You give excellent advice if water gets into cylinder. But first drain airbox and remove air filter. Then pull spark plug and crank until no more water comes out. Then re-install plug and start bike. Once running dry air filter by placing over exhaust outlet to let hot exhaust dry filter. Then replace filter and go. If you have only a kickstart bike...after removing air filter and spark plug shift trans into highest gear and lay bike on its side. Then turn rear wheel by hand until no more water sprays from spark plug hole.
Bob, all good points, you're exactly right. A spontaneous video on the side of the road.....we just didn't get into every single detail. But you're right, no reason to "mop up the mess" when the temporary source of the problem isn't cleaned up yet : ) Thanks for the notes. See you out there : )
Great vid. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a air intake cover that you could use for water crossing. Maybe locking the bottom and sides and forcing air only through the top.
I have found that the more shallow the water, the higher the probability of slippery/slime coated rocks. Wonder if it’s better for a passenger to be on or off in a crossing? I prefer off due to the extra responsibility and concern regarding shifting weight.
Indeed, and absolutely....the passenger should be off the bike to be on the safe side. Plenty of possible surprises below the water's surface, and just imagine: A surprise rock knocks both riders down, with one or both riders having a leg trapped beneath the bike.....while water is rushing over heads. Scary stuff. We are all about adventure and survival, but this would be pushing the limits of good taste. ----- If the water is so strong or deep that the passenger can't simply walk across, perhaps reconsider if the bike should be going across.
Travelled through Colombia Ecuador and Peru in the mountains for 15 months. Came off my bike 2 times. Both in shallow water running across a smooth cement road. You’re correct, the sun will grow algae very easily with those conditions. Add a little mud and it’s like ice. Best to stop if you’re not sure, walk and test the surface with you’re boot to find the area with the most grip. Keep your bike as perpendicular as possible to the road, use moderate speed with no throttle action or gear changes and hope for the best. Or you could try to walk it but with slippery algae and a heavy bike you may end up in a bad situation.
Good video and presentation, I like your style. Unfortunately, this looks like a crossing that has been decommissioned and rehabbed for wildlife habitat or erosion control. Usually those barricading boulders and crisscrossed logs(1:42) are placed with intention by the managing agency / land owner specifically to detour vehicle crossings. Although I'm no big fan of the "tragedy of the commons" argument, I'll usually take the high road if I think it's going to give riders a bad rep. It's not a "can I" decision, it's a "should I," the stakes of which are much higher when promoting on the web.
Chris, thanks for your concern. The sign said "dead end" not "road closed," and those logs had arrived in their positions by natural water flow, not by land management. The regular path used on both sides of the river would indicate there was plenty of use by vehicles of all types, and we did not feel we were causing any more disturbance than the millions of other vehicles mankind is currently trampling this planet with.
outty77, absolutely, for a variety of reasons, it may be better to walk. An extremely bumpy path with large, loose rocks beneath the water would be one of them. Another may be if you're trying a crossing at the upper limits of how much water/pressure you might possibly be able to make it through. When walking, you've got less traction below the tires, but you may be able to lean a bit into the bike to offset the water's tendency to push the bike over. Lots of little things to consider, so evaluate each situation independently.
Hah, but the slight buoyancy makes it lighter? Ha, ha...yea, they are pigs to pickup, but so worth it when upright : ) Thanks for the note, pardon our late response.
Hmm..... in theory, yes....added "leg suspension" and absorption means you should have better, more consistent contact with the terrain below. But what about when you hit a surprise rock or something under the water, and need to dab your foot to regain balance? Suddenly traction doesn't mean much.
This is all monkey bunk. Every experienced rider knows the best way to cross water is to hit it at very high speed and hydroplane across the surface. then it doesn't make any difference how deep it is. There are plenty of videos of this on RU-vid.
...if you have a twin spark cylinder, is it ok to remove just one plug in each cylinder to purge it of potential water ingress, or should you remove both plugs from both cylinders? (With my KTM I’d have to remove a 30 litre tank and the airbox, to remove one plug from each cylinder, and to remove the second plug from the front cylinder I’d need to relocate the radiator and overflow bottle...unfortunately it’s not as straight forward as with a boxer)
Ronan, absolutely, just remove 1 spark plug per cylinder. The main goal in removing plugs is to open up the combustion chamber and allow pressure out, so it's easier to "turn the engine over" and pump everything through. The hole that 1 spark plug leaves behind is plenty to let it pump through pretty easily.
