Most Fun for the Least $$$? We Test the 2020 Kawasaki Jet Ski STX 160 to Find Out!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ส.ค. 2024
- (www.TFLoffroad.com) Kawasaki has a new entry-level Jet Ski on the water and it could be the best value on the water.
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#Kawasaki #JetSki #STX160
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Me being a big man myself and lovingJet Skis I’m glad to see another big man doing videos about Jet Skiing and the different brands of Jet Skis and putting out reviews on how they ride..
Love this JetSki! Bought mine a couple months ago. Not having a true neutral or intelligent braking system wasn't a deal-breaker for me personally but it would have been a nice touch. (Pro Tip: If you get a bigger water bottle you can wedge it in the cup holder and it doesn't fly out)
Good deal. I keep a koozie onboard. Put the water bottle or gatorade in it and it fits snug in the holder and stays put very well.
this ski is a BEAST much better than the other ones, with a 1k kit from Kspeed from Brisbane, I got GPS speed 62MPH this thing is a little monster . just stage 1 chip wedge ride plate and sponsoons. only complaint is the speakers aren't really loud. but it feels like it will last forever super reliable this thing.
Agree sound needs to be louder. I added a 200 amp marine grade amp and it fixed that problem. Now you can hear it at full throttle at volume level of 30. Before, max'd at volume level 40 you could not hear at full speed. May shorten the speaker life but so far they are fine.
What amp did you install?
Look forward to your reviews more than anyone else on the team. excellent job Steve..........
All the losers in the comment section worrying about the wet suit need to piss off.... Great review as always Steve!
whats wrong with wetsuit ?
from what i understand, is that Pacific ocean water can be pretty damn cold.
unlike gulf or atlantic ocean.
Pajama Time Except that he didn’t say that Seadoo’s are all around better. For one they have a coast guard approved brake and you don’t need to take one hand off the handle bars to change gears. For two they have more options and allow for more fun will those. For three you can’t wake surf off of the one in the video.
This is just a good fast ski without all the bells and whistles which, quite frankly, are quite unnecessary. Less stuff to go wrong more time enjoying the summer. All this reverse talk - who cares - you not in a parking lot - your out in lakes and oceans. Just don’t understand why people fall for this like it’s a big deal breaker. This is a cheaper really good ski with good power and a proven reliability. That’s really all that matters.
I could not agree more but people see brake as a total deal breaker.
Just purchased this model earlier today. Great video. Can’t wait to get out on the water.
Let's get Mr. Truck on one of these things. That would be a great video.
Him and his trucker friend
At 3:42. Listen to what he says again.
Great catch my man!!
Crying right now. Thanks!
Lmao he hasnt seen that in years! Lmao that poor jetski was struggling!!
good catch Matt!!
😂😂😂😂
love these videos glad you make them on the channel!
Great video! Best review I’ve seen on this watercraft yet 👍🏻
Nice no wake feature!
03:40 "I do wish it was a little bit bigger, down there, between my legs"
Yes
hahahah
We will miss you 15f...... small and powerful
just purchased a 2020 cant wait to ride it this summer :)
You got your beard and mustache back already? LOL Just seen you at a car show with your dad and you were sporting the Opie Taylor look. This Kawasaki Jet Ski is what I would go after for my water toy. Fantastic view of the Navy sub! Cannot plan that landscape in the water. I like the cruise. I like the wake speed hold. Great review! Most are just verbal commentaries about what they are supposed to do. Seeing it in action with your impressions make it special.
Great review Steve!
Currently I am clocking it at 62MPH GPS with 3 ppl on it now. highly recommended Brisbane Kawasaki, I just wish they did a more aggressive tune up and something that can bring this thing to 65+ which I am sure it is very capable of.
I have almost 0 complaints about this thing, it is a beast , light, agile and fun to drive, all my friends in the yamahas (not supercharged) always want to ride mine and give me theirs. my real only complaint would be the nose is low, so in ocean chop when you have to go slow, the nose feels too low, I am always worrying water might enter the front storage. but its more a feeling than a reality. IF they modernize it like they did with the Ultras, this would be an instant best seller. the fact the hull is gel coat makes it easy to fix at home and save thousands also.
