First Ride On The Rare 1970's Jet Powered Water Bike (I Destroyed It) 

"It broke for whatever reason." It broke because You start all your water stuff too close to the shore in too shallow of water

This brings back memories. We had one of these in my teen years - my brother and I were experts. We could do incredible spinning tricks. We also pulled a water skier behind it with two kids on the Wet Bike! Great times.

These things were a blast to ride once you figured it out. We had several of them over the years of production. I even had an oportunity to ride one that had a larger 3 cylinder powerhead in it. Was supposed to be good for over 120hp. The powerhead was so large that all of the flotation had to be removed from the engine compartment… so, if you took on water, it would sink like a rock. Good friend of mine from Kosciusko, MS… Bruce Doty, actually one the national championship the one year they had sanctioned racing for WetBilkes. I have video and pictures of the races… somewhere. I covered the races for a popular PWC magazine (…the name escapes me at the moment) from back in the day. WetBike used to have these really cool print ads with Mario Andretti riding one.

sucked up a rock when you got on in the shallow

Wow ! That reminds me of the time a gear broke apart in my dirt bike while I was riding. It punched a hole right through the engine case. I replaced the broken gear & put window screening over the hole & added bondo body filler over the screening. It worked, really well, no leaks, whatsoever.

Glad you were able to find parts for the Wetbike. Looks like a fun machine.

Love your channel! I am 64 and started out with a brand new Yamaha DT 90, went to a DT 125 then DT 360; my last Yamaha was a new 1976 IT 400. I also had jet skis. It will help you tremendously if, when you evolve from kneeling, to standing, you plant one foot at the front of the tray as forward as possible. Place your other foot some distance apart..this will help you plane out the ski, and you won't be bouncing with your nose continually pointing towards the sky.

in regards to the kawasaki jet ski... you have to get your weight more forward in order to stop it from porpoising like mad. a slight body weight adjustment, like a step further forward on the machine and she should rip across the water flatter

Joe - again, your patience is outstanding. When you took the jet ski out and kept coming off, I half-expected it to turn turtle and sink to the bottom of the lake! Anyhow, great result, glad you’re not punching the wall!

Wow. I can't believe you found parts for it so quickly let alone at all

You should get in touch with the Cboys and maybe sell them some of the machines you fix. They love these types of stuff and they rip em.

Trying to start the wetbike (or seadoo's) while the pump or intake grate is sitting on the bottom of a lake or river with sand and rocks is absolutely a cause for disaster and about guarantee what caused your issue! You sucked up a rock and the impeller slung it through the side. Never start a jet drive unit in less than 3-4 ft of water from the bottom of the intake grate. Hopefully you see this and don't make this mistake again with the bike or jetski and any future jet powered PWC you get.

@2vintage It’s missing the intake grate it most likely sucked up a rock from the bottom that’s why he said to start it in deep water so the impeller doesn’t suck anything up from the bottom. I have 3 jetskis and ran one without the intake grate because it was broken ended up replacing the jet pump because I ended up beaching it while it was running.

Holy cow Joe, you must spend $1,000 a month on batteries alone lol

Out in open water you can mount these things very easy. Apply throttle while you kinda drag along side, turning in a circle to the right. As it picks up a bit of speed it will stabilize then pull yourself up onto it. Takes a bit of practice, but is very easy when you get used to doing it. As others have said, keep your weight forward, especially on take-off. Best way to steer is by counter steering and leaning to the inside. You can knee drag just like on street bike. Tons of fun but they can go through a lot of fuel in a hurry. Enjoy!

Reading the title I was curious Joe, man that's a pretty amazing thing have had happen. I bet someone's got one for you, it looked SUPER fun to ride!!

the impeller is probably the water pump for the engine so when the side broke out it stoped flowing water in the engine and as a result it got hot.

Great video. The reason the ski bounces up and down when you're riding it, know as porpoising, is that your weight is too far back on the ski. You need to keep your weight more towards the front and also stagger your stance like you're riding a surfboard with one foot forward and one foot back. Watch some videos of people racing these stand up skis and you'll see what I'm talking about. Once you get your stance and weight distributed correctly you'll have a lot more fun riding it. Keep going it takes a lot of practice to get good on one of these things but it is worth it, nothing is more fun than shredding on a ski.

