6You are stopped by deep water

It’s been hammering it down for days. Parts of the country are flooded. You’ve taken a quiet back road to avoid the chaos and are suddenly confronted by deep-looking water across the road…

At some point you’re likely to come across worryingly-deep water. We’ve forded countless streams/rivers/ponds and only drowned a bike once because I was in a rush and skipped the most important first step: go for a walk.

Before you even think about crossing a flooded road or river on a bike, walk across on foot. Not only does it give you a feel for how deep the water is but also, if it’s a river, how strong the current is. If it’s pushing you off your feet, it will easily push you off the bike. Also move around in the water to make sure there are no deep pockets, such as hidden 4x4 ruts if off-road.

Once you’ve found a safe route across, it’s time to ride. It’s tempting to ride quickly to ‘create a bow wave’ but you’re far more likely to go too fast, whack a rock and tumble over. Instead aim for a fast walking pace. Keep the revs high, to stop water filling the exhaust, and modulate your speed with clutch slip. It can be tempting to put your feet down for extra safety but doing this turns you into a passenger. If the bike steps out or bounces, you’ll be out of control. Instead, keep at least one foot on a peg, swapping over if you need to.

Once you’re nearly out, resist all temptation to give it some gas on the exit. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen friends cross with zero drama, then chuck it on a slippery exit ramp with a handful of throttle. JG