Now available for the 250X $116.95

This was designed to help provide cool air to the stock air intake. If you have ever seen the inside of a stock air box then you already know it is hollow and has no obstruction in it. In its designing it offers one of the safest ways to obtain air and lots of it. This kit enables cool air to come from under the glove box area for those choosing not to change out the stock air intake systems.

From R&D:

R&D ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE AIR FILTER KITPT# 215-25000

The R&D high performance Air Filter Kit will improve acceleration and top speed performance by increasing air flow and reducing air temperatures that enter directly into the Ultra 250’s air plenum box area. The O.E.M. air plenum box on the Ultra 250 is a great design that will flow plenty of air. However, the air that feeds the plenum box is heated by the engine. R&D has created an easy to install “flat filter” that installs directly in place of the large center access inspection cover located directly under the main glove box. The R&D Flat Air Filter insert will allow unrestricted fresh and cool air to enter the air plenum box area which will add power you can feel and a nice high performance tone. The R&D Performance Filter Kit also features two filters, one for each of the surge and blowoff protection valves. The O.E.M. surge valve recycles compressed hot air back into the air box plenum at idle and under deceleration conditions. The R&D surge and blowoff valve filter kit removes the air recycling hoses which will keep the hot air from entering the air plenum box reducing the engines intake air temperatures. The R&D Ultra 250 Air Filter Kit offers great performance tips on how to remove the restrictive air vent hoses which will further reduce the under seat ambient air temperatures. The R&D Filter system does not remove or alter the O.E.M. plenum box in any way, therefore there are no questions to be answered regarding water ingestion! The R&D Filter Kit is easy to install with no modifications required to the O.E.M. parts.

• Improved low end performance

• Great high performance tone

• Cooler engine air temperatures

• Cooler engine compartment temperatures

• Easy to install bolt on performance (no modifications)

• Low cost performance advantages

Ive installed a few of these now and find them to be a great addition to help lower engine compartment temperatures. Though you do have to unbolts the side and center cowling to enable the flat filer to slip into place, the install is easy and fast.

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This is going to be another entry covering the continuing issue of oil management in this ski. First we will be talking about true oil levels and how to help maintain that level in a manner that everyone can do simply.

Below is photos of two different dip sticks, one with the pressure seal removed [blue]. The other I left stock [red]. The stock one is to be used when running your ski as it will aid in preventing oil from rising up the stick tube. The modified one is for oil level checking only.

I simply used a utility knife to remove the barbed rubber seal section of a new dip stick ordered through my dealer. Part#52005-3710

Following picture is the difference in the two sticks as I checked the level between the barbed and non barbed unit.

A=Modified Dip Stick

B=Un-Modified Dip Stick

Notice how dip stick A is showing much higher then dip stick B. This is caused by the rubber seal forcing air pressure and oil level down the tube where the stick measures from. Ill be coming back to this further on when a few more oil changes are done. I want to be able to find a closer result of oil amount needed and verify that the amount showing on the modified dip stick is truly enough oil to safely operate the motor.

Many have had oil running out the oil catch and back into the air intake. I too experienced this and thought that I had overfilled my oil. After doing closer observation to my oil changes and levels I noticed that I was gaining oil and not loosing it. This was odd and I did alot more oil changes in efforts to get control of the oil and understand it more. I have modified my catch can and even relocated the oil breather high out side the hull to monitor any over flow.

So this is what I have noticed so far. After racing a an entire weekend I have found a quarter quart over. After several races I have found my oil to be extremely thin and smell heavily of gas. It is in this state that I usually get over flow out the catch can. Seems as the oil level rises do to gas saturation, it becomes extremely thin and has the ability to easily run out the catch can. Once I have seen oil running along my boat it seems I am running a quart to quart and a half over.

So as I assumed I am getting a large amount of blow by. Next to come will be a  leak down test on my engine,  a new still at the dealer unit and a unit with 80+ hrs on it ridden by a recreational rider with no modifications at all.

Stock new unit was in average of 1 percent of each other from 1 to 4

80 hr unit was in the range of 2 to 4 percent of each other. 1 to 4

My hard ridden unit was and average of 2.5. I found that only #3 was at 3 percent the rest are right at 2 percent.

