Enthusiasts can now take their passion for Kawasaki Motorcycles, ATVs, Side x Sides and Jet Ski Watercraft to the next level by joining the Kawasaki corporate sales team! Kawasaki Motors Corporation has announced new District Sales Manager positions in various cities across 9 U.S. markets.

According to Kawasaki’s corporate careers portal, these new District Sales Managers will “develop and maintain dealer networks to sell Kawasaki’s line of vehicles” in these new sales districts: Las Vegas/Central California, Utah/Idaho/Nevada, Kansas City, Chicago, Arkansas/Mississippi, Houston/New Orleans, Ohio/West Virginia, North Carolina, and Coastal Carolinas.

Prospective District Sales Managers should have “a minimum of five years related experience and/or training in a sales environment,” or a combination of prior experience in sales and education. Salaries start at $80,000 – $90,000 plus incentive, bonus, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Read the original press release below:

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has announced it will expand its District Manager sales force with openings across the country. Kawasaki has open positions in major U.S. markets and is now accepting applications.

Following the tremendous success the powersports industry has seen over the past few years, Kawasaki plans to maintain steady growth through expanding its sales force to provide a higher level of engagement and increased contact frequency with its dealer network.

“The powersports industry continues to grow and we are growing our team along with it.” said Senior Director of U.S. Sales, Anthony Kestler. “Kawasaki has the industry’s best dealer network and we are adding new team members that have enthusiasm and passion for powersports as we expand our sales force and model line-up of Motorcycles, ATVs, Side x Sides and Personal Watercraft in 2023 and beyond.”

Open positions are available to view now. Please visit the Corporate Careers link on Kawasaki.com for additional information. 

We received a press release from P1 AquaX citing their 2023 race calendar. It features a 5-venue national championship which includes both Pro and AM endurance racing. The series will hit both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida. Moreover, AquaX is preparing to get underway with celebrating its 10th anniversary in the United States. This is going to be an exciting season with P1 AquaX! Check out the full press release below!

P1 AquaX USA Unveils 2023 Race Calendar
• 5-venue national championship gets underway in Indiana in early July
• National Championship will include both Pro and Am endurance racing
• Series to visit established venues on Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts

As it prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary in the United States, international personal watercraft racing promoter P1 AquaX has released plans to stage a 5-venue series with events in Florida and Indiana. The 2023 National Championship will kick off in early July and feature both Pro and Am Enduro racing.

The riders will start the season in Michigan City, about 50 miles east of Chicago, where both categories of racers will be in action on Lake Michigan. Next stop for the Pro series in August will be the Sunshine State’s Atlantic Coast and the challenging surf of Daytona Beach, whilst the amateur riders will compete in Indiana again with La Porte hosting the second round at the end of July before they head to Daytona.

The events in Michigan City and La Porte will make up the Indiana Series to produce a champion across the two rounds. It will be a Pro/Am series run under Amateur Enduro rules and offer closed course racing. P1 AquaX will again collaborate with Great Lakes Watercross, the premier closed course racing and freestyle tour for personal watercraft in the MidWest.

St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast will welcome the Pro racers in early September as part of a double bill of AquaX and powerboat racing, ahead of all the riders coming together in Kissimme/St. Cloud. Discussions are underway to add Miami to the race calendar in September.

Unveiling the calendar at P1’s race headquarters in Orlando, P1 USA Championship Manager Michelle Petro said: “Outstanding locations and host venues contribute enormously to our event offering, with the focus on raising the profile of the venue, attracting visitors, encouraging local involvement and stimulating the local economy. We will be announcing further details of our race season next month, including television coverage and sponsorship agreements.”

For more information on this release:
Roy Mantle
T:+44 (0)20 7935 4977
c:+44 (0)7985 350 177

P1 AquaX at Powerboat P1 Management Ltd
Queen Anne Mansions
86/87 Wimpole Street
London W1G 9RL

Over the past three years, The Watercraft Journal has sold hundreds of its Long Hauler Auxiliary Fuel System Kits to personal watercraft owners across the world. Literally hundreds of enthusiasts are enjoying longer rides to far off shorelines that they couldn’t reach before.

This comprehensive, lightweight package includes every bit of hardware and equipment (besides basic hand tools) necessary to install on to any 4-stroke powered Kawasaki, Yamaha and pre-2012 Sea-Doo runabout (except those equipped with deck extensions).

Christopher Stone of The Adventure State wrote: “I like to ride long distances and having the Kawasaki Ultra 310, it can be quite thirsty. I came across the Long Hauler Auxiliary Fuel System Kit and finally decided on that one. I had that fuel kit installed in 10 minutes, and it has saved my behind on long distance riding more than once. Needless to say, I am an extremely happy customer!”

The Long Hauler Auxiliary Fuel System Kit uses the vacuum created by the watercraft’s fuel pump to naturally siphon fuel from a vented-to-atmosphere marine-grade auxiliary fuel tank that holds over 12-gallons of fuel. It installs without any drilling, cutting or permanent modifications saving your PWC’s resale value.

Michael King wrote: “I installed the Auxiliary Fuel System Kit on my FX Cruiser SVHO. Let me tell you, it worked amazing. I can’t believe Yamaha hasn’t offered something similar. [I took] a trip that I’ve done before and previously worried about fuel level, around 70 miles of riding pretty fast and hard from Jersey City, NJ to City Island, NY.

