[sub.g84]

Hello All,

My friend has a 15 year old Hero Honda Karizma that he holds very dearly to his heart. Ever since he had picked it up, he always dreamt of riding it to eternity. Now, on saturday evening a catastrophe had struck and he found his beloved lady swimming in a basement full of water, all thanks to the Bangalore rains and poor drainage in the Yemlur area. I do understand for a fact that in most cases vehicles that have been totally submerged in deep water usually are marked as a total loss since any repair attempts would rarely bring them back to the former glory. However there is a lot of sentiment attached to this Karizma and my friend is wondering if he should still make an attempt to salvage his beloved ride by sending it for repairs OR should he pick up a new motorcycle. He has his eyes fixated on the Continental 650 since a little while. What do you all suggest he should do in this case?

MODS: I could not locate a thread that speaks of motorcycles submerged in water. In case I missed finding an existing appropriate thread, please feel free to merge this thread to any existing thread that you may feel right.

Now, I let the pictures show the plight of the Karizma:

First sighting of the bike after it was submerged with only the ORVMs visible:


After 3 fire trucks and 8 pumps started business on Sunday morning this was how much was visible in the afternoon:


Finally the bike has been retrieved:

[boniver]

Bikes are much much easier to fix than cars. Electricals are what get affected the most due to floods, and on a bike you can get the entire wiring kit changed for not much money! Your friend should pick up the Interceptor if he wants, but if he’s so attached to this bike, it deserves a second chance for sure

[Rajeevraj]

Would suggest to get a repair estimate especially considering it is a Hero Honda. I went through the same situation with my Hero Honda Splendor 15 years back. Fully submerged, I was out of station and came back and saw it only after a few days. Called a local mechanic and he was able to get it back up and running in Rs. 2-3000. I personally continued to use it for 4-5 years. So definitely worth checking especially if he is attached to it.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

- My friend has a 15 year old Hero Honda Karizma;went under water in a basement thanks to the Bangalore rains

I'd strongly urge him to get it done up at a good FNG. This is what would be needed, and can easily be performed by the DIY enthusiasts.
1. a change of air filter
2. change of oil (first would be a flush and the oil would need one more change)
3. carb cleaning
4. removing the fuel in the tank, decanting the water out,
5. drying the tank and refilling with fresh petrol
6. cleaning the chain cover, other "boxes"
7. lubricating the chain, sprocket
8. service the brakes - change shoes
9. displace water in control switches and ignition switch using WD40
10. replace headlamp assembly
11. service horns
12. change battery (if old one can't be revived)

[sub.g84]

Thanks a lot folks for your quick inputs. I shall cascade the suggestions to him. Will keep you all posted on what he decides.

[drift87]

My heart goes out to the TUV owner.

[deep_bang]

The bike will survive easily. The beauty of Indian bikes is that they are so simple and reliable that any FNG can do a reasonably good job for a small price and still make the machine as realiable as new.

Definitely worth fixing and keeping it as a second ride and the interceptor for longer rides.. (hmmmm.. we bhpians only think of how to get more stuff... ).

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

if he should still make an attempt to salvage his beloved ride by sending it for repairs

If he is willing to spend close to 40k on this bike, it can be bought back to glory. All that it needs are
- Complete restoration of the frame (strip down painting) & fuel tank
- Complete fastener kit
- All new electrical components and harness (including starter motor service or replacement)
- Engine flush, new bearings, oil seal kit
- New filter, carburetor service (or replace, depending on the condition)
- All new control cables, drive chain, brake friction materials, seat foam & cover

Skipping any of these will save few bucks today and make us regret tomorrow. Mechanic will start loving the bike and owner will hate it no sooner (Speaking this from 2015 Chennai flood experience)

[Shanmd]

While we are on this subject, what about the newer sports bikes with tons of sensors. What's the best case / worst case scenario there?

[superchamp]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

Hello All,

My friend has a 15 year old Hero Honda Karizma that he holds very dearly to his heart. Ever since he had picked it up, he always dreamt of riding it to eternity. Now, on saturday evening a catastrophe had struck and he found his beloved lady swimming in a basement full of water, all thanks to the Bangalore rains and poor drainage in the Yemlur area.What do you all suggest he should do in this case?

The Bike can be fixed easily. FNG can do this for you. You will require the following

• Electricals need to be checked
• Petrol tank emptied and cleaned if water has seeped in
• Engine oil, Filter and Air filter need to be replaced
• Engine oil compartment and gear mechanism has to be cleaned properly with petrol
• Silencer needs to be cleaned as well

[SnS_12]

With four strokes if the valves have no leak chances of water entering the combustion chamber is very rare and that is one major expense avoided.

Your friend has to act fast as since the bike was under water for sometime and there would be water which found its way inside the tank and other nooks and corners and needs to be cleaned out fast to avoid setting the rusting process set in motion.

Also, no matter what any mechanic says don’t even try cranking up the bike without changing/cleaning the parts other members have suggested as above. All the best to your friend with whatever decision he makes to decide on what his future ride would be.

[sagarpadaki]

First kick/crank of the bike should be done after removing the sparkplug. This will ensure any water inside the cylinder will be thrown out and will not cause hydrolock.

[svsantosh]

1) Strip the bike
2) Get a new wiring harness - 2-3K
3) New Starter (or rebuild), carb can be rebuilt.
4) New Magneto Coil
5) New bore kit, all bearings, throw in 2 valves while you are it
6) Definitely new seat
7) Wash petrol tank with, ahem, petrol
8) New filters, bulbs, holders (headlight assy can dry out)
9) All new cables and brake pads/shoes

Edit
10) The digital speedo maybe expensive, try shivaji nagar scrap/gujri.

I would say 10-15K, bike can easily live again.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

First kick/crank of the bike should be done after removing the sparkplug.

Don't think that is a good idea especially looking at the condition of that water. If it has entered the combustion chamber then dirt/mud would have entered too and cranking the bike with the spark plug out will definitely scratch up/damage the cylinder liner.

[Siddarth_Ramani]

Off topic question.
I see a car flooded as well. Can we sue the government for poor/ no drainage design? I know we can claim insurance, but there will be some sort of financial outflow from the affected, who will take responsibility? Just curious. Can anyone who went through the ordeal explain?