My friend had a new one in the 80s. It was so hard to ride and if a little wave hit the front, it would throw you over the handle bars. That really hurt your legs too. Also it didn’t run very good. Somebody was always working on it. When you fall off in the middle of the lake and it goes over, it’s game over for sure. It made a nice planter box in the yard! If you would ride the jet ski on your knees with the handle bars down, you would get a better ride until you learn how to ride it. You can’t ride it with all your weight at the back.

Good luck finding a pump for that thing. That cast aluminum is tricky to weld

Saw allot of comments on the wetbike lower being made of aluminum but if memory serves me correctly it is made of magnesium, an easy way to check is file the case just long enough to get some fillings, then get a propane torch then sprinkle the fillings slowly into the flame and if they spark it's magnesium if not it's aluminum.

Great Video, a little tinkering with the engine, then out for a ride. I foresee Weber Water World - opening soon on Lake Winnebago

Had a Wet Bike for years, many memories! Even bought expansion chamber exhaust pipe

Sadly.. you ran it in to shallow of water. You sucked in a rock and it blew out the side of the housing. Those things have to be in VERY deep water at all times when running.

Very nice! Pre-curser to the modern day jet ski. That was so cool and futuristic looking back in the 70"s that the Producers of James Bond put it in the Spy Who Loved Me.

You’re one of the best channels out there for power sports content. New toy Everyday. Lol😅👍👍👍🇨🇦🇨🇦

If u move your body weight closer to the bars or even 1 foot it will stop jumping and be some what smother ride just gotta play around with it FYI obviously I'm talking about the stand up ski. Great video Joe!!!!

You get some great bargains over there. Well done. Aluminium castings aren't the easiest to tig but its worth a try. You need a new impeller though.

that is a really nice, survivor wetbike. Deserves a good home for sure.

Your father is a saint. He was in way deeper in the water than you were - for THAT I would have insisted to my son that I had the first ride.

Gotta adjust the trim on the stand up or it's just gonna keep porpoising like that.

When cleaning those needle seats I cut the Qtips in half and put them in the drill chuck and use a little Mother’s metal polish and really clean them.

Glad you are yoloing the money. Thanks for sharing the experience.

I owned a pair of these about 20 yrs ago….i used to love watching my over confident friends hop on them and think they can ride them just to see them get flung 25’ over the handlebars😂😂😂😂 good times

I owned one for ten years, new impeller ring, had to reweld a tooth on the starter ring, fuel pump diaphragm kept splitting, eventually sold it to a 15yr old kid who was starting a watercraft collection..Ive still got the old impeller ring, it has been repaired with body filler. The body is also used to make a snowmobile.

Hope you get the part you need love all your videos.All the best to you all.

First saw one of those contraptions in a police academy movie, haven't seen one since.

Joe, on the stand up... Take a take a step forward with either foot (kinda like a skateboard but facing forward) and put weight on the front of the footwell tray... It "should" stop porpoising and plane out. My son and I love your vids and watch them all the time. We live in the area (Black Creek) and hope to meet up with ya some day. Salut!

WetSki sucked up a stone I’ll bet! Good catch on jet ski.

Hi, I also think the pump intake was close to the bottom of the lake when you got on it and sucked something up then impeller just fired it the side of the housing.. next time get to deeper water,, keep up the entertaining videos,,.

The best way to get on is to stand on the back ski, then grab the handles on either side of the gas tank and pull yourself up onto the seat. The one that I had, had a deadmans throttle, as well as the killswitch lanyard.

Also like your content.you do a great job.reminds me of myself.keep up the good work!!

your a very brave man to try to ride this thing yet alone buy it.

I'm thinking there was something in by the prop/intake and it blew out the side. Maybe when you were in the mud.

Must have been interesting to see how Roger Moore managed to get one up on a plane in a tuxedo as 007.

Great project, a classic.

Always enjoy your videos 👍🏻🇬🇧

that second thing you were riding again (the purple thing) seems incredibly frustrating to ride LoL, but it's certainly entertaining to watch!

Impros can rebuild that impeller and you can take the lower unit off and take it to a shop and get that tig welded. Might be just cheaper to get a used lower unit.

Don't know if you are aware of the aluminium welding rod ,type new fangled things that are available. Will Try and find correct term ,if you're interested. Seen em tested for strength, and they seem pretty good. I believe you use them the same way you braze . Anyway ,to save cost , you could get cutting disc on grinder , make straight lines. Then take measurements , of material needed. And use these aluminium brazing rods. To repair hole. Would be cheaper than buying new part , and it failing elsewhere !!

