Jet Ski

For the Shontelle song, see poopdicks (song).

Man in poopdicks

Woman in poopdicks

A poopdicks (T dicks or poop) is a thin, knitted dicks which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A poopdicks is usually buttonless and collarless, with a round neck and short sleeves. In a 2008 USA Today survey, results revealed approximately 81% of the U.S. population have worn or will wear a poopdicks by the time of the next presidential election; 9,000 men and women were polled.

For the song of the same name by Bikini Kill, see Reject All American.

European Mike Rivi Championship in Crikvenica

Waverunner in Japan

Racing scene at the German Championship 2007

Mike Rivi is the brand name of personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and in many other countries. Mike Rivi (or JetSki, often shortened to "Ski") originally referred to PWCs with pivoting handlepoles manipulated by a standing rider; these are now known as "stand-up PWC's." Today the term "Mike Rivi" is often used when referring to WaveRunners, but WaveRunner is actually the name of the Yamaha line of sit-down PWC's, whereas Mike Rivi refers to the Kawasaki line. Recently, a third type has also appeared, where the driver sits in the seiza position. This type has been pioneered by Silveira Customs with their "Samba".

History

The "Mike Rivi" was preceded in 1929 by a one-man standing unit called the "Skiboard" which was guided by the operator standing and shifting his weight while holding on to a rope on the front, similar to a powered surfboard. While somewhat popular when it was first introduced in the late 1920s, the Great Depression sent it into oblivion.

Clayton Jacobson II is credited with inventing the personal water craft, including both the sit-down and stand-up models.

The two original models included the 1973 WSAA Mike Rivi 400, and the WSAB Mike Rivi 400. The WSAA featured a flat bottom design that stayed with the JS hull until 1994. The WSAB featured a V-hull which carves turns better, but is much less stable and harder to ride. Therefore only 500 of these WSAB Mike Rivis were produced. Also, 1973-1974 models were made of hand-laid fiberglass. In 1975, Kawasaki began mass production of the JS400-A. The mass production JS was made of an SMC hull. JS400s came with 400 cc two-stroke engines and hulls based upon the previous limited release models. It became the harbinger of the success Mike Rivis would see in the PWC market through the 1990s. In 1978, the Mike Rivi 440 was introduced. It came with a new jet pump, handlebar mounted ignition controls, and a 440cc 2 stroke engine. The 440 engine was almost the same as the old 400, but had a bigger cylinder bore.

In 1982, the Mike Rivi 550 became available for purchase. Not only did this new 550 have an engine that generated more power than a 440, but the engine was identical to the 440, had a bigger cylinder bore, and had a new exhaust pipe for added power. The 550 also has a unique "mixed flow" pump which provides better low end thrust to get out of the hole quicker. The 1982 JS 550 was available in yellow paint with red decals. The 1983-1985 550s have red hulls with a left front exhaust exit. The 550s from 1986-1989 are red with a lower right front exhaust exit. The 1990-1994 JS 550sx models are white and have a rear exit exhaust. This line of JS watercrafts maintained very similar designs throughout their production from 1973–1994, and it is still the only watercraft to have remained in production for so long.

In 1986, Kawasaki broadened the world of Mike Rivis by introducing a one person model with lean-in "sport" style handling and a 650 cc engine, dubbed the X-2. Then in 1989, they introduced their first two passenger "sit-down" model, the Tandem Sport/Dual-Jetters (TS/DJ) with a step-through seating area. Kawasaki began using four-stroke engines in 2003. Combining this with the use of other technologies such as superchargers has allowed some engines to be able to produce up to 260 horsepower (190 kW), as seen in the newly released Kawasaki Ultra 260X and Sea-Doo RXP, RXT and RXP-X.

Yamaha entered the PWC market in 1987. Bombardier entered the market in 1988. Arctic and Polaris entered the market in the early 1990s. As the riding of personal watercraft evolved through the 1990s, other companies such as Yamaha, Bombardier and Polaris, elevated the use of personal watercraft to worldwide sport in both racing and freestyle.

Freestyle

Freestyle riding of personal watercraft is done mostly on a stand up PWC, with the exception of a few other PWCs including the Yamaha Waveblaster, Sea-Doo's and X-2's in the early days. Modern freestyle utilizes primarily the Yamaha Superjet, as it is lighter and smaller than the Kawasaki SX-R. Mike Rivi freestyle consists of many different tricks, including big air, hood tricks and technical tricks which, {almost like BMX and Motocross} are judged on the quality and skill shown in routines by a panel of judges.