So what is the problem. Why are these numbers fine and still I get gas in the oil wich is making problems.

Well the answer best to date is in this up comming thread. Thats right it keeps on going…….

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New from WORX is a set of sponsons for the 250 and LX models.

Some comparison shots of the new Worx Sponson next to the Riva Units.

Paddle on the WORX unit is much bigger then the Riva Unit….

Backing plate on the Worx unit is not as wide as the Riva unit

Riva units weigh 3.8lbs per side as the Worx unit only weighs 3.0lbs per side.

Riva backing plate has a ramping effect to it, as if made to help lift the boat and the Worxs has a straight  line.

The WORX sponsons have longer paddles that are able to drop to a depth of 1.75in below the backing plate. The Riva units have a max depth of 1.5in from the backing plate.

More input after a race weekend. First day I tried the sponsons in the rear up position and had a hard time controlling the turning. This position combined with the Riva Ride Plate are good for recreational use because they drag vary little and offer good moderate turn control. In the photo below you see a turn around a buoy. What you dont see is the almost sideways slide I was doing. With the lifted nose attitude the Riva Plate gives the boat, the sponsons need to be lowered to make more water contact.

 

Once I had adjusted the sponsons down and fitted the pump with the 83mm exit nozzle again, the handling made a huge improvement. These sponsons now started to show that they truly are made for racing. With the longer paddle design over the Riva sponsons they hooked hard and stayed hooked in the roughest conditions. Below are shot of the ability the sponsons can give when set correctly. These buoys are close and I was able to take them at full throttle.

As for what I think about the WORX over the Riva units.

The Riva units have a inclined backing plate that helps with lifting the Hull and has a smaller sponson paddle to minimize the dragging. The Riva sponsons make for awesome recreational friendly use with its ability to be moved up and away from dragging in the water which can cause speed lose. Riva also has a billet sponson backing making for a solid plate to attach the paddles to. 

As for the Worx unit, it is obviously designed with the competitive platform in mind. The larger paddles offer more turning force. They did not offer the inclined backing and made the backing depth smaller then the Riva unit. This smaller backing seemed to not have the ability to lift the hull up as much. The larger paddles are better for turning but seems to be made of a softer plastic as I had to put in larger washers to avoid the screw head from sinking into the plastic. What I also noticed is the hardware of the backing is made from the same design as the old Beach House models with the push in threaded fitting.

To date the Riva seems to be built better but lack the bigger paddle for the extreme competition use. So its seems a even trade off as performance goes. Though I did find minimal speed loss with the Worx then I did over the Riva units.

Ill come back to this after the R&D sponsons arrive.

Removing these sponsons to install the R&D I found that the bolts holding the backing to the hull were being pulled through the plastic. Along with the backing bolts the sponson paddle bolds had started to pull the bolt backing barb through the backing plate.

Scary but I am guessing when I say the plastic is made of too soft of a compound. Seems the bolts sink into the plastic too easily. These are going on E-Bay soon. Not that they didn’t improve handling but the quality of the plastic is substandard for the style of riding I do.

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I purchased this small testing kit for testing your BOV. This was not my idea but one that R&D came up with. Along with these parts R&D has a simple tool that allows you to adjust the valve while doing your live testing.

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This is going to be for those who opt to get a KDS package to use.

You will need the following part for a complete kit.

Laptop or computer running Windows 98 or later version.

B57001-1506 Software CD 2.4 “Software CD”

57001-1504 Signal Converter “Black Box”

57001-1470 Com Cable “Gray Cable with Ground point”

57001-1535 Relay Cable ” Long Cable with Serial Plug”

57001-1696 Com Cable “Black Cable with point Tap”

I purchased my kit from Riva.

Follow the prompted question when installing the software onto your comp that has a SERIAL PORT from Com1. Be absolutely certain that you have a serial port on your computer. Most newer laptops do not have this port and it is crucial you have it.

After you have installed the KDS software then you can now attach the serial plug to your computers serial port.

Then install the Signal Converted “block box” to the  Relay Cable “long cable with serial plug”.

You then need to remove the ECU cover and Battery Cover.

