Not sure what caused this....

[spyderyderjim]

My 2013 Spyder RT-S boils the gas in a full tank pushing vapors/smell out of canister

I wrapped exhaust header pipes near gas tank, & put 1000 deg heat reflecting insulation around gas tank. Gas vent smell stopped, & gas not boiling after riding.
BRP would be wise to address this dangerous issue. Jim
:yikes:

 

[rnet]

It was a plastic removal demo, impressive.:roflblack:

 

[AbNormy]

Plastic removal demo!

From Deep in the Hart of Texas!

 

[BajaRon]

Seems a plastic bag got sucked up and into engine compartment while a new rider was taking a test ride and caused a fuel line to leak & a fire. Thankfully no injuries:bowdown: Avoid those bags :lecturef_smilie:

That sounds a bit far fetched to me. Have you ever looked at the underside of a Spyder? It's basically solid plastic panels and steel frame. To somehow get past all of that and break a fuel line? Really? I am having some trouble with that.

 

[Elembytes]

How often does this type of thing happen?

Okay,

Being new to the Spyder etc., and seeing this, kinda blows the confidence a little bit.

How often have there been fires that involved Spyders? I think I know of 3 since joining this forum when we bought our 2012 in December.

What model seems to be the most involved in fires?

Is it something we all should be taking the units to dealers and paying them to extend vacuum lines from the cannister and re-enforcing fuel lines that rub against the motor housings?

I know we have insurance but this is one of those scary subjects, just about as bad as deer!

I too really doubt a plastic bag could have gotten sucked into the motor area causing this. Wondering how they say a plastic bag did it? Wish we knew more details on this one.

Like others have stated---I think having this happen when and where it did and getting the publicity that it is and has, may just make BRP take a closer look and act accordingly, or at least one could hope.

I just pray none of us will go through this----can you imagine what it could have been like had the rider been on and NOT knowing it was catching on fire, the melting tupperware etc., WOW!

I'll be following this thread closely. I hope we learn more and more on this.

Thank you Lamont and others for posting and discussing this. Together we all can help each other and BRP!

:sour:

 

[SteveMac]

That sounds a bit far fetched to me. Have you ever looked at the underside of a Spyder? It's basically solid plastic panels and steel frame. To somehow get past all of that and break a fuel line? Really? I am having some trouble with that.

I agree Ron. Sounds like a reporter perhaps using the first possible cause he heard. Even if the bag had hit the Cat, you would think it would melt rather than flaming up. Like you, I don't see the bag getting up to the fuel line and causing it to leak. Just doesn't add up.

Regardless of the cause it will definitely be a black eye for the Spyder. And the fact that it happened at a demo will most assuredly result in the BRP powers-that-be having a round table discussion into why the "HE double hockey sticks" this happened at a company event. It will be interesting to see if there is any more info or developments that come out of this.

 

[Aged Beef]

That does sound a little far fetched.

I agree, Maybe a Lithium Ion Battery? There seems to be a few bugs to be worked out with some of the new style Batteries.

 

[Sny]

Extinguisher didn't help in this case. Sny had an issue at owners event, the master cilinder for the brakes cracked and blew brake fluid onto the exhaust pipe, but his is a st.

Er... yes but mine didn't go up in flames... tho I suppose it could have if the brake fluid caught fire.

After looking at the master cylinder tho, the top of it is plastic, and it melted and warped enough to leak from the heat of the exhaust pipe which is about 1-2" from it.

Which brings a good point. Exhaust pipes are hot, yes, but they weren't hot enough to ignite brake fluid which is no less flammable than gasoline.

Gasoline vapor however, goes up real easy.

 

[Oldmanzues]

I was at a Demo site one time and they were refueling the Spyders with hand held cans. It would be very interesting to know what happened before the fire.
The plastic bag seems pretty far out to me as well.
Oldmanzues

 

[DriftersWay]

http://wearecentralpa.com/fulltext?nxd_id=473212 This was posted by Littlebadwolf in a different thread

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

With no inside information but if they were hand filling the Spyder with a gas can, it is quite likely that gas spilled past the filler neck down into the engine compartment hitting a pretty hot exhaust manifold. At the Maggie Valley Demo site they kept the Spyders rolling continuously with non stop demos. They had to be getting pretty hot.

 

[bruiser]

You can a fire extinguisher on your Spyder? Are you kidding us or just pretending? That really should warn potential buyers and owners away from these machines and doesn't say much for BRP engineering. And like your dinky fire extinguisher is going to put out a gas fire like that? Who's kidding who here?

I carry a fire extinguisher in my pick up and my car. As well as both spyders. What's so funny about that? How do you know that was a gas fire??

Like I said in my previous post, it would be nice to know what the actual cause was.

 

[SpyderDon]

DaveNur, do you own one? I've got almost 33,000 miles on mine and it ain't caught fire yet. It's a 2010 and I've had issues but BRP has always come through. I really resent you saying they are a piece of junk, a bunch of folks have had absolutely no problems with their Spyders. Let's hope the cause is investigated and repaired. Just maybe it was human error.

---

c

 

[oldgoat]

No, it was the best time for this to happen so it shows potential buyers what they're in for and what they're wasting their money on - - my opinion, a PIECE OF JUNK!

You are of course welcome to your opinion. But why do you bother to post on this forum?

 

[John in PA]

I've been off the forum for quite a while. Previous discussions on this topic centered on over-fueling and getting raw fuel into the evap canister as the primary inciting cause. With those discussions in mind, as well as a tendency to not let bureaucracy push me into stupid choices, I removed all my evap crap and re-routed tank breather and overflow lines out the back as far away from the "hot bits" as possible. I really can't give a rip about a few drops of fuel on the ground or a whiff of gasoline in the atmosphere (sorry, Al Gore!) compared to my physical and economic (as in loss of the vehicle) safety!

So has the thinking on this issue changed dramatically while I've been absent?? At least one inquiring mind wants to know...

 

[ottawa-rider]

Here is something I just though of assuming the story about the plastic bag is true. What if said bag got trapped by the drive belt, got dragged and wound around the front sprocket, could it have snagged a fuel line along the way.

 

[bhfromme]

I think BRP owes every one of us an explanation.

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

No, it was the best time for this to happen so it shows potential buyers what they're in for and what they're wasting their money on - - my opinion, a PIECE OF JUNK!

You're absolutely correct. No one needs the stress associated with driving such junk around. How much do you want for that piece of junk of yours?

 

[billybovine]

Now I have read about GS's and RS's catching fire before, but this is first RT. Have their been many more RTs?

Now vehicles catch fire all the time, I do not think it is as bad as it use be. In the 80's it seemed there was a car fire once a week somewhere nearby. Nowadays there seems to be more tractor and combine fires than car fires. Just last week in my small town a car burnt when a lady stopped to pick up her child from daycare.

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

Doubt that's the cause just like a plastic bag getting sucked into the engine compartment. Is that what BRP told the cops?

Read the post before putting your mouth in gear. I said "no inside information" I haven't a clue what the cops said. I was just voicing my worthless opinion just like you are. At least I have had two perfectly fine Spyders with thousands of trouble free miles. How about you? Do you own one? Do you ride it? Have you ever ridden one? Ok say you have one what your issue with it that causes you to say its a big piece of junk? How about some details big guy?