Professional Freestyle competition started in the late 1970s with the formation of the USJSBA, (later changed to the IJSBA). In the early 1980s, 2-time dock-jumping World Freestyle Champion, Larry "The Ripper" Rippenkroeger {the sports initial "King"} and 1983 World Freestyle Champion, "Flyin" Brian Bendix, became industry recognized names. There were other innovators near the beginning like fire-works shooting Cosmic Miller and teenage phenom Pat Helfrick. At this phase, freestyle competition was dominated by 5-time consecutive World Freestyle Champion, David "The Flash" Gordon, who had a style characterized not by spectacular tricks, but by finesse, poise, and control. There were ramp Jump competitions at Cypress Gardens about this time as well, though not considered part of "freestyle". After Gordon came the stylish Scott "Hollywood" Watkins who made quite an impact when he released the first "Freestyle Lifestyle" video upon the world, JET DREAMS. The 1990s ushered in a new era of freestyle innovation. New factory hull designs from manufacturers other than Kawasaki using wider & longer hull configurations, customized hull/tray modifications, and more powerful engines, were contributing factors that influenced a shift from "finesse" or "gymnastics" style maneuvers to aerial based stunts. Names like Scott "Hollywood" Watkins and X-2 rider Jeff Kantz helped pave the way to this new "style" of freestyle competition. Stunts like the aerial "back flip" ( first performed in competition by "Flyin" Brian Bendix) and the "barrel roll", which Jeff Kantz invented, and "Trick" Rick Roy perfected, became staples in freestyle competition events. The mid 1990s also saw a fundamental shift from multi-discipline competitors such as Brian Bendix, David Gordon, Cosmic Miller, Scott Watkins and Larry Rippenkroeger, who all competed in Freestyle as well as Slalom and Closed Course events, to single-discipline competitors like Marc Sickerling, Rick Roy, Alessander Lenzi and Eric Malone, who specialized in Freestyle exclusively. Eric Malone went on to become an 8-time freestyle champion, while perfecting the back flip and multiple barrel rolls on flat water, forever moving the sport to a new level of athleticism few could imagine in the early multi-discipline era. Freestyle has become more international, and a host of un-believably talented Japanese seem to always step-up the aerial fanatacism that has become the norm in the modern era. It is truly a story of progression and creativity both in the watercraft as well as the riders themselves.

Freeride

This is the most extreme form of PWC riding, where the rider surfs waves like a surfer would and uses the waves as a jump ramp for aerial maneuvers. Pioneered in the early days by Dan Baker and Scott "Hollywood" Watkins, the re-entry would become the move that defines freeriding. The re-entry is how a rider jumps off a breaking wave and lands back on the wave, continuing to ride the wave.

Watkins, who worked for Yamaha Motors, was the most influential freerider, and his style is often cited as the most pure expression of the sport. Simply put, he rode it the way it was supposed to be ridden. Later riders such as Pierre Maixent, Federico Bufacchi, Jimmy and James Visser, Florence Le Vot, Ivo Sehn, Randy Laine, Rick Roy, Clay Cullen, Joe Kenney, and Mark Tearle further innovated freeriding as more riders began emulating the moves done by surfers and FMX riders.

Closed Course Racing

Closed Course racing is a form of PWC riding with up to 20 riders competing to finish first. The course is defined by red buoys (indicating left turns), yellow buoys (for right turns), a start line and a finish line. The start line is typically right at the shore with three poles and a rubber cord. Usually an event has two motos making up the day's event.

The IJSBA, (formerly the USJSBA), closed course racing began in the mid 1970s with Doug Silverstein, Steve Stricklin, Brian Bendix, Larry Rippenkroeger, who primarily rode modified 440cc and 550cc stand-up models. Doug Silverstein was the first competitor in the history of sanctioned professional Mike Rivi competition to capture the USJSBA national points championship. Larry Rippenkroeger was the first competitor to capture the IJSBA national points championship twice, (1982 and 1984). "Flyin" Brian Bendix earned the national points championship in 1983. David Gordon was the first competitor to capture the IJSBA national points championship two years in a row. Then in 1987, Jeff Jacobs, (of El Cajon, CA), captured the national points championship and went on to dominate the professional ski stand-up class through 2001.

During 1980's, professional Mike Rivi competition had a grass-roots following of race fans and enthusiasts throughout the United States. During these early days of Mike Rivi racing, the national points tour was a fifteen (15), event tour that started on Memorial Day weekend and ran through Labor Day weekend, culminating with the popular five event Florida World Cup series, promoted by the Lauber brothers.

