2003 Honda Aquatrax Turbo Top Speed

2003 Honda Aquatrax Turbo Top Speed

The slowest watercraft in this group accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in less than 3 seconds, the quickest in just over 2 seconds.

Even better, these hot new personal watercraft (PWCs) are powered by 4-stroke engines that already meet EPA emissions regulations for 2006. Best of all, their carefully soundproofed powerplants are quieter than most inboards and significantly quieter than the average 2-stroke outboard. Fuel efficient, ecologically friendly and quiet--it's time personal watercraft got some respect.

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Honda Aquatrax F-12X
We liked Honda's turbocharged DOHC 4-cylinder 4-stroke the first time we rode it in 2002, and we still think it's tops. The clever semi-V hull design manages to combine idle-speed stability with straight-line tracking and easy cornering. That's quite an accomplishment compared to personal watercraft of a few years ago. It's fairly priced, all-day comfortable and 60 mph fast.

In our sound-level testing, the F-12X wasn't as quiet as we had expected. But because of the turbo exhaust and low 6000 rpm redline, the Honda has a mellow tone that's not at all annoying. Like every Honda product we've ever evaluated, the Aquatrax is beautifully put together.

We also tested Honda's F-12, which is the same machine, sans turbo. It's even quieter, even more fuel efficient, just 6 mph slower and $1000 cheaper. We prefer it to the Kawasaki STX and Yamaha FX, its nonturbo competition.

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Kawasaki Jet Ski STX-12F
Kawasaki's DOHC inline Four looks like the engine in a ZX-12R motorcycle--because it is. This highly regarded Ninja powerplant is rated at only 125 hp in the watercraft and redlines at 7000 rpm. It's quiet, strong and so understressed it should last forever. Like the other Japanese PWCs, the STX is beautifully finished inside and out. At $8499, the Kawasaki is clearly the best buy in 4-stroke watercraft.

Kawasaki and Yamaha still place their Reverse levers far forward on the right side, which means you have to take your hand off the throttle and lean forward to shift. All the others in this group place the Reverse lever conveniently on the left side of the tank, so you can effortlessly slide from Forward to Neutral to Reverse with your left hand while thumbing the throttle with your right. A small detail, you say? Tell us again when you're heading straight for the dock, way too fast, and fumbling for the brakes.

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Polaris MSX 150
Powered by a turbocharged 4-stroke Parallel Twin that has half the displacement of Sea-Doo's supercharged GTX, the lightweight Polaris MSX 150 is almost as fast and $2200 less expensive. Not only is it mechanically innovative and a ball to ride, the styling is a whole product cycle ahead of the others. Even its silver and black color scheme is a modernistic departure from the traditional red, white and blue.

The MSX 150 we tested was a prototype. The production MSX 150 should be quicker and faster than this one.

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Bombardier Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC Limited
The supercharged 1.5-liter 185-hp GTX 4-TEC Limited is the quickest, fastest and most powerful 4-stroke watercraft you can buy. It's also the most expensive. You can see where the money went--the Rotax-powered Limited is not only the speed king, but it's as luxuriously equipped as a watercraft can be.

The GTX 4-TEC is the same craft without the supercharger, for $2000 less. Rated at 155 hp, the normally aspirated Rotax 4-stroke is faster than other normally aspirated 4-strokes so Sea-Doo is the speed champ on all counts. The GTX 4-TEC Limited is the quietest PWC in our group and perhaps the all-around most pleasant ride. Bombardier obviously did its homework.

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Yamaha WaveRunner FX Cruiser
The FX Cruiser is powered by the same Genesis Extreme engine that powers Yamaha's YZF-R1 sportbike and RX-1 snowmobile. Because this superb powerplant makes peak horsepower at a screaming 10,500 rpm, Yamaha engineers had to fit it with a 1.47:1 reduction gear to drive the jet pump.

At 798 pounds, the FX Cruiser weighs 133 pounds more than the 150-hp Polaris MSX. The Yamaha is slow off the line, but faster than both the normally aspirated Kawasaki and the Honda at the top end. The FX Cruiser would benefit from a lefthand Reverse lever, and an intensive session at Weight Watchers.

HONDA AQUATRAX F-12X

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SEA-DOO GTX 4-TEC LIMITED

Our test was conducted in flat water conditions with no wind. The weather showed a temperature of 65° with 70 percent humidity. We made three runs in each direction, and averaged the results. Speed was recorded with a Stalker radar gun.

SPECIFICATIONS AND TEST RESULTS
MAKE	Honda	Kawasaki	Polaris	Bombardier Sea-Doo	Yamaha WaveRunner
MODEL	Aquatrax F-12X	Jet Ski STX-12F	MSX 150	GTX 4-TEC Limited Supercharged	FX Cruiser
LENGTH	125.9 in.	122 in.	126 in.	130.4 in.	131.5 in.
BEAM	49.0 in.	46.5 in.	48.3 in.	48.1 in.	48.4 in.
DRY WEIGHT	749 lb.	717 lb.	665 lb.	790 lb.	798 lb.
ENGINE TYPE/DISPLACEMENT	DOHC, EFI turbocharged 4-stroke I4/1235cc	DOHC, EFI 4-stroke I4/1199cc	DOHC, EFI turbocharged 4-stroke I2/750cc	SOHC, EFI Supercharged 4-stroke I3/1494cc	DOHC, 20-valve, EFI 4-stroke I4/988cc
POWER	165 hp @ 6000 rpm	125 hp @ 7000 rpm	150 hp @ 7500 rpm	185 hp @ 7500 rpm	140 hp @ 10,000 rpm
DRIVE SYSTEM	Direct-drive, axial-flow, single-stage jet pump	Direct-drive, axial-flow, single-stage jet pump	Direct-drive, axial-flow, single-stage jet pump	Direct-drive, axial-flow, single-stage jet pump	Indirect-drive, axial-flow, single-stage jet pump
FUEL CAPACITY	16.6 gal.	14 gal.	18.5 gal.	15.0 gal.	18.5 gal.
PRICE AS TESTED	$9995	$8499	$9399	$11,599	$9699
ACCELERATION (0-30 mph)	2.63 sec.	2.69 sec.	2.79 sec.	2.22 sec.	2.95 sec.
TOP SPEED	59.78 mph @ 6000 rpm	53.39 mph @ 7000 rpm	59.19 mph @ 7380 rpm	61.81 mph @ 7660 rpm	55.28 mph @ 10,100 rpm
SOUND LEVEL (Idle/Cruise/WOT) (dBA)	52.4/65.7/81.7	50.0/64.0/76.0	49.8/67.8/77.8	52.6/66.5/76.1	47.5/68.6/77.8

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2003 Honda Aquatrax Turbo Top Speed

Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a204/1277206/

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