Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/208245
36 • November 4, 2013 • Powersports Business PWC www.PowersportsBusiness.com Yamaha improves models across pricing spectrum Low-end VX Series to flagship FX models receive upgrades BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR When Yamaha set out to improve its 2014 WaveRunner lineup, the OEM didn't just focus on one series of models. Instead, it improved watercraft from its value-priced VX Series all the way up to its flagship FX Series. Those improvements were recently on display in Georgia for a small group of media, including Powersports Business. NEW ENGINE AND PUMP The highlight of the launch was the introduction of the new SVHO 1,812cc, four-stroke, four-cylinder, supercharged and intercooled engine. Yamaha claims the new power plant is the segment's most powerful, producing 20 percent more horsepower and torque than the previous SHO engine and 5 percent more hp than its nearest competitor. Though Yamaha officials wouldn't go on record with a number, talk among members of the enthusiast media at the The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga., was that the engine tops 250 hp. "It's as powerful as I think we will need ever on a watercraft, unless the design P36x38-PSB14-PWC.indd 36 Scott Watkins, Yamaha Watercraft Group's product manager, shows off the 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO, featuring the new 1,812cc, four-stroke, four-cylinder SVHO engine, during a media event in Georgia. changes and the requirements for power change," Watercraft Group product manager Scott Watkins told Powersports Business during a ride on Lake Oconee. The Super Vortex High Output engine is based off Yamaha's 1.8-liter SHO, however, the new power plant delivers a range of improvements. A new high-performance intercooler increases cooling efficiency by 25 percent; a larger diameter supercharger impeller increases the air intake by 20 percent and increases supercharger boost by 60 percent; an all-new oil cooling system raises efficiency by 110 percent, and an advanced fuel injection system boosts fuel flow. Yamaha also boasts the addition of high-performance forged pistons. "The pistons being forged allows them to withstand more heat. When you add more power, more fuel, naturally you're adding more heat, more pressure, so you've got to make everything stronger to take that. And forging the pistons is a huge part of being able to get that extra power and maintain reliability," Watkins said. Though the SVHO is a big step up for Yamaha in terms of power, the OEM was mindful to use that power correctly, and therefore, a larger pump was added to give the engine the proper thrust. On SVHO models, Yamaha installed a 160mm pump, 5mm larger than the pump used on the SHO. "The new pump is very key," Watkins explained. "On a car, it is the backend and the tires, and if you've got the wrong rear end or gear ratio and the wrong tires and too much horsepower, you're just going to sit there and spin the wheels, and that's kind of what watercraft will do, too, if you don't get the right amount of bite." The 160mm pump has eight stator veins, which better stabilize the water from twisting, and therefore prevent the watercraft from listing. "There's a lot of development that goes on in the diameter of the pump, the nozzle bore at the end, the opening at the beginning and the prop," Watkins said. Also aiding in the performance of the pump is a new top loader intake grate, which allows See Yamaha, Page 38 10/30/13 12:58 PM