Ppl forget this is an entry level ski. Compare this to a spark or ex and it’s eats them up. Has more speed. Better handling. More storage. More fuel. Actually most likely has the most capable for a distance in a tank of gas.
But nearly twice as expensive
You are seriously comparing this ski to 2 Up Spark? That is the only way you are in that ballpark. The base model of this sk is in anothe class from the Spark. And 5999 gets you a 2 seater not 3. No reverse. Less than half the fuel volume. No storage. No reboarding step. A plasic hull and about 1/3 the hp. So why not compare that Spark to the GTX and say the GTX is 3 times as much? Its silly because they are not meant to be compared.
No comparison. The Kawasaki lost at the price.
Bought my 15F new last year and I’m more than happy with it. Don’t know if waiting for the 160 would of Been worth it either way kawiasaki is the best ski imo
Same here (2019 STX-15F). I'm glad the STX160X doesn't come in Green/Ebony or I'd be tempted to upgrade.
I wish it did cause that teal is fugly! Love the green but don't care for the sound system or extra cost!
All same engines. There has been no changes with the hp for years.
@@killerrf if it ain't broke don't fix it
mike h not saying it’s a bad thing just saying nothing changed.
Great job on the review, I think Kawasaki will do great with new changes to their entry level model. Hope their sales rise this year with them. I personally like the new 160LX!
Billy D
yeah i don't understand why Seadoo sales so much more then Kawasaki. To me it seems Kawasake's are more reliable
The 2022 stx160 Lx would be awesome in green but they only come in ugly Turquoise
@@brianwilliams4082 2023 model is Red Brain if that helps you in regards to a better color option.
Billy D
best review so far of the 2020 stx160. A top speed run would have been fun to see.. top speed?
from other reviews top speed has been right at 60 mph.
Btw I can feather the lever from forward to reverse add gas as needed and hit neutral mid lever very little practice I think it's obvious to most people maybe not lazy people
WOW that’s f’ing awesome. You got to see a sub in the water! I’m sooo jealous
That sub is carrying nuclear missiles just let that sink in
Spittin fire 🔥
Here is the best thing that I can tell you don't need to spend a bunch of money what you can afford is entry level everyone has different prices of what they can afford I personally like actual multipurpose boats rather than jet skis we have a 31 year old 1989 Yamaha wave runner bought for $600 it is the definition of you take care of it will take care of you it looks like it just rolled out of the factory to day
No! Neutral will invite trouble! If you had to get moving in an instant (Like getting out of the way from a newbie coming right at you) you would lose that fraction of seconds to shift into gear.
that's ridiculous. If you are in a busy area then don't put it in neutral
If you guys need more features and bells a whistles or if you dont wat to get wet then get a boat....a good used boat costs around 15 to 20 grand
Never understood these base models. For the price of that LX I got a '17 GTX300 with 24hours on her. I guess some people are just not comfortable with used stuff but geez
So is this basically an updated version of the 15F? looks great!
Yep. Same hull but a little bigger than a 15f. Kawi needed to modernize the 15f, and this STX is that effort.
Apparently A lot of Super Sexy people here commenting on this gentlmen's dimensions. Guaranteed most of you have never even operated a Jet Ski, but still talking shit from the side lines as usual. Thank you for your Review Sir.
Exactly, as a big guy myself (6ft 300lbs) it’s nice seeing someone out there that’s bigger giving in depth reviews on these pwcs. It allows me to see what I can expect as far as how one of these machines will handle, their weight capacities, and things like that as if I were to ride one. Besides, he’s OUT THERE on the water ripping those things while the haters sit at home.
Jet ski are the best things ever....
One of the bad things about this ski is that the bow dips down really bad under 5-10 mph....
mike h I’ve used this PWC on lakes and the bow does dip down really bad...
