Free Seadoo SPX

[msebastian787]

So I last posted on here about picking up a 97 XP and a 96 GTX. I did a mini resto on the XP which was mostly sticker removal, buffing and polishing, and minor work to ensure everything is as it should be. I also did all the minor things to the GTX to make sure it was in good working order.

So we were visiting my father in law and he had 6 Seadoo's. He told me off loaded 4 of them and has 2 more. Well he is wanting to keep 1 and he was going to take the other to the dump. We got to talking and he told me it runs but cosmetically it's a mess. (He was not lying.) It has broken plastic pieces and the seat is trashed and it just looks horrible.

So I circled back to him saying he was going to take it to the dump. And he said when he gets back in town he is taking out the engine and sawing it in half and taking it to the dump engine and all. So I asked him if I could give him some money for it and he told me I could just have it. Wow yay me.

So I didn't really get to look at the year but we did start it up and it runs fine and there are no cracks in the upper or lower fiberglass. The motor is a 787 which is the same as my other 2 skis so it is a 97-99. I will be getting it next weekend and storing it for a bit till I can gather some parts to fix it.

I don't really know anything about the SPX but it is a Seadoo and it is free so I can't pass that up. So how is the SPX and are parts like the upper hood which is busted readily available.

 

[manolocross]

I have a 97 SPX and it is an amazing ski. Power to weight is what this ski is about. I did a mini resto on my ski and here is some inspiration!!!!

 

[Spimothy Leary]

no complaints about the spx here.

cosmetically if its the while hull you are in luck,it tends to clean up better than other colors, seat, single gauge, mat's and the plastic vents are quite reasonable to replace / upgrade and allow you to change the color scheme especially if the decals are bad and coming off.

Most other parts are interchangeable with other xp/spx so no shortage of good used replacement items.

as long as the hull is sound and the engine turns over you are off to a good start.

 

[etemplet]

My nephew gave me this jet ski last week. I took it home, squirted some starting fluid in the carbs an she fired up. I jet cleaned the body and what you see in the second picture is the result. Later I went inside got on ebay and found a seat. LOL After doing some research on this ski..... WOW is all I can say. I love the SPI I just bought but this thing is way cool. It is not in bad shape... I wonder if I can use some of the tricks here to restore the original color?
I priced some stickers but they were not cheap at all. Very proud of them, they are. LOL

Good luck with yours !!!

 

[msebastian787]

Thanks guys for the responses. The ski already runs but it looks like Etemplet's ski in the 1st picture. The hood and seat are in the worst of shape and the vent covers are missing. The hull is in great shape and there are no major dings or cracks anywhere. Even the rubber rails are in great shape. It should clean up nice and be an easy resto.

 

[msebastian787]

I am pretty sure the SPX I am getting is a 97 model. It is yellow hull with a white body. The 98 is white upper and black lower and the 99 is yellow upper and black lower. It still has the 787 so I am stocked about that. I am searching for a hood and seat so I can get them here and maybe try and make this a fast project. I already got my 600 grit wet sand paper and my buffing pads to buff and polish it out. Stickers are trash so they will be removed as well. I am going to replace all fluids and rebuild the carbs.

 

[mikidymac]

We want pictures when you get started.

 

[msebastian787]

We want pictures when you get started.

Yes sir. It turns out I am also getting a Kawasaki 1100 STX from him for free as well. I don't know the year of the STX but it is a 3 cylinder with everything there and it is in decent shape but the engine does not run. So maybe a reman engine, carb rebuild, and all new fluids to get that one running. But 2 free ski's will be awesome sauce.

 

[kevinz]

Is that kawasaki direct injected? those can be a pain, I tried to rehab one last year but gave up. If it's injected, let me know and I can share some advice I picked up along the way.

 

[msebastian787]

Is that kawasaki direct injected? those can be a pain, I tried to rehab one last year but gave up. If it's injected, let me know and I can share some advice I picked up along the way.

No it is not DI. It is the 3 cylinder but pre direct injection. I am actually kind of excited about getting it. I passed it up at first but was in the shower "where I do a lot of my thinking" and was like why am I passing up a free jet ski. He was going to dump it as well.

Even if it doesn't run I can get a reman engine or rebuild everything myself and get it running. It turns over now but won't run and I think he said there was water in one of the cylinders.

 

[msebastian787]

Well I thought I had a 97 SPX but it turns out it is a 99 GSX RFI. I did end up taking the Kawasaki 1100 STX as well. Plus he told me it runs so that is a plus. I also got a a dual ski yacht club trailer in pretty good condition. I am surprised that all this was free and I only paid for the 8 miles in gas from my house to his and back home. I now have them at their new home and will try and get some pictures up tomorrow.

I also found out when the guy took the other 4 skis he took the DESS keys for both of these ski's. I will not be able to get those dess keys back so I am up for suggestions on how to solve this issue.

 

[mikidymac]

You can take it to a dealer to get a new key programmed or send the MPEM to Minnetonka4me to program a new key.

 

[msebastian787]

You can take it to a dealer to get a new key programmed or send the MPEM to Minnetonka4me to program a new key.

I don't want to trailer the Seadoo to a dealer for the key program so Minnetonka4me is going to be my option for that. I will have to figure out the Kawasaki key as well.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

If the foam is good on the seat then you can just get it recovered, maybe $75 for the vinyl, if the foam is fubar you might need to find a compatible doner. I have a GSX seat cover i'd sell cheap but the color's are terrible, Green and Purple, i'd sell that for $30 just so I don't have to look at it on the shelf.