The red arrow above on the ECU Plate is the relay you will be installing a Com Cable. Remove the ECU plate to expose the wiring Harness plugs.

Pink #1 is the plug to the relay with Red Arrow. Notice the wire coloring. You will want to unplug this plug to install the com cable with the grey plugs and ground wire. Also attach your ground point to the battery black ground wire.  See Below.

Now you will need to install the smaller com cable, clear plugs with white power taps. Notice the color of wiring to plugs. Also locate the power feed from battery to tap with com cable. See Below.

The last cable connection to be made is the Relay Cable to the relay plug found next to the battery with a black cap on it. Remove the cap and plug in your relay cable into the plug. See Below.

Now that you have everything plugged in its time to ensure the key is in the immobilizer and the lanyard is inserted to the stop bottom.

You now want to start the ski while running on the flush hose to keep the motor cooling during your KDS session. Now go to your computer and open the K icon on the desktop.

The first screen you see is this.

Click on the OK and you will then see this screen.

For the Ultra 250 you will select the 1 tab and then a screen like this pops up. This good as the ECU is now communicating with your PC.

If the communication has failed the you will see this screen.

Now lets go into the different screens or tabs.

The first is the Model Information shown above. The second is the Real Time monitor. This is were the Failure history is stored and several items are listed, be sure to scroll down the entire list and see every input monitoring.

Next Tab is the Diagnosis Tab. This helps pinpoint an issue if there is one.

Next is Actuator Test.

Next is the Graph page where you will have to hit the Start and Stop Tabs to see live levels.

Last page is the software page with the reset ECU option.

So there is all the information on getting it started. The rest is simply exploring and cross referencing with the Service Manuel.

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R&D Ultra 250 Aquavein Scoop Grate $195.00

Explanation of Product:

This item helps in avoiding cavitation and un-hooking during aggressive turning. Something that is needed with modified or aftermarket ride plates. It is also beneficial to higher horse power motors for the addition HP can lift the boat out of the water too easily. The scoop grate aids in maintaining pump connection to the water. The design incorporates a wing insert into the intake grate which in turn scoops water into the pump area. It also aids in loading the top of the pump making use of the entire pump area. In the past this item has been referred to as a Top-Loader.

Historically scoop grates have been known to slow a boats top speed as the scoop contributes to drag. Flip to this is superior rough water hook-up thus improving top speeds in rough conditions.

Well why now am I testing the intake. Simple, the new ride plate out has a weakness, cavitation exposure. With adding the scoop grate, it counters this weakness by aiding in keeping the pump hooked to the water. It also dramatically aids in handling performance which is recreational friendly and a CC racing must .

Some Pics..

Lake testing the Intake with stock ride plate showed no major noticeable difference in top speed. At times it had no speed loss. It did feel a tiny bit more sluggish as if dragging something but that was just a minor feeling and I have no way of testing this. What was a noticeable difference was the ability to run more aggressively and the improvements in running through white wash with minimal effect on the pump. As always from past R&D Grates, it added a noticeable advantage in rough rolling water conditions. You can almost feel the strong suction to the water in a manner that gave me boosted confidence in turning and rough water high speed runs.

Now for the griddy flip facts to the Riva plate and R&D Grate combo run. You will loose speed off the benefits the Riva plate yielded to you by itself. Whats up with this? Well the grate is doing as it is designed to do, pull the intake into the water and allowing maximum intake volume. The Riva Plate is also doing its job by trying to allow the boat to rise back onto the plate angled surface. So with the two working against each other it yields a 1.8 to 2.5 mph gain over stock set up. Not as sweet as the Riva giving you a 3mph gain by itself.

Before you discard the the intake grate, rethink its cross benefit to the speed loss with the Riva Plate. I think the R&D intake is worth the speed loss as it counter effects the only negative aspect of the Riva plate. You wont gain more in smooth water operation but in the rough water and handling aspect it compliments the plate perfectly.

I was personally pleased with the combo as it gave some speed and maintained great handling. Almost as if these two worked together during production. Funny how each have the right stuff for each other at the same time….. Just a thought.

