First, it was a handful of grainy cell phone pics hitting social media threads. Then came a few photo studio images from RIVA Racing itself. Then came a full blown feature article on The Watercraft Journal that revealed all of the details on what was at the time only thought of as a display model at the Yamaha dealer show at the Amelia Island Ritz Carlton in Florida, in late August 2015.

The ski, a modified 2015 Yamaha FZR that wielded bright orange “350” emblems on its sides, almost taunted onlookers. The idea of 350 dyno-proven-horsepower out of a supercharged personal watercraft was, only a scant few years earlier, the stuff of top-of-the-line Pro Open and international GP class race craft. Now, RIVA Racing – the industry’s leader in developing high quality performance aftermarket race parts and accessories – was offering it in a reliable package.

Yet, this time things are different: while all of the wares listed on the RIVA-equipped WaveRunner can be purchased individually via the company’s online store, the parts manufacturer is offering a nearly identical turn-key package for $25,995 through the RIVA Racing dealer network. Never before has such a modified watercraft been developed, tested and proven, and made available for general consumer interest.

With a limited run of 25 units for the year, those who saw the immediate value in such a machine instantly committed initial payments – even before seeing the final product. As shown in the earlier article, the FZR 350 displayed was a 2015 model and changes would be made to the 2016’s aesthetics (namely the Torch Red Metallic hull). When finally (and quietly) unveiled in early December, the RIVA Racing Limited Edition 2016 Yamaha FZR 350 showed its ultimate appearance.

RIVA’s Dave Bamdas told The Watercraft Journal, “Internally, we debated over the Limited Edition’s look. I wanted it to look like this could’ve come from the factory, and made great efforts to do so. All of the orange components [from the prototype displayed in August 2015] are now anodized red, to match the factory red color scheme.”