How deep of water?

[ChicotDave]

With recent rains here in Louisiana, I recently travelled through a flooded road (supervised by highway workers) which was about one foot deep. Was no problem for my 2000 R1100R. Question: How deep is too deep before one can run into problems?

[jacco]

With recent rains here in Louisiana, I recently travelled through a flooded road (supervised by highway workers) which was about one foot deep. Was no problem for my 2000 R1100R. Question: How deep is too deep before one can run into problems?

You definitely want to stay away from the air intake (just below the tank on the left side of the bike), but I'm not sure how long you can get away with immersing the fuse box et al... So avoid anything above the top of the wheels I'd say.

(Anyone who really knows what (s)he's talking about to confirm this or correct me? :D)

[username]

i *think* there can be an issue if your final drive stays under water. i think water can get in via a breather hole and wreak some havoc. if i rode through water that came up near the engine, i change my fluids. note: i'm a nervous nelly when it comes to lubricants in machines. when i'm in doubt, i change it out.

[osaiyid]

i *think* there can be an issue if your final drive stays under water. i think water can get in via a breather hole and wreak some havoc. if i rode through water that came up near the engine, i change my fluids. note: i'm a nervous nelly when it comes to lubricants in machines. when i'm in doubt, i change it out.

Gee, folks, when I see all the pictures of the GS fording streams (in BMW brochures and in magazines), then there is the video of Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman's "Long Way Round". I see bikes really deep in water. What gives?

[kbasa]

Gee, folks, when I see all the pictures of the GS fording streams (in BMW brochures and in magazines), then there is the video of Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman's "Long Way Round". I see bikes really deep in water. What gives?


Note that they never include water much over the jugs. If you suck water into the engine Bad Things happen, like hydrostatic lock. Because water is relatively incompressible, suddenly filling the cylinder with water can bend rods.

Final drive? No clue, but I'd bet that if you ride it through water over the final drive, you'd want to keep riding for a while to try and evaporate the water through the vent as vapor. :dunno

[PGlaves]

With recent rains here in Louisiana, I recently travelled through a flooded road (supervised by highway workers) which was about one foot deep. Was no problem for my 2000 R1100R. Question: How deep is too deep before one can run into problems?

That depends on what you mean by "run into problems." From a mechanical point of view it can be pretty deep. You need to be sure you don't ingest water into any of the critical mechanical parts. The final drive breather is probably the closest to the ground.

BUT, you "run into problems" when the force of the flowing water pushes you off the road - which depends on the speed of the flowing water, its depth, and how good the traction is on the surface below the water. Those low water crossings with algea covered round stones on the bottom don't do much to keep you from sliding sideways.

There have been cases where as little as 6 inches of water has pushed cars off the road, over the embankment, into deeper water, and occupant death.

It's a cruel world out there - be careful.

[PacWestGS]

Final drive? No clue, but I'd bet that if you ride it through water over the final drive, you'd want to keep riding for a while to try and evaporate the water through the vent as vapor. :dunno

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the relief valve of the pop-up one way variety?

In that it's a closed system until pressure builds enough (because something is wrong or very hot) allowing it to vent. Then hopefully it closes again.

Just thinking of other automotive applications that use a similar device.

Doc

[The_Veg]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the relief valve of the pop-up one way variety?

That sounds like a very good idea. How is the transmission vented, or is it at all? I know that on my airhead it's just a hole through a bolt, no higher than the top of the transmission. Water in there=chocolate milk and rusted gears.

I saw the Long Way Round crossings and getting swept by the current was what came to mind. Those guys got really clueless in several places. But then there was also something I saw somewhere on the web about two guys who were riding the TransAmerica Trail on Japanese duel-sports and there was a point where they had to cross water that had a good current and it took both guys to get each bike across- one working the gas & clutch and the other holding the bike against the current. Of course they did not have final-drive housings...

[cjack]

That sounds like a very good idea. How is the transmission vented, or is it at all? I know that on my airhead it's just a hole through a bolt, no higher than the top of the transmission. Water in there=chocolate milk and rusted gears.

...

The final drive and the trans have a sleeve at their top for a vent and a cap over it to keep water from going in from above. So they could ingest water if submerged.

[The_Veg]

The final drive and the trans have a sleeve at their top for a vent and a cap over it to keep water from going in from above. So they could ingest water if submerged.
Wow, you'd think that with all the other stuff they've improved over the years that they would have come up with better protection for those vents. I've got the same on my FD. Oh wait, BMW are boutique-bikes now...why would anybody want to ride one in deep water??? Might get their feet wet. :laugh

[CWC]

The final drive and the trans have a sleeve at their top for a vent and a cap over it to keep water from going in from above. So they could ingest water if submerged.

Based on a sample size of 1, the tranny vent is a one way device. In a test with a Mity Vac I was able to draw a considerable vacuum on a (very) early R11RS, but it wouldn't support measureable pressure.

[jacco]

Based on a sample size of 1, the tranny vent is a one way device. In a test with a Mity Vac I was able to draw a considerable vacuum on a (very) early R11RS, but it wouldn't support measureable pressure.

Strange. You'd expect them to want it to be able to suck in some air if it cools?

[cjack]

Wow, you'd think that with all the other stuff they've improved over the years that they would have come up with better protection for those vents. I've got the same on my FD. Oh wait, BMW are boutique-bikes now...why would anybody want to ride one in deep water??? Might get their feet wet. :laugh

Not if they were wearing BMW GoreTex boots.