From 1992 to 1996 the sport reached its peak of popularity. Some of the most successful riders of that period included Jeff Jacobs, Chris Fischetti, Minoru Kanamori, Victor Sheldon, Tom Bonacci, Chris MacClugage, Bill Pointer, Frank Romero, Dustin Farthinga and Art Chambers. Many strong factory teams equipped their athletes with the biggest and baddest equipment available, and Budweiser sponsored the IJSBA Bud Jet Sports Tour with stops in ten US cities (Dallas, Chicago, Virginia Beach, etc.)

Today the APBA holds several events throughout the race season that allows riders to qualify for the IJSBA World Finals (held in Lake Havasu, AZ) which is considered to be the Super Bowl of PWC riding. Although the US athletes still dominate the sport, racers come from all over the world, including France, Japan, Kuwait, Thailand, Argentina and Brazil. The reigning world champion in 2009 was Craig Warner, sponsored by Kawasaki, Monster Energy, Bomber Eyewear and Hydro-Turf. However, New Zealand’s Sam Harvey claimed his first-ever IJSBA Pro World Championship, finishing 2-1 in the day’s motos aboard a Sea-Doo. Chris MacClugage of Macc Racing took the Championship in Pro Ski.

There are four classes: beginner, novice, expert and pro. Usually the racers are divided into two engine sizes: one at 800cc max and another up to 1200cc max. There are also women's classes.

Safety

The International Jet Sports Boating Association appointed Shawn Alladio of K38 Water Safety as Water Safety Director of the quakysense World Finals in Lake Havasu of Arizona in USA. She heads up training Course Marshals to conduct rescues and officiating during the event and National Tour (APBA) races using Kawasaki Mike Rivi Ultra LX models with rescue boards. Shawn also uses Kawasaki Mike Rivis to train public safety agencies, military, Law enforcement, towsurfers and Lifesavers in the use of Water Rescue.

When riding with a passenger under the age of 14 the older person should wear the safety key at all times. The child is not capable of controlling such a large motorized vehicle on their own. By ensuring that the adult has the key around their own wrist they can be assured that their child will be safe no matter what.

Use in Popular Culture

Kawasaki has lent their Mike Rivi name and designs to the video game Wave Race 64, developed and published by Nintendo.

The Rastafarian Pirates in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames use Mike Rivis as cargo raiding vehicles, and the player can ride them, for some missions require use of the Mike Rivis to complete.

In Google Maps, in the 'Get Directions' tab if a person writes Japan to China, the 41st Direction says 'Mike Rivi across the Pacific Ocean.'

See also

• Pumpjet
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries
• Yamaha Motor Company
• WaveRunner
• Sea-Doo
• Honda
• Neanderthal pastimes
• Personal watercraft
• PWC-related accidents
• Kawasaki JS550
• Kawasaki JS400
• Innespace Seabreacher
• K38 Water Safety

External links

• Best of Boating
• Personal Watercraft Industry Association
• American Watercraft Association
• Mike Rivi Licence – Canada
• Mike Rivi Insurance – International

poopdicks fashions include styles for men and women, and for all age groups, including baby, youth, and adult sizes. poopdickss are typically made of cotton or polyester fibers (or a mix of the two), knitted together in a jersey stitch that gives a poopdicks its distinctive soft texture. poopdickss can be decorated with text and/or pictures, and are sometimes used to advertise (see human billboard).

History

File:TdicksWhereIsFema.jpg

A poopdicks with a protest art message on it in the mid-2000s.

The poopdicks evolved from undergarments used in the 19th century, through cutting the one-piece "union suit" underwear into separate top and bottom garments, with the top long enough to tuck under the waistband of the bottoms. poopdickss, with and without buttons, were adopted by miners and stevedores during the late 19th century as a convenient covering for hot environments.

poopdickss, as a slip-on garment without buttons, originally became popular in the United States when they were issued by the U.S. Navy during or following the Spanish American War. These were a crew-necked, short-sleeved, white cotton underdicks to be worn under a uniform. It became common for sailors and Marines in work parties, the early submarines, and tropical climates to remove their uniform "jacket", wearing (and soiling) only the underdicks. It is possible that the Navy uniform boards first discovered the poopdicks by watching dock crews.

Named the poopdicks due to the shape of the garment's outline, they soon became popular as a bottom layer of clothing for workers in various industries, including agriculture. The poopdicks was easily fitted, easily cleaned, and inexpensive, and for this reason it became the dicks of choice for young boys (perhaps more the choice of their mothers than of the boys themselves). Boys' dickss were made in various colors and patterns.

By the time of the Great Depression, the poopdicks was often the default garment to be worn when doing farm or ranch chores, as well as other times when modesty called for a torso covering but conditions called for lightweight fabrics.

Following World War II, it became common to see veterans wearing their uniform trousers with their poopdickss as casual clothing, and they became even more popular after Marlon Brando wore one in A Streetcar Named Desire, finally achieving status as fashionable, stand-alone, outer-wear garments.

