I saw references to this issue first on hdforums.com and had a short mention and link on my "other problems" page. The idea of a brand new bike just bursting into flames with no warning is pretty scary but it is happening. One of the readers of this site recently had it happen to him and actually sent in photos. So now this issue gets its own page.
These photos and the fact that it is not an isolated incident has me glad that we have a monitored fire alarm in the garage. The idea of our new bike spontaneously catching on fire and burning down the house is downright eerie. Check out the link below. Here is the first information I heard of where a 2007 actually caught on fire due to an electrical short. Turns out a bad ground can cause serious problems.
http://www.hdforums.com/m_887550/tm.htm
Today (6 March 2007) I received this story along with the accompanying photos. This is scary stuff and something everyone needs to heed.
Have you heard about this, my 2007 fatboy, 1 hour old. Rode for an hour, put it in the garage. Went back out to find this.
Dealer wont say what it is. The oil lines were shorting (sparking) out on the motor. Has left smoke marks on the chrome so must have been nearly on fire whilst riding. And arch marks on the motor. So it left on a trailer.
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers
Apparently this is more common than I first thought now that I have done a little research on the subject. If the positive terminal of the battery or battery lug comes in contact the massive amount of amperage in the battery starts looking for a ground. Since the oil tank is mounted using rubber grommets the only way for the electricity to get to ground is through the engine by way of the oil lines. Best case scenario is it melts the oil lines and dumps oil in your floor. Worst case is the bike catching on fire and burning down your house.
This same problem resulted in a recall of 2006 Dynas. Apparently the MoCo has not addressed the problem with a proper fix yet.
Here are a couple of quick non related mentions about motorcycles catching on fire. I have found dozens of different models and different known causes for bike fires. While these fires are not common they are not completely uncommon either. Read and heed the paragraphs about fire extinguishers below.
Harley-Davidson 2005 Dyna Wide-Glide> Carbureted engines with an angled fuel fitting on the gas tank do not meet Harley-Davidson impact test standards and present a risk of fuel leakage and fire in the event of a crash.
Harley-Davidson: 2004 Dyna Glide EFI> Rubber fuel hose separates from the tank causing a fuel leak and a fire.
This is a good warning for all to keep a fire extinguisher handy wherever you park your bike. Remember that if you bust a standard ABC fire extinguisher on your bike it is toast. The chemicals in a standard fire extinguisher will destroy all of your electrical components and will eat up any aluminum they come in contact with. If you do have to hose your bike with a standard chemical fire extinguisher then make sure and wash it with soap and water just as soon as possible.
I prefer to use clean agent Ansul Cleanguard estinguishers with DuPont FE36. This is the modern day equivalent to Halon but it is much more ozone friendly. They work very well to extinguish fire (I know from personal experience) and they won't hurt computers or other equipment like chemicals or water will. The biggest drawback is that in the process of dissipating all of the oxygen in the area you could potentially suffocate yourself. The next issue is cost. A 9 pound clean agent fire extinguisher will cost you around 400.00 dollars. Of course if you ever use it you will probably save much more than that.
I hope this page gets ya'll motivated to make sure you have some sort of fire protection in your motorcycle storage area. Keep the feedback coming and I'll keep posting all of the information that comes my way. Once again; if you have something to add, good or bad, email me at biners@crowderinc.com.
