Rotax 1630 ace - 300 engine for sale

I am among a posse of 15 or so journalists from Japan to Russia — and Down Under — invited by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) to Nashville, Tennessee. We are the first people in the world to test drive the new 300hp Rotax 1630 ACE engine on a fleet of funky 2016 Sea-Doo watercraft.

A semi trailer unloads the Sea-Doos on the steep banks of the Cumberland River. Suitably attired, I scurry down to the waterfront to pick my ride. It’s a 2016 GTX Limited, in the new jet-black metallic and deep pewter livery, with the willing 300hp engine under the bonnet.

We’re about to head 20km up river and, after 27 hours travel to Nashville, the GTX Limited from the Luxury family, with its forgiving seat, extra kit and comforts, makes perfect sense. From premium economy to first class.

I straddle the plush new Ergolock seat, connect the safety lanyard to my vest, wrap my fingers around the trick handlebars with new palm-rest grips, lock my legs into the sculptured upholstered foam, depress the red ignition button, and choose my mode on the LCD screen. Forget Eco, let’s make it Sport all the way. After all, is fuel ever a concern in America?

The new 1.6-litre 300hp Rotax 1630 ACE bursts into life, but with a refined rather than unruly purr. This is the most powerful engine ever fitted to a Sea-Doo and it’s at our beck and call for a weekend of riding at the 2016 Sea-Doo 'Next Level' Press Event in the cowboy capital of Nashville. Yee-ha!

Sure, we did cheese burgers at Sam’s Sports Grill on the waterfront, sped past bluegills and bass, dodged ducks, trolled the country music bars and came home with a hat. But it’s the hot ride that we’ve winged it all this way for. Now, finally, the moment has arrived...

Excitedly, I depress the trigger and dial-up a 40mph (65kmh) cruise for our run up the iconic Cumberland River to a lock. From here, we’re lifted some 20 metres skywards, before the gates open and we spill into Old Hickory Lake.

From the word get-go, hole shot is instant. However, it's the mid-range torque that speaks volumes for the new 300hp re-stroked Rotax ACE. I duck and weave through the pack, drop back and test ride through the chop, then explode forward along the riverbank to find some unbroken water. Make a decision where you want to be, squeeze the trigger and the 300s propel you there in no time.

This is how our Day One test unfolded, with bursts of fast and slow speed and some swap rides. We stop at a steamship and I jump ship to the popular RXT-X 30 ($23,499 from Australian dealers 12/12/2015) from Sea-Doo’s 2016 Performance range. A collective show of thumbs up and we resume the upriver assault, passing bass boats, a Silverton aft-cabin cruiser, and tree-lined vistas that meld into one long blur. A black cow on the riverbank startles, so we slow down and use the opportunity to play 'ski' hopscotch again.

This time, quite by design, I dive aboard the RXP-X 300 ($21,7990 from Australia dealers 12/12/2015) for the impending run home. After all, there is no better Sea-Doo hull on open water. The lock is a novelty, then the gates open to the lake, a perfectly all-American recreational waterway with lush green hills, tall trees, upmarket abodes and a drive-up bar and grill.

Within seconds, the eyes are watering, the jowls are flapping a la Hooch, as spray turns into a facial scrub. I rip my Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 around like I stole it. Then We refuel watercraft and riders. Americans are such good hosts.

Of the three 2016 300hp models, this race-bred Sea-Doo RXP is the raison d’etre for the new high-powered engine. It's a powerful and convincing combo. But there's more to it than just horsepower.

THE VERDICT ON THE 300HP SEA-DOOS?
A combination of power and control
Long answer short: the most powerful Rotax engine ever is a blast. There’s snappier acceleration to get your adrenalin flowing. In a straight line, the 2016 models deliver the same regulated top speeds of 68-72mph (110-115km/h) at around 7500-8000rpm WOT. But it’s about getting there in less time.

Indeed, the 300hp Rotax 1630 ACE is designed to sate the needs of race enthusiasts who want to power around the buoys and out of the bends. At the same time, there’s greater control for keen recreational riders knocking on the performance door.

