A short, wet ride (and the story behind that river pic)

Skippii · August 16th, 2011, 05:20 AM

Several people have asked me about that pic on my profile page.....here's the story. Several years old now, but here it is.
[PDF version here]

After work this morning, I felt like testing out my new throttle cable on my Ninja.
I headed west. I came up behind a guy towing an ATV. I figured I'd see where he goes. I mean, anywhere an ATV can go a Ninja can go, right?
He headed into west Virginia, through the serious twisties. Screw that. I love the twisties, but not whenI'm behind a truck towing a trailer.
So I turned left. Gravel. Well, okay. Then dirt. That's alright. Then mud. Well, it had just rained for 3 days straight.
Then a big freaking river.
What the hell, I want to see what's on the other side.
Half way across: Damn! This is deeper than I thought. Oh, that's a pretty flat rock next to me--I bet I could put my kickstand down on that! So I flip the stand down, hit the kill switch, jump off, grab my camera and take a few pictures.

Whoopee, that was a fun break. Back on the bike.
Um...did you notice I said I hit the kill switch? But I didn't say anything about turning the keys...and
more importantly, switching off the headlight?
Well, that's a freaking terrible place to get a dead battery!!!
I mean, really, can you think of a worse place to get a dead battery???
One of these days I'll learn.
Well, probably not. I mean, it's not the first time I've done that.
Switch everything off, wait 5 minutes. Still can't start it.
Get back off, and push the bike to the other side. On the other side, I ponder the logic of that, since this side is nothing but wilderness, while on the side from which I came there is a busy highway filled with lots of dirt capable trucks bound to have jumper cables. Now I'd have to talk them into not just giving me a boost, but driving through a freaking river.
But I really wanted to know what was on the other side So what is on the other side? Well, a really muddy, slippery hill. Uphill, of course. I remember hearing that you can bump-start a bike by riding it down a hill and dropping the clutch. So, I pick up my Ninja and carry it to the top of the hill, and roll it back down, dropping the clutch while pressing the starter button. Finally, at the very bottom of the hill, as I'm about to go back into the river, it starts. I actually really didn't expect that, but I'm not complaining. At this point I tear off the headlight plug. Don't want to go through that again.

So, what is on the other side?

Rocks. And a dead end, about 25 feet past the hill. There are big downed logs and trees blocking any way further--not that there's a trail past that. The logs look tempting, but really, the Ninja is a motocross bike, not a hillclimb bike. (Well, okay, actually it's a sport bike.) So I turn around and go back over the river, and try another route.
Great, no rivers to cross on this route!
Why not? Because the entire route is flooded, so even if there were any rivers, I wouldn't know about it. I go through anyway. I mean, hey, it's not like a wet road could be deeper than the freaking river I just went through, right?

Well, that marks the first time I've ever had both mufflers completely submerged. Screw what those Harley folks say about the sound of their bikes...nothing beats the sound of a bike's exhaust bubbling up from underwater.
After another 1/4 mile or so of incinerating my clutch at 13,000rpm to break out of the quicksand-like mud at the bottom (and no, I was not about to park the bike there to take more pictures!) I finally emerge only a few small boulders away from the main road.

Concluding that my new throttle cable does indeed work, I went home.

csmith12 · August 16th, 2011, 06:05 AM

lol.... thats great!

Alex · August 16th, 2011, 06:08 AM

DerTeufel · August 16th, 2011, 12:33 PM

That poor poor ninjette. You need a KLX 250!

LazinCajun · August 16th, 2011, 12:42 PM

Between this and your dating adventure, it's safe to say your little ninjette had some unique experiences.

Out of curiosity, did you have any other mechanical problems after that quick dip?

hoodadooda · August 20th, 2011, 07:07 PM

This reminds me of that picture floating around on the internet with the GSXR crossing a river.

We should definitely ride together! But I probably won't be taking my ninja offroad.

Snake · August 20th, 2011, 08:24 PM

Yea poor bike.

Skippii · August 20th, 2011, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LazinCajun

Between this and your dating adventure, it's safe to say your little ninjette had some unique experiences.

Out of curiosity, did you have any other mechanical problems after that quick dip?

No...besides the clutch failing when I took Melissa out on the date a month later.

RaZeDaHeLL · December 20th, 2011, 08:41 AM

Wow this is one interesting story!!! Haha! How long did were you taking pictures before the battery died?

exploring/carolina · December 20th, 2011, 08:49 AM

Guess you could install a snorkle intake for those higher water crossings!

Skippii · January 31st, 2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaZeDaHeLL

Wow this is one interesting story!!! Haha! How long did were you taking pictures before the battery died?

Not long, maybe 5 minutes at most. But I was running an 80/100w headlight.

RaZeDaHeLL · February 1st, 2012, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippii

Not long, maybe 5 minutes at most. But I was running an 80/100w headlight.

Oh wow, I once left mine on for an hour but luckily my battery didn't die.