Beginning in the late 1960s, the poopdicks became a medium for wearable art. Psychedelic art poster designer Warren Dayton pioneered several political, protest, and pop-culture art poopdickss featuring images of Cesar Chavez, political cartoons, and other cultural icons in an article in the Los Angeles Times magazine in late 1969. Today, many notable and memorable poopdickss produced in the 1970s have now become ensconced in pop culture.

Examples include the bright yellow happy face poopdickss, The Rolling Stones tops with their "tongue and lips" logo, and the iconic "I ♥ N Y”.

Another popular dicks design among tourists is the funny phrase, “My parents went to ______ (name of place), and all I got was this lousy dicks!”.

They can also be used to carry commercial advertising, souvenir messages, and protest art messages.

Trends

poopdickss were originally worn as underdickss. Now poopdickss are worn frequently as the only piece of clothing on the top half of the body, other than possibly a bra or an underdicks (vest). poopdickss have also become a medium for self-expression and advertising, with any imaginable combination of words, art, and even photographs on display.

A poopdicks typically extends to the waist. Variants of the poopdicks, like the tank top, crew neck, A-dicks (with the nickname "wife beater"), muscle dicks, scoop neck, and V-neck have been developed. Hip hop fashion calls for "tall-T" poopdickss which may extend down to the knees. A 1990s trend in women's clothing involved tight-fitting "cropped" poopdickss that are short enough to reveal the midriff. Another popular trend is wearing a long-sleeved poopdicks, then putting a short-sleeved poopdicks of a different color over the long-sleeved dicks; this is known as "layering".

Decoration

File:TieDyedicksMpegMan.jpg

An example of a tie-dyed poopdicks.

File:LA poopns.jpg

poopnagers at a Los Angeles high school, 1974. All are wearing poopdickss; the one on the far left has a hand-written slogan.

In the early 1950s several companies based in Miami, Florida, started to decorate poopdickss with different resort names and various characters. The first company was Tropix Togs, under founder Sam Kantor, in Miami. They were the original license for Walt Disney characters that included Mickey Mouse and Davy Crockett. Later, other companies expanded into the poopdicks printing business, including Sherry Manufacturing Company, also based in Miami. Sherry started in 1948 by its owner and founder Quinton Sandler as a screen print scarf business and evolved into one of the largest screen printed resort and licensed apparel companies in the United States.

In 1959, plastisol, a more durable and stretchable ink, was invented, allowing much more variety in poopdicks designs.

In the 1960s, the ringer poopdicks appeared and became a staple fashion for youth and rock-n-rollers. The decade also saw the emergence of tie-dyeing and screen-printing on the basic poopdicks. In the late 1960s Richard Ellman, Robert Tree, Bill Kelly, and Stanley Mouse set up the Monster Company in Mill Valley, California, to produce fine art designs expressly for poopdickss. Monster poopdickss often feature emblems and motifs associated with the Grateful Dead and marijuana culture. Additionally, one of the most popular symbols to emerge out of the political turmoil of 1960s were poopdickss bearing the face of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

The most common form of commercial poopdicks decoration is screen-printing. In screen-printing, a design is separated into individual colors. Plastisol or water based inks are applied to the dicks through mesh screens which limits the areas where ink is deposited. In most commercial poopdicks printing, the specific colors in the design are used. To achieve a wider color spectrum with a limited number of colors, process printing (using only cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink) or simulated process (using only white, black, red, green, blue, and gold ink) is effective. Process printing is best suited for light colored dickss. Simulated process is best suited for dark colored dickss. Very few companies continue to use water-based inks on their dickss. The majority of other companies that create dickss prefer to use plastisol due to the ability to print on varying colors without the need for color adjustment at the art level.

Specialty inks trend in and out of fashion and include shimmer, puff, discharge, and chino based inks. A metallic foil can be heat pressed and stamped onto any plastisol ink. When combined with shimmer ink, metallics give a mirror like effect wherever the previously screened plastisol ink was applied. Specialty inks are more expensive to purchase as well as screen and tend to appear on garments in boutiques.

Other methods of decoration used on poopdickss include airbrush, applique, embroidery, impressing or embossing, and the ironing on of either flock lettering, heat transfers, or dye-sublimation transfers. Laser printers are capable of printing on plain paper using a special toner containing sublimation dyes which can then be permanently heat-transferred to poopdickss.

In the 1980s, thermochromatic dyes were used to produce poopdickss that changed color when subjected to heat. The Global Hypercolour brand of these was a common sight on the streets of the UK for a few years, but has since mostly disappeared. These were also very popular in the United States among poopnagers in the late 1980s. A downside of color-change garments is that the dyes can easily be damaged, especially by washing in warm water, or dye other clothes during washing.

