A long time ago, in a country far, far away (Mexico), I boarded a PWC and hit the waves with my little brother and father on their own PWC. I had ridden these machines before and felt comfortable doing all the sort of hot-boi shit you do when you're 18 to 19 years old.
There were full-throttle blasts, tight turns, and some hot doggin' that you can only get away with when you're in your late teens to early twenties. That said, at one point, I decided to jump a wake that was created by a mid-size cruise ship. It was, and still is, very dumb. Yet, I escaped injury and humiliation by landing hard but not capsizing the whole thing. My dad and brother, however, weren't so lucky.
Apparently, my dad told my brother "If Jonathon can do it, we can too." That's a terrible motto to live by, as I make incredibly questionable decisions and continue to do so. Why am I telling you this story, you ask? Because Kawasaki has an all-new stand-up Jet Ski model, and even I think it'd be a bad idea to hand me the keys to it.
Seriously, I'd probably die.
The 2026 Kawasaki Jet Ski SX-X 160 looks as if you crossed a mountain snowmobile with a two-stroke dirt bike meant for Supercross. It's sleek, low-slung, and ready to rip your freakin' head off. Centered around a compact hull designed for hellacious cornering, the SX-X 160 features a fixed handlebar which allows riders to stay in control of the PWC without issue, and give them a more upright, motocross/snowmobile feel while standing up.
As for specs, Kawasaki hasn't yet released anything in full, but based on the last generation SX-R 160, the new SX-X 160 will likely use the same 1,498cc 4-stroke engine as the previous model given its nomenclature. Propulsion is handled by a 148mm jet pump, and a 3-blade, oval-edge stainless steel impeller. That engine also features a semi-dry lump system for better oil circulation.
The only real difference between the two, until we get more information from Kawasaki, is that the SX-X 160 has the fixed handlebars instead of the old school moveable ones you're likely familiar with if you ever played the OG Nintendo 64 game "Wave Race." I miss that game.
As for price, both availability and price are being held close to the vest by Kawasaki, with the company stating it would make both known at a future date. Likely closer to its on-sale date. However, the old SX-R 160 set customers back around $12,500 at the time of writing, before the $500 incentive the company is currently offering. I wouldn't be too surprised if that pricing remains relatively similar, plus or minus $500 to $1,000.
But what do you all think? Are you ready to rip the waves with Kawasaki's new Jet Ski? Or, like me, are you too afraid you're going to get hyped up and hot boi and send yourself to Davey Jones' locker?
