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You're out with your
friends, having a great trail ride through
some really cool woods. Or maybe competing
in an enduro. Nice stuff
… dappled sunlight through the trees
… temperature just about right …
plenty of traction … and then you
have to cross that shallow stream on the
trail.
Only
that shallow stream turns out to have a
deep spot in the middle, and the next thing
you know, your bike is under water and your
shorts are no longer dry.
Now
what are you going to do? First thing to
do is panic; in a panic situation, you'll
find the strength of Superman-and you're
going to need it to get that waterlogged
tank out of the rapidly flowing water.
Don't
think about what it's going to do to your
back; just heave it out on the bank and
get busy fixing the problem. If you don't
get that bike out right away, it could literally
start moving downstream and you could literally
lose the bike. Honestly, I've seen this
happen at the Blackwater 100 and some tough
Eastern endures.
With
a little bit of luck, you can be back rolling
in 10 minutes or so, just as long as you
don't waste any of those minutes feeling
sorry for yourself. And if you are in an
enduro, wasted minutes mean a bad score
and worse results.
Don't
even put the bike on the sidestand. Just
lay the bike over and pull the spark plug
out-right now! If you have a CDI ignition,
ground the spark plug lead or you may fry
the ignition.
Next,
flip the whole bike up-side down, wheels
to the sky, just like you used to do with
a bicycle when you threw the chain. Before
you flip the bike over, turn the gas off
and pinch the vent hose so it doesn't pour
all over the landscape.
Next,
nudge the bike into second gear and start
spinning the rear wheel in the normal direction.
Water should be spraying out the spark plug
hole. This is good; this is what you want
it to do. Keep spinning until there's no
trace of spray left, and start thinking
about the air filter. You'll have to pull
that out next and squeeze all the water
out of it.
Flip
the bike in whatever position you need to
get the filter out- neatness doesn't count.
Remember: the clock's still running.
With
any luck at all, the air box drained out
while the bike was on its back. But be careful
while the filter's out and don't let water
and muck run back down into the carb. Squeeze
the filter out; don't wring it.
Now
here's a trick you can use: slap the filter
on your hand to knock out as much water
as possible. You can watch the small drops
fall out as you beat it against your palm.
Stick
the filter back in and stand the bike up.
Don't put the plug back in right away; give
the engine a dozen kicks or so, and watch
for any more vapor at the spark plug hole.
Free the vent hose on the tank, then pull
off the gas line and wash off the spark
plug with gasoline. Shake off all the excess
and screw it back into the cylinder head.
If
you have a CDI ignition, start kicking.
Try it a few times with the choke on, and
if that doesn't work, shut the choke off
and kick until your eyes cross.
The
bike should start now, but it's going to
take some kicking.
If
you can't urge even a cough out of it, or
if you have a points ignition, you'll have
to get into the electricals. Don't give
up and die, just, whip out the tools and
get the mag cover off.
But
first, disconnect the kill button. Unplug
it, tear it out by the roots, hit it with
a rock.., anything; just disconnect it and
give the bike a few more kicks. It may start,
but if it doesn't ...
Pull
off the mag cover and let the water out.
Run something clean and dry through the
points, dry everything off as best as you
can and then start kicking again. Leave
the mag cover off until it starts-it won't
hurt to have the magnets spinning in the
breeze, and it'll help sling off the moisture.
If
you're not running by now, go over everything
again, and don't quit until the bugger runs.
When it does fire, bolt everything important
down, gather up your tools and take off!
Don't stop to adjust your shorts.
You
should have done that while you were spinning
the back wheel. Just get out of there fast,
because there's fifty more miles to go,
and you haven't lost more than ten minutes.
And the next stream that comes along, you
might have to repeat the drill all over
again. |