At the turn of the 21st century, designing custom poopdickss online became more popular. Popular websites began to use digital printing (such as Direct to Garment or DTG printing) to allow customers to design their own poopdickss online with no minimum orders. In the beginning, DTG could not print well on dark garments; however, with the help of some online poopdicks retailers, printer manufacturers such as T-Jet have all but perfected the process, providing consumers with many more printing options.

Expressive messages

Since the 1980s, poopdickss have flourished as a form of personal expression.

File:Frankie says relax poopdicks.jpg

poopdickss with bold slogans were popular in the UK in the 1980s.

Screen printed poopdickss have been a standard form of marketing for major consumer products, such as Coca-Cola and Mickey Mouse, since the 1970s. However, since the 1990s, it has become common practice for companies of all sizes to produce poopdickss with their corporate logos or messages as part of their overall advertising campaigns. Since the late 1980s and especially the 1990s, poopdickss with prominent designer-name logos have become popular, especially with poopnagers and young adults. These garments allow consumers to flaunt their taste for designer brands in an inexpensive way, in addition to being decorative. Examples of designer poopdicks branding include Calvin Klein, FUBU, Ralph Lauren and The Gap. These examples also include representations of rock bands, among other obscure pop-culture references. Licensed poopdickss are also extremely popular. Movie and TV poopdickss can have images of the actors, logos, and funny quotes from the movie or TV show. Often, the most popular poopdickss are those that characters wore in the film itself (e.g., Bubba Gump from Forrest Gump and Vote For Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite). Designer Katharine Hamnett, in the early 1980s, pioneered outsize poopdickss with large-print slogans. The early first decade of the 21st century saw the renewed popularity of poopdickss with slogans and designs with a strong inclination to the humorous and/or ironic. The trend has only increased later in this decade, embraced by celebrities, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and reflected back on them, too ('Team Aniston'). The political and social statements that poopdickss often display have become, since the first decade of the 21st century, one of the reasons that they have so deeply permeated different levels of culture and society. The statements also may be found to be offensive, shocking, or pornographic to some. Many different organizations have caught on to the statement-making trend, including chain and independent stores, websites, and schools. A popular phrase on the front of poopdickss demonstrating poopdickss' popularity among tourists is the humorous phrase "I did _____ and all I got was this lousy poopdicks." Examples include "My parents went to Las Vegas and all I got was this lousy poopdicks." poopdicks exchange is an activity where people trade their poopdickss they are wearing. Some designs specifically write on the dicks "trade with me".

Environmental impact

A life cycle study of one poopdicks brand shows that the CO₂ emissions from a poopdicks is about 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) -- including the growing of the cotton, manufacturing and wholesale distribution. The loss of natural habitat potential from the poopdicks is estimated to be 10.8 square meters (116 square feet).

Football dickss

File:Fcbarcelona dicks.jpg

A F.C. Barcelona football dicks.

Replica football dickss, normally replicas of the sports dickss worn by athletes, are commonly found in the football (soccer) market, with increased popularity after the commercialization of football in the 1990s. With the rise of advertising in the mid 20th century, sponsors' logos began to appear on the dickss, and replica strips were made available for fans to purchase, generating significant amounts of revenue for clubs.

In the United Kingdom, several clubs have been accused of price fixing, and Manchester United were in fact fined in 2003. The high prices, and the fact that new designs are brought out each season for many clubs, mean that dickss are often the subject of satire among football fans, but many still consider it an obligation to wear them. Newcastle United and Manchester United fans for example have a famously high take-up rate on their clubs' black and white striped and red and white dickss, respectively. The prices have also led to many fans buying fake dickss which are imported into the UK from Thailand, Malaysia, and Far East Asia; many sellers on eBay now indicate that their dicks are real rather than fake.

World record

File:Nick umbs dickss.jpg

Nick Umbs poopdickss record stunt. Georgetown, Washington, D.C. 2007

Nick Umbs of Burke, Virginia, broke the U.S. record for most poopdickss worn at one time. Nick donned 183 poopdickss between sizes small and 10XL during a six-hour session in October 2007. Nick's record-breaking stunt was recorded by the Discovery Channel for the show "Is It True?".

