96 XP top speed isn't what it should be

[sookati]

Hey everyone,

I have a 96 XP that I picked up this spring. It sounds like it's running as it should, but when I put a GPS on it, I was only topping out at 43mph...

Shouldn't I at least be doing 50+ on this thing? I rebuilt one of the raves, (leaking black stuff, not anymore) and the valve had minor carbon buildup.

I want a reliable ski and I'm not really interested in aftermarket stuff, but I feel like I should be getting a little more out of this thing.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

you should be getting 10more mph at least.

forget the gps right now.... your not to that point, time to diagnose....

what were the max RPM's

what is the compression

(if both are good, are you sure the raves are opening ?)

proceed from there.

 

[sookati]

It seems that the space between 90% and 100% throttle has no discernible difference in rpm or speed.

I can hear the raves opening when I'm running it. When I rebuilt one of the raves before, it had some carbon build-up and I didn't clean it off. Could that be the problem?

How would I measure RPM's?

 

[Spimothy Leary]

you can hear the raves open ? interesting, I never could. What my guy did was dremel a 3/4" sized hole in the caps so he could actually see them open. Doesn't affect performance. here's a pic of my engine bay, you can see the hole in the cap.

re: rpm, assuming you don't have a tach, install a cheap TTO, $35 shipped on ebay. and you'll know exactly what your rpms are while riding, and the max rpm you reached.

several other things could impact top speed: raves, water regulator, pump issues to name a few.

 

[sookati]

I just ordered the tach, thanks for the info. What rpm should I be hitting?

I had a leaking water regulator, so I took it apart and put it back together which fixed the problem. However, I didn't screw with the top part (the red knob).

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I'd say between 6800-7000 would be and acceptable range.

I've followed threads where peeps are hitting 6800 and want to squeeze a more rpm's, and many that are quite satisfied with 68 and don't feel the need to push it. Depends on how/when/what type of riding your doing. If your running 6800-6900, running strong and around 52-54 mph, then your average recreational rider should be quite satisfied.

Mine ran around 6850 most of the time and I was quite happy with the performance although the tach would occasionally show 7050-7100, probably from where the pump was out of the water, but when I was actually looking at the tach, 68-68.5 was about my "norm" (I think 'redline' is 72)

 

[sookati]

The problem has been fixed.

I turned the knobs on the raves and water regulator all the way in, then unscrewed them 3 full turns.

That, plus I set the vts to a neutral position

Now I'm running around 50-52. That's all I wanted. Thanks for the help troubleshooting!

 

[AdamXP800]

So the rave settings and VTS position gave you a 10 mph difference? No way???

I didn't realize the settings on the raves would affect top speed. When I adjust mine it only changes the power band

 

[sookati]

So the rave settings and VTS position gave you a 10 mph difference? No way???

I didn't realize the settings on the raves would affect top speed. When I adjust mine it only changes the power band

I dunno, I didn't do anything else (other than the water regulator)

 

[kennster]

Spimothy Leary..that hole in the RAVE cap is brilliant...do you have any problems with having a hole in them?..

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I dunno, I didn't do anything else (other than the water regulator)

I might suspect that the water regulator had a lot to do with it.

Spimothy Leary..that hole in the RAVE cap is brilliant...do you have any problems with having a hole in them?..

nope, guys have been doing it for a long time, I just passed it along