Honda 4-Strokes

[Sam]

In addition to the Merc Optimax's, I've also given some thought to replacing my old (1979) Johnson 150 with a Honda 4-Stroke. I'm running a 17 foot Hydrasport X270. I'd be willing to forfeit some top end speed for quietness and fuel economy. I'm thinking about dropping all the way down to a 90 horse, the 2007 BF90. Anybody running of these? Whaddya think, is it too small. Honda says the 2007's have lost a bunch of weight and that they have something called "BLAST" which is supposed to give you a surge of power for hole shots. Since my old 150 is rated at the power head and the new engines are prop rated, I thought the 90 my do me a good job but I'd like to here from somebody that's running one. Maybe the BF135 would be more like it, you think??
Thanks for any thoughts you guys care to share.

Sam

 

[tarheel]

I think a 90 would be fine. I believe that gasoline prices will be over 5 dollars a gallon within 3 years and with a fuel sipping 90 you could still be fishing while the guys with the bigger engines are sitting around cursing the price of gas.emoMad

 

[Guest]

Honda motors are way overpriced and there are very few dealers in the area. I would look closely into the Yamaha 4 stroke. Lot's of folks have them and they are pretty much bullet proof. There are also Yamaha dealers and service centers almost everywhere.

 

[minner]

If you are thinking of downsizing to save on the initial purchase that is one thing, but saving on fuel economy is another. You wont save any money on fuel by running a 90hp wide open when you can run a 150 at about 3500-4000rpm and obtain the same speed. It's better to have "to much" power and cruise than it is to run one wide open throttle if you can stay out of it. On the flip side if you do need to skedadle because of weather or what ever, you'll have the power to do so.

 

[beetlespin]

Agree with minner 100%. I just wish he would post some more pics of his wife!

 

[flip1up]

minner - 8/8/2007 2:12 PM If you are thinking of downsizing to save on the initial purchase that is one thing, but saving on fuel economy is another. You wont save any money on fuel by running a 90hp wide open when you can run a 150 at about 3500-4000rpm and obtain the same speed. It's better to have "to much" power and cruise than it is to run one wide open throttle if you can stay out of it. On the flip side if you do need to skedadle because of weather or what ever, you'll have the power to do so.

</p>

This is true, however I dont know many folks with the discipline to stay in that RPM range. The Yamaha 4 strokes are great motors, so are the Hondas. The Hondas are considerably more costly. I have been very happy with my Yamaha. Good luck with however yo go.</p>

 

[adamwstewart]

I think hondas are quieter...but our Yammie does fine. Be aware that Yamaha was having some problems with motors 'making oil' (i.e., fuel in oil) for some reason...they claim that the motors do this when they're cold and not run long enough to warm them up...apparently, you need to run them about half an hour to warm them up....I find this hard to believe with EFI motors. Yamaha seems to be aware that the motors do this under certain conditions but can't seem to find a fix.

Anyway, they are pretty good about warranty work, better than mercury in my experience. I've been pleased with the 115 I run in spite of the oil-dilution problem. Much more trouble free than the old carbed merc.

Yamahas are also not nearly as heavy (or they weren't as of a couple of years ago) as Hondas. I seem to recall that the weight difference on 115s was about 100 lbs.

AWS

 

[Sam]

Thank all you guys for your input. I'm going to take a closer look at the Yamahas. I used to ride a Yamaha trail bike years ago and it was an awesome bike. I don't really know why I haven't looked at them closer before now. The note about oil in the fuel does make me a little concerned though. Has anybody else seen this?

Also I appreciate the comments about power and number of dealers.......................,very good points.

For what it's worth, I emailed the Honda Dealer in Cleveland asking about the Honda engines. They answered my first inquiry promptly then ignored a followup email I sent them. I even sent them an additional email and asked if I had asked too many questions...................,they ignored that email as well. I'm left with a bad feeling about these guys.

Sam