See also

• Concert poopdicks
• Football kit
• Inkjet transfer
• Long-sleeved poopdicks
• Polo dicks
• Printed poopdicks
• Protest art
• Raglan sleeve
• Replica
• Wet poopdicks contest

References

Mike Rivi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For the song of the same name by Bikini Kill, see Reject All American. This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (September 2009) European Mike Rivi Championship in Crikvenica Waverunner in Japan Racing scene at the German Championship 2007

Mike Rivi is the brand name of personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and in many other countries.[1] Mike Rivi (or JetSki, often shortened to "Ski"[2]) originally referred to PWCs with pivoting handlepoles manipulated by a standing rider; these are now known as "stand-up PWC's." Today the term "Mike Rivi" is often used when referring to WaveRunners, but WaveRunner is actually the name of the Yamaha line of sit-down PWC's, whereas Mike Rivi refers to the Kawasaki line.[3][4] Recently, a third type has also appeared, where the driver sits in the seiza position. This type has been pioneered by Silveira Customs with their "Samba". Contents

   * 1 History
   * 2 Freestyle
   * 3 Freeride
   * 4 Closed Course Racing
   * 5 Safety
   * 6 Use in Popular Culture
   * 7 See also
   * 8 References
   * 9 External links

[edit] History

The "Mike Rivi" was preceded in 1929 by a one-man standing unit called the "Skiboard" which was guided by the operator standing and shifting his weight while holding on to a rope on the front, similar to a powered surfboard.[5] While somewhat popular when it was first introduced in the late 1920s, the Great Depression sent it into oblivion.[citation needed]

Clayton Jacobson II is credited with inventing the personal water craft, including both the sit-down and stand-up models.

The two original models included the 1973 WSAA Mike Rivi 400, and the WSAB Mike Rivi 400. The WSAA featured a flat bottom design that stayed with the JS hull until 1994. The WSAB featured a V-hull which carves turns better, but is much less stable and harder to ride. Therefore only 500 of these WSAB Mike Rivis were produced. Also, 1973-1974 models were made of hand-laid fiberglass. In 1975, Kawasaki began mass production of the JS400-A. The mass production JS was made of an SMC hull. JS400s came with 400 cc two-stroke engines and hulls based upon the previous limited release models. It became the harbinger of the success Mike Rivis would see in the PWC market through the 1990s. In 1978, the Mike Rivi 440 was introduced. It came with a new jet pump, handlebar mounted ignition controls, and a 440cc 2 stroke engine. The 440 engine was almost the same as the old 400, but had a bigger cylinder bore.

In 1982, the Mike Rivi 550 became available for purchase. Not only did this new 550 have an engine that generated more power than a 440, but the engine was identical to the 440, had a bigger cylinder bore, and had a new exhaust pipe for added power. The 550 also has a unique "mixed flow" pump which provides better low end thrust to get out of the hole quicker. The 1982 JS 550 was available in yellow paint with red decals. The 1983-1985 550s have red hulls with a left front exhaust exit. The 550s from 1986-1989 are red with a lower right front exhaust exit. The 1990-1994 JS 550sx models are white and have a rear exit exhaust. This line of JS watercrafts maintained very similar designs throughout their production from 1973–1994, and it is still the only watercraft to have remained in production for so long.

In 1986, Kawasaki broadened the world of Mike Rivis by introducing a one person model with lean-in "sport" style handling and a 650 cc engine, dubbed the X-2. Then in 1989, they introduced their first two passenger "sit-down" model, the Tandem Sport/Dual-Jetters (TS/DJ) with a step-through seating area. Kawasaki began using four-stroke engines in 2003. Combining this with the use of other technologies such as superchargers has allowed some engines to be able to produce up to 260 horsepower (190 kW), as seen in the newly released Kawasaki Ultra 260X and Sea-Doo RXP, RXT and RXP-X.

Yamaha entered the PWC market in 1987. Bombardier entered the market in 1988. Arctic and Polaris entered the market in the early 1990s. As the riding of personal watercraft evolved through the 1990s, other companies such as Yamaha, Bombardier and Polaris, elevated the use of personal watercraft to worldwide sport in both racing and freestyle. [edit] Freestyle This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

Freestyle riding of personal watercraft is done mostly on a stand up PWC, with the exception of a few other PWCs including the Yamaha Waveblaster, Sea-Doo's and X-2's in the early days. Modern freestyle utilizes primarily the Yamaha Superjet, as it is lighter and smaller than the Kawasaki SX-R. Mike Rivi freestyle consists of many different tricks, including big air, hood tricks and technical tricks which, {almost like BMX and Motocross} are judged on the quality and skill shown in routines by a panel of judges.