Bought 2 new in June, hood flew off 5 hours after break-in period. Very upset with kawasaki and complaint department. Parts have been backordered for months now. Found 6 other owners of stx160 with same issues. Faulty hood latch is the issues. They have been recalled finally after many months of complaints I assume. Sealed up front of one just so we could enjoy them for the season. Hood broke off second one after 50 hours of usage, Found out about recall last week. Again not happy with response from kawasaki and dealers excuses of problems.
The latch does seem like the likely culprit. Kspeed made a plastic deflector to stick on the nose but I don't see how that area is the issue. Have an X and LX with no issue yet. My hoods seem to latch well. I can see if they are not latched or not latching well the water would get under the edge along the sides and further up, flipping the hood open violently. That would rip it off. I got the recall letters also. Hope they get you fixed up soon. I have faith they will make the needed corrections.
That thing was plowing water when at no-wake speed.
Id say due to some obvious factors 🤣
It’s the same hull as the 15F and that thing plows at idle speeds...so I’m not surprised. The handling on that hull is awesome. I raced mine (15F) and it’s great around the bouys
So?
So you guys think it won't handle chop well
That is why I don't like Kawasaki skis.
My 03 12f and 08 15f stx had a rear storage bin. Nothing new.
I bought my first ski a few mouths ago. It is 04 STX12F it runs like new I’m 220lbs it will touch 51mph with half tank of gas. Is this about right for this ski?
Those 160s shovel water like crazy over the nose and under the front storage lid at low speeds with anyone over 220LBS .
So much so that many of the front lids tore off the machine.
If you're a bigger guy stick with Seadoo displacement hull instead of the kawasaki deeper V. Even the 310 Ultra shovels water at slow speeds.
It's hilarious when you see a heavy dude go by with one of these machines it looks like they are driving a car with 4 flat tires because it's so low.
That's a big ski for a entry level.
Fing love the PWC vids dude!!!
Great video. I know I’m a little late to the comment section. But I wanted to ask a question I’m gonna rent a PWC and have a choice between this like Kawasaki STX 160 or the GTI 130 from Sea-Doo. I have ridden many PWC in the past, but I haven’t been on either of the ones I mentioned Which one is more fun all around for a 2 hour rental ?
Thanks for your review. Can’t believe they have fitted a reverse stick and not a lever on the bars. WHY ????????
Sound/music vs. reverse and neutral (use phone and cheep waterproof speaker, in case of lose)
I’ll take control over a speaker system. Music/sound on a ski is useless while riding, be safe know your surroundings.
When you pull the manual shift up for reverse, can you use throttle as well for more aggresive reverse, or would that destroy the bucket that comes down?
I guess having a reverse lever on the handle bar makes the others better then the kawasaki with reverse by your knee? I mean who cares about a way bigger gas tank way more storage a way faster machine premium paint with hand laid fiberglass instead of cheap plastic 3 seat capacity towing capable still nimble agile can jump waves and be more stable water proof cell storage boarding step no cheap wear ring all stainless corrosive bolts and screws proven hull proven engine proven reliability compared to sea Doo ya I guess the Kawasaki beating the competition in all these categories is not the better value because the handle bar reverse? Wtf makes no sense
how is the plastic hull cheap? do you even have a seadoo with a plastic hull?
@@shalerhenry9877 sea doo made it like that to just be replaced cut corners on cheaper materials/manufacturing and save weight thats why the stx 160 is heavier it's made from fiberglass and gel coated but also stronger
If you think Sea Doo is doing plastic hulls for any reason other than it is cheaper to manufacture you are kidding yourself. It is cheaper. That is why they are using it more on lower end units and not the higher end higher performance models. Will have to see how the thicker version this year holds up on the GTR 230.
Looks A LOT like a Yamaha. Not a bad thing. 👌🏻
Not supercharged 👍🏻, "should" last forever with timely maintenance.
