Low speed side to side shimmy. Normal?

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I just took it out again in pretty calm water. There's a definite "jerk" in the back that I can feel. Can the driveshaft be loose or something causing the prop to jerk around in a weird way?

Like, can there be shaft play causing the prop to bounce on the wear ring? I just had a new wear ring put in.

Does it feel like the impeller is "unhooking" from the water and the engine unloads and revs free or feels like a clutch slipping?

How are the acceleration and top speed, normal?

Any water inside the hull besides the normal 16oz or so, if it sits for several hours in the water does the ski begin sinking?

And, when was the last time the oil in the jet pump was changed?

Do you inject grease in the drive shaft PTO spline occasionally?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

And while you're in the bilge, grab the motor while watching the motor mounts and try rocking the motor back and forth from side to side, could be one of the motor mounts is broken?

 

[TBagTom]

Does it feel like the impeller is "unhooking" from the water and the engine unloads and revs free or feels like a clutch slipping?

How are the acceleration and top speed, normal?

Any water inside the hull besides the normal 16oz or so, if it sits for several hours in the water does the ski begin sinking?

And, when was the last time the oil in the jet pump was changed?

Do you inject grease in the drive shaft PTO spline occasionally?

The impeller doesn't slip at all. Acceleration and top speed are fine. I will run 60mph on GPS all day.

I don't have a drop of water in the hull ever. The bilge primes when I hit the power, but there's never any water in there.

I'm not sure when the oil in the jet cone has been changed. Would that have been done when the wear ring was replaced?

I have not injected any grease into the PTO spline since I have owned it. I bought it back in May.

When I rock the engine it has some play, and some vibration on idle but I don't believe any of the mounts are broken. Worn maybe, but not broken.

 

[TBagTom]

It's still rideable. It's just really annoying. I guess another way to describe it would be to imagine someone wacking the jet with a malot really hard from the left and right sides while you are riding. I don't feel it in the bars, but it's exactly like someone is wacking the jet which in turn causes it to shimmy left and right on its own.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I guess you already checked the turning nozzle pivot bolts and spacers or missing or lose parts, that's some low hanging fruit.