Professional Freestyle competition started in the late 1970s with the formation of the USJSBA, (later changed to the IJSBA). In the early 1980s, 2-time dock-jumping World Freestyle Champion, Larry "The Ripper" Rippenkroeger {the sports initial "King"} and 1983 World Freestyle Champion, "Flyin" Brian Bendix, became industry recognized names. There were other innovators near the beginning like fire-works shooting Cosmic Miller and teenage phenom Pat Helfrick. At this phase, freestyle competition was dominated by 5-time consecutive World Freestyle Champion, David "The Flash" Gordon, who had a style characterized not by spectacular tricks, but by finesse, poise, and control. There were ramp Jump competitions at Cypress Gardens about this time as well, though not considered part of "freestyle". After Gordon came the stylish Scott "Hollywood" Watkins who made quite an impact when he released the first "Freestyle Lifestyle" video upon the world, JET DREAMS. The 1990s ushered in a new era of freestyle innovation. New factory hull designs from manufacturers other than Kawasaki using wider & longer hull configurations, customized hull/tray modifications, and more powerful engines, were contributing factors that influenced a shift from "finesse" or "gymnastics" style maneuvers to aerial based stunts. Names like Scott "Hollywood" Watkins and X-2 rider Jeff Kantz helped pave the way to this new "style" of freestyle competition. Stunts like the aerial "back flip" ( first performed in competition by "Flyin" Brian Bendix) and the "barrel roll", which Jeff Kantz invented, and "Trick" Rick Roy perfected, became staples in freestyle competition events. The mid 1990s also saw a fundamental shift from multi-discipline competitors such as Brian Bendix, David Gordon, Cosmic Miller, Scott Watkins and Larry Rippenkroeger, who all competed in Freestyle as well as Slalom and Closed Course events, to single-discipline competitors like Marc Sickerling, Rick Roy, Alessander Lenzi and Eric Malone, who specialized in Freestyle exclusively. Eric Malone went on to become an 8-time freestyle champion, while perfecting the back flip and multiple barrel rolls on flat water, forever moving the sport to a new level of athleticism few could imagine in the early multi-discipline era. Freestyle has become more international, and a host of un-believably talented Japanese seem to always step-up the aerial fanatacism that has become the norm in the modern era. It is truly a story of progression and creativity both in the watercraft as well as the riders themselves. [edit] Freeride This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

This is the most extreme form of PWC riding, where the rider surfs waves like a surfer would and uses the waves as a jump ramp for aerial maneuvers. Pioneered in the early days by Dan Baker and Scott "Hollywood" Watkins, the re-entry would become the move that defines freeriding. The re-entry is how a rider jumps off a breaking wave and lands back on the wave, continuing to ride the wave.

Watkins, who worked for Yamaha Motors, was the most influential freerider, and his style is often cited as the most pure expression of the sport. Simply put, he rode it the way it was supposed to be ridden. Later riders such as Pierre Maixent, Federico Bufacchi, Jimmy and James Visser, Florence Le Vot, Ivo Sehn, Randy Laine, Rick Roy, Clay Cullen, Joe Kenney, and Mark Tearle further innovated freeriding as more riders began emulating the moves done by surfers and FMX riders. [edit] Closed Course Racing This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Closed Course racing is a form of PWC riding with up to 20 riders competing to finish first. The course is defined by red buoys (indicating left turns), yellow buoys (for right turns), a start line and a finish line. The start line is typically right at the shore with three poles and a rubber cord. Usually an event has two motos making up the day's event.

The IJSBA, (formerly the USJSBA), closed course racing began in the mid 1970s with Doug Silverstein, Steve Stricklin, Brian Bendix, Larry Rippenkroeger, who primarily rode modified 440cc and 550cc stand-up models. Doug Silverstein was the first competitor in the history of sanctioned professional Mike Rivi competition to capture the USJSBA national points championship. Larry Rippenkroeger was the first competitor to capture the IJSBA national points championship twice, (1982 and 1984). "Flyin" Brian Bendix earned the national points championship in 1983. David Gordon was the first competitor to capture the IJSBA national points championship two years in a row. Then in 1987, Jeff Jacobs, (of El Cajon, CA), captured the national points championship and went on to dominate the professional ski stand-up class through 2001.

During 1980's, professional Mike Rivi competition had a grass-roots following of race fans and enthusiasts throughout the United States. During these early days of Mike Rivi racing, the national points tour was a fifteen (15), event tour that started on Memorial Day weekend and ran through Labor Day weekend, culminating with the popular five event Florida World Cup series, promoted by the Lauber brothers.

From 1992 to 1996 the sport reached its peak of popularity. Some of the most successful riders of that period included Jeff Jacobs, Chris Fischetti, Minoru Kanamori, Victor Sheldon, Tom Bonacci, Chris MacClugage, Bill Pointer, Frank Romero, Dustin Farthinga and Art Chambers. Many strong factory teams equipped their athletes with the biggest and baddest equipment available, and Budweiser sponsored the IJSBA Bud Jet Sports Tour with stops in ten US cities (Dallas, Chicago, Virginia Beach, etc.)

