Im wondering how deep a standard xt600e can go before taking in water and getting damaged.

You should be able to measure the air intake height with the bike standing up right, rider (and passenger) mounted = max water crossing depth. Stay a couple of inches/cm below that allowing for some sloshing and you should be good to go.

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Thomas

"Hey, ...I'm just ridin' shotgun"

You airbox will suck in water under the seat, your exhaust will fill up at the end.

As long as you route your carb and tank breathers at that height, that's your limit !

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Also, make sure your spark plug lead has plenty of silicone around the cap....
Ask me how I know this .....

Aaah, the joys of big puddles !

Thanks for the replies......you have triggered off a couple more questions.

I know about the pipe and air filter but what are Tank Breathers ?? - what do they look like and what are they used for ?

With respect to silicone.....is there a specific type i should use....or is it all the same ? In addition....is it possible for the silicone to get past the plug and end up in the engine ? - will this burn away or would it require the engine to be stripped down ?

Appreciate the help ! - One day I hope to be a guru too

Cheers

There will be a thin black plastic tube coming from your tank. It allows the tank to breath as it is drained so not to create a vacuum. The same goes for your carb.

Once the plug is screwed in and torqued down, it's an airtight and watertight seal. No water will get into the engine.

Silcone around the cap to stop water getting up it and potentially shorting it which can damage the CDI, coil and also stop your bike in it's tracks (halfway across a river lol).

Silicone sealant is pretty generic.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I raise: YouTube - Mudder 3

Thats with no snorkel in it.

I drained 1-2deciliters from the airbox when i got home, so thats just about the limit. Its without the snorkel tho'

A little off topic apologies but what make is the rack and screen Jens

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

The rack is, afaik, an original xt600 which I've modified a bit. The screen is from the guy filming, he had a spare one for his xtz660, it fittet quite nicely. It needed to be bent in just a tad.

I had a run in with water today and I died halfway across it wasn't too deep (maybe 40cm) but boom, she stopped and had zero starting power. We pushed her up and opened up the electrics and dried her out. Didn't look like there was much in the way of waterproofing (tape or silicone) so we dried it off as best we could, pushed it up a hill (thank god there *was* one) and managed to pop the clutch and push start it.

Time to do a full inspection and get her watertight!

There is a "problem" with almost all XT/Tenere models that have intake under the seat. Rear wheel will push water under the seat, and than you will have your air filter wet. That is enough to choke the engine.
Solution is to put piece of linoleum that will prevent water from comming to air intake.

Also on XT600E you engine will choke sooner than water will get to engine, because you will need 4 L (maybe more) of water in airbox before water fills up and spils into carbs.

I have managed to get this deep into water, and I found water only in airbox and exaust. Cilinder was clean. After 2 hours of cleaning airbox and air filter I was good to go
Galerija, Josip Lazic

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Damn guys... get a boat next time :P
The XT still ain't good to work as a submarine lol


Vando

Thanks for the info, I will definitely look into that

Speaking of water crossings. Did some dual sporting this past weekend involving lots of Mud holes and about 40 water crossings. Nothing all that deep mind you.

Couple things:
1. Pick your line carefully or go to school on the rider in front, or walk out a bit to check depth. On wet forest tracks I like to ride the edges when possible. Not as deep, more hard pack (sometimes)

Hots shots like to blast though water/mud crossings. I go slow, not crawling, just nice steady throttle, standing up. Going fast means more water ingress into bearings, it also can soak the rider down. If it's really cold weather could mean you will freeze you ass later if your boots, socks riding pants are soaked. Champion Enduro riders go slow though water most times, especially in Winter. Mud sometimes requires more aggressive action to maintain momentum to not bog down, but don't over do it. Knobbys essential.

2. River/Stream crossings I stay on the main tracks where the cars go ... even if its deeper. The main track will be more likely to have more gravel or rock as a base layed down. This was very true through Mexico (Baja) and and Guatemala. Always check depth before crossing.

3. After a few days/weeks of water crossings it may be prudent to pull wheels off, clean/dry out and re-grease all wheel bearings/axle. Do the same with linkage bearings after lots of water immersion. This will save bearings over the long term. Water left in there will rust and seize bearings quickly.

Just an update to this one. I have the bikes guts open at the moment so I might as well reroute these hoses.

Looking at this photo (from the left side of the bike), coming from the carby, which do I reroute to above waterline? Do you raise the airbox hose as well and if so, where do you guys put it?

Cheers. This bike is nothing if not a learning experience for a dual sport newcomer (NB, you can click on the following pic, then the IMGUR pic for a much larger sized photo, but I am sure you get the idea)