Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX vs. Jet Ski Ultra 310R
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- Last summer we had an unlikely supercharged duel: We raced Kawasaki's Ninja H2 SX against the Jet Ski 310R across land and water in the Utah desert.
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The road uncoiled itself, dumping onto a long, knife-point straight, a tarmac scar across the Utah desert. Open range spilled out on both sides, low, drab scrub and sunset sand running to meet a pale morning sky. It was the kind of beautiful that fills your lungs and sustains you through interminable days in front of a computer screen, and I was ripping through the heart of it on a bass-boat-green Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE. Somewhere to my west, Editor-in-Chief Chris Cantle was doing the same, pinning a Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310R, blasting down Lake Powell in an attempt to beat me to the Wahweap Marina. It was already turning warm, the cattle bedding down in whatever shade they could find. At least, that’s what I was hoping as I gapped the throttle, letting the H2 SX SE and its 197 horsepower reach out and pull that horizon closer, the speedometer stretching wide.
I'd never crossed a cattle guard at that speed, and my mind had just enough time to construct a few fairing-scattering scenarios before the bike blitzed over the metal bars, the tires playing a fraction of a ray-gun buzz before landing back on solid pavement. The grips had barely stopped shaking when I snapped open the throttle again, the supercharger pleading in lament or encouragement, the speedometer a blur of digits. I wasn't racing Editor-in-Chief Chris Cantle. I'd squared off against this desert and the worst bits of myself.
Lake Powell is the West at its most American. When the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finished the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, it all but stopped the Colorado River, turning the magnificent and twisting sandstone gorge into one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in the United States. By water, it’s 140 miles from the launch at Hite, Utah, at the northern end to the Wahweap Marina down south in Arizona. The lake sprawls out over the desert, filling the snake-spine path carved by the Colorado over the course of a few million years. The vascular tributaries stretch out into the dust, which is why it’s 250 miles from one end to the other by road.
The wager was simple: I said I could make it from Hite to Wahweap by land before Cantle could do the same by water. He said I couldn’t. He was betting on 110 additional miles, most of which threaded through the well-policed Hopi and Navajo Nation Reservations. Throw in a few small towns, stoplights, at least one fuel stop, and lines of ambling tourists marveling at Monument Valley, and there was scant chance of maintaining a decent average speed. Kawasaki was kind enough to level the playing field, lending us the mighty H2 SX SE, the company’s supercharged, 197-hp, 1,000cc sport-tourer. The machine seems made for this contest. It’s stable at speed and maneuverable enough to tackle the coiled pavement that slinks down off the plateau north of Mexican Hat into the valley below. A 4.5-gallon tank provides a range of at least 135 miles under aggressive riding. It’s also relatively comfortable-perfect for spending a few hours in the saddle. I liked my odds.
Cantle made it easy on himself, securing a supercharged Kawasaki of his own-the Jet Ski Ultra 310R. With more than 300 hp, it has a governed top speed of 68 mph. It also has a cavernous 21-gallon fuel tank, which it needs because at full tilt, it empties in about an hour. That meant at least two fuel stops, crawling through no-wake zones, and contending with slow marina pumps, where all the horsepower in the universe is flat worthless.
The race started a month ago, the two of us sandbagging every chance we got. Neither of us is the losing sort, nor are we so honorable as to keep from putting a thumb on the scale should the opportunity present itself. Cantle would prattle on about unnavigable canyons, rough water, and fuel starvation between marinas. I would remind him how much farther I had to travel, making a show of how I planned to weld the speedometer to the speed limit to save fuel.
We were still at it when we arrived at Hite. The only thing missing was the lake. The water was low. Weeds popped through the surface here and there. Runoff from Rocky Mountain snowmelt swells the Colorado and helps restore the lake in June and July, but that was a month away. It would only take one rock sucked into the 310R’s impeller to leave Cantle and the boat stranded.
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Hey no sweat
yep,no sweat
What does 'no sweat' mean?
@@Thavisup It's another way of saying "Don't sweat it" as in don't worry about it.
Internal rage intensifies !!!
@@Ze-Germanzuk Thank you.
Now i understand. 🤗
2019... navigation is needed
GPS? Nah... I got a sharpie.
Stonks
I demand we call jet skis "Boatercycles"
LOL
Jesse Mitchell Actually, Jet ski is the brand name for PWC's manufactured by Kawasaki, Wave runners are the brand name for PWC's manufactured by Yamaha. They are all brands of PWC's (personal water craft)
@Jesse Mitchell That's an interesting point of view. However on the Kawasaki website they brand all of them as jetskis and classify them as either stand up or sitdown jet skis. You can also look up jet skis and wave runners on Wikipedia and it will tell you the same thing that I mentioned before. I'm not trying to make an argument I'm just stating where I got my facts from. I find it interesting that you call them waverunners, I've never seen anyone call them that apart from the Yamaha ones.
Wife came up with Snow motos once when she forgot the word snowmobile. So.. now... it's water moto and snow moto.