And yes, they make the best Blue Water hull out there . . . a heavy one. 😁👌🏻
Hell yea my home water hope you enjoyed it, Ive ridden a SeaDoo GTi and a couple year old WaveRunner for the past 4 years in Mission Bay, kinda curious how the Kawasaki handles compared to the other 2 ...weekends here I call riding in the soup cause its just choppy all over
Great review! Thank you so much!
Great work Stephen. Hey Roman, maybe TFLmarine??? I'm in Salty Charleston SC...maybe your guy😜
Cant wait to see your new Yami GP review!
I go every 2 times a month or more to the Colorado river at laughin nv love 😍 my jet ski
Compare it to a Seadoo spark
What is the fuel range for the jet ski?
Great review 😎🇨🇦
Top Speed???
I just got a 2021 kawasaki 310lx. I am really disappointed in the speakers. There is NO BLUETOOTH on my ski. Dealership confirmed no Bluetooth after I was having trouble (even though he said it had blutooth when selling it to me). It only has a plug in aux cable, which newer phones don't have. So, I buy an old phone with aux cable just for music and the skip track button on the kawasaki doesn't even change the song. The dealership just shrugged their shoulders at my problem of not being able to play music from my phone properly. The ski drives fine but the speaker system is a joke. I live in FL if you wanna make a video about how bad the speaker system is. Help others not make the same mistake as me lol.
That does bite. Would have assumed Kawasaki was using this stereo head on the Ultra also. This one is Bluetooth.
How long will a jet ski last if you do a lot of riding in the ocean (maybe 75% ocean / 25% fresh water)?
The design was remind me about old honda aquatrax f15x 😰 am i right?
Need to test the 1500 SXR
No one ever talks about ease of boarding? I like you are of big statue. I currently have the stx 15 f 2005 model. I love the ski, however it doesn't like me; when you have to craw back on it in the water with the step. It likes to roll with me. My wife has one too, and even she says it's task to board from in the water. Just would like to see some reviews of ease or improvements to water boarding jet skis.
@mike h that's my point. Looking for reviews on ease water boarding. So I can address my issue.
Do you not have a reboarding step? I remember callus saki did a base model 15FA few years ago and deleted the rear boarding Step. You just pull the rear boarding step down put one knee on it and pull yourself out of the water so you can get the opposit foot on it. Very easy. The new 160 rear platform is even easier than the 15
Kawasaki. Voice recognition is horrible
Missed that you stated 2005. 2005 had the step. Unless somebody removed it
Having trouble then lose weight
Love this❤️
2020 and Kawasaki still doesnt have a second throttle for switching to reverse?
Yo tengo el mío ya por 3 años y lo amo 😍 y lo disfruto al máximo lo único malo que nunca le tanteo el gas
When did you guys make this video?
Is there variable trim
It is all new except for the engine like most PWC
mike h, I want them to use a new engine not the same one essentially since 2003.
But it is a truly great engine. Especially in this platform.
Excellent
Consumption???
How stable is the ski
So 6 grand more gets you 2 mediocre speakers, $20 grips, and some non skid feet pads...ya that seems worth it 🙄
07slowbalt should of gotten a Yamaha
Just stick to the spark toys
@@cmbmusicproductions1870 with 6 grand you could of just gotten a spark. and had enough for a second one.
CMB Music Productions 1 season throw away ski? No thanks
The spark is trash the stx160 would run circles around the spark in every category except a wheelie
Could you review the 2020 ultra lx model?
My phone shot In 4k 3 years ago
Wait how do you put this thing in neutral?
Hows it compare to 15f
Is this the hull from the ultra lx
I'm in the market for two jet skis. I'm brand new to this world. I have a budget of $20k. What would you recommend? New? Used? Brand? Thanks! Great video.
What did you end up getting?
Great video, but can you tell us the top speed please?
There no question Kawi is underdeveloped compared to SeaDoo and Yamaha. There is no comparison to the R&D that the other two companies have devoted to propel the sport, and this is coming from a 310x rider. 5mph control button, rubber back storage bag and green grips is nothing to shout about. I'd love to see Kawi edge their way into the competition, but let's be honest they're way behing.
What are the prices on the others though?
