going to look at an 07 RXP 215 s/c, what to look for

[DemonRXP]

so im going to look at a 2007 rxp 215hp s/c w/44 hrs today. has 1 owner, supercharger/clutch rebuilt by dealership, ceramic washer IS still in there (i know i need to change that asap). what else do i need to inspect and look for on this? he has NOT winterized it, and i asked him not to untill after i see it. i want to hear it run (its currently out of the water). im a motorcycle (sportbike) guy, not sure about watercraft.

2007 RXP 215 s/c
44hrs
dual trailer
3 vests (1 tuxedo)
anchor
rebuilt clutch/supercharger by dealership
he is asking 6k or trade for my 6200 race bike (straight up trade)


thanks for helping a water newb

this is what i used to do (see below)

 

[Carguy89]

Make sure it hits 8100 rpm on the tach, and should do 68 (or 70 on the dreamometer).

 

[DemonRXP]

thanks, but i live in Michigan, and the ski is about to get its winterization at the dealer from the owner. im trying to get the "what to look at" info while its still on the trailer. its not winterized yet, so im thinking i can still run it w/o damaging the ski. im looking for inot as to what to look for whn looking at the prop, and everything else associated with it.

 

[Carguy89]

I would never buy a ski or any other vehicle without test driving it first.

 

[door54]

Gotta lean with carguy here...would you buy your next bike without riding it first? That being said... use your trained eye to look for the obvious. Stuff like fluids where there shouldn't be any, scratches, gouges on or around the bumper rail...you know, clean and right

External: Check the condition of the bottom of the hull. At 44 hrs some minor scratching and scuffing is expected but nothing major. Bring a small powerful flashlight along to illuminate engine compartment recesses and make sure you climb underneath to look up the intake grate and inspect the impeller edges as well as the plastic wear ring (thats the cylinder the impeller is inside of). Debris such as rocks and sticks will get ingested by that 215 hp vacuum cleaner in 2' of water. Dings and bends on the leading edge of the blades or gouging of the ring can cause cavitation and poor performance. It will sound great on a trailer and run like crap in the water.
When the key is placed on the Dess post you should hear a 'chirp chirp' which means the computer recognizes the key and all systems are go for ignition. Any other sounds should be taken as a warning that something is not quite right.
The steering column is connected to the jet nozzle via cables so the will be a detectable bit of drag The reverse lever should move firmly up and down...no halting or hang up.
Inspect the propulsion assy. at the stern for clean tight and right. All connections should be secure. When grabbing the nozzle with both hands and moving back and forth the steering column should coincide.
Others may chime in re: the price...I'm not familiar with east coast market value

But...If I can't ride it, I won't buy it.

Good luck to Ya

 

[Carguy89]

Others may chime in re: the price...I'm not familiar with east coast market value

Detroit isn't the East Coast

It's a bit expensive around here, especially at the end of the season - even taking into account the trailer.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

thanks, but i live in Michigan, and the ski is about to get its winterization at the dealer from the owner. im trying to get the "what to look at" info while its still on the trailer. its not winterized yet, so im thinking i can still run it w/o damaging the ski. im looking for inot as to what to look for whn looking at the prop, and everything else associated with it.

It's going to be 70 the next couple days. Take it to the water and test ride it first.
Lots of skis sound good on the trailer but on the lake it's a whole new ballgame.

 

[DemonRXP]

thanks everyone. i currentlywok 70+ hrs week 6-7 days, so time is not something i have alot of. I do paint/body work for GM's SEMA, auto show, and a new Mary Kay account which will put us slammed untill march/april.

the ski for sale is a guy who rides in my local motorcycle club. since he is a member, i will give him a little more credibility than some joe-shmo from craigslist. ill give her a very good look over. i just needed the important things to look for, like you guys mentioned above. im hoping to look at it this weekend, so i can see if i like it, or just wanna sell the bike for cash and find a new speed hobby. already did the scca thing, then the sportbike racing thing, now? lol

as far as test riding a bike, you do NOT get any test rides what so ever unless FULL asking price is handed over to the owner before hand. this rule covers the owner incase the test rider faks up the bike, the owner gets paid and not screwed. this is in the sportbike community, not sure how this covers the harley types.


thanks guys for the help!!!!

hopefully i can post up a new thread with my new ski in it. then it will be time to toss on some aftermarket goodies on her.

 

[red2blue]

Demon....you lookin to just give your bike away?

For starters...you'll never get to 8100 on the trailer...or...if you did that to my ski I'd punch you in the face...seriously...no go there. next...Why was the sc rebuilt in the first place? ceramics are still in it so...did the clutches let go?..and if so...did the dealer do a complete cleaning to the motor or at the very least just some cursory inspection of the screens? I gotta be honest here....so please don't take offense at anything I've said here. But unless you drive that ski...hit 8100-8300 on the water...without any money changing hands...I'd run as far from that ski as humanly possible.