Some of it installed…

So as I have stated, the Riva Plate and RD Intake are great for each other. Though recently have found an unusual smooth water turning wobble. In race conditions at high speed behind another rider I have found better hook up and speed with the intake grate. In smooth high speed sweeping turns I found a fight effect between the R&D intake and the RIVA ride plate which seemed to me to produce a wobble in the the turns. Now this could be the sponsons or ride plate and have nothing to do with the intake.

More testing coming soon. Gotta do this one several times in effort to get it correct. Handling testing is tricky when your running aftermarket Ride Plate, Sponsons and Scoop Grate because an unwanted affect could be caused by anyone of the three in the combo.

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Riva Ride Plate $229.95

New for the 250and LX is a complete ride plate. Not a modified stock unit but a completely new plate. Its design is unlike anything Ive seen in the past. From first site it has a radically aggressive look, so much it would seem as though it would slow the boat down. Not the case at all with this plate, in fact it dramatically changes the performance speed and handling of the Ultra 250.

Here it is in real life….

So why do we have it and the rest of the world doesn’t? Surly it could be used in some ones pro race boat or someplace super secret or even in the hands of some magazines publisher. Till now I have only heard of this plate and talk of Riva’s claim to a 2mph gain from their new Bat-Plate.

When I received the plate it had no instruction, no letter, nothing other then the plate itself. As if they were saying have at it. Give it your best shot. Almost as if they had no fear as to what I would say or do. Why was it here and why now since the product cant even be purchased at this time. Was this some trick plate to fool me into thinking that this plate was actually the same thing they are giving to the general public. Is this the bate and I’m not seeing a hook?

OK so I called over to Riva and talked with the man behind the mystery plate. I was simply told to put it on, ride it and do what ever I wanted in my testing. I asked if this is an actual production plate or some one off. I was told that the plate I’m testing is actually the approved casting for the production run.  I was thinking I had the prototype but in fact its the actual production sample. Only change will be the Riva Branding in the production line coming the first of Aug. Was also told that Riva marketing wanted to get maximum exposure from a neutral source. They said they understood the theory of the Project 250 and have no hesitations in exposing the true performance of this plate.

Alright already! Lets get to slapping this thing on?

8 bolts holding this plate on. Easy install but please use Loc-Tite when installing the new plate. You will find that a small adjustment to the reverse bucket control cable is needed. Thankfully Riva opted to keep the reverse option on this plate.  I personally have grown to love my reverse.

OK Plate buts up to the pump shoe flush and needed very little silicone to seal the small gap between the two.

Some shots of the back end.

Well lets do this, off to the lake we go.

As I tested my plate I decided to leave in my pump wedge just to get a speed freaks comparison. Stock plate runs with full tank of gas verses Riva Plate showed a gain of 2.8 mph. At best a 3.3 mph gain at a half tank difference over a three hour testing day. What was just as impressive was the boat ability to jump up onto plain and move out. As if my boat just lost 300 lbs of weight. Shocking the amount of acceleration difference. No doubt that the hole shot has greatly improved over stock set up. Also a very pleasant and welcomed difference is the bow spray is now further back making for a drier and more enjoyable ride.

Could this plate be all that great? No…. As I tested it with the pump wedge, it gave high speed turns a sliding effect. Something I could easily fix with shifting my body weight forward and toward the turn. Though this might be harder to do with a passenger aboard. STILL I SAY I HAD THE WEDGE IN. Something Riva “does not recommend” to do with the Riva Ride plate but I was looking for a maximum speed gain..

Coming next will be testing with out the wedge and we will be hitting the buoys hard in attempt to find a negative aspect of this plate. After the GK plate set back, I’m looking at this new one harder then ever……

Ah! A new day of testing. This time I removed the wedge and kept in the stock intake grate. Full of fuel and ready to test. Same conditions as last test day, hot as hell 95 with 80% humidity. Water was calm and no wind.

Some fitting pics. Notice how the plate is extended to be even with the steering nozzle. This makes the reversing a bit slower, still I was able to reverse off my trailer and maneuver around the dock with out to much trouble. Other pic is of the match up between the Pump shoe and plate. Almost a flawless match.

