river crossing

[skooter]

My name is Eric and I own a DRZ 400 and I have been riding in the Mt. Shasta area for awhile. I'm only 17,but I have already expierenced some challenges. like this one day me and my dad were riding through some mountain trails and came across some water crossings. One that I had some trouble getting through[stalled in the water both times that I crossed it] was a swift flowing and rocky and deep river crossing. I tried going through, but I couldn't see the rocks well enough because of th swift flow of water. My Question is how should I get through these swift water crossings withought dumping my bike. thanks in advance for any advice or steps I could take to inprove such blind crossings. Eric

 

[kiwi_925]

hit it faster and hope, seems to work sometimes for me :-)

 

[Dave.Smith]

As kiwi said you need to carry some more speed. Pick out a rocky area ("rock garden") on dry land to get some practice.

 

[23jayhawk]

I would think standing with your weight to the back is usually a good idea in that situation. Helps to keep your rear tire driving, and lightens up the front wheel so the forks are better able to absorb impacts.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I haven't done many, but I did seem to have better luck if I pointed a little upstream. I always seemed to lose the front end more than the back when crossing and it was easier to control if I managed to keep pointing upstream (or at least straight across).

 

[CaptainObvious]

If you can't see your tires, prepare for the worst. You might as well ride with your eyes closed. Really, if you see to the bottom you don't know if you're about to hit a 2 foot log or find a 6 foot hole. In this situation I'd err on the side of caution and good judgement (says the guy who broke his ankle in a stream this summer!).

Gary

 

[wayneg]

You're best to ride with your weight well back and use small blips on the throttle to keep momentum without speeding up too much. I always point downstream as you're less likely to get water in your airbox, the flow of the water helps to keep your momentum going, and you get less wet. If you can put your feet 1.5" out from the frame on your footpegs it will also help you to use 'body english' to keep your balance.

Its always better to walk a creek crossing first unless you're in a race situation. It always pays to know what is under your bike rather than hitting something unexpected and having the whole drowned bike drama - I know as I do crash in creeks a bit too frequently ;)

 

[t-dog]

A tip on the DRZ and water crossings: Reroute two (of the already forked) vent tubes from the carb, to under the seat. The DRZ will stall very easily in water without this modification.

 

[justql]

In the enduros that I've raced with water crossings if there were spectators in the creek trying to help people then i head towards them. They will be standing in the shallower water. If there is no one there then lean back, keeping the front end light and stay on the gas. Usually I've had no opportunity to chose whether to go up or down stream, the determing factor is the exit of the creek, usually it is more important to hit it right than anything else.