2011 Kawasaki 300lx
Thread: 2011 Kawasaki Ultra 300LX Unstable and Dangerous
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08-16-2011,04:05 PM #1
2011 Kawasaki Ultra 300LX Unstable and Dangerous
I just purchased a 2011 Kawasaki Ultra 300 LX at the end of July and picked it up last week. The maiden voyage was this past Saturday on Greenwood Lake in New Jersey along with my wife, son, and daughter. we also brought along our 2010 Yamaha Fx Sho cruiser for the wife to operate. The day started out with me and my daughter on the Kawasaki. I am 190 pounds and my daughter is six years old and 45 pounds.
She was seated in front of me. Immediately upon getting under way at idle out of the marina, I noticed that we were listing to port. I looked down at my daughter and she was seated straight. I then made a left turn out of the marina at 5mph and almost tipped without having any waves hit the starboard side. I originally thought maybe it was an exhaust issue at slow speeds and then got on the throttle to see if it straightened out. The list wasn�t as dramatic but I found myself leaning to the right just to get a comfortable ride. We proceeded to a restaurant on the lake and then my daughter went on the Yamaha with my wife and i took my son. He is 180pounds and 15 years old. When he got on the Kawasaki's rear deck sank about 1 inch completely under the water and water began to come over the rear deck and lay in the foot wells. I told my wife that I thought we might be taking on water somewhere in the back of the Kawasaki and we needed to get back to the marina which was about a mile away. The Kawasaki was completely unstable in the water, with the rear deck submerged at 30 mph. When I turned ever so slightly, I had to lean, speed up and muscle the machine to avoid tipping. We then got pulled over by the lake police for a safety certificate check.
When they stopped us he recognized the issue and let us go escorting us back to dock. When we got back to dock I expected to see the bilge filled with water when I took the seats off but it was bone dry. I then proceeded to the Kawasaki dealership who also own the marina. The owner took a ride with me at dock and that�s when I noticed that the Kawasaki was listing approximately four inches to port with just one
200 pound man on it. The top of the rear port side deck was once again at the water surface. The owner felt the same issue and didn�t have an answer except to say they never experienced anything like that and he would call Kawasaki on Monday. I left the machine there and proceeded home. Fast forward to today. Got a call from the dealership owner who spoke with Kawasaki techs who said they realize it lists but its within acceptable limits. He then told me to call Kawasaki direct and lodge a formal complaint. I did so only to deal with the most cocky stubborn customer service representative ever. He basically told me the same thing they told the dealership owner and proceeded to say that they are not making adjustments to the machine for me so deal with it. I told him that it is completely unstable and is at best a one person very uncomfortable and unstable ski and this was not acceptable. He refused to provide any sensible argument why the ski was this way but kept telling me the ski is what it is and no adjustments will be made. I then asked to speak with a supervisor and he told me that he will transfer me to his voicemail but don�t expect a call back. I'm seeing red at this point.I swear if this guy was in front of me he would be spitting his teeth out. He wouldn�t even send a technician out to look at it .He kept his word, transferred me to the supervisors voicemail and no call back so far . I then called back the dealership and told him the results from contacting Kawasaki. He told me to let him contact his representative and we will take it from there.
The point of this long winded post is to warn potential buyers that the Ultra 300 LX has a stability issue that Kawasaki is burying their head in the sand about. I don�t want to see anyone have the same issue. It�s much more dramatic with two adult riders on board which is probably not the norm for this machine. I'm sure most people like to rip it around solo and have fun. Secondly has anyone else noticed the same problem with one or two riders on board.
I am sensing a long battle with Kawasaki on this issue. We'll see. Just as a point with three riders, myself, my wife and son on the Yamaha, I am able to stand on the rear deck without any instability issue and while underway the machine travels true with no list.
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08-16-2011,04:16 PM #2
Originally Posted by scout495
I just purchased a 2011 Kawasaki Ultra 300 LX at the end of July and picked it up last week. The maiden voyage was this past Saturday on Greenwood Lake in New Jersey along with my wife, son, and daughter. we also brought along our 2010 Yamaha Fx Sho cruiser for the wife to operate. The day started out with me and my daughter on the Kawasaki. I am 190 pounds and my daughter is six years old and 45 pounds.
She was seated in front of me. Immediately upon getting under way at idle out of the marina, I noticed that we were listing to port. I looked down at my daughter and she was seated straight. I then made a left turn out of the marina at 5mph and almost tipped without having any waves hit the starboard side. I originally thought maybe it was an exhaust issue at slow speeds and then got on the throttle to see if it straightened out. The list wasn't as dramatic but I found myself leaning to the right just to get a comfortable ride. We proceeded to a restaurant on the lake and then my daughter went on the Yamaha with my wife and i took my son. He is 180pounds and 15 years old. When he got on the Kawasaki's rear deck sank about 1 inch completely under the water and water began to come over the rear deck and lay in the foot wells. I told my wife that I thought we might be taking on water somewhere in the back of the Kawasaki and we needed to get back to the marina which was about a mile away. The Kawasaki was completely unstable in the water, with the rear deck submerged at 30 mph. When I turned ever so slightly, I had to lean, speed up and muscle the machine to avoid tipping. We then got pulled over by the lake police for a safety certificate check.
