The Yamaha FZ / FZR’s came out in 2009 and as with all PW’s the need for speed by the customer becomes great, so now’s a good time to start thinking about modifying them by making them go faster and handling better. As I’ve now been installing a variety of parts to these machines over the past two years I’ve got a very good idea of what works and what doesn’t. What I’m going to do in this article is rather than listing a whole load of parts, I decided to put a kit together - the best performance package all in one.

Words and pictures: Nick Dyer.

As with all 4 stroke engines, one of the main ways of getting extra performance is by getting lots of cold air into the engine...so first things first, lets look at performance parts which will give us lots and lots of cold air.

The Riva Power Filter Kit replaces the restrictive standard air box and also provides a nice clean flow of air through a 4” composite tube. The filter is a huge K&N affair that also comes with a water repellent pre-filter. This is a fairly easy kit to fit with a small amount of mechanical knowledge and comes with some very good instructions. £279.00

Next up is the Intake Manifold Upgrade Kit. This little beauty is an inexpensive modification that you can make to your FZ. Inside your intake manifold is a small mesh element, which is quite restrictive when trying to ram as much cold air into the engine that is physically possible, so by removing the mesh you can increase the pressure of air by 1lb. Now this may not sound much but lb for £ this is a great modification. The kit is a billet tapered sleeve which fits directly into the hole that is left behind when removing the mesh element. In test it was found that the ECU will compensate for the additional boost. £34.00

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Think of your wetsuit as having a life of its own. Care for it lovingly and it will look after you in return – for many years to come. Jez Crook

1 Putting on your wetsuit. Make sure the fl oor surface you are standing on isn’t rocky and dirty, you can now buy ready made changing mats, it won’t take long to scuff the wetsuit material and quickly, open tears will appear. If you’ve got a back zipper and there’s somebody handy, ask them to zip it up for you, if the zip isn’t pulled up directly vertically it can put strain on the bottom where the zip is stitched and then it tears (see above).

2 Be careful when putting your wetsuit on if you are wearing jewellery, neoprene easily snags and tears if caught on sharp edges.

3 A common problem with wetsuits is that if they aren’t kept clean or dare I say it, you pee in it, they tend to smell really bad, now we’re not saying you have to clean your wetsuit after every outing but it is a good idea to wash it, say every 5 times you use it. If you ski in the sea, it’s really important to rinse it out with fresh water after every use, salt water is a wetsuit’s worst enemy, it eats into the neoprene and will quickly corrode the zip.

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Every issue we bring you a new cruising venue and this month we go to SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

With seven glorious miles of seafront, the longest pleasure pier in the world and a host of exciting events and festivals all year, it’s no wonder Southend-on-Sea is the perfect cruising venue for skiers. You’ll find all the traditional seaside pleasures as well as loads of different watersports, theme park thrills, top shopping, thriving arts and culture, dazzling night-life and a feast of seafood restuarants.

There’s more than 300 great places to eat, and quality accommodation from luxury hotels to guest houses and bed and breakfast and all just an hour from London.From tea and cream cakes in one of the tearoom’s and traditional fi sh & chips to the fine dining delights of one of the popular restaurants there is a variety of cuisine to suit all tastes and budgets.

And don’t forget the local Rossi’s ice cream.

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Are you a full throttle junkie? You’ve always loved your Yamaha and you don’t want to discard your favorite machine but you want more power? Riva Racing might have the solution. The famous American tuning house is now proposing its Stage 3 kit for the SHO. It promises to efficiently boost the Japanese machine to attain breathtaking speeds… And according to Karim Nemabouchi it works!

As soon as the new 1812 cm3 Yamaha engine block with compressor appeared, tuning companies raced to find more power. The objective was clear - optimising the performance of the engine block would have real potential. Its Japanese creator delivers the stock engine in a configuration that limits the possibilities. Producing 220CV, its four cylinders with its compressor could easily attain the mythical 350CV or possibly even more. But to reach the potential, the modifications would be huge though. There are numerous sensors installed to limit the machine and it has always been difficult to bypass them. Now this has been achieved. Riva Racing, with its experience, has worked for weeks on the improvement of its latest high performance kit for the SHO.
Result: The Stage 3 is born!

To read more pick up your November/December issue of Jet Skier & PW or subscribe here