R1100 Burned to the ground

[Gromit]

Earlier this week my buddy's R1100 burned to the ground, also taking his KLR650 to the smoldering grave with it.

The BMW was purchased second hand from a dealership and was never notified of the factory's specific warm up procedures.

I'm now holding my breath to see what the insurance adjusters say.

[Mike]

Are you sure that back yard wasn't hit by a cruise missile? Obviously this guy never watches HGTV.

 

Anyway, I'd opine that the R1100 was sufficiently warmed up.

[Rob L]

Earlier this week my buddy's R1100 burned to the ground, also taking his KLR650 to the smoldering grave with it.

The BMW was purchased second hand from a dealership and was never notified of the factory's specific warm up procedures.

I'm now holding my breath to see what the insurance adjusters say.

 

Sounds like you are trying to point the finger at the BMW shop for the fire.

[Gromit]

Oh no, I wasn't trying do that. I'm a two year BMW shop veteran myself. It's just that he was very surprised when he spoke to his local dealership and they told him he shouldn't have let his bike idle to warm up and that's specifically mentioned in the owners manuals. I guess whenever you purchase a machine that you're unfamiliar with it's a good investment to get the manual if it's not included.

[UberXY]

Never quite have figured out why anyone would feel the need to let a fuel injected air/oil cooled engine "warm up". The unchoked, oversized, primitive, 40mm dual throat Weber carbs on my 64 356 on a cold day, sure, i let them warm up, for about a minute, but not FI. Not even my 20 year old, carbed airhead gets warmed up.

[SageRider]

How long was this bike left to "warm up"?

[Mike]

How long was this bike left to "warm up"?

 

Long enough.

 

Seriously, this is the first I've time I've heard of a fire resulting from leaving an oilhead idling. A number of people have melted or distorted their fairings. Some have said it happens as quickly as after five minutes, but my guess would be that they actually lost track of time.

[Boffin]

How long was this bike left to "warm up"?

 

Long enough.

 

Seriously, this is the first I've time I've heard of a fire resulting from leaving an oilhead idling. A number of people have melted or distorted their fairings. Some have said it happens as quickly as after five minutes, but my guess would be that they actually lost track of time.

 

When I bought my first oilhead my dealer said that warming up can cause damage to plastic, or in a few cases had led to fire, probably due to the sight-glass failing and the oil on the pipes then catching fire. He also said that this was rare and usually you just got a large bill to fix the electronics; probably a reference to the HES. Incidentaly my '04 RT has a sticker on the tank saying not to allow the bike to idle on the fast idle lever as there is a risk of fire.

 

Cya, Andy

[Ken H.]

Bummer.

 

I guess the next time there is a big debate that someone thinks letting their bike warm up stationary is a good idea, we'll know what thread to refer them too!

[beemerman2k]

Anyway, I'd opine that the R1100 was sufficiently warmed up.

 

Well there's the problem. Once the RID melts from the engine heat, how are you supposed to know how many bars are showing on the oil temp readout?! Now you have no way of knowing whether the engine is warm or not! Sheesh, another BMW design flaw

[USAF1]

Was he trying to put it out with the beer in his hand?

 

Pat

[The Gorf]

Never quite have figured out why anyone would feel the need to let a fuel injected air/oil cooled engine "warm up". The unchoked, oversized, primitive, 40mm dual throat Weber carbs on my 64 356 on a cold day, sure, i let them warm up, for about a minute, but not FI. Not even my 20 year old, carbed airhead gets warmed up.

 

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying when I come to stop at the end of the street if I DON'T let it warm up to running temp. My 00 RT stalls cleanly at the end of my driveway or at the end of my road if I don't have at least 3 bars when I drive off.

 

Multiple trips to the dealership and an independant mechanic tell me "all is within spec".

[Limecreek]

What is the flash point of the fairing material? It seems incredible to me that the fairing would ignite from a hot engine.

[russell_bynum]

What is the flash point of the fairing material? It seems incredible to me that the fairing would ignite from a hot engine.

 

I agree. I've had mine up to 10 bars idling for a long time with no problems. "Letting the bike warm up" doesn't explain the problem. I can start my RT and let it idle (with just enough fast idle to keep it running reliably) while I get all of my gear on, close the garage door, dig around in my tankbag, etc. No melted fairings and no torched bikes in 75,000 miles.

[Ken H.]

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying

Well I wish we were close because I would. Not that specifically, but clearly if it stalls that easy with the fