Not sure what caused this....

[WackyDan]

I had read about this...

Given a history of this happening too regularly a few years ago... there apparently remains a concern yet today.

Whether it is was a plastic-bag or not; fuel lines shouldn't be easily knocked loose, and vehicles shouldn't just catch fire.:yikes:

Yup... Plastic bag is not enough to cause this. Seems like a PR move on BRP's part to blame a bag.

 

[JkRbbt]

I don't care what the cause was, I just want a proper investigation followed by an honest answer, not corporate PR. I retired from a BIG corporation and I have a little idea how truth can sometimes take a beating. I'm not accusing BRP of anything. I just want an honest answer and a proper fix, if needed. I just went for a ride this morning and enjoyed my RT. Hope to enjoy it for many more miles. Just want to know what I've got! Waiting... opcorn:

 

[Biosafena]

I used to get plenty of exercise jumping to conclusions, now I finally figured out it is much more beneficial to wait for a thorough investigation and official rulings. Then, and only then, will I play he BS card if something is obviously wrong. Patience.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

I don't care what the cause was, I just want a proper investigation followed by an honest answer, not corporate PR. I retired from a BIG corporation and I have a little idea how truth can sometimes take a beating. I'm not accusing BRP of anything. I just want an honest answer and a proper fix, if needed. I just went for a ride this morning and enjoyed my RT. Hope to enjoy it for many more miles. Just want to know what I've got! Waiting... opcorn:

Will they ever admit they kept filling the tanks too full and the heat from the headers expanding the gas, spilling over into the canister, thus leading to the eventual fumes built up under the Tupperware igniting the bike? It's definitely a possibility, as is a slightly loose connection causing a gas leak.

I don't think we'll ever know. had the bike been extinguished fairly immediately, there may have been some proof of where it may have started, but at this point, the bike is pretty close to charcoal.

Doubt we'll ever know.:dontknow:

 

[ARtraveler]

I don't care what the cause was, I just want a proper investigation followed by an honest answer, not corporate PR. I retired from a BIG corporation and I have a little idea how truth can sometimes take a beating. I'm not accusing BRP of anything. I just want an honest answer and a proper fix, if needed. I just went for a ride this morning and enjoyed my RT. Hope to enjoy it for many more miles. Just want to know what I've got! Waiting... opcorn:

I also like your approach to the fire incident. It would be good to find out what the exact cause is.

Like others, I don't put a lot of faith in the "plastic bag" explanation that is being discussed.

I also do not think that this is a post where we need others to vent about their unhappiness with their Spyder-- current or in the past. Post a thread about your problem--we are discussing a fire incident here.

In the past three years or so that I have been on SL, I do not recall reading about more than a half dozen or so Spyders that have been damaged by fire. Meaning: IMO, that we are not driving the three wheeled version of the Ford Pinto.

There have been overheating issues mentioned about the new 2013's. They have mentioned boiling gas, and issues with being afraid to put gas in the tank before properly venting and cooling down. Are these issues possibly related to the fire incident in this thread? Some good answers from those in the know would be welcomed.

 

[Sny]

Seems like a PR move on BRP's part to blame a bag.

I don't understand why anyone would think BRP had anything to do with the plastic bag statement. Somebody saw a plastic bag. At best, it was the dealer who said that. At worst, it was just made up by the reporter. I doubt anyone from BRP corporate headquarters was anywhere near the scene to make a statement like this.

Fires happen. Lots of reasons. Could be a plastic bag. Could be operator error. Could be a major design flaw. Could be corporate espionage! Investigate Honda immediately! Call the president!

The local fire department might decide to investigate the cause and it might be available to the public. Until the cause is determined to be design related, BRP owes us nothing.

Seems the entitlement issues our country is suffering from are not limited to our youth.

hm... where's my fireproof suit...

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

Very good points. I also dislike the folks who lurk in the shadows but jump into the forum with general dislike posts every time something unexplained happens. Lets all stick to the issue and provide constructive information.

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

Very good points. I also dislike the folks who lurk in the shadows but jump into the forum with general dislike posts every time something unexplained happens. Lets all stick to the issue and provide constructive information.

Agreed. Troll be gone...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[bruiser]

I put out many car fires - - that started under the hood - - and or watched the FD put them out enough times to know metal doesn't burn like that. And to get plastic to burn takes a good amount of heat - - thus, GAS FIRE.

Station 51, vehicle fire. Santa Monica Blvd. Cross street Wilson. Respond code three.

Station 51 cancel. Passerby extinguished fire, completed investigation, and stated cause was a gas line rupture. Also stated vehicle was a piece of junk.

 

[OldCowboy]

...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...

I have to wonder if the evaporative cannister is a Canadian requirement?? I know Harley-Davidson bikes don't have them, just a dump tube in case the tank gets too full. Do other bikes sold in the US have them?

 

[OldCowboy]

How can you add something constructive on this matter when you have no idea what took place?

An interesting question from someone who has never added something constructive to this forum.

 

[JCSMOKE]

I AGREE LETS HANG EM!

My piece of junk caused me so much trouble today, I put on the sway bar and the shock relocators and adjusted the preload and went for a ride to get some ice cream. Turned out to be a 75 mile ride, thing stuck to the ground like on rails, I couldn't make the nanny squeel if I paid her! I was so into the ride and my attempts to figure out why I got this stupid machine that I didn't notice the cop until of course I thought (what are those cool lights on that car). 20 miles over! stupid machine! cop saw the trouble I was having and wrote me up for 10 over. I can't believe my bike betrayed me to the tune of $88.80! Stupid Machine.



Please notice that tongue was firmly in cheek throughout the post

 

[spydercowboy]

Even a small fire extinguisher could have put that fire out if if you could get to the source. But part of BRP's design is the problem here. A completely confined totally enclosed area where heat and gas fumes accumulate. Without being able to get inside quickly, you have no chance of putting any fire out. And if they had vent openings in the tupperware the gas fumes would have a place to escape as well as some heat. But here's a question I have then. Why doesn't a Honda trike have a similar problem? The only answer I have is they don't have the heat issue. At any rate I truly think it was the best thing that could happen for Spyderlovers in the long run. I'm sure they will get to the real cause and that should trickle down. One can only hope.

 

[Tango]

I don't understand why anyone would think BRP had anything to do with the plastic bag statement. Somebody saw a plastic bag. At best, it was the dealer who said that. At worst, it was just made up by the reporter. I doubt anyone from BRP corporate headquarters was anywhere near the scene to make a statement like this.

Fires happen. Lots of reasons. Could be a plastic bag. Could be operator error. Could be a major design flaw. Could be corporate espionage! Investigate Honda immediately! Call the president!

The local fire department might decide to investigate the cause and it might be available to the public. Until the cause is determined to be design related, BRP owes us nothing.

Seems the entitlement issues our country is suffering from are not limited to our youth.

hm... where's my fireproof suit...

When I asked the BRP Rep at the demo tent what had happened. His reply was, and I quote, "a plastic bag got sucked up underneath. The fire was under a fuel line that melted". The fire was at the point of the demo return, when they come back from the ride. To the left of the tent. pps: They covered the bike with a moving blanket to keep it from being scene. They pushed it onto a utility trailer and drove away. Tom :trike:

 

[John in PA]

No serious answer to my serious question below due to pissing contest above derailing thread. opcorn: There were incidents a couple years ago that were thought to be related to fuel accumulation in the charcoal canister. Is that still thought to be a concern, (whether it was the cause in this individual case or not)??

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...

 

[daveinva]

As I've said many times before, there's NO WAY I am *ever* carrying a fire extinguisher on my Spyder.

If the bike catches fire, I'm letting it burn, and collecting the insurance money. No way in heck am I going to bother repairing something that caught on fire.

 

[Freddy]

I have to wonder if the evaporative cannister is a Canadian requirement?? I know Harley-Davidson bikes don't have them, just a dump tube in case the tank gets too full. Do other bikes sold in the US have them?

From my limited knowledge, Kawasaki and Triumph have a simple overflow tube to the ground while BMW's have an evap can arrangement.

 

[wyliec]

No serious answer to my serious question below due to pissing contest above derailing thread. opcorn: There were incidents a couple years ago that were thought to be related to fuel accumulation in the charcoal canister. Is that still thought to be a concern, (whether it was the cause in this individual case or not)??

Don't know how long you've been off. But, BRP came up with a new gas cap. For some that eliminated the gas smell; but, not for others. I also received a safety bulletin like most or many did regarding the dealer install of a longer vent hose from the canister, which allowed it to be routed differently. That letter was dated Dec. 21 2012

Some people just want to be noticed so they start their whizzing and whining. This is in regards to the pissing contest you mentioned.

 

[Dudley]

Sure it's not the best advertisement for the Spyder. However, as it's not the first to catch fire (I know of at least one other video and also of one Girls on Spyders member whose machine caught fire), maybe it will wake BRP up to the fact that there REALLY IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE VENTING SYSTEM ON SOME OF THESE MACHINES. Just look at all the threads regarding "gas smell" .... IMHO, the previous fires and this one probably have the same root cause (and it's something that BRP, unfortunately, has not paid proper attention to).

Maybe, since this was one of their own machines ... it will wake them up and result in a true solution that improves safety for all of us.

So, while it's not great advertising ... I think it couldn't of happened in a better spot; but only if BRP thoroughly investigates and comes up with something that stops these fires from happening for good. As above ..."vehicles shouldn't catch fire"!

Best Regards .... Ann

I agree...now BRP has a Spyder that was untouched by any dealer and can take it home to dissect it and hopefully find the cause.

 

[AbNormy]

Asbestos armor! Quick!

From Deep in the Hart of Texas!