I worked in a store that sold PWC, and the most common problem was people sucking rocks up thru the jet pump. The cause is people starting the units up in to shallow of water. The owners manuals states to not start and run in water less than three feet, I always told people not less than four feet. Lesson learned.

if you ever get the wet bike going again. the key to getting in one is too stand with both legs on each side of rear foil, facing forward and jump up onto the seat from behind, like your running up behind a horse and jumping on. Takes some practice

I always check the gap on new plugs. Maybe you did and just didn’t show it on the video.

You can’t start anything jet powered in shallow water. Sucked up a rock.

Very 😊interesting and I love it I just think you should put some foam or something over that microphone make it so much better

You have done well on the Jetski, like a fish to water. When standing up, put one foot as far forward and the other foot at the rear with your top half leaning over the handlebars slightly. This will give your more balance, easier to ride and should stop the ski from porpoising (bouncing up and down). Good luck and enjoy it.

When you did the first video on that bike and you started it in the driveway you could hear something in that lower unit me and my wife watch your videos together and I said to her that lower unit sounded weird when you started it crazy thing to happen something's definitely loose 💯💯💪

I almost bought a wet bike back in the early 90s. Also knew a guy that had one, but it always seemed to be broken down. They’re very high maintenance, and not easy to ride at first if you’ve never ridden one. But definitely very unique out on the water. Most are probably either in the junk pile or rotting away in a garage somewhere.

I worked for a wetbike dealer in Charleston back in 86 we got to ride them at boat shows for demos,, they were tons of fun. but after riding a jetski it is very apparent why they never got too popular way too hard for most people to take off

I think the *bent* aluminum plate on the bottom is causing the porpoising. It doesn't take much to drastically change this. I don't think it came with that, so removing it might be even better.

JB Weld for the win!

A rock went up the intake. The lower unit will drop out easily with the removal of 8 or ten nuts underneath. Try to find the rubber gasket with the lower unit . Also look for a jet scoop that mounts on the intake and will prevent large damaging debris from entering. When you get it running take it in deep enough water by the shore and practice mounting the ski from the rear. Put both feet on rear ski one on each side of the jet, when you start to stand the back the bike will sink down and you can scoot up the seat. Practice until you have it down pat. Another option on the hole is to bring it to a reputable welding shop as they very well can patch it. If memory serves me correctly the lower is made from magnesium which can be repaired. A prop shop would be able to repair your impeller. When ever you get ready to ride get into the habbit of feeling the intake for obstructions. I have found rocks sometimes on my jet scoop before I went riding, they would get stuck in the fins of the scoop. And don't forget to drill small holes in the seat latch studs to install hairpins in them to keep to seat on. The seat has a tendency to come of during high speed crashes or high sides. Hop you get it repaired on get to ride as they are a blast. Sorry for the novel length comment, have fun and stay safe :)

I worked on jet skis and they are really expensive to fix . The impellers are the most on cost and usually the first thing to get messed up.

When i drove one it wasn't that hard, you had a balance really good, It's sort of was like a snowmobile for the water with the exception of being able to turn sharp. It was a blast except in rough water

That shiny red silicone on there makes me think it was recently a part and it might have been a poor repair

To ride a stand up jet ski you have to ride it like a skateboard. One foot up and one back. Its all about your center of gravity. You were riding with both feet back causing porposing, meaning the front end bounces. Takes practice.

I thought that it sounded like it was cavitating, good like finding parts for that thing, if you ride around checking old marinas, boat yards and maybe people's backyard you probably can find one they definitely are still out there good luck brother

every things always GOOD TO GO! JOES FAMOUS LAST WORDS!!!!

“Allow myself to introduce….myself…the name is Bond, Joe Bond”😉

Damn shame but beautiful few minutes half a decade on.. great stuff, cheers, and hopefully it will be restored to its full glory once again.

When your riding you want to keep it from porpoising. If it starts doing that lean forward,even putting your chest against the pad. It’s also good to ride on your knees to get the feel of turning. You can hall as & turn sideways & you’ll slide sideways,wait till the water gets back in your inpropeller then take off. The main thing is stand like your on a surfboard. That way you can shift your weight to the front when you need it into the rear when you need it.

Looks like that Kawasaki kicks,happy for you and great that you found the problem,cheers.

I heard the damage when you started it by shore and you just kept going 😂😂😂

You started off with it in too shallow of water, most likely sucked up a rock. When I was a kid my neighbor had two of those and did the exact same thing. He started off in shallow water, jet pump sucked up a rock and blew out the housing.