No a water couch
oh no sweat... no sweat...oh no sweat.
bro, you were so salt though. at least i would have been
Rodolphe St. Preux I would have been so pissed some fat fuck costing me time in a race
@@panama1942 chill out
I'm M.T.B.K exacly
yeah this whole fake politeness thing going on in the western countries is killing me
@@wolverineiscool7161 “yeah, fuck having manners and I right guys? Doesn’t matter if it was the computer locking up and the situation being out of their control, cause muh jet ski race”
That lake and landscape is awesome, would love to ride/jet ski there
@@gangsterdisciple759 Hell yes, I've always wanted to do that
GETUP AND GO work my man thats the only possible that could happen
It's a blast.
I'm with you guys on that. Slim pickins here in the Midwest.
your a wetty who tf says no swear your cringe boy
That was great! Never seen a video like it. The hosts did a really good job too. Even the music was awesome. Glad to see something original from the channel again.
music was bad
Beautiful scenery for a ride and really different. Same for the water. Regardless of the bike winning in this Top Gear type of fun event, it was a great watch.
That was awesome! Cool idea, great place, loved it!
What a fun piece of content. Nice job all involved!
I like this style of video, even though it is an a little strange comparison this video was awesome. Keep it up
310hp and limited to 67mph? even with the fast key?
Yeah that seems a bit silly, 300+HP and a speed limiter. The bike is 200hp and breaks 200mph.
Kawasaki's probably trying to be safe and all of that boring stuff...
@@milkman2591 well yeah jet skis and boats aren't nearly as efficient at transmitting power compared to bikes and cars. A ton of energy is wasted just pushing water.
@@GetBlitzified It's not about inefficiency, the jet ski has a limiter.
That's pretty standard for jet skis. The fastest ever go a little over 90 and the average for most all of them is around 70.
So the ski won, because the dock couldnt get the fuel turned on.
KLRJUNE lol true
Nice race, bike could have had a flat tire.
I've been all over that area, with my motorcycles, motorhome, and my boat. We did a lot of fishing in Lake Powell. I lived in Las Vegas 35 years and spent many nights camping there too. The road has a lot of twists and turns in it so it takes a lot of concentration.
Ah I love this. This has Top Gear/The Grand Tour inspiration all over it.
Ha, ha ... loved the background music when you were filling up the jet ski ... tum tee tum tee tum.
very nice. These two dudes seem like the next ari and zac. Fun battle, would love to see more like this!
I just want to tell you guys that the shot where the two dudes are walking up (and down) the launch for the start was really fucking cool. Also the outrunny type music was amazing too.
Pretty cool video. Totally random comparison. I have a H2 SX/SE and plan on buying the 310 when i move back to the east coast.
I read this in the magazine, great race
I really like this top gear style episode. cool stuff guys.
*Nobody:*
Jetskier: No sweat!
I wish you gave us more footage, nice comparison!
That’s an awesome comparison of a Ninja to a Jet Ski
Jesse Mitchell they get up to about 80 without a limited
Hmm...dunno whats the point of taking these two extreme machines and brag about their horsepower and so on when it ends up being an endurance race with speed limit :/
lalilulelo1989 probably because they the h2 would beat the jet ski because that h2 can do 160mph no problems
@@Dude-hk3qj 160mph on curvy roads?
Obviously the bike has more top speed but would be fun to see a test where they push more, even the jetski cruised it looked like
That Icon Airflite comes to tempt us once again.
Amazing video man
Amazing scenery and videography.
Lose your saddlebags by the end? Hey, no sweat!
You know it's not real!
Jarno Saarinen obviously hahaha I'm pointing out a continuity error
I was looking for this comment.🤣😭
I thought he didn't have them at 1st then some reason he had them then gone... I thought it was just me🤔😁
Chris Cantle has a very resonant voice, and an easy facility with words. He would be great a host for a weekly or even more video on motorcycle whatever. I think this 'race' was a bit pointless, BUT I was not aware of Lake Powell, so if I'm every in the area, I will definitely check it out. Nice to see a jet ski in action, also. Who knew that had that kind of horsepower.
I havnt been to Powell in a couple years. I definitely need to go back to that amazing place.
I live an hour away from Lake Powell and it's absolutely amazing here
Awesome vid! Incredible scenery on both land and water. Really enjoyed this one...keep them coming!
Nice friendly video clip two good guys racing looks like fun !! i enjoyed this video and U guys Thanks a lot !! B SAFE out there and have FUN !!!
Put maxwrist on that bike it would only take 5 minutes
put max wrist on that bike and hell spend half the time in the left lane.
Mick The Garden Prick he’ll?
@@poopbaby6136 thanks mate.
@@poopbaby6136 .?
jack carlson dont u know him?
This is pretty cool ... I went with the fz10 and FX Cruiser HO comb though
Instead of giving the jet ski a horsepower number they should have just said it does 67mph really fast
Mac Diddles the jet ski doesn’t have a horsepower number... the engine does. As does every engine. You can’t build a vehicle without knowing every bit of information about the engine first so how would a powerful efficient engine be designed and they wouldn’t know the hp. It’s impossible. And the hp doesn’t just affect speed so that’s irrelevant.
