On a RiDE ski the reverse gate sometimes stops answering: you pull for reverse, nothing moves, or a RiDE fault appears on the display. RiDE is the handlebar shift system Yamaha fits, per its own equipment lists, to the FX SHO and SVHO from 2015, the GP1800 and GP1800R, the JetBlaster PRO and DLX and some trims of the VX Cruiser and EX series. The SuperJet doesn't have it, and neither do the older MR-1 skis or the 1.8-litre VXR, VXS and FX HO of 2008 to 2014. On those 1.8 models reverse is a plain switch with its own code, 78.
Where the codes sit
The M-JET Diagnostic reads RiDE faults in plain text on every RiDE model in its list. In the code tables the system takes two blocks. Codes 150 to 154 belong to the RPS side and 157 to 164 to the SCU, the control unit of the system. Code 159 is the one forum threads mention most, and it points at the reverse gate. Numbers differ between control unit generations and between sources such as dash display, manual and forum, so trust the description the app prints more than a number copied from a thread.
The boring causes come first
Owners who chased a 159, and now and then a 157 or 163, report ordinary causes far more often than a failed unit. That comes up in several places, so it is a fair pattern, though not a promise for your ski.
- A tie-down strap pulled across between the two stern eyes and pressing on the gate.
- A rod that has been bent slightly.
- The plug on the RiDE main harness, not fully seated or corroded inside.
- A relay or fuse, which takes thirty seconds to look at.
- The cable adjustment.
- Debris jammed at the gate itself.
Take the strap off, look at the gate and rod with your own eyes, and wiggle the harness plug. Then clear the fault: engine off, pull the lanyard, wait 30 seconds and start again. If the code comes straight back, it is active. If it stays away over a few start and stop cycles and a short ride, it was a stored leftover.
What the scan adds
The report tells you whether the complaint sits in the RPS group or the SCU group, and each entry carries a possible cause and test steps. That narrows the search before you open anything. Read the battery voltage in live data as well. Low voltage makes control units throw odd faults, and checking it takes a minute.
The app recognises the ski by itself and shows only what that ski has, so a GP1800R or a JetBlaster DLX gets its RiDE entries and a SuperJet never will.
SCU initial learning is not a repair
The app offers an SCU initial learning, and it only appears on models with RiDE. It belongs after the SCU has been replaced. It does nothing for a stuck gate, a bent rod or a loose plug. If you haven't swapped the SCU, leave it alone. The page on SCU initial learning for RiDE explains the routine for the case where you do need it.
What stays invisible
A scan reports electrical states. A bent rod, a gate binding on debris or a cable set slightly off can leave the same entry in the fault memory, because from the control unit's side the gate simply didn't arrive where it should. You find those by looking and by moving the parts. The same goes for a corroded plug that hasn't tripped a code yet: when the list is empty and reverse still misbehaves, the harness plug is the next place to go.
FX SVHO owners will find more in the article on RiDE, SCU and RPS faults on the FX SVHO. A sensible order on any RiDE ski is strap, rod and gate, plug, relay and fuse, then voltage, and only after that a closer look at the control unit.