And I would say the brakes and reverse on the others are Electronically controlled... just more to go wrong. Feather the Lever between forward and reverse and ya got natural lol. Just feel long-term wise this ski would be your best bet.
Nice review,,, the reverse system is such a terrible design flaw,,omg,,, and the top spec model is a joke prise wise ,,, better skies out there in the same class🤔
Top speed?
feel like its outdated. Would have been a good ski in 2008.....
2020 and still doesn't have some form of IBR. SeaDoo been having that since 2012
Jermaines SeaDoolife the ultra models have that.
No the Ultras do not have ibr. But how much time do people spend in reverse? Never had any issue with using the manual type of reverse in 30 years of riding.
@@edwardbowles8613 Yes reverse isn't as necessary but this doesn't have neutral which I can gurantee is necessary and is needed on a new watercraft these days
I guess. It's not like if you start it in reverse it is just going to launch away from the dock. I don't ever need to sit around idling in neutral and NOT actually moving. I generally do not start the ski til I am ready to go somewhere. Is that something people do a lot? Start the ski but not go anywhere? I am sure from a direct comparison standpoint it would benefit Kawasaki to have that feature. Biggest gripe I have is the glovebox. Tons of room in that area and for some reason they only did a narrow storage pocket. Beyond that, Kawasaki refuses to let the customer upgrade. Why not sell the variable cruise as an option on the base model if the customer prefers that color? Why not offer the sound system and or USB as an option as Sea Doo does? I am not a Sea Doo guy but the fact they offer options like that is great. Trim would be nice on these skis also. Pricing is not terrible across the board but I think Kawasaki would stand a better chance of selling these if they were at least $500 less across the range.
What’s a copy of the grips and trim levers from Yamaha wow that’s low
*cruise controll lever
*thats
GoPro audio makes my ears pop
Seems like he said as much as he could in front of them and still tried to keep it positive.
yall know who he sounds like rick from rick and morty i swear
Hi the handlebars are it higher than on the 15f ?
Yes
3.41 thats what she said😂
$15k for an entry level ski 😂😂😂. Nice try Kawasaki.
Spot on reason to buy a 90's 2Stroker ...Fun ...Nimble cheap ...
C Man absolutely
it dont even have IBR LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT AN LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Do you live in Canada? It is actually 9599 for the entry level version here in the US.
Edward Bowles yes, I live in Canada.
That’s actually cheap if that were in uk they start at 7.5k
GREAT SKI FOR $7000
Is the weight dry weight ?
No. Kawasaki lists the real world curb weight unlike Yamaha and Sea Doo. For some reason they don't think you need gas, oil, fire extinguisher and a battery. But people get duped into believing there is hundreds of pounds of difference on comparable models. Not true. The 2 seat Spark is much lighter but its a smaller plastic hull and 60 or 90 hp
I could buy a spark trixx for me and a spark standard for my wife for the price of one of these .
You're so lucky
15K IS JUST PLAIN VAIN.
Wave Race!
Why does Kawasaki screw Canadians so much on the price,even with the exchange rate we are still paying $1200.00 more on the base model and even more for the upper trims.
Taxes from your gov’t
@mike h at least when we fall off the jet ski at full tilt it doesnt cost us the same as buying 3 more of them for the hospital visit.
Your socialist government.
@@christopher6895 but you better not curse when you see that line at the hospital or you go to jail for hate speech . Sorry bud but as long as Justin Castro is dictator of Canada you have nothing to say in defense.
@@crosisofborg5524 lol, line at the hospital?
I’ve been to the hospital several times, had my share of surgeries. Never any problems.
You ppl are hilarious pretending our current govt is even close to socialism. Last I checked you can own personal property
Jet ski or blimp?
What's top speed
When the conditions are just right I've gotten mine just over 60 mph. I'm 160 pounds though so this could vary from rider to rider
How sore were your legs the next day?
Who here besides me took one look at there income and said nope.
Then starts evaluating there life choices when it comes to there career.
If Luke Combs did a jetski review.