I tried a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke in 2023 for the first time– which is better?

2-Stroke vs. 4-Stroke

So we all know Joe has a deep rooted love for 2 strokes, but sometimes I wonder is this love based on nostalgia, or because they are simply better than the present day 4 strokes.

Well...there was only one way to find out. So on one very gloomy, wet day in Summer (typical English weather) I wanted to put them both to the test and see what I personally think is better.

Now bearing in mind, this was my first time ever riding a jetski myself. I’ve been on many a time with Joe and been a passenger princess (of course!) but never driven a ski myself...and may I say firstly, no matter if its 2 stroke or 4 stroke, driving a jetski yourself is a lot different to holding on from behind.

So what skis did I ride I hear you ask. Well I compared Joe’s newest 4 stroke (and only 4 stroke...so far;)) the Seadoo Spark Trixx 3up, against his latest buy (and I think his secret new favourite) the Seadoo 1995 XP 717.

The first important decision of this test was, which to try first. First reason being, whichever came first I’d be getting up my confidence on, so both would feel slightly strange. Second, whichever ski I rode last would be compared automatically to the first, good thing or not, we shall see.

So from the many times I’ve watched Joe ski and stood on the side lines filming for his many YouTube videos (you can watch these here), I knew the XP seemed very ‘tippy’ and unstable. This as a novice always worried me, but hey, I thought I might as well throw myself in at the deep end (no pun intended) and start on the XP. Truth be told, this one I was the most worried about, but I didn’t want to go from the stable Seadoo Spark Trixx, to a ‘tippy’ XP.

So first up, the Seadoo XP and boy was I right, the minute I pulled myself up, I instantly felt it moving with the weight of me. If I leant to the left, it swayed to the left, you get my drift. Now I can see how some riders love that, the connection between the rider and the ski is unparallel, so for riders as confident as Joe, you want something as nimble as the XP for its ability to keep you on your toes and challenge you as a rider. For a novice however, I was slightly concerned. The seat was a lot wider than I expected, having been on the back of the Spark with its slim line seat, so the XP felt more comfortable, yet not as grippy. I felt I couldn’t squeeze my legs around it as much as I wanted to.

Anyway, I didn’t just sit on the ski so let’s get into the ride. First up f course we have the thumb throttle compared to the modern day Spark finger throttle. Can’t say I preferred the thumb throttle, after a few laps I felt I had to take my thumb away to stretch it out, but maybe over time you would get used to it. I really enjoyed how this ski cornered, again I think this was because of the tippy lightweight nature, however sometimes this took me by surprise and I got over confident, leaning too much into the corner and felt the ski wanting to fall in so immediately sat up straight again. Thats more of my expertise of riding the ski, than a ski issue.

Overall the speed of this ski was decent, not that I went as fast as Joe, it was my first time...but the speed was enough for me to chose a 2 stroke. The comfort of the seat was good but needed more space to hug my legs in a racing position, so felt I was sat up more in a strange position. But I didn’t fall off...so I would say thats a win.

Now on to the Seadoo Spark Trixx. Pulling myself up onto this was night and day to the tippy nature of the XP. For a novice this was reassuring and made me feel at ease that I wasn’t coming off. I can see for experienced riders that like a tippy ski, this maybe felt too safe and planted for them. The seat for me was a lot nicer as a had a good grip around the seat with my legs and felt I had more room the stretch out and get into a better racing position. The finger throttle felt much more comfortable too (sorry Joe, this is just my opinion).

Now on to the ride of the Spark. I don’t want to lean too much towards the Spark but wow...the handling of this ski I love. Its enough so you feel safe and secure but also corners so nicely that you can lean into the corner without fear of hitting the water. The speed for me is perfect, but I have noted that I don’t like to go as fast as Joe and many others so can see why the Spark may need more power.

Also I understand why the Seadoo Spark introduced the likes to the wheelies etc as with the Spark, compared to the Seadoo XP, you do lose that inherent tippy nature which is really fun for an experienced rider to play around on the XP, doing donuts slide etc. Whereas on the Spark, being a more planted ski, Seadoo maybe invented the wheelie option to compensate for the lack of tippy fun you can have with the XP.

Now we have to discuss one major thing as to why many prefer 2 strokes over 4 strokes and that’s the aesthetic and I have to give it to them, the retro colour ways of the old skis, especially the XP 1995 is stunning, an eye catcher and one you wouldn’t see around much nowadays, making it unique. Don’t get me wrong, the Spark is aggressive looking and stealthy, but the XP is fun and charismatic and wins on the aesthetic front for me.

I personally think, if you like both and have the chance to own both, then do it! Both are fantastic machines in their own way and have their own purpose. The Spark is great as a ski for us both to use and head out on adventures, due to the reliability. The XP is a fantastic ski to have hours of fun on, me sitting on the beach watching Joe having the time of his life. So what’s not to love. I feel very lucky to be able to experience both of these with Joe and make memories on them to look back on when we’re older.

‘Keeping these classics alive’!

Thanks for reading