Slap full of fuel I saw a 2.4 mph gain over stock plate. Empty I saw a 2.9 mph gain over the stock plate. This had me baffled a bit, for in the past the wedge was good for a 1 mph gain. Now with the Riva plate it shows only a .5 mph loss, must be explained in the difference in pitch on the Riva Plate verses the stock plate. What I did noticed is that the boat came unhooked over boat wakes. I would hit over the wake at full throttle runs and it would tap out just a bit. Still a completely different but reliable ride all together.

Now the handling. Major change in turning attitude. Nose higher and has more of a lifting effect around tight turns. Careful though because when this thing does set it will hook hard and at a alarming rate of speed. Took a bit of getting used to but now that Ive learned the turning curve, it seems easier and more nibble. Keep in Mind that I also have the Riva Sponsons. Still I find that the new ride is prone to coming unhooked from the water. At times when hitting a hard turn in the wake of another ski the pump would come unhooked but quickly regained hook.

OK so it time to put the Hotty in a bikini on the back. I call it “sporting” others call it “two up” but what its all about is how does this plate handle with two people. In short it starts to return the original feel of the stock plate. More hull being pushed through the water. Turning has that heavy feel again and speed closer to stock single rider numbers. Felt like I had lost the plate. Nothing too alarming though but the plate was obviously made to benefit the single rider and not tandem. Still it produced a 1 mph gain over the stock plate in tandem testing. Turning was predictable and no unhooking on top end wake run or hard turning in rough conditions.

Now since this is my Blog with my opinion from my average Joe perspective., Ill review the following.  Recreational riding is faster, drier and alot of fun. Handling is good but with the new higher speed turning attitude you’ll want sponsons to help harness the aggressive turns. Do expect the boat to unhook as other boats do. Remember I did not test with a scoop grate which has often fixed this issue with other boats in the past.

Now the wanna be racer in me with opinionated input. Turning was a bit of a learner. I did find that on plain at WOT the boat now needs to be set. From what Ive learned in a day of riding, to set the boat I turned the bars just a bit, this makes the boat tilt to one side. Then getting close to the buoy I would let off the throttle turn bars hard then throttle down . This set, then turn, followed by full throttle had me spinning buoys. The boat set well and had plenty of power and speed to pull through turns comfortably. Again the speed that I am carrying is far better then the stock plate. This higher speed turning allowed rough water unhooking though and was screaming for a intake grate.

As I see it this is the most beneficial part to date for the 250X. No other single part has yielded such benefits for the 250X. At the price its the cheapest speed gain to date. I say its awesome and what Ive been waiting sooooooo long for.

Do be warned though, the first production run is expected to be in limited numbers. Pre ordering is going to be based on first come first served. Talking with Riva they did not give a first run number but did say that 110 Ride Plates have been pre-sold.

Next will be testing with the Intake Grate, Riva Ride Plate and Riva Sponsons known as the Triple Threat.

Pic of hull ride height with Riva Plate. Photo taken in Tupelo MS. on Aug 4th

Update from Orange Beach Al. on the Riva Ride plate Aug 12th

Well during a surf race event in the Gulf of Mexico I found a new aspect of the plate that didn’t favor with me as much as my past review. Seems in the big waters and large swells the plate with slow the performance down. I often found myself pushing down on the front which tires one out. Ofter the boat would hike up and want to jump swells as before it would sink down in then and ride it out. In the ocean I found myself equal to several other boats in the hopping around aspect. Other Ultra’s in the race did well and held first place with little effort do to them hooking and running as others hoped around the track.

Some pics…

Notice my efforts in leaning forward to get back in the water. Water conditions are not that bad other then swells rolling in. Still I had to work extra to try and keep the boat flat and wet. The nose up attitude leaves the belly of the hull open to being punched up causing you to jump instead of using the bow to plow threw rough water.

Now before you jump to a conclusion I must add that when free riding I had better results as I had the ability to pick my route unlike when racing. Racing mandates you hold your line through the buoy coarse and if something comes in your way the you need to get through it not around it.

Regardless, when free riding I enjoyed the ride and had plenty of speed and could easily wave jump instead of wave plowing…..

This one is going to be an ongoing test as I travel more with my 250X

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