systems
out there, which tend to wander back and forth. Yamaha also engineered in a No-Wake speed setting
that lets you run through no-wake zones at about 5 mph without having to jockey the throttle, which
is an awesome feature to have when you're in high-congestion areas.
If you're going long-distance cruising, the new "Cruise Assist" control makes maintaining
the perfect speed easy.
Finally, Yamaha redesigned the topside of the FX Cruiser with a wider rear swim platform,
deeper seats and integrated foot chocks. The designers are calling it the "three-point contact
system," which incorporates the seat; swept-back; adjustable handlebars; and the raised chocks.
Yamaha claims the layout reduces fatigue for both passengers. After a few hours of running around
Allatoona, you can feel it, too. There are also other "gee-whiz" features, like a remote control
that lets you activate the Low-RPM Mode on the SHO from 30 feet away - a nice feature if the kids
are riding and acting up.
More than 26 gallons of storage in the front and rear of the WaveRunner allow for all-day, or
even overnight cruises. The storage also includes a watertight compartment for wallets, cell phones
and other valuables. At $12,799 for the FX Cruiser, there are a lot of amenities for this
best-in-class machine. The FX SHO version, which retails for $11,999, comes in Stealth Black or
Metallic Midnight Blue, while the FX Cruiser SHO is Crimson Red Metallic or Platinum Metallic.
Aside from the hull colors, the price, and the niftier cruising seat on the cruiser version, the
two WaveRunners are practically identical.
Is the FX SHO Cruiser the right PWC for you? It really depends on your ultimate destination.
As an ocean-touring machine, it's probably best-in-class with its powerful engine and deep-water
hull design. As a tow vehicle, the high-torque engine and cruise assist feature set it apart from
everyone else. As a hard-charging driving machine, it'll depend on your personal preferences. The
FX SHO Cruiser is so well-designed that there's no unpredictable lurching, and it slices through
waves rather than careening over them like some of its competitors. You're always in control, even
doing doughnuts at high speeds, so there's not the slight sense of danger when you're riding the
machine like a dirt bike that some enthusiasts will crave. For most, though, the SHO's blistering
performance and wealth of technological innovations will make it a tempting option in the high-end
PWC market.
Yamaha
FX Cruiser SHO
LOA 10'11.5"
Beam 4'0.4"
Weight 841 lbs.
Fuel 18.5 gal.
Base Price $12,799 (w/1.8L, 1812cc Yamaha Supercharged 4-stroke)
Maximum HP N/A
Warranty 1-Year Limited
Yamaha Motor Corp.
1270 Chastain Road
Kennesaw, GA 30144
www.yamaha-motor.com
(800) 962-7926