@@joshlarochelle1298 the jet skis horse power number is 300. it has 300 horse power.
why 310*
@@nolanconlin7236 fair point, i did skip through that part.
Yeah what a waste. My naturally aspirated STX-15F does 67mph and it is only 160HP! What is the point of buying the supercharged model if the speed is the same with more fuel consumption? With a 310hp ski I would at least expect 75mph.
Two great guys. Awesome photography awesome music and production. 1st Class job to the team!
Beautiful country!
This is awesome!!
LOVE THE VID!!
Bucket list for sure.
Amazing Scenery, and I'll take 1 of each.
love how I know every part of the lake that was shown in the video
nice video
It always confuses me talking gas mileage on bikes, I had a Hayabusa, from Cincinnati to Lexington Ky around 100 miles, Pinning the throttle many times going 140+ miles per hour over and over again, I made it there with a full tank (tucked most all the ride) the same fuel points I did it sitting up riding slow and it ate the whole tank...
Oh no sweat, yeah right I would be screaming my head off.😂
I want more of these guys tbh
Awesome video guys. Great idea for an unusual comparison that highlights both the bike and jet ski.
the best race, videos, sceneries and places. hope more videos like this from u guys
Thought Utah was dead desert ? Well nice with lakes ! Love them houseboats !i want one
THAT... was a fun video.
The biggest challenge when you ride a Jetski is big Wave 😂. Sometime i almost fell off and going underwater Lol.. Haha
Man that looked fun
You look at the scenery and I swear I saw Willi E. Coyote running after the Roads Runner . 😂😂😂👍
this guy sounds just like swaggersouls
@motorcycelist magazine, your short link for full review is dead.
journey994 fixed! Thanks!
that pit stop killed the jet ski time
Great job...
Amazing
Mobius need to know your location
The guy on the non supercharged Yamaha ski with his 70l tank got there before you both! His ski can cover 180mile on a tank 😉 and is only 5mph slower.
Hey...
No sweat!
Kinda dissapointed not more gopro footage was used, it looked awesome
Probably the Jet-Sky gonna run outta gas 🤣🤣🤣
I was planning of buying a motorcycle
But now I am gonna buy a jet ski
I live in sahara
I would take both vehicles💚
Ride safe 🤙
Bikes or ski's....both are a blast and totally different.
I’m a bit confused, he left without saddlebags and while riding it had saddlebags and he arrived without them too?
Very cool idea. The jet ski is seriously impressive. I love Kawasaki’s and the H2SX. I have a Ninja 1000 and it’s an amazing bike.
supercharged jetski, cool!
Next time.... Use your noodle and take extra fuel on the jetski with you.😂 Cool video guys. Thanks.
The idea was good, but the execution a little lackluster....but the basis is there, keep it up!
Running on fumes after only 100 miles? I thought the SX was meant to capable of touring.
Knew there was a good reason to spend 20k on a Jet ski cause we all want one and Racing ! Guess now go get a Beer !
Disposable income?
*chuckles
Where did the luggage set go?
Une tuerie
Wish they had included around five more minutes of them both riding and the views
The jet ski guy has the voice of swaggersouls
I want both the bike and the jet ski 😍😍
Yeah the jet ski would've won without that damn computer locking up
It's all fun and games until you see a 15 foot great white below you, then you want that acceleration and speed!
What helmet is the dude on the motorcycle wearing?? Its dope af
Zack and Ari couldn't have done it better!
They would've definitely have done it better. But it's not like them not doing it is a problem.
How come when he was riding the bike it had side bags but when I finished the side bags were gone.
Wunderschönes Wagen auf dem Wasser......Wie Rakette.....
Why did Ninja H2 SX's side box disappear when he reached the finish line?
I’m surprised there’s docks and all these stuff in this lake
Different- I like ;-)
I hoped they warmed up those engines first!!
Fresh water too!
why do some bikes have 2 brake discs on the front wheel?
Wow I want go to Spain from Morocco
Here's a race with different routes and different distances and even traveling in different directions lol I mean I know top gear did this and it's why your doing it.. but what exactly is this going to compare ?
Which helmet is the biker using?
top gear?
No sore loser. Love to see good down home boys having fun on big boy toys....
Did he loose the bags on the way?
Finally viewers become the winner ..
Beyond exhausted with 230 miles? Oh, come one, man!
ryvoltz if you only knew what it takes to do these things, man. In this case, 4am wake up call to drive the boat and the bike up the length of the lake. Interviews on the ramp, standing around in your gear, sweating your ass off. You miss breakfast and eat about five bananas instead, because that’s what you’ve got, and your hands were so filthy from packing a spent trailer bearing that you don’t want to eat the trail mix you bought the day before and ate on the side of the road, like a crow picking at carrion. 230 miles on an amazing sport tourer? No problem. But first you’ve gotta earn it.
Which place is this...