I’ll be completelyhonest: We at PWI lovethe sporty Ultra 260X. Pound

for pound, thick and thin, love andhate, Kawasaki has built a fantasticmachine for those wanting nothing but pureunadulterated performance. Now don’t get mewrong, we’re not playing favorites here, just merelyexplaining that all of our testing with Kawasaki’s flagship mus-clecraft, thus far, has ended with smiles and eye-twitching adrena-line rushes. However I have to admit that, when first hearing about the2009 introduction of a luxury version of the venerable Ultra platform(in both supercharged and naturally aspirated versions), I was a littlehesitant to jump for joy. How could they possibly tame the breakneckacceleration and hard-hitting kick in the pants of the 260X into a meekand mild-mannered weekend cruiser? Actually, they didn’t need to.

By adding some bolstered seats strongly reminescent of a YamahaFX Cruiser and an aristocratic Metallic Phantom Silver color schemeto the Ultra’s supercharged, 260-horsepower 1.5L motor, Kawasaki hasattempted to bridge the gap between a furiously explosive, 600-plus-horsepower Dodge Viper and plush Lincoln Town Car. In fact, thecruiser seats and paint/graphics are really the only factors separatingthe Ultra 260LX from its 260X sibling – yet they somehow did thetrick. While we’re not saying that Kawasaki has reinvented the wheelwith the new 260LX (or even cornered the market, for that matter),we can confidently say that they’ve made a great, solid introduction tothe cruiser watercraft category. Let’s get down to business.

First off, the Ultra 260LX accelerates and handles identically to the260X – which is definitely a good thing. Out of the hole, you’d betterhang on tight, as the Kawasaki’s 1063 pounds of pure beef will hastilyrocket to just over 68 mph, without even breaking a sweat, in a littleover six seconds. Though the 10-horsepower boost over last year’s250X is considered negligible, any rider will still appreciate the giddylaughter and trembling legs that follow any WFO blast across the lakeor harbor – this puppy is fast. Really fast.

As always, the Ultra main-tains the industry’s best rough-waterhandling characteristics. Even in the mostwind-blown, fear-evoking swells and chop, the faithfulUltra plows through like a hot knife through butter. And,thanks to this year’s addition of more FRP (fiberglass-reinforcedplastic) support in the bow, the Ultra cuts through turns like a craft halfits size.The difference in buoy-to-buoy handling between the 2008 and2009 Ultras is remarkable, to say the least.

Akin to its 260X brother (and unlike the previous 250X), this Kawienjoys railing around the buoys and turning on its nose with confidence;the more throttle you give it, the more it begs to be leaned over andridden hard. Only after thrashing through the choppiest of turns doesthe 155mm jet pump eventually off-load. Another great revision appliedto the 260LX (and likewise to the 260X) was curing the low-speednose-plowing.The floods of cold water rushing our feet in the gunwalesof the 250X at idle speeds was always one of our top pet-peeves, and itis now mostly a thing of the past with the new Ultras – the result isquicker planing, a drier ride and happier riders.

52 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • AUGUST 2009

T E X T B Y J U S T I N S T A N N A R DP H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D A N N Y E V A N S

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AUGUST 2009 • watercraft.com 53

What We Like• Outstanding control in rough

water and turns• Comfortable cruiser seats fit

riders of all heights• Beaucoup horsepower

What We Don’t• Dreadful gas mileage• Gauges could benefit from

a redesign• Lack of “luxury” options

The windswept curves and classy colors of the Ultra 260LXhad us constantly wiping the drool from our lower lips. But,260 horsepower and rough-water domination will do it, too.

PWI art director Colin Ignacio definitely enjoyedriding the Ultra 260LX – or maybe it was just

the cute brunette clinging to his waist.

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Speaking of happier riders, we are glad that Kawasaki put some top-notch research anddevelopment into their new cruiser seats. Unlike Yamaha’s Cruisers, which apparently weredesigned only for people under 5-foot-8, Kawasaki’s cruiser seats feel just right for riders ofall sizes. For my 6-foot-1 height, the seat-back was supportive, comfortable, and kept me inplace during hard acceleration and tight corners – without feeling like I was driving acramped Smart car.The bolstered seats were even compatible with more aggressive stand-ing postures in rougher water, never hindering my body movements or footing. Our onlycomplaint about the seat is that the padding may need to be a bit thicker. While ridingseated across even small-time chop, the seat frequently bottomed out under my 195-poundbum, which was definitely a bit uncomfortable after the first five minutes of hitting hardplastic every bump.

