Author Topic: Creek crossing  (Read 2248 times)

hypophthalmus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 598
    • View Profile
Creek crossing
« on: July 29, 2016, 06:33:24 PM »


I'm making plans that involve crossing that.

Any advice? Even after watching three motorcycle make it through fine, the prospect still seems alarming.

I have a People 250.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2016, 06:36:59 PM by hypophthalmus »

ScooterWolf

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1171
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2016, 09:19:04 PM »
Why the need to cross, and what are you crossing on?

- Wolf

Stig / Major Tom

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14695
  • Rural Ohio
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2016, 10:27:16 PM »
As long as you take it slow, and the water depth does not exceed the ground clearance of the scoot....you might be OK.
Me, I'd go to the grocers and gas station on your side of the creek.
Stig
Boston Strong
Rural Ohio

And, I'm feeling a little peculiar.

Tromper

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 786
  • Seattlish
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2016, 11:08:10 PM »
Looks like a bad idea to me.  That said, the big question would be how deep vs your exhaust, & battery.
I'd also worry a bit about the CVT.

I took some minor road floods on my S200, but nothing that big.

Overall keep moving, don't let off the gas just in case it momentarily goes over your exhaust, & be ready to push it and dry it out if it kills on you since you could rather easily get your wiring wet doing that.
2008 SYM HD200 "Niwanibiz"
2018 Suzuki Burgman AN650z "Bebaamaadizid"

k9 S200 (Blue) "Max" (Sold)
k8 SYM HD200 "Indigo" (Deceased)
k7 Suzuki Burgman 650 "Ohanzee" (Sold)

hypophthalmus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 598
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2016, 02:55:46 AM »
There's a campground on the other side of that creek. I'd be crossing on my People 250.

Not crossing if it's above the ground clearance sounds like a good idea.

Would it be better to push it across?

Thankfully, it looks like it's not always that bad:
https://youtu.be/uHAcP1sjUsI?t=52s
0:52

I called to ask what the water level is, but all they could tell me is that it's probably fine because it hasn't been raining much.

chaz35

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 711
  • old guy
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2016, 07:20:13 PM »
Only time I ever fell off a scooter was crossing a creek.

I was riding with my son-n-law and we swapped scooters.  I was following him, and we were riding on unfamiliar roads (2 bad ideas:  riding someone else's scooter, and riding on unfamiliar roads).  He went through a creek that was slimy with algae.  I noticed he slipped some, so I was very careful, and still went down, was like glazed ice.  I think if had been on my scooter, I wouldn't have gone down.

Later, I was reading a Honda owner's manual and it says "a scooter is like toothbrush, don't use someone else's toothbrush, and don't ride someone else's scooter", good advice IMO.  Cheers
1st and 2nd usually have an unfair advantage.  3rd is usually the best, can learn the most from.  paraphrased from Don Quixote, over 400 years ago, still true today

klaviator

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1713
  • Huntsville, Alabama
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2016, 02:52:49 AM »
I have done hundreds of creek crossings.  I haven't fallen yet.  However, I avoid crossing creeks on my scooters because I'm concerned with getting water in my CVT and having the belt start slipping.  Most scooters aren't designed with water crossings in mind unlike my KLR.  The batteries on many scooters are really low as well.  Submerging the battery would be bad :(

I Ride Therefore I Am

Rocket City, Al

hypophthalmus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 598
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2016, 09:56:22 PM »
I ended up crossing the creek a number of times when I was there. It seems that the crossing dries out regularly, so there was only algae on the very edges (which is in fact extremely slippery).

When I got there it was pretty low and nothing to worry about. But later it rained heavily and exceeded the ground clearance of my bike by a small amount. I turned the engine off and walked it across when I had to, and never noticed any ill effects from that.

Kymsec99

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 47
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2016, 10:48:00 PM »
I did a very similar thing, with similar depth and length of water years ago.
I had a Honda CD185, manual 5 gears, with twin low slung exhausts (3 inches lower than yours) and a 15 stone mate as pillion passenger.
I kept it in 1st gear, around 3000 revs, 4 legs raised and stopped after we got through it, just to run the engine for a minute on high revs to expel any water. I remember the sound of my exhausts as they burbbled in the water!
Absolutely no damge.
As for you're CVT gearing, I'm not sure how it runs, guess its a continuous type gearing but if you can start off slowish with decent revs somehow and run at same revs or more, then I cannot see the exhaust will suffer, BUT, where or how low is you're air intake? Wouldn't risk it if air intake is postioned low.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2016, 01:31:13 AM by Kymsec99 »

randyo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1690
  • Farmington, Strafford County, New Hampshire, USA
    • View Profile
Re: Creek crossing
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2016, 05:16:59 PM »
BUT, where or how low is you're air intake? Wouldn't risk it if air intake is postioned low.

that is my only real concern, fresh water does not conduct electiricity

RandyO
IBA#9560

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function split()