Bike submerged in a River

[Barry Waterfield]

Don't laugh, but I rode my 2001 YZ426F straight into the deep end of a river,...about 5 feet deep. I won't get into how it happend, but I need to know what I should do to prevent damage. I managed to get the bike out of the water quickly, but that didn't seem to matter. We flipped the bike into a vertical position and cranked the engine to drain as much water as we could. I was surprised that I was able to start the engine (many kicks). However, If I gave it even the slightest bit of throttle it would cut out. I let it idle for awhile to see if that would help, but it still wouldn't rev. What problems might I have now and down the road (not the river)? How can I remedy them? Thanks for your help. :|

 

[nickyd]

water in the float bowl in the carb.

 

[nickyd]

let me elaborate....I'd drain it and run some clean oil through it and drain it fill it drain it fill it (you get the point)......clean the air filter....drain and clean the carb and then run it and forget about it....a lot of people have done that.....My buddy dumped his KTM 250 in a running river on day one of our 5 day trip to WVA.....we towed him back and changed oil/pulled pipe flushed whatever we could out...drained the carb/etc and got him up and running....post water episode he said his bike had never run so good....and its still running today....

 

[Barry Waterfield]

Cool. Thanks Nick.

Barry

 

[dirt bike dave]

If you ever submerge again, one of the first things to do in the field is remove the air filter, wring it out and let it dry some. One reason your bike may not have revved after it restarted is it would suck water off the wet filter

 

[Detonator]

Anybody else find it ironic that your name is Waterfield and you're writing about a drowned bike?

Sorry. Not poking fun...many of us have bathed our bikes and paid the piper afterward. I always enjoy the "liquid roost" that flies out of the exhaust after the bike finally lights. Much more entertaining if it's someone else's machine...

 

[Moteaux]

Previous posts were good advice... sorry I find it ironic that your user name is Barry Waterfield and you are posting about dumping your bike in the river :ohmy:

 

[Moteaux]

i guess you beat me to it Detonator!! :)

 

[Barry Waterfield]

Okay, go ahead and poke fun…I would. Believe me; my buddies were all over it after it happened. I just wish I would have caught myself before deciding to use my REAL name when I signed up for this website earlier today. I consider it a small price to pay for good advice. Take care you B@st@rds! :-)

 

[Detonator]

Strangely, my real name is Detonator, and my first post was about low octane, YZ 490's, and Ping golf clubs.

No, not really. Just trying to make you feel better.

Hope your bike gets back to normal soon. While you're drying things out, pop your ignition cover off and make sure everything is nice and dry in there. A hairdryer works well. Not the wife's. That'll cost you jewelry money. When you bolt it back up, consider a little bit of silicone around the gasket area for future watersports. Not your wife...the bike. Have to watch my modifiers...

If there's a possibility that water got into your gas tank, dump it, dry the tank (not with a match, unless you're filming it), and refuel. Otherwise, you can get recurring water issues, and there's often a bunch of grit and residue in the water. Same goes for the airbox boot...loosen the carb/boot band, pop your subframe off, and run your finger along the bottom of the airbox boot. If there's grit, it's because the water backwashed crud from your filter. Clean it, and clean out your carb, because jetting issues or a scored carb slide might be around the corner.

A+

 

[Barry Waterfield]

Thanks Detonator. It's funny how you know I'm married. If I decide to light my tank on fire, I'll definitely video tape it and send you a copy. Thanks again for all your advice. I plan to apply all of it. Take care.
BW