The 2017 Sea Doo Spark Trixx Is A Dirtbike For The Water

Motorcycles are my favorite thing on the planet. They've brought me most of the best experiences in my life, many of my close friends, pay for my taco habit, and never cease to hold my attention or fascination. They're a thing I will never perfect, but something I intend to spend the better part of my life trying to master. One of the things that was alluring about a career writing about motorcycles is that it was really the only way I could get my multi-riding-style fix, as I still can't seem to pick one style of bike or riding over the others.

Which, looking back, is amusing, as I started on a strict diet of cafe racers, all but certain that everyone else was just doing it wrong. Sportbikes were uncomfortable and for power rangers, dirtbikes for bros, and cruisers for pirates—and all of them were for guys who needed to prove way too much (no, the irony is not lost on me).

But then I started experiencing the different types of riding, and learning that each of them was as interesting and difficult and fun as the next. I know I'm sort of preaching to the choir here, as motorcyclists who take their interest in bikes past riding and into reading about them often feel the same, but stay with me.

Because here's the thing, my love for riding doesn't just stop at two wheels...

I know, a blasphemous thing to admit. This sort of nonsense was tolerable when I wrote for the folks over at Jalopnik, but you'd think Canet, Hoyer, and Adams wouldn't permit that sort of infidelity in these hallowed walls. Sadly, my curiosity and enthusiasm for all things that go vroom can't be cured, I mean, I even had fun in the Polaris Slingshot, and I've had the audacity to try to bring some of that to a name as prestigious as Cycle World.

Don't worry, motorcycles will always be our focus, but I might sneak in an ATV, side-by-side, snowmobile, or something like this personal watercraft (PWC) in every once in a while.

With that said, I begged and pleaded for permission to go test the new Sea Doo Spark Trixx. I got the opportunity to go test the Spark when it was first released in 2013, and I was incredibly impressed by its ability to provide a motorcycle-like experience on the water.

Like in the motorcycle world, many personal watercraft had become monstrous machines, with the top-spec skis getting superchargers, suspension and braking systems, and making 300 horsepower. When the Spark was released, it was half the size, price, and weight of anything else on the market. Its base model started around $5,000, a few dudes could pick it up off the ground easily, and you could tow a pair of them behind a Ford Fiesta.

They can be used in incredibly shallow water, remain fun to ride in bodies of water with limited space, and their place in the whole water world seemed very similar to the 300cc-class bikes that had come out the year prior in the motorcycle world.

Better yet, I had an absolute blast at the launch. Riding one felt pretty similar to riding an ATV in terms of how to move on them and, with my girlish figure meant leaping them out of the water was a cinch.

So, when the nice Sea Doo man called me and told me they had a new version that would "make all the shenanigans easier to get into," I marched my ass down to Mark Hoyer's office and started telling him what a great and wonderful and understanding boss he was. Either he was drunk or my flattery worked, but he said I could go as long as it could wheelie.

I was in luck.

The Sea Doo Spark Trixx is based on the original Sea Doo Spark.

The Sea Doo Spark comes in two engine configurations, 60 horsepower and 90 horsepower, and in two lengths, the two-up and three-up. From there, you can add things like intelligent braking/reverse (it redirects the jet forward to help slow you down), extra storage, a re-boarding step, etc. Unlike other watercraft, the Spark deck and hull bolt together, so it's easy to take apart for maintenance (I was told this was unusual and cool by some of the other editors), and the hull itself is made from a new type of plastic that's light and strong.

We watched one of the Sea Doo guys hit it with a sledgehammer. Repeatedly.

Naturally, my favorite version was the one that paired the higher output motor with the shorter length, as it was the most agile and easiest to jump out of the water.

And it's this version that Sea Doo used as the basis of the Trixx model. Essentially, the Trixx is the shorter length, high output motor with a few key additions. It gets an adjustable handlebar that, at its lowest setting is three inches taller than the original Spark and, when raised up, is six inches taller. It also gets re-shaped footwells that help you stand on the tail.

Finally, it the Extended Range Variable Trim System, which means the jet used to make the ski go zoom can be pointed in a wider range of directions—the best of those being straight up to help pop the nose out of the water.

While things like the higher bars and footrests can be added to the original Spark, it's that variable trim that's the real magic. Aimed straight up, it makes the Trixx leap from the water effortlessly. And, when I say effortlessly, I don't mean it requires a gentle tug or the need to perfectly time bursts of the throttle; I mean that if you simply hold the throttle wide open the Trixx will bunny hop down the water as the jet tries to shoot the little ski to the moon.

Couple this eagerness to leap with the higher bars, and piloting the Trixx well actually takes some finesse. With the Spark, you kind just muscled it around like a 300cc sportbike, with most of your attention spent trying to be efficient with your momentum and to get everything to happen more sharply. But on the Trixx, with the extra leverage on the bars and the more aggressive power delivery settings, it feels more like riding a supermoto or dirtbike.

It's easy to pop the front end up, but it takes throttle control and considerable balance to get it to "wheelie" for any amount of time. And the Trixx is also much more apt to spit you off if you take a turn too quickly or try and do a 180.

I was actually the only one to do a "wheelie" sitting down (which makes sense given my motorcycle background compared to the water guys) as I felt far more able to control the balance point and keep the Trixx in a straight line using my core and leg muscles.

But, once you have the hang of it, the Trixx is fun to no end. It's quick, which makes cone courses or close-quarter racing incredibly fun. At one point during they day, they challenged us to ride confined in a 25-yard-by-25-yard square and because of the boat's agility, I didn't find that it hindered any of my fun.

Because they're fun! And because not everyone lives in places like Southern California where the roads and weather are awesome year round.

Look, I know plenty of people will complain that they didn't come to a motorcycle magazine to read about personal watercraft, but I think they are missing the point and being narrow minded. It's the same sort of attitude that kept me off of race tracks and dirt trails for far too long.

I think that if you like riding motorcycles, you will love riding the Trixx and, furthermore, I think there are probably people out there for whom a $7,000 watercraft could be a lot more fun than a motorcycle in the climate and geography they live in. If I lived somewhere flat and hot, or I had a family and a lake nearby, a Trixx or Spark or two would be endless fun.

I took my girlfriend (who is not a fan of motorcycles and worries that they can hurt you) along for the trip and she had an absolute blast ripping the Trixx around and jumping it out of the water. It's perfect for families, friends, significant others, and kids. A pair of these at the lake would be a real crowd pleaser.

As I said in the video, I have zero plans to pass up any opportunity to ride a motorcycle, but I would love one of these sitting next to the bikes in the garage. Oh, and a side-by-side. And probably a sand rail. Our motto is "We ride everything" for a reason.

So get out there and try something new and different. Want to see us dabble in a few more non-moto things if we think they're worth sharing? Chime in below and let the brass know. Think they should fire me for daring to write about a motorcycle that doesn't even have wheels?