...and think about the speed while going through the water. Not to slow...not to fast. To slow...a small rock can stop you easily....to fast...the water can flush your boots of the footpegs, or the spray will get into your air-intake. Anyway, watercrossing is a big fun .-)
@@martinseel2837, oops. Mostly used in terms of "musical orchestra," it was just meant as "to coordinate a lot of stuff all at once." - (Direct from Google Dictionary -- 2. arrange or direct the elements of (a situation) to produce a desired effect, especially surreptitiously.)
I just bought the V-Strom 650 Adventure. Other than riding through a river, can wet road riding cause water to get into my air intake? Or is the front wheel fender good enough to keep water out?
John D, I doubt a company like Suzuki would allow such a problem in their design. Of course we never know....maybe they never tested in such conditions, but I think that would be a long shot.
THX for reply! I plan to ride in Ohio winter weather as well, but, I need to watch out for road salt and clean everytime I put the bike away for the night.
Is there any guidance as it relates to the exhaust? Obviously it's ideal for the exhaust to be above the water but is it a showstopper if the water is above the exhaust? (The exhaust on my bike is pretty low. 2017 Versys 650)
Good question. As long as the engine is running, it'll push through the water and keep air-bubbling out just fine. It's the intake you have to be most careful about. Keep the rev's up and whatever's needed to keep that engine running and not let any water in the muffler.
Max, I think a few parts companies have made such, but specific parts for such a thing are probably a little rare. Rigging up your own sure could work, if you can make it seal-off properly. Hmm....might also be a call for a 3D printer : )
@@Nightelfmusic Perhaps. But with most intake snorkels being plastic of some sorts, perhaps a plastic addition might work/seal better. Probably a few ways to make a motorcycle into a submarine, and all would lead to fun : )
RIDE Adventures well you can get flexible intake hose too, plus it would be better corrosion wise, you should do a video on the experimenting with a cheap dirt bike in case it goes tits up 😂 but ultimately it should be simple, I'd go for leaving the air box in it original place so you don't get odd pressure. But deffo worth playing with, maybe extending the exhaust to the same height with it turning down at the end to stop water getting in? Idk I ain't no engineer 😂 I wanna see you do this though😂
Hi i recently had an incident riding across a short causeway about 10metres long which was covered with running water to a depth of about 200mm, i approached the crossing slowly, about halfway accross my back tyre spun out causing the bike to swing around and resulting in my falling off and being pinned under the bike. There were no obstructions, rocks etc, there was some moss on the concrete but another bike had gone accross before me without any incident. The bike is fitted with Karoo 3 tyres in good condition. Do you have suggestions about the possible cause? Thanks Ant Kenny
Ant Kenny, scary situation! The reason you slipped-out was really just a combination of all the factors, and there's no way of pointing to 1 in particular that caused it all. When in water, our bikes are slightly buoyant and therefore without as much weight/pressure pushing traction into the surface below, and when you add the moss, the side pressure of flowing water, and perhaps a bit too much throttle ...... anyone could have slipped like that. Glad it sounds like you were okay.
Happened to me in Peru. See my response above to another question on the same topic. Also there’s a possibly the other bike may have had traction control. I travelled through some crazy terrain and weather during my 15 months adventure in South America. Came off my bike twice. Both in shallow water with algae and mud just below the surface. You can do everything right within your scope of control. Sometimes it’s not enough. Good luck and safe riding.
Hi, have a look at 2:42 on the video, and it'll show you where the intake is on this 2012 GS Adventure. The 2014+ liquid cooled bikes have it up further, sort of behind the front fender and headlights. Best to stop by a shop and see personally!
Yep, it's up there much higher, as if BMW finally realized "hey, we're making a bike built for adventures." Almost laughable that the pre-liguid-cooled intake was so low in the first place.
Yea, it was a spontaneous video made during a ride, and we didn't mention everything. Of course turning off the "source" of the water would be a good idea before "mopping up" the rest : ) RIDE on.
