2019 Yamaha WaveRunner EXR review
You don’t need to be rich to have a blast on the water this summerYamaha has given its pint-sized, budget-priced WaveRunner EX a big performance boost.
The all-new Yamaha WaveRunner EXR is powered by the same 1049cc three-cylinder engine from the rest of the EX range, but it gets a power boost from 101ps to 110ps (71kW to 81kW). This comes from engine calibration changes and a higher rev limit, raised from 7300 to 8000rpm.
A jet pump extension and an added foil on the intake grate are designed to provide quicker throttle response.
>> 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner FX SVHO review
The 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner EXR also gains a lighter NanoXcel2 hull that brings the overall weight of the craft down from 272kg to 240kg for an improved power-to-weight ratio.
By comparison, the Sea-Doo Spark has 86ps (63kW) of power and weighs 199kg.
Priced from $12,299 – plus about $2000 for trailer and rego – the EXR is Yamaha’s cheapest ticket to its performance range.
>> 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner FX price and specifications guide
The regular Yamaha WaveRunner EX ($8499 plus trailer and rego) and EX Sport ($10,299 plus trailer and rego) are still available as part of the 2019 line-up.
On the water
It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden such a small PWC but once I got on the 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner EXR I didn’t want to hand it back.
At first it feels like strapping yourself onto a whipper snipper that can float. After a while, you soon realise how much control is at your fingertips and how easy the WaveRunner EXR is to manoeuvre.
Bang for bucks, the Yamaha WaveRunner EXR is serious fun. Fortunately, it’s reasonably harmless when you fall off at low speeds, which you will inevitably do as your bravado increases and you challenge yourself to take tighter and tighter turns and unintentionally dip a knee into the water. And then an elbow.
Eventually you’ll end up in the drink. Like I did. And you’ll be laughing in the process.
Helpfully, the EXR is small enough to flip over and then clamber back onboard.
It’s clearly no match for the Yamaha FX range or its big brother, the new GP1800R, but this is a great entry into the sport with a really fun craft.
It’s the Bobcat of the water, extremely chuckable and can do almost anything you ask of it. Until, of course, the laws of physics take over.
If you want to get wet when riding your PWC over summer, and want to go home with a sunburnt grin etched into your face, the 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner EXR is a pretty good place to start.
- Nimble and fun
- Easy to operate
- Loves to rev
- Won’t break the bank
- There is a limit to its abilities
- Fuel filler is outside, on the nose
- Small 50L fuel tank limits play time
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