“I was at 100% fuel according to the Yamaha gauge up until the tail end of the ride where it got down to 94%. When I checked the Auxiliary Fuel System tank, it was pretty much empty, maybe one gallon left in it. I was pretty impressed with how well it worked and can’t believe how easy it was to install/use.”

The Long Hauler Auxiliary Fuel System Kit is priced at $695 but only until the end of Spring. Cost of materials have increased steadily over the past two years requiring us to raise prices, but we’re going to keep the price as-is for a couple of more months so order yours NOW before the price change.

The 2023 Sea-Doo Explorer Pro 170 is coming in hot after the Sea-Doo Switch was named Boat of the Year by Boating Magazine. Gear Junkie usually sticks to overland vehicles when determining their annual best adventure vehicles. This year they got their hands on a Sea-Doo Explorer Pro, their first test of an “overwatering” adventure machine.

“Overwatering” might not be an official phrase yet, like overlanding, but the idea of getting away from civilization is familiar to most adventurists.

Now, there’s a watercraft built for multi-day excursions, straight from the factory, that goes where boats can’t go. The Explorer Pro 170 is for the serious adventurer who wants to go the distance and beyond.

It can haul a huge amount of gear with all its storage and specialized compartments. The Gear Junkie crew tested it in heavy water and also took it on multi-day excursions to see what it could do. They were impressed with the amount of storage and its surprisingly good fuel efficiency.

They were impressed with the seat, which made for a nice ride when heading out on a 2-day, 150-mile trip from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine and back. They left the dock with a lot of gear and full tanks of fuel. Everything was secure onboard with the LinQ system.

The windshield was nice for cutting the early morning chill and minimizing noise from the wind. A drawback of the windshield was that it’s almost impossible to see through when covered in saltwater spray.

Check out their review for more in-depth details about the Gear Junkie experience on the 2023 Sea-Doo Explorer Pro 170.

We have sad news out of Perth, Australia. 16-year-old Stella Berry was killed by a shark in the Swan River. She and her friends were out riding jet skis on the river and having a good time when Berry saw a pod of dolphins. She then jumped off her jet ski to swim with them and that is when the shark got her as her friends watched the tragic event take place.

The Australian fisheries minister Don Punch said it was too early to confirm what type of shark was responsible for the girl’s death. It is most likely a bull shark because they are notorious for making their way into brackish water and even some freshwater rivers. Incidents like this one are rare in the Swan River, said Punch and this is only the seventh known incident in this location. The last fatal case was in January of 1923 when a bull shark killed a 13-year-old boy. Fatal shark incidents are rare in Australia. There was one in 2022 and two in 2021.

A tribute from the Berry family shared with the Sydney Morning Herald described the high school student as their “beautiful daughter who was a vibrant and happy girl with plans of living in Europe after school.” We send our condolences and sympathies to the Berry family.

It seems that the days of dedicating one’s entire career to a single company (ie. “the company man”) are long since behind us. According to US Department of Labor, the average American worker has 12 jobs throughout a lifetime, and averages about 4.1 years with a single employer (a long way away from 30 years and a gold watch at retirement). Well, believe it or not, those modern statistics don’t stick with some people, including Senior Vice President of Sales & Operations, Bill Jenkins.

That is, until now. After a stories 34 years with Kawasaki Motor Corp. USA, Jenkins has announced his retirement from the Big K, which started back in 1988. Since that time, Jenkins has climbed the ladder, helping build and grow the Kawasaki brand for decades. After 13 years as SVP, Jenkins announced yesterday that he’ll be retiring at the end of March. Read the original press release HERE:

Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA,  Senior Vice President of Sales & Operations, Bill Jenkins, announces his intentions to retire on March 31, 2023, after a distinguished 34-year career.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Bill started his career with Kawasaki in 1988 as a District Manager in the Metro New York and New Jersey market, where he resided for 13 years. During that time, he achieved the prestigious Kawasaki President’s Counsel award nine times and was named District Manager of the Year on two occasions.

In 1995, Bill was promoted to the Eastern Region Sales Director, eventually transitioning to National Sales Director for the US market. In 2010, he relocated to Kawasaki’s headquarters in Southern California and accepted the role of Vice President of Sales.

“Kawasaki is a wonderful company to work for. I had amazing team members and industry’s finest dealer base. The powersports industry provided me the motivation to do the very best I could for the last 34 years and for that I’m very thankful,” said Bill Jenkins. “Kawasaki has an industry-leading team in place to continue our strong growth and the future is extremely bright. I look forward to watching the company and our dealers prosper for years to come.”

Helping lead the brand back from recession, Bill was promoted to SVP Sales & Operations in 2012, a position he held through his retirement 2023. As a avid rider and enthusiast, Bill also served as Co-Chair on the board for the Motorcycle Industry Council.

“We are very fortunate to have someone as dedicated to Kawasaki as Bill has been for 34 years,” said Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., President, Eigo Konya. “Bill’s tremendous positive attitude has provided strength for us in both good times and challenging times, and all of us at Kawasaki are extremely thankful for his positive energy. We are a family here at Kawasaki, and Bill will always be a part of the Kawasaki family.”

Kawasaki will continue its strong momentum in 2023, with riding season around the corner and multiple new model announcements later this year.