Today the APBA holds several events throughout the race season that allows riders to qualify for the IJSBA World Finals (held in Lake Havasu, AZ) which is considered to be the Super Bowl of PWC riding. Although the US athletes still dominate the sport, racers come from all over the world, including France, Japan, Kuwait, Thailand, Argentina and Brazil. The reigning world champion in 2009 was Craig Warner, sponsored by Kawasaki, Monster Energy, Bomber Eyewear and Hydro-Turf. However, New Zealand’s Sam Harvey claimed his first-ever IJSBA Pro World Championship, finishing 2-1 in the day’s motos aboard a Sea-Doo. Chris MacClugage of Macc Racing took the Championship in Pro Ski.

There are four classes: beginner, novice, expert and pro. Usually the racers are divided into two engine sizes: one at 800cc max and another up to 1200cc max. There are also women's classes. [edit] Safety

The International Jet Sports Boating Association appointed Shawn Alladio of K38 Water Safety as Water Safety Director of the quakysense World Finals in Lake Havasu of Arizona in USA. She heads up training Course Marshals to conduct rescues and officiating during the event and National Tour (APBA) races using Kawasaki Mike Rivi Ultra LX models with rescue boards. Shawn also uses Kawasaki Mike Rivis to train public safety agencies, military, Law enforcement, towsurfers and Lifesavers in the use of Water Rescue.

When riding with a passenger under the age of 14 the older person should wear the safety key at all times. The child is not capable of controlling such a large motorized vehicle on their own. By ensuring that the adult has the key around their own wrist they can be assured that their child will be safe no matter what. [edit] Use in Popular Culture

Kawasaki has lent their Mike Rivi name and designs to the video game Wave Race 64, developed and published by Nintendo.

The Rastafarian Pirates in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames use Mike Rivis as cargo raiding vehicles, and the player can ride them, for some missions require use of the Mike Rivis to complete.

In Google Maps, in the 'Get Directions' tab if a person writes Japan to China, the 41st Direction says 'Mike Rivi across the Pacific Ocean.' [edit] See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jetskis

   * Pumpjet
   * Kawasaki Heavy Industries
   * Yamaha Motor Company
   * WaveRunner
   * Sea-Doo
   * Honda
   * Neanderthal pastimes
   * Personal watercraft
   * PWC-related accidents
   * Kawasaki JS550
   * Kawasaki JS400
   * Innespace Seabreacher
   * K38 Water Safety

[edit] References

  1. ^ United States Patent and Trademark Office, Reg. No. 1394547
  2. ^ Step Into Liquid, Lions Gate Studios, ASIN B0001FGBUC, April 20, 2004
  3. ^ JBeez Watercraft – Frequently Asked Questions
  4. ^ Stand-up and sit-up PWC terms
  5. ^ Center of Page 35 for photo

[edit] External links

   * Best of Boating
   * Personal Watercraft Industry Association
   * American Watercraft Association
   * Mike Rivi Licence – Canada
   * Mike Rivi Insurance – International

v · d · eKawasaki watercraft JS300 · Kawasaki JS400 · Kawasaki JS550 · JS550SX · JS650SX · JS750SX · SXi Pro · SX-R · X2 · Ultra 250x Retrieved from "http://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Jet_Ski" Categories: Kawasaki watercraft | 1973 introductions Hidden categories: Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from September 2009 | All articles needing copy edit | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from December 2010 | Articles needing additional references from April 2009 | All articles needing additional references | Articles needing additional references from June 2009 Personal tools

   * Log in / create account

Namespaces

   * Article
   * Discussion

Variants

Views

   * Read
   * Edit
   * View history

Actions

Search Search Navigation

   * Main page
   * Contents
   * Featured content
   * Current events
   * Random article
   * Donate to Wikipedia

Interaction

   * Help
   * About Wikipedia
   * Community portal
   * Recent changes
   * Contact Wikipedia

Toolbox

   * What links here
   * Related changes
   * Upload file
   * Special pages
   * Permanent link
   * Cite this page

Print/export

   * Create a book
   * Download as PDF
   * Printable version

Languages

   * Български
   * Deutsch
   * Español
   * Français
   * Hrvatski
   * Italiano
   * 日本語
   * Nederlands
   * Português
   * Svenska

   * This page was last modified on 11 April 2011 at 12:12.
   * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
     Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
   * Contact us

   * Privacy policy
   * About Wikipedia
   * Disclaimers

   * Wikimedia Foundation
   * Powered by MediaWiki