Water crossings!
Some riders love them.
Others hate them.
Many of us are in between.
We will look at how to prepare your motorbike and equipment.
How to prepare yourself.
How to actually do water crossings.
And finally how to get your motorbike running again when you drown it.
How waterproof is your airbox?
This can be critical on two strokes which are usually much lower.
Consider taping up your airbox for deep water crossings.
Remember to keep the airbox drain plug clear so water can run back out again.
If you modify your airbox for more intake, only drill holes at the very top, not the side.
Some motorbikes tend to stall in water crossings once these breather hoses are under water.
Research your model and see if they should be rerouted into your airbox or elsewhere.
Carry enough tools if your motorbike is drowned.
You may need to remove your spark plug, exhaust pipe,
engine oil drain bolt, and access your air filter.
A little spray can of water dispersant like WD40 can be handy for electrics and wet spark plugs.
A waterproof zip lock bag is useful for any cameras, phones and car keys.
A lot of guys drown their motorbikes because they have poor balance, tend to sit all
the time and aren't used to unpredictable terrain like rocks, sand, mud and wet logs.
So practice riding dry rocky creek beds, soft sand and mud.
As you gain confidence, stand on the footpegs more.
Then your body is no longer dead meat on the seat,
but you can use your whole body to maintain balance and absorb bumps.
And if the water is clear you can see the bottom better.
Here is the default standing body position.
For water crossings and other unpredictable terrain,
you'll actually position your body slightly more to the rear.
This keeps the rear wheel weighted for traction, and the front wheel light,
so it's deflected less by underwater obstacles.
Finally, prepare yourself mentally.
So many riders panic once they are in the water and gun the throttle.
Or they ride too slow.
This leads us to technique.
Before you hit the water, is there an alternative way around?
Sometimes there is a bridge or shallower crossing nearby.
If it's a narrow creek you can even use a rock as a kicker and simply jump over.
Otherwise is it worth the risk?
If you drown the motorbike and can't get it started, can you get back home again?
And beware of fast flowing water over slippery causeways.
It might only be axle deep but once the motorbike is swept away you can wind up
pinned under the motorbike in deeper water.
It happened to one of our guys, then another rider almost drowned trying to rescue him.
If you decide to go ahead, check the depth of the water.
If you can't see the bottom,
walk through and make sure it's not too muddy, and there are no obstacles.
Don't want to get your boots wet?
Get a long branch and poke around.
Should you stand or sit?
Experienced riders will usually stand to get better balance.
But less experienced riders may be safer sitting.
Some guys keep their legs in the air to keep their boots dry.
In very deep crossings this can sometimes be an advantage as there is less drag through the water,
but usually it is sacrificing some control over the motorbike.
Slip the clutch and keep the engine revs up.
You will get better traction and less chance of stalling if things go badly.
Speed.
A high speed wheelie looks impressive can also go very wrong.
Many riders are panicking a little and go through too fast.
However too slow means less momentum
when hitting underwater obstacles so aim for a measured constant pace.
If it's very deep the right speed will actually create a bow wave
that keeps the water away from your airbox.
In fast flowing water, try to start upstream then go with the flow as you cross.
If you aren't confident, watch the other riders first.
Take exactly the same line if they didn't hit any obstacles.
Learn from their mistakes.
Don't expect a water crossing to stay the same.
A week later rocks may have shifted, or a new log is hiding in the mud.
Prepare for the unexpected.
Finally, keep a finger on your killswitch if possible.
Tell yourself that if the motorbike is going down, you won't try that last handful of throttle.
Instead you will calmly kill the engine and prepare to lift your motorbike out
of the water as soon as possible. Bummer, you've dropped the motorbike.
If it's still running hit that kill switch before it sucks a gutful of water.
Pick it up as fast as possible.
Sometimes you can be lucky.
If water didn't get past the air filter, all you might need to do is make sure the airbox drains,
wring your air filter dry then upend your motorbike to get water out of the exhaust pipe.
Depending on the shape of your exhaust, you may need to lie it down on the right side first.
Then upendthe motorbike to make sure you drain the water instead of pushing it back into the engine.
But let's assume you've sucked water in.
Don't try to start it!
Water does not compress and you could bend your conrod and do major damage.
Drain the airbox and squeeze the air filter dry.
Drain the exhaust pipe by upending the motorbike or removing it.
Remove the spark plug and dry it.
Remove the fuel tank or block the overflow tube if needed.
Turn the motorbike upside down, put the motorbike in gear and cycle the engine.
Get the motorbike upright and pour a little bit of fuel into the spark plug hole.
If you have a carburetor, turn the fuel off and drain your float bowl.
On four strokes consider loosening the engine oil drain bolt to see if any water comes out.
Water is heavier than oil
so just tighten it up once you see engine oil seeping out instead of water.
Apply choke when starting.
The motorbike is cold, and if a water drop is blocking the main jet
you'll get extra revs to suck the water through.
With a two stroke you can keep riding all day,
but check the tranmission oil when you get home, in case water got in through the vent.
With a four stroke, change the oil immediately if possible.
If you can't some suggest you ride for an hour
to evaporate any moisture inside the engine to prevent rust.
This assumes you have sucked in relatively clean water.
If it was very muddy water then it may be best not to run the engine at all.
When you get home, you can flush your engine several times with cheap oil
if water did get inside.
Spray WD40 into all your electrical connections to prevent corrosion.