Skippii · February 1st, 2012, 05:35 AM

An hour??? I'm guessing you left it in park rather than all lights on or something... I dunno. I guess the bikes have about a 7ah battery, so it should be possible....I don't think I'd like to test it, though.
Posted via Mobile Device

Klondike1020 · February 1st, 2012, 06:52 AM

Ha you are epic I thought I was bad for taking my bike down some rail road beds and farm lanes . If I ever ride with you I'll just take my quad lol

So glad you got pictures though cause any one who heard that story would think you were exaggerating!

jack_bm · February 3rd, 2012, 12:09 PM

Haha those pictures are amazing especially with a story like that to go with it

i dont think i could ever do that to my ninja

August 16th, 2011, 05:20 AM	#1
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	A short, wet ride (and the story behind that river pic) Several people have asked me about that pic on my profile page.....here's the story. Several years old now, but here it is. [PDF version here] After work this morning, I felt like testing out my new throttle cable on my Ninja. I headed west. I came up behind a guy towing an ATV. I figured I'd see where he goes. I mean, anywhere an ATV can go a Ninja can go, right? He headed into west Virginia, through the serious twisties. Screw that. I love the twisties, but not whenI'm behind a truck towing a trailer. So I turned left. Gravel. Well, okay. Then dirt. That's alright. Then mud. Well, it had just rained for 3 days straight. Then a big freaking river. What the hell, I want to see what's on the other side. Half way across: Damn! This is deeper than I thought. Oh, that's a pretty flat rock next to me--I bet I could put my kickstand down on that! So I flip the stand down, hit the kill switch, jump off, grab my camera and take a few pictures. Whoopee, that was a fun break. Back on the bike. Um...did you notice I said I hit the kill switch? But I didn't say anything about turning the keys...and more importantly, switching off the headlight? Well, that's a freaking terrible place to get a dead battery!!! I mean, really, can you think of a worse place to get a dead battery??? One of these days I'll learn. Well, probably not. I mean, it's not the first time I've done that. Switch everything off, wait 5 minutes. Still can't start it. Get back off, and push the bike to the other side. On the other side, I ponder the logic of that, since this side is nothing but wilderness, while on the side from which I came there is a busy highway filled with lots of dirt capable trucks bound to have jumper cables. Now I'd have to talk them into not just giving me a boost, but driving through a freaking river. But I really wanted to know what was on the other side So what is on the other side? Well, a really muddy, slippery hill. Uphill, of course. I remember hearing that you can bump-start a bike by riding it down a hill and dropping the clutch. So, I pick up my Ninja and carry it to the top of the hill, and roll it back down, dropping the clutch while pressing the starter button. Finally, at the very bottom of the hill, as I'm about to go back into the river, it starts. I actually really didn't expect that, but I'm not complaining. At this point I tear off the headlight plug. Don't want to go through that again. So, what is on the other side? Rocks. And a dead end, about 25 feet past the hill. There are big downed logs and trees blocking any way further--not that there's a trail past that. The logs look tempting, but really, the Ninja is a motocross bike, not a hillclimb bike. (Well, okay, actually it's a sport bike.) So I turn around and go back over the river, and try another route. Great, no rivers to cross on this route! Why not? Because the entire route is flooded, so even if there were any rivers, I wouldn't know about it. I go through anyway. I mean, hey, it's not like a wet road could be deeper than the freaking river I just went through, right? Well, that marks the first time I've ever had both mufflers completely submerged. Screw what those Harley folks say about the sound of their bikes...nothing beats the sound of a bike's exhaust bubbling up from underwater. After another 1/4 mile or so of incinerating my clutch at 13,000rpm to break out of the quicksand-like mud at the bottom (and no, I was not about to park the bike there to take more pictures!) I finally emerge only a few small boulders away from the main road. Concluding that my new throttle cable does indeed work, I went home. __________________________________________________ "What a sweetheart."- ninja_sleeper to me

August 16th, 2011, 06:05 AM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	lol.... thats great! __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

August 16th, 2011, 06:08 AM	#3
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

December 20th, 2011, 08:41 AM	#9
RaZeDaHeLL The Black Widow Name: Eva Location: Brooklyn, NY Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 Posts: 189	Wow this is one interesting story!!! Haha! How long did were you taking pictures before the battery died? __________________________________________________ The Venom List - For All Things Venomous!!!

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August 16th, 2011, 12:33 PM	#4
DerTeufel ninjette.org member Name: Aaron Location: Wildomar Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, 2009 KTM 690 SMC, 2001 Suzuki GSX-R 750 (track bike) Posts: 172	That poor poor ninjette. You need a KLX 250!

August 16th, 2011, 12:42 PM	#5
LazinCajun ninjette.org guru Name: Anon Location: Atlanta, GA Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 (Blue!) Posts: 488	Between this and your dating adventure, it's safe to say your little ninjette had some unique experiences. Out of curiosity, did you have any other mechanical problems after that quick dip?

August 20th, 2011, 07:07 PM	#6
hoodadooda MotorbikeLuv Name: Aaron Location: Henrico, VA Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250 (sold), 2006 Daytona 675 in Tornado Red (sold), 2007 Ninja 650 Posts: 272	This reminds me of that picture floating around on the internet with the GSXR crossing a river. We should definitely ride together! But I probably won't be taking my ninja offroad.

August 20th, 2011, 08:24 PM	#7
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Yea poor bike.

December 20th, 2011, 08:49 AM	#10
exploring/carolina ninjette.org guru Name: Bill Location: NC Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 282	Guess you could install a snorkle intake for those higher water crossings!

February 1st, 2012, 05:35 AM	#13
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	An hour??? I'm guessing you left it in park rather than all lights on or something... I dunno. I guess the bikes have about a 7ah battery, so it should be possible....I don't think I'd like to test it, though. Posted via Mobile Device

February 1st, 2012, 06:52 AM	#14
Klondike1020 Intrepid Adventurer Name: Josh Location: Rochester/Buffalo NY Join Date: Jan 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2004 GSXR 750 , 71 cb350streettracker, 07 Polaris Predator 500 Posts: A lot.	Ha you are epic I thought I was bad for taking my bike down some rail road beds and farm lanes . If I ever ride with you I'll just take my quad lol So glad you got pictures though cause any one who heard that story would think you were exaggerating!

February 3rd, 2012, 12:09 PM	#15
jack_bm Ex ninjette! Name: Jack Location: East sussex England Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSXR 600 K4, Kawasaki ninja 250r 08 Posts: 294	Haha those pictures are amazing especially with a story like that to go with it i dont think i could ever do that to my ninja