Ergolock seats are now a feature of all 2016 RXT and GTX models, while the second-generation iBR (intelligent Brake & Reverse) system has been launched with greater effect and less downward bow dive. Storage has been boosted, new colours are available, and there are more accessories than ever to pimp your Sea-Doo.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE ROTAX 1630 ACE
Nine per cent more displacement, 15 per cent more power, and engineering mods
The new 1.6-litre 300hp Rotax 1630 ACE boasts 15 per cent more horsepower than the 260hp Rotax ACE 1503 model it usurps, which we tested on the RXP-X 260 back in 2012.

The extra 15 per cent power is derived from nine per cent increased capacity using a longer stroke, but also greater supercharging, friction-reducing technology, and vastly improved cooling.

A Rotax team in Gunskirchen, Austria developed the new plasma coating technology for the aluminium block. The thermal-spraying process deposits a protective coating on the engine-cylinder liners. The resulting metallic layer provides a rock-hard, durable surface to withstand piston friction forces, allowing for lighter and more compact engines.

The re-engineered cooling system includes an additional heat exchanger and larger, more efficient engine oil cooler, while a re-designed, virtually maintenance-free, supercharger with a faster spinning 32-blade wheel (double the blades of the previous version) produces 30 per cent more intake boost to feed the larger engine more air.

A new larger intercooler increases the airflow, as new ignition curves and larger fuel injectors add to the suite of upgrades to create that 15 per cent increase in horsepower.

POWER AND CONTROL
Ergonomic and braking breakthroughs
BRP will tell you, as it did us from the outset, it’s new 300hp Sea-Doos are all about speed and control. They all feature the second-generation iBR braking system that allows you to stop almost 50m sooner than deceleration without braking, based on Sea-Doo’s own testing. The improved braking system features a stronger gear-drive motor and larger, re-engineered brake gate for the bigger high-flow engine.

The redirected waterflow, to the sides and back aft rather than just straight down, means the braked craft remain horizontal and don’t unduly nose dive. We should also mention, as the new engines have boosted waterflow with a lot of ‘suck’, you need to keep out of water less than a metre deep (a basic rule now even more critical).

Meantime, top speeds are governed for the global market, but acceleration really has gone to next level. There’s 1G of G Force from a standing start when you ‘floor’ the trigger. That moment, albeit brief, provides a sense of lasting exhilaration.

The Ergolock seating allows you to lean further into the corners, using your big thigh and leg muscles rather than arms to connect with the craft, reducing turning effort and keeping you glued in the saddle.

The new grips with palm rests are really very nice, especially when standing and leaning on the handlebars, which are adjustable on most models.

SPARKED THE MARKET
Now for the transformation of the performance market
As with the Spark that we tested over three days, the new 300hp Sea-Doo will be transformative.

The big deal is the delivery of the increased power. It’s not unruly, ungoverned, corrupted and nor is it elite. This is off-the-shelf horsepower to enthuse and enliven the everyday rider aboard the GTX Limited and the RXT-300, as much as the performance guy on the RXP-300.

Tellingly, not one journalist at the world launch came a cropper. Although one rider did start his Sea-Doo ashore. Sucking up a riverbed of pebbles, he destroyed the impeller in a nanosecond.

After cheeseburgers and fries at Sam’s Sports Grill on the waterfront, and dinner later that night, we all went home with a pebble from Cumberland River as a memento. This new 300hp Rotax ACE 1630 engine, the most powerful ever in a Sea-Doo, leaves lasting impressions, too. And I bought a Stetson hat.

STOP PRESS: BRP Australia will receive the first shipment of the production-made 2016 Sea-Doos in the world (we tested all prototypes) in mid-December 2015. BRP is creating a pre-order tool on its website where you can place a deposit to secure access to the initial shipment of a limited number of craft. Check the website for details at http://www.brp.com/en-au/vehicles/sea-doo-watercraft. Price as tested landed in Australia 12/12/2015: RXT-X $23,499. Price as tested landed in Australia 12/12/2015: RXP-X $21,799.

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