Deep water ??
 

Good day fellow xt's.
What is the best if you land your ass in deep water unexpectedly. Happened to me this weekend on long ride, did not expect water to come up all the way to the 2nd stage filter on my XTR. Water out on other side of river crossing and water was running out of the filter like river, kept the bike engine going all the way...
What is the best, hit the kill swith or just carry on??
Cheers
GB

You need to know where your limit is, and this is the air intake.

As yuo ride you will creat a bow wave (not nearly as obvious as a car/ 4x4) and there is a dip in the water behind it. But this is very very difficult to gauge or advise for a bike. If you are running very slowly, say a river or huge pot hole then you won't be going at enough speed to creat anything and have to rely on the water level being constant. On road you can 'get away with it' sometimes (I have once - but the water was fast flowing and there was no way I was stopping!)

Whenever I hit water (deep water) I keep my thumb over the kill switch, and at the slightest hint of getting water into the engine I kill it. You're wet anyway, so it doesn't matter to you!

I've never managed to drown an engine, my view is it's better to pull the bike out and get it started and on your way, than risk it then spend time at the road/track side working on a bike getting colder and colder.

In the water is the place where you regret removing the snorkle!!!

The snorkle is only going to get you a couple more inches before the water gets in. If water does get in after you have stopped the engine, then remove spark plug and turn the engine over a few times to blow the water out, turn the bike up side down if possible which is easier said then done (easy on my DRZ 400 when I dropped it crossing a river at Tarr steps Exmoor)

This is how its done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNO6bZyVzOk About half way through.


Val.

PS: Another link if you want to see some more fun. http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f

The Black 650 is being ridden by partner Jill just six month after first sitting on a motorcycle.

AAAHHH, thats so cute...all those GS's through the water, and not one driver could lift it up by themselves after the spill....glad i dont drive a 300kg monster.

Sorry, i dont get the point of flipping the bike upside down...
GB

Err, we couldn't get the sump plug undone with the tool kits open-ended 24mm spanner, so it was suggested that the bike be inverted, to get the oil/water out.

In the event that didn't work either, but just at that moment a breakdown truck came in to fill up with fuel and we were able to borrow a socket.

The little 650 weighs approx 185Kg's and a fully fueled and kitted out 1200 (empty boxes) weighs about 230Kg's.

As for the reason for tipping the bike; at the end of the day you have to do what you have to do, to continue doing what you're doing. Sitting on the side of the road waiting for the AA ain't an option if there is more fun to be had.

There's no 'can't lift their bike on there own' in it. Most of us are perfectly capable of lifting the Beamers. Infact they are actually easier to lift than the XT's because they have big stickie outie bits that stop it going right over. If you dropped your bike on the ground, we'd help you pick it up too. It's just the way it's done (after the photo call of course).

Val.

Only pulling your leg and ragging you a bit Val.H.
i can see your loyal Beemer blood is pumping in your veins and maybe i wanna give you a blood pressure of 160/300 just because i hate Beems...and the attitude most riders have...:bricks:

They sure doo know how to throw them down hard, think they might need to take it a bit easier next time. If that was me on the XTR on the other hand........beepbeep coming through:sbike:

It's very important to stop the engine as soon as water gets in to the air filter. It's at this point that it will most likely get into the cylinder, followed 'very possibly' by hydraulic lock, and that will be the end of your crank and conrod.

Also there is the danger of getting water into the crank case 'Milky oil'. Adding water to the oil will mean you now have too much liquid in the engine which can cause problems related to over filling. Of course the water will get into all the bearings etc and if left will cause corrosion, significantly reducing the life of the engine.

However don't panic just yet. It is very easy to sort out a drowned bike and can easily be done on the road side/river bank.
Once the bike is drowned (or you suspect it is) DON'T try to start the engine. Get the bike out of the water, and remove the spark plug/s. Crank the bike over to remove the ingested water. Check the oil leval. If it is milky and over the maximum leval, you will need to remove some. either from the filler or by tipping the bike on it's side and undoing the sump plug.
Finaly remove the air filter, it's wet and won't be much good.

When you have get the bike home you will need to do an oil change immediately to flush out any impurities and water vapor. I use a cheep oil to do this. take the bike for a short ride to get the oil hot and then dump it and refill with your normal oil and new air and oil filters. You might need to do this a couple of times.

Lastly a couple of things to think of:
When oil and water mix they create a foam (white oil?) that can get trapped in the engine. This can some times cause other problems at a later date.

Also if you know you are going fording, remember the impact you could have on the environment and be prepared for the worst. When I lead ford rides, I carry spare oil and filters for my bike and tell others to do the same. I also carry a 5ltr collapsible water carrier, which is handy for draining oil into. And lots of rags as things can get messy out there. It ain't difficult to do and makes the whole experience much more fun, knowing that whatever happens you are prepared and can get home.


Val.

The river where the 650 and the 12ADV went down was extremely slippery because of the hot weather and low water levels that year. It was actually quite difficult to walk across.

The up side to the big beamers is that they are very easy to pump out and damage is minimal because there is very little to break when the fall over. Even without engine bars they are surprisingly tough.


Val.