Spyder on fire

[Fire Joe]

Going to try to make this as short as possible since I am tired from being out all day and not really feeling in the best of moods

Went to the 4th of July parade with some of the MO chapter members and after the parade we were invited to a gentleman's ranch (thanks so much for the hospitality and for having us Marvin). As soon as we get there and I back in to my parking spot I noticed smoke coming out from under the center panel. It got thick real quick and some of the guys actually saw flames on the right side under the panel. Some quick thinking and fast footed MO members doused the bike with a bucket of water and then a garden hose and the fire was out. I took some pics but can't find the cable for my phone. Mo Lee and Xpeschon took pics as well, they might post theirs. I don't know much about the electrical and mechanical workings of the Spyder so forgive me if I can't give more exact details, again the other MO members may chime in as they were there and saw everything.

I should note that on the way to the ranch I was steady running at 4 bars for temp., every now and then it would jump to 5 then right back down to 4. One thing I do know because we did check is that after the fire was put out, all electricals still work (turn the key on and dash does it's sweep and prompts for pressing the M button before starting) and it actually started right back up. Len (Pitbull Buggy) seems to think it can be salvaged and fixed. I know it was mentioned that I am going to need a complete wiring system since most of the wires that I could see were either melted or charred.

That's the bad news but there is some good news. I have said this before and sorry for saying it again but again I must sing the praises of Len and Cowtown. Reason being is Len was there for the ride as well and rode on one of the dealer demo bikes he has. He actually told me to take his demo bike and that he would ride home with his wife who drove there seperate.

I mean I have heard of dealers stepping up to the plate before but not like this. Len was in no way obligated to lend me his demo bike so I could get home but he did. It's people like Len and dealers like Cowtown that has me confident that I can trust my Spyder again if it is salvageable. Thanks so much Len!!! You Sir are simply AWESOME!!!!:bowdown::2thumbs:

So now my Spyder sits at Cowtown and waiting to be looked at by their techs and the insurance adjuster. I will update this as I find out more which won't be until Tue. or Wed. and I am sure Len will probably update this as well along with Mo Lee and Xpeschon. Thanks guys for all the advice and kind words. Same for BumbleBee and a couple of other ryders that were there but are not yet members here. You know who you are and I thank you guys and gals :clap::2thumbs:

 

[SpyderWolf]

Wow, that is some very bad news but I am glad to hear you are okay. You have every right to brag about Len and Cowtown as well. :2thumbs:

I am tagging along as I am very interested in hearing what they find the cause to be, and then what the resolution is for it.

Best of luck getting it taken care of quickly.

 

[BumbleBee]

I never seen a spyder on fire, I did today :yikes:

That was really a great thing that Len did, lending you his spyder so you can get home again. Was great seeing you again "Fire Joe" :2thumbs:
I guess you got a new name :roflblack:

I am really sorry that your spyder caught on fire, I hope things work out for you :thumbup:

 

[WackyDan]

Dang... It is going to be the summer of Spyder fires again? :sour:

 

[BumbleBee]

Dang... It is going to be the summer of Spyder fires again? :sour:

Only 2 so far, and we are already half way through the year, let's hope no more. ray:

Wasn't fun seeing those flames on the spyder, I was only 20 feet from his spyder, as soon as I seen that, I parked mine FAR away from his :yikes:

Fire Joe was really a good sport about the whole thing.

 

[Firefly]

Will be interesting to see if they can determine a cause.

Hate to see this starting up again.

 

[wcc002]

heat burn

I thought mine was next to catch on fire. Only 65 miles away from home after Chicago, after being stuck in very slow moving traffic across half of New Orleans, when traffic finally let up and I was able to go 60-70 MPH, heat began to rise up from beneath the seat causing me to have a mild burn at the very top of my left inner thigh. I thought I'd have to pull over to let the bike cool down. Heck, I was trying to figure out if I'd see flames coming up from beneath me. But I was in the far left lane on the interstate and it was finally cooling down so I kept going. As much as was possible I sat on my gloved hand to keep some of the heat off of my leg. I was wearing thin silky shorts under mesh riding pants. The temperature gauge never reached the red; in fact I don't think it got any higher than other times I'd been stuck in traffic on the trip. But that was an experience I'd like to not have again.

 

[leo76dragon]

Will be interesting to see if they can determine a cause.

Hate to see this starting up again.

could it be such a large build up of oil in the air box... some of it leaking out, and with the Spyder running so hot, catch on fire?:dontknow:

makes me wanna carry a portable fire extinguisher...

 

[fastfraser]

After the last update to the update ,mine runs as well as it did before the first update, but runs 1 bar hotter than before.

