"the viper submarine"

TimeBomb

TimeBomb

New member
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
679
Age
43
Location
Waddington, N.Y.
well guys, the unthinkable happened. scariest moment of my life. went riding last night to get something to eat at the local bowling alley/bar. the trail goes 2 ways 1 by land and the other by ice. saw some tracks on the ice so me and my friend took the ice. the trail went one way but we wanted to go the other way. so stupid me i said i'll go check it out. to make it short, my viper is sitting on the bottom of sucker brook in waddington n.y. my friend saw what happened so he kept a safe distance away from the thin ice but he too broke through when he tried to make it to the shore. so my 02 viper and his 04 zr900 are swimming with the fishes right now. the dive team can't get them out until wednesday. its gonna be a long couple of days. all i can do is think about my sled but that can always be replaced. i'll miss her, but i'll see her again on wednesday
 

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Glad to see your still hear to write about it!! Oh yeah, drain the gas, there might be some water in the tank!LOL
Good Luck
 
thanks guys, it was extremely hard to get out. the ice wasn't thick enough to get myself out of the water on to it. i had to break the ice as i was swimming to get to shore. it seemed like it took forever to get to the shore, i barely made it. i went to the hospital in the ambulance, i was released in a couple of hours. they said i didn't have hypothermia. later today i mite go down where she is and take some pics.
 
ah i see.. shit happens, read my Thread in Srx/Viper and read good news sledding is over, and i've been there hahaha... hopefully no water got into the cyls, and froze!! a sled is never the same after its been sunk.. good luck to you...and myself. ha
 
If you're going to keep the sled, you might as well order a new seat, or at least seat foam, right now. When it does come out, I'd run it IMMEDIATELY down to the repair shop and arrange for them to get into it IMMEDIATELY. It will start to rust the very moment you pull it out of the water, and the length of time it sits before the engine is completely disassembled and oiled up is the major determiner of whether the sled will ever run worth a darn, or at all.
 
Glad you're OK man! You're gonna have to drain the gas and oil. It's a PITA to completly dry out the seat foam, take the seat cover off, lay the foam on the ground, lay a piece of thick plywood over it and drive over it with your truck, this will get most of the water out. Then hang it up in a heated garage, aim a fan force heater at it if you can.
 
The sled will never be the same. Part it out and start over. My opinion. Been there done that.

Most importantly you are safe, really makes you think.
 

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In NH there is a pretty hefty fine for every day a sled is in the water because of gas & oil contaminating the water. Not sure what the fine is - but you wouldn't want to pay it for 3 or 4 days. Does NY not have any fine???
 
don't worry about the engine in the creek, nothing goes wrong until you pull it out, it can't rust or freeze till it comes out of the water into the air. DO NOT try and start it and every one will tell you to, there is silt in that engine that will self destruct it if you start it. Get it out, take it to the car wash, take it to a heated garage, get a case of beer, dissassemble the whole sled and dry it out. You have 4 to 6 hours before things start rusting. If you can't service he engine right away..... pull it out and put it back in the water, preferably a sink or your bathtub. Screw the seat foam, I have a ripped seat here, I'll give ya the foam. As long as you're OK who cares.............
 
I've never dealt with a submerged sled before, so I've been thinking about what I'd do. Just an idea - WD40 absorbs water, and you can buy it in gallons. What if you pulled the motor - remove carbs - and literally filled the crankcase with WD40. Maybe let it soak - dump - refill and soak again. Whatta you guys think?
I would definitely pull the skid and replace all those bearings. Replace the bearing in the speedo pickup housing, and the bearing on the clutch end of the jack shaft. Pull the transfer case off - remove the 2 seals in the back and you can probably save those 2 bearings. Soak the chain in WD-40. Maybe even disassemble all the radius rods on the front suspension - dry out and grease. What about the electrical switches and the CDI unit - holy crap that could be a nightmare.
Man - you got a serious project if you want to salvage the sled. Soggy seat foam is the least of your worries.
 
glad, your ok, i wouldnt want that recovery bill nor the fines and tickets you "could" be subjected to by the police, dnr and anyone else that thinks they can get you. i wish you the best of luck, and hope everything comes out ok. keep us posted. ski
 
yes there is fines in ny state for anything under water, i just wouldnt talk about it to any people or the DEC will be knocking on your door. glad to hear your ok, your lucky
 
There are supposed to be fines in Michigan. However I have seen the DNR look the other way with a couple sleds and 1 pickup all in seperate cases. Maybe you will be lucky and not get slapped with any fines.
 
I am a little confused is it illegal to ride on a lake? I mean it is not like you wanted this to happen! What is up with the fines? A sled sunk in the summer I would get that but in the winter with trails near by?
 
the trip from saint ignace to mackinaw island michigan is a sled graveyard down under. lots of good parts down there. a divers paradise
 
I'm glad to hear your OK. Like every one said...tear it apart ASAP. Once torn apart clean and spray WD-40 on all the moving parts. Also don't forget about the cables...spray in the cable housings until the wd-40 is coming out the other end or you will need new cables. Its a bitch but it can be salvaged.
 
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