Work / kawasaki-jet-ski

Kawasaki 750 SXi rebuild

Film

My dad's nineties Kawasaki 750 SXi. I took the whole machine apart, bought what it needed, and put a 750 cc two-stroke back together over one summer. Only a few dozen of these left in Spain.

Sentimental rebuild. No horsepower figures or parts list on this page.

Role: Mechanical rebuild, mostly solo
Timeframe: Summer 2019
Stack: Kawasaki 750 SXi, 750 cc two-stroke, manuals, new parts
Status: Rebuilt

Problem

My dad bought this Kawasaki 750 SXi in the nineties. He never had a gift for mechanics, and the ski needed real work. It meant a lot to him, and it was sitting there without a plan.

What I Built

I took it on in summer 2019. I read the manuals, disassembled the whole engine and the whole machine, bought new parts, and rebuilt it. Twin-cylinder 750 cc two-stroke. The film is the shop and the bay. The cover is the evening it was back on the water.

Hard Part

Learning the machine from the manuals while it was in pieces. Every hose and fastener had to go back where it belonged, and there was no spare of this ski waiting on a shelf. Very few of these are left in Spain, maybe a few dozen.

Result

It runs. It is still the ski my dad bought, and that is what mattered.

Media

Rai waist-deep in the water at sunset next to a white Kawasaki 750 SXi with pink and purple graphics

Close-up of the open jet ski engine bay with hoses and intake — Open engine bay: intake, hoses, and the casting marked TORQUE.

Close-up of carburetor and fuel lines in the engine bay — Tighter shot of the intake and lines inside the hull.

Top-down view into the open engine bay lit by a work light — Engine bay under a work light, cover off.

Purple and white Kawasaki 750 SXi with open engine bay in a workshop — Ski in the workshop with the hood off and a yellow bucket in the tray.

Silver twin-cylinder engine hanging from a hoist beside the jet ski hull — Engine on a hoist next to the open hull.

Person leaning over the open engine bay with a canvas strap around the engine — Lifting and lining up the engine with a strap.

Person working in the open engine bay of the 750 SXi — Back in the bay during the rebuild.

Person on a mechanic creeper next to the purple and white jet ski on a dolly — On a creeper beside the 750 SXi in the garage.