Also, the 260LX still scuffs up the insides of riders’ calves while riding standing up. Forsome reason, the chrome trim of the rear seat sticks out just a little too far, and quicklycauses bruising and chafing while riding hard for some riders; on the other hand, manyothers will likely never notice this.The bolstered seat – and really nothing else – top off theUltra 260LX’s tangible differences and set it apart from its feral 260X partner.

As far as ergonomics are concerned, the 260LX is identical to the 260X in every way.The five-way tilt steering is still a great advantage for all riders, feeling solid and tight, andthe reverse lever is easily accessible on the left side of the fairing.The glove box latch is easyto manipulate, and the front storage hatch is a breeze to open and close while adrift. Unfor-tunately, as PWI editor Kevin Shaw pointed out in May 2009’s Building A Better Brute, “TheUltra 260X’s gauges continue to be its weakest feature,” and the same rings true with the260LX.The dual-gauge instrument cluster is very simple to operate, but its figures are a bitdifficult to read while riding – due to both the gauge design and their propensity for glare.Aside from that, the LX cockpit is well-thoughtout, intuitive and easy to navigate. However,we really feel that the 260LX fell short when compared to the competition’s luxury run-abouts. We would like to see Kawasaki offer Cruise Assist, No-Wake mode, and mayberetractable mooring cleats (among other goodies) in a supposed “luxury” model. But, keepin mind, the 260LX goes for just $12,299 – only about $300 more than the 260X – thus werealistically can’t expect all the bells and whistles just yet.

Riding the 2009 Ultra 260LX through the harbor and ocean swells in and around SanPedro, California, we got the feeling that the LX really wasn’t the cruiser we thought it’d be –and we mean that in a good way. Kawasaki didn’t merely clamber aboard Yamaha and Sea-Doo’s “cruiser bandwagon” with attempts to make their own high-end cruiser with comfyseats. Instead, they decided to offer a solid, comfortable, extremely fast personal watercraft

that can take the wife and kid out for a pleasant cruise in the lagoon, then open upfor some action-packed, white-knuckle excitement when itching for a

testosterone-induced adrenaline fix.The Ultra 260LX may not haveall the bells and whistles of its high-end competitors, but we

don’t think Kawasaki was ready for that – at least not yet.Instead, they’ve developed a comfortable, cruising-

friendly alternative to their already wildly suc-cessful and uber-potent Ultra 260 line.

And, in our opinion, they passedwith flying colors. PWI

54 PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ILLUSTRATED • AUGUST 2009

2009 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 260LXLLiisstt PPrriiccee:: ..................................................................$12,299CCuurrbb WWeeiigghhtt:: .......................................................1062.6 lbs.LLeennggtthh:: .....................................................................132.7 in.WWiiddtthh:: ............................................................................47 in.HHeeiigghhtt:: ........................................................................45.3 in.EEnnggiinnee:: ..Roots-style supercharged inline four-cylinder,

four-stroke, DOHC w/ four valves per cylinderHHoorrsseeppoowweerr:: ..............................................................260 hp00--ttoo--6600:: ..............................................................6.6 secondsGGaarrmmiinn GGPPSS mmaaxx ssppeeeedd:: ......................................68.1 mph

These bolstered cruiser seats, while very similar toYamaha’s Cruiser line, are far more comfortable for the tallerriders and don’t interfere with aggressive riding styles.

The 260LX shares the same new high-compression pistons,camshafts, timing, and rerouted cooling as its Ultra 260Xbrother. These modifications, coupled with 8.4:1 compression,11.4-lbs. of boost, and large 1.5-liter block deliver a blistering260 horsepower and 1585 pounds of thrust.

(Left) Kawasaki’s five-position adjustablesteering makes it easy for cruisers andracers alike to easily adjust to changingriding conditions.

While it may not have reinvented the luxurywatercraft, the Ultra 260LX sure has reached ahappy, guilt-free compromise between loads ofhorsepower and over-the-top luxury.

SPECIFICATIONS

Special thanks to KawasakiMotor Corporation, Slippery,and GoPro Digital Cameras

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