 

[DemonRXP]

i would never dry run a ski (on the trailer), id let the owner do that. lol

heres one of many emails from the owner about the clutch rebuild
"I have records at home in a file somewhere of the supercharger being rebuilt. The clutches wore out. So the supercharger was completely rebuilt the one thing that will and does save them is putting a Blow off Valve on them I have yet to do it 240 dollars at the time and I haven’t had time with the race car and bikes. This winter it hasn’t been winterized yet. I have to go out to it and drain it."

a local dealership (K&W) did the work. im not sure if i can call there to get the history or if only the owner can get that info. they are 10 mins away from me.

at this time, i highly doubt i will have time to test ride the ski. time and the weather are not in my favor.

 

[Carguy89]

Why/how did the clutches wear out in 44 hours? That raises questions about if they failed and are floating around the motor like red2blue said.

 

[red2blue]

...."I have records at home in a file somewhere of the supercharger being rebuilt. The clutches wore out. So the supercharger was completely rebuilt the one thing that will and does save them is putting a Blow off Valve on them I have yet to do it 240 dollars at the time and I haven’t had time with the race car and bikes. This winter it hasn’t been winterized yet. I have to go out to it and drain it."

a local dealership (K&W) did the work. im not sure if i can call there to get the history or if only the owner can get that info. they are 10 mins away from me.

at this time, i highly doubt i will have time to test ride the ski. time and the weather are not in my favor.

To me that reads like this...

"The clutches blew...had sc rebuilt. I've heard that BOV's can save the sc from blowing up again...course...I don't know what I'm talking about cause they often leak and cause more probs than they're worth but when I can afford to do it I'll spend that $250 so it doesn't happen again. Since I haven't done it yet, I'm gonna be winterizing the ski soon...then I won't have to worry about you wanting to even fire up the ski for another 6 months."

run away....run far far away.

aside...on the trailer...ski isn't under load so clutches won't slip. Also...a bov won't keep the ceramics from exploding...history has shown these things have broken with as few as 10hr on them. Not exactly hard use, huh?

 

[DemonRXP]

this is why im posting on here for your guys help. i know a ton abut sport bikes, what to look for, and what to run away from. pwc is out of my league except for the looking and inspection part ofthe hull and motor.

ill try and get him to take it to the lake and test ride the thing before the temps drop blow 40*.

 

[door54]

Well, the water test part of this seems to have finally sunk in (tuck that one away in your hip pocket) but your missing the primary issue. Of all the things that have the potential to go wrong with this engine, a failed sc clutch is the most notorius because of the catastrophic damage it can cause. There is no way of knowing what really happened in there unless you personally pull that engine out, dissassemble it, and inspect it. And that just aint going to happen.
You did yourself a favor by coming to this site and being straightforward about the RXP, and you got lucky when one of the sharpest technical guys here picked up on your thread. But for some reason you're displaying an irrisistable urge to walk accross a mine field. Listen to Red and run away. The current owner is trying to...you should as well.
The upside is you've begun your search, and seen an otherwise real clean machine with low hours and a price tag. Now you have a point of reference, and a site that has your back.

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck....it's a duck.

 

[red2blue]

...ill try and get him to take it to the lake and test ride the thing before the temps drop blow 40*.

If he goes for it...and you're still set on this ski. Bring your snow mobiling suit and your sorrels....full face helmet and gortex gloves wouldn't hurt either. Now the good news....cold weather is ideal for hp. If you can find calm water I'd expect to see you on the limiter from the get go. Assuming everything is on the up and up...and with the vts set 1 above neutral...that thing'll almost leap outa the water...hit 6k almost as fast as you can look down then go easily to 8100-8200....and stay there. If it's in real good shape you'll see 8300 flash or even luckier...it'll rest right there on the limiter.

Good luck.

 

[DemonRXP]

thanks for the help. i just had 2 other potential cash buyers, so this rxp buyer is on the back burner (cash is king in my book). i wish this guy had contacted me when water season was in full swing, and not the beginnings of winter so i could have tested it on the water.

 

[BMANN06]

Cool ... One thing I've done before when water testing isn't really possible (weather time etc) is to ensure that the boat/ski is very securely fastened to the trailer with transom straps and the front pully is secure. Then back it in the water until pump and intake are about 6" under. Then you can run the ski and even give it a shot of WOT. I did this with my speedster purchase. Just make sure that it's a nice boat launch ... obviously doing this in a gravel launch would destroy your pump.

My $0.02 .... Nice bike I remember trackin' one them gixxers a few years back ... LoL

 

[red2blue]

...Then back it in the water until pump and intake are about 6" under. Then you can run the ski and even give it a shot of WOT. I did this with my speedster purchase. Just make sure that it's a nice boat launch ... obviously doing this in a gravel launch would destroy your pump....

Dunno about all that.

Doing that on a concrete ramp could end the same. A piece of gravel sucked off the ramp would turn that prop and ring to junk.

Personally...I get nervous everytime I launch...in 2'-3' of water...let alone with the ski strapped down to the trailer with the pump and therefore the grate a bit over a 1' above the ramp.

 

[BMANN06]

Oh I hear yah but if it's a quality launch I'll do it and have... up hear the city dumps hoards of dough into boat launches. My city alone on bay of quinte has about 5 miles of waterfront. With boat launches sometimes less than 1/10 of a mile apart and the launching pad goes out at least 75' - 100' I'm not suggesting this as the be all end all solution but if you have access to a quality launch and it's 0 degrees outside its better than nothing ... for a test anyways