I also have a red GSX seat that I think should fit one small tear but the foam is good but shipping would be cost prohibitive to Ohio from Florida. its a red off a 97 gsx, and I know the cover's are the same for several years for gsx, just not 100% sure if the seat itself is exactly the same. It should be...

I think kawi keys are just the clip if I remember right. But also check for an orange key thingy inside the glovebox, i've only messed with a couple of kawi's and the both had the orange thing + the tether.

 

[msebastian787]

If the foam is good on the seat then you can just get it recovered, maybe $75 for the vinyl, if the foam is fubar you might need to find a compatible doner. I have a GSX seat cover i'd sell cheap but the color's are terrible, Green and Purple, i'd sell that for $30 just so I don't have to look at it on the shelf.

I also have a red GSX seat that I think should fit one small tear but the foam is good but shipping would be cost prohibitive to Ohio from Florida. its a red off a 97 gsx, and I know the cover's are the same for several years for gsx, just not 100% sure if the seat itself is exactly the same. It should be...

I think kawi keys are just the clip if I remember right. But also check for an orange key thingy inside the glovebox, i've only messed with a couple of kawi's and the both had the orange thing + the tether.

I have a local shop that will recover it and add any foam if needed and it will need some foam added since it looks like a tiger clawed it. They are usually pretty cheap also so that is a bonus. I appreciate the offers though man.

The Kawasaki is just the clip for the tether and a orange lock and key for the ignition. I read the lock can be bypassed or even gutted that way you can just turn it by hand and no key needed. Bad thing is that allows others 2 be able to turn it by hand as well. I may just get a eBay special and replace the lock and key.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I have a local shop that will recover it and add any foam if needed and it will need some foam added since it looks like a tiger clawed it. They are usually pretty cheap also so that is a bonus. I appreciate the offers though man.

The Kawasaki is just the clip for the tether and a orange lock and key for the ignition. I read the lock can be bypassed or even gutted that way you can just turn it by hand and no key needed. Bad thing is that allows others 2 be able to turn it by hand as well. I may just get a eBay special and replace the lock and key.

correct, the tethers are dirt cheap, but fleabay sellers are quite proud of the orange keys!

personally, as far as security goes on an older 2 stroke, (dess or other options) I think its a terrible inconvenience and waste of time and expense when the owner has to get new stuff programmed to slightly reduce the chance that someone will steal their 20 year old ski. All of mine had dess and you know what... the dess key was always on the ski when parked or stored, I never separated the two because I didn't want to misplace the dam key.

 

[msebastian787]

correct, the tethers are dirt cheap, but fleabay sellers are quite proud of the orange keys!

personally, as far as security goes on an older 2 stroke, (dess or other options) I think its a terrible inconvenience and waste of time and expense when the owner has to get new stuff programmed to slightly reduce the chance that someone will steal their 20 year old ski. All of mine had dess and you know what... the dess key was always on the ski when parked or stored, I never separated the two because I didn't want to misplace the dam key.

I should leave the skis looking like crap but getting them running like champs. Based on looks no one will want to steal them. Perfect security feature.

I will get some pics of them when I get home later and post them up.

 

[Ankeneyou]

I see you are in Dayton. I'm in Columbus and have a mpem programmer. I'll program for free if you need me to.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I see you are in Dayton. I'm in Columbus and have a mpem programmer. I'll program for free if you need me to.

< packing up box with 11 mpems and a huge bag of used keys for ank....need by Tuesday.

kidding, kidding....

 

[Ankeneyou]

< packing up box with 11 mpems and a huge bag of used keys for ank....need by Tuesday.

kidding, kidding....

Haha, well I can if we have another FL ride!

 

[Spimothy Leary]

i was joking, mpem's don't last long in my garage, they are usually the first or 2nd thing that get sold when I buy my $300 junkers. Right after the water regulator and the raves.

 

[msebastian787]

I see you are in Dayton. I'm in Columbus and have a mpem programmer. I'll program for free if you need me to.

That would be awesome man thanks. What would I need to do since I don't have a DESS key right now. Just buy one off of eBay and send that and the mpem to you.

 

[Ankeneyou]

I've got a few new Atlantis keys I got off of amazon recently I could just program and reimburse me. I'd actually rather just meet you and get it done if we could so I don't have to make up a whole harness to program them outside of the skis. I'll be in the Xenia area tomorrow morning if that helps.

If you must ship I can program without having making a harness but it would be 2 weeks or so. I have the same skis but won't be near them for 2 weeks as they are at a lakehouse.

 

[msebastian787]

I've got a few new Atlantis keys I got off of amazon recently I could just program and reimburse me. I'd actually rather just meet you and get it done if we could so I don't have to make up a whole harness to program them outside of the skis. I'll be in the Xenia area tomorrow morning if that helps.

If you must ship I can program without having making a harness but it would be 2 weeks or so. I have the same skis but won't be near them for 2 weeks as they are at a lakehouse.

Let's hold off for now on the programming because I have a few other projects to finish before I can even get to these skis. I also would need to buy batteries for both, but first I need to figure out the title situation for the skis and trailer.

Long story short he bought the skis and trailer from a goodwill auto auction 4 years ago and never received titles for anything and they have set since then. I asked him why he hasn't gotten the titles and his reply was he hasn't gotten around to it.

So if I can't figure out the titles I might just start parting them out. Don't want to waste anyone's time or spend any money on them till I have the titles. I will let you know what happens.

 

[msebastian787]

Here are some pictures. Don't mind my crappy looking shed it is getting the ugly wood stripped off and siding put on soon.