 

[Rando]

Tundra fire extinguisher

Tundra by First Alert. Comes in a small aerosol can.

 

[dave01]

Tundra by First Alert. Comes in a small aerosol can.

Now that is cool. Gonna get one and carry it in my trailer. I have a small ext. in the frunk, but it may be too hard to get to if the spyder is cooking

 

[krb1945]

Sorry to hear about the fire but glad to hear no one was hurt. Your Guardian Angel was on the job that day.

It should be remembered anytime you have flammables near or dripping on a hot surface you are bound to have a few ignite. :gaah:

As you know from previous post showing laser temperatures some of the surfaces on these engine systems get hot real quick. Some of the temperatures are over 1000 degrees when they have been running just a short time.

The flammables could be oil from the air box, gas from a leaking fuel hose clamp. wires and/or wire loom or a shop cloth/paper towel inadvertently left behind after servicing.

There are many things that can cause this to happen and I may be all wet on this theory but I suspect oil is the main culprit and/or gas from a leaking fuel hose clamp is near the top of the list too. I believe I read it started on the right side. If that is the case I believe both those flammables are on that side. Ken krb1945

 

[Mo Lee]

I was there, and will chime in with my thoughts later today because I want remove the covers on my Spyder and check on a couple of things first. I do believe, in this case we can be reasonably sure of the source however the solution might be a bit more complicated.

 

[SpyderWolf]

I was there, and will chime in with my thoughts later today because I want remove the covers on my Spyder and check on a couple of things first. I do believe, in this case we can be reasonably sure of the source however the solution might be a bit more complicated.

opcorn:

 

[musicarcade]

Can't wait to hear Mo's answer as well.
opcorn:

 

[Rando]

opcorn:

 

[docdoru]

I was there, and will chime in with my thoughts later today because I want remove the covers on my Spyder and check on a couple of things first. I do believe, in this case we can be reasonably sure of the source however the solution might be a bit more complicated.

:dontknow:opcorn:

 

[fastfraser]

opcorn:opcorn: This one is because I like popcorn.opcorn:

 

[Mo Lee]

Ok here goes I'll try to keep it as short as possible. First of all I'm no fire expert however I do know a fire needs fuel and a source of ignition. I feel lucky to have witnessed this although I sure hate to see it happen to as nice of guy as Joe. Last summer with all the talk about fires I must have pulled the panels on my Spyder 10 times looking for the problem knowing my sense of smell was weak at the least and was afraid I would not detect a fuel leak or a fire in time. I did not witness the fire since Mike and a couple of others had put it out before I got parked. Myself Len and a couple of others removed the panels as fast as possible to make sure it was out. I believe Xpeschon and G-Man has some pictures of the fire damage and maybe they will post them. I believe most would have to agree the fuel source must have been around the charcoal cannister or possibly a fuel line. The lowest point of fire damage was the cable tie that holds the cannister in place was melted (pictured in number two). Items were melted all above that point to include the main fuel line and fuel filter which thank goodness did not burn through.Based on this I believe the fuel source must have came from the cannister or lines. This time last year I had got concerned about the vent coming out of the cannister and myself and Xpeschon added an extension to ours 2 or three weeks before BRP added this extension to the update/recall. I did notice this bike did not have the hose on it either it never was there or it had fell off (picture 4).
We also noticed the sending unit on top of the tank has two hoses attached however between them there is a third nipple that looks like it should have a hose on it Joes bike had it melted pretty much but I checked my bike and it does not have a hose either(pic 1) if someone knows why it is there and if it is open to raw fuel please chime in. The wiring to the purge solinoid had most of the insulation burnt off (pic 3).
For the source of ignition I would suspect either a wire sparking, the exhaust joint that is located 6 to 8 inches below the cannister (pic 5). or merely the the temps in that area are reaching a level high enough to ignite fuel fumes.
Now how do we prevent this from happening to us? First I would recommend everyone ensure there vent hose extension is installed and terminates away from the exhaust and out from under body panels.

For permanent solutions I could see several possibilities. Remove the charcoal cannister (EPA would not approve), move the charcoal cannister away from possible sources of ignition (could be expensive), move the exhaust pipe to a different location ( again expensive)and I would like not to see all these fuel joints directly above hot and possibly leaking exhaust.

This is just my two cents and if what I've said saves one Spyder it will be worth it. Remember these pictures are of my bike not the burnt one.

 

[dancogan]

opcorn: This new owner just wants to hear if there is a commonality among the fires. One problem BMW had for a few years was the use of plastic quick disconnects in the fuel lines. They failed all too frequently and were eventually replaced with metal ones. Are there any quick disconnects in the fuel lines of a Spyder?