When they stopped us he recognized the issue and let us go escorting us back to dock. When we got back to dock I expected to see the bilge filled with water when I took the seats off but it was bone dry. I then proceeded to the Kawasaki dealership who also own the marina. The owner took a ride with me at dock and that's when I noticed that the Kawasaki was listing approximately four inches to port with just one
200 pound man on it. The top of the rear port side deck was once again at the water surface. The owner felt the same issue and didn't have an answer except to say they never experienced anything like that and he would call Kawasaki on Monday. I left the machine there and proceeded home. Fast forward to today. Got a call from the dealership owner who spoke with Kawasaki techs who said they realize it lists but its within acceptable limits. He then told me to call Kawasaki direct and lodge a formal complaint. I did so only to deal with the most cocky stubborn customer service representative ever. He basically told me the same thing they told the dealership owner and proceeded to say that they are not making adjustments to the machine for me so deal with it. I told him that it is completely unstable and is at best a one person very uncomfortable and unstable ski and this was not acceptable. He refused to provide any sensible argument why the ski was this way but kept telling me the ski is what it is and no adjustments will be made. I then asked to speak with a supervisor and he told me that he will transfer me to his voicemail but don't expect a call back. I'm seeing red at this point.The point of this long winded post is to warn potential buyers that the Ultra 300 LX has a stability issue that Kawasaki is burying their head in the sand about. I don't want to see anyone have the same issue. It's much more dramatic with two adult riders on board which is probably not the norm for this machine. I'm sure most people like to rip it around solo and have fun. Secondly has anyone else noticed the same problem with one or two riders on board.
I am sensing a long battle with Kawasaki on this issue. We'll see. Just as a point with three riders, myself, my wife and son on the Yamaha, I am able to stand on the rear deck without any instability issue and while underway the machine travels true with no list.
This should get interesting... ( or moved, deleted, etc...)
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08-16-2011,04:21 PM #3
For what it's worth, the two I have ridden did not do this, although I was riding one up.
One of the guys on here, chrisd288 is like 280 lb, and I haven't heard him complain? ( about this at least)..., lol. Just playing,Chris.
Seriously, maybe it is just this one machine?
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08-16-2011,04:23 PM #4
Fat Man, Little Boat
where is your trim set at. seems with 400 lbs and the trim being in an up position it would cause the rear of the ski to be in the water more..... did you notice the nose of the ski riding high at all?
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08-16-2011,04:39 PM #5
My intention is not to cause a stir but see if anyone is experiencing the same issue. I bought the Kawasaki because I believed the hype about seaworthiness and stability. They dont tell you it lists to port. I did try all different settings on the trim with the same result. The rear deck was under the water with 370 pounds on the ski and filling the foot wells at 30 mph. I spoke to the dealership owner 30 minutes ago and he told me that they have a demo 300x that also is listing but he didnt put two riders on it yet. He also told me that Kawasaki techs told him that although the 300 is lighter than the 260, more weight was distributed to the port side likely causing the list.
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08-16-2011,06:46 PM #6
+1he we go again
I ride often with family members on my 250 and 300
yes the ski leans a bit to the LH......
Does it tip ...........NOI have had 350 lbs on my 300 in the ocean ..............guess what it didnt tip over and no everybody explode and died
is their a problem with the ski ....NO
is this going to turn into a BS thread , and become a screaming match ( more than likely )
I have to agree with you. I am 6'8" 250 and also have had second riders who have weighed 130 lbs plus (380 lbs+). Did I notice the list? Yes, but really not a big deal. And yes, sometimes if I'm at idle and turning, and NOT paying attention I feel like I could tip over...my remedy...pay attention.
This was a bit of a concern to me before I bought the ski, and then after riding it for a few hours I realized that I was supposed to have a concern about the "leaning" problem....I barely even noticed it.Scout495,
I'm sorry the ski did not meet your expectation. To me its not an issue.....and by the way...Welcome to the forum!
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08-16-2011,06:50 PM #7
Holy rip - what do you bench chief?
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08-16-2011,07:08 PM #8
Because at 5'11" you don't even need to bend your arms to bench press.lol - no I like women waz, just curious
I'm only 5'11" 190 but I can still put up 320
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08-16-2011,07:34 PM #9
The Ultra is inherently heavier than other Skis, so by this very fact it will ride a bit lower in the water than some of the "lighter" Skis on the market at slower speeds / sitting still. If your dealer knows watercraft, have him take it out and give you a report back. If he can't or won't . . . . then you need to find another dealer! Net Net: I think it's ok. JB
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08-16-2011,07:40 PM #10
Sirbreaksalot, do u think leaning to port four inches, while at rest while taking on water from the submerged rear with 380 pounds onboard a 3 person waverunner is acceptable or normal? I dont. And I have a Yamaha FX SHO for reference. Three people and 510 pounds does not sink the transom or make it unstable while underway or stopped. Once again I am looking for a gauge to see if my Kawasaki is different from the norm and how to remedy. I have no ax to grind with Kawasaki. I am just an adrenaline junkie like the rest of the people on this forum and am disappointed with the 300's stability while having more than one person on it. Personally, I think the Kawasaki is beautiful, takes off like a cheetah and is reasonably priced. (Got mine for $12,098.00) Thats why I bought it. I thought it would be an upgrade to the Yamaha and I would give that to my wife who doesnt care if she goes 63 or 67 mph. Was the rear deck of your 300 submerged with 350lbs? This is a performance three seat waverunner. It is advertised to have two other passengers. Because most on this forum including myself typically ride solo does not negate the fact that it is a three seater not a racer that should behave as such. If kawasaki wanted to market this as a two seat racer they should have done so. Splitting the baby does not cut it for me.
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