On the kawai 750. Those wires that are twisted up going into the grey box could cause issue with performance or intermittent starting problems. Those wire come from the kill switch start switch and i think the stator. Take those loose and put some sort of lube on the wire grommet that the wires pass thru and this will help. The plastic nut is sticking to the grommet causing it to twist up..

I'd try finding Suzuki jet ski that takes the same kind of jet pump set-up as your wetbike to use on yours. There's A place on the RU-vid channel down in Florida that sales jet skis.,boats.,an parts for them to. I believe it's in pompano beach, Florida Joe.

I've seen these before but I've never seen them being used before can't wait

Trying to drive a 1970s Oldsmobile like a 2023 Mustang. Get some flex tape :)

Definitely a lot harder to ride than it looks, I would have definitely been disappointed if I had bought one, and found that out.👍

I remember riding one of those wet bikes when they were new and there’s many reasons they don’t make them today. they were difficult to ride, hard to get on a plane, handled horribly, and forget about any free styling in the ocean surf. In 1979, a Kawasaki Jet-Ski standup (The OG) would have been a much wiser choice than one of these gimmicks.

I had one of these...when you wipeout it isn't no joke!!! You can get really hurt on them if not careful!!

I know you're great at checking compression, what about gaping spark plugs? Curious What you say Joe ?, Make a template Joe with aluminum casing metal off an old lawnmower or something from junkyard and then jb weld to the side and file out and smooth the propeller, just suggestions Bummer, things happen, but I believe Joe can fix it.

Forgot to add using a drill with that qtip

Perfect video.

Nice eude. I said it once and ill say it again. Ypur killin it. Be awesome fpr u to get sone froend together and get all ur retro rides on the water at once.

Make sure it's getting water to engine, it'll over heat and done. Check fresh water pump

Make sure the bottom intake (under the rear ski) has the water intake grate. I had 2 of these and 1 didnt have 1 and it kept stalling after about 10 minutes because it wasnt scooping water...

Can cast aluminum be braised? There is some type of rod at Harbor Freight for welding aluminum. This should be repairable and that's a cool old ski. I think that had frozen/broken before you purchased it. Possibly that's why it was for sale.

right on man, nice skis

Joe I always give you a thumbs-up because number one I know videos are a pain in the butt to make and the fact of all the effort into getting the stuff to make videos. Back in the day we used to see a lot of those out on the lake but then again that Lake water was almost crystal clear with no weeds and I can tell you if you have a problem with your impeller you have a problem with your water pump and if you get those Motors hot no two strokes run good when they're hot to me it sounds like you have multiple problems like water pump problems or Impeller problems and also your carbs in that whole fuel system is probably garbage and needs to be flushed. When you clean the carburetors you saw how bad the Jets were clogged, immediately I would have flushed the whole system a few times before even thinking about going out on the water. I hope you do get it going right so you can have a ton of fun. One thing for sure Joe your always finding unique stuff! You know kind of like the one that sitting out in the middle of the farm field probably the most expensive toy you've ever bought. Many blessings to you and your family. You already know I'm going to give you crap about that thing sitting out in the field for as long as it has if I ever pulled something like that my wife would have killed me.

I wonder if anyone will do a carbon fiber electric version of that thing if you can get the weight down and power up it could get out of the water on its own easier

It looks like ya need a fixin. Old parts have reached there end.

You do know that you can add that lead acid to them also right joe if it's just not charging all the way. By using A bigger rubber hose for the end on the battery on the fill spout spot ports.

Joe, sell all your wet rides and wave runners and buy a brand new Sea Doo Fish Pro Go Rider things are built fantastically and amazing speed, and don't think it'll tip as much and its a three seater so can take yours sweetie and Vinny if he's up to it, lol.😊

good job on both machines man good video to

You have to have an airbox on a two-stroke engine as well with a filter or runs lean

man there were so cool things in the 70s and 80s

Fiberglass repair could be an option. Or the aluminium torch welding rod. build up slowly till filled in . If a replacement is unattainium.

That kawasaki is almost like a sort of pro ski it's a bucking bronko good luck trying to trying to tame that animal. Alan Northern Ireland 👍

Couple things. I think you sucked up a bunch of weeds or a rock to damage the jet housing on the wetbike. And to keep the jetski from porpoising (diving up and down) stand further forward in the tray. Will make a huge difference.