Aquatrax F12 andF12x good pwcs or not
- Thread starter DKaylor
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Star_Burst
New Member
what are f12's ? pics? are they kawasikis?
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
yup.
Sorry, don't know much about them.
Honda builds good stuff... but a high reving marine engine is a totally different animal.
As far as 120 hr's... nope. Most skis will get to 300 or 400 hours before needing any rebuilding. (assuming they were taken care of)
My "junk" runs just fine because I did my research BEFORE I purchased. I knew what to look for and past up other ski's as a result. You made a rookie mistake and got called on it. Don't get mad get informed.
Star_Burst
New Member
Hahahahahahaa
Rotor13B, by joining this forum, getting informed was exactly what I wanted. I did do some research before I bought but kept running into people like u that knew nothing about pwcs other than the ones they owned; which u have already let us know. If u have any useful info on my pwcs let me know. Thanks. Ps. I'm glad ur junk runs fine. (I didn't mean to make u mad). Sorry
jwalts27
New Member
My buddy has one. An '03 i believe. And it is the turbo'd version. Just keep up on the oil changes and run Synthetic. His only complaint is they love to suck stuff up in the intake grate. Becareful riding it in shallow or dirty water. The only thing i would worry about with that many hours on it is if the turbo is working properly?
Guruofsleep@aol.com
New Member
F12's
My friend has 2- 2007's. He loves them and has never had a problem with them. From what we have read, Honda is making a good PWC, and now has the F15.
My friend has 2- 2007's. He loves them and has never had a problem with them. From what we have read, Honda is making a good PWC, and now has the F15.
Thanks for the useful info. Like I said these are the first pwcs I've ever owned. But I have owned and built Honda racing 4-wheelers my whole life, and I know what kind of bike motor they make. So o figured their pwcs were as good as their other products. And again thanks for the info. any is helpful.
traverse-city-pwc-rentals
New Member
DKaylor,
I ran a rental fleet of Honda Aquatrax F-12's before switching to SeaDoo a few years ago. You should be very happy with them as long as you keep the dry parts dry!
Here is a short list of the most common issues I had with them:
1. I've found that Hondas are relatively easy to roll if not careful. If you start to go over, be sure to pull the lanyard quick or 80%-90% of the time you'll ingest water and hydrolock the engine. You'll need to pull the plugs to evacuate the water (never look down at the motor when cranking it over, you'll get a face full!).
2. Related to tip #1- the rubber boot on the end of the ignition coil needs to be kept lubricated (teflon grease works for me) or it will eventually "seize" on the spark plug and will not come out of the hole with the coil. You cannot get the plugs out if the boot is still on the plug.
3. Also related to roll overs- Hondas have an almost insane amount of sensors. They do a pretty good job of sealing the sensors to keep water out, but I've seen some that get infiltrated. Any water in the sensor connectors needs to be displaced or the machine will not run. What I've done in the past is to spray them down with WD-40 or CRC and let them air-dry. If there is any water in the air box, the sensors will "pick it up" and the machine will only run in limp mode. Pull the cover and wipe all the moisture out.
4. There is a water hose (kind of "S" shaped) that crosses from one side of the ski to the other underneath the drive shaft. While I've never seen it actually rubbing on the drive shaft, I've had to replace quite a few of them when they eventually wear through and start pumping the hull full of water. Note: the ski doesn't need to be running to backfill the hull- just sitting in the water is enough.
5. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to get OEM Honda watercraft parts unless you have an authorized Honda watercraft dealer in your area. The closest to me was 2 1/2 hours away- another reason I went to SeaDoo (2 dealers close to me).
6. You can expect to spill a good amount of oil when changing the inverted filter. There is not enough room to place a pan underneath to catch it, you'll need to cram a rag under the filter mount to keep oil out of your hull.
Overall I was happy with the Hondas, and I think you will be too. Hope this helps!
I ran a rental fleet of Honda Aquatrax F-12's before switching to SeaDoo a few years ago. You should be very happy with them as long as you keep the dry parts dry!
Here is a short list of the most common issues I had with them:
1. I've found that Hondas are relatively easy to roll if not careful. If you start to go over, be sure to pull the lanyard quick or 80%-90% of the time you'll ingest water and hydrolock the engine. You'll need to pull the plugs to evacuate the water (never look down at the motor when cranking it over, you'll get a face full!).
2. Related to tip #1- the rubber boot on the end of the ignition coil needs to be kept lubricated (teflon grease works for me) or it will eventually "seize" on the spark plug and will not come out of the hole with the coil. You cannot get the plugs out if the boot is still on the plug.
3. Also related to roll overs- Hondas have an almost insane amount of sensors. They do a pretty good job of sealing the sensors to keep water out, but I've seen some that get infiltrated. Any water in the sensor connectors needs to be displaced or the machine will not run. What I've done in the past is to spray them down with WD-40 or CRC and let them air-dry. If there is any water in the air box, the sensors will "pick it up" and the machine will only run in limp mode. Pull the cover and wipe all the moisture out.
4. There is a water hose (kind of "S" shaped) that crosses from one side of the ski to the other underneath the drive shaft. While I've never seen it actually rubbing on the drive shaft, I've had to replace quite a few of them when they eventually wear through and start pumping the hull full of water. Note: the ski doesn't need to be running to backfill the hull- just sitting in the water is enough.
5. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to get OEM Honda watercraft parts unless you have an authorized Honda watercraft dealer in your area. The closest to me was 2 1/2 hours away- another reason I went to SeaDoo (2 dealers close to me).
6. You can expect to spill a good amount of oil when changing the inverted filter. There is not enough room to place a pan underneath to catch it, you'll need to cram a rag under the filter mount to keep oil out of your hull.
Overall I was happy with the Hondas, and I think you will be too. Hope this helps!
Guruofsleep@aol.com
New Member
traverse-city-pwc-rentals
New Member
No turbos (more stuff to get broken )
Other than bumps and scrapes, the Hondas were fairly resistant to abuse. I have a guy who makes fiberglass tubs do my glass work (cheaper that a "marine" guy) and I kept spare rub rails in stock. Not once did I have any impeller trouble.
)Other than bumps and scrapes, the Hondas were fairly resistant to abuse. I have a guy who makes fiberglass tubs do my glass work (cheaper that a "marine" guy) and I kept spare rub rails in stock. Not once did I have any impeller trouble.
traverse-city-pwc-rentals
New Member
High hours, good question... and with the Hondas, I don't know. Assuming the oil is changed faithfully and all lube points are taken care of religiously, I can't answer when to expect rebuilding. I think Dr. Honda is correct for the average user (300-400 hours). I guess I'm overly attentive to maintenance, the machines I had were 600-700 hours and still running strong.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that kind of baffled me. Book specs call for ~1000-1200 rpm idle speed. As time went by, my skis eventually dropped to about 600 rpm and I had to make a few adjustments.
Come to think of it, there was one thing that kind of baffled me. Book specs call for ~1000-1200 rpm idle speed. As time went by, my skis eventually dropped to about 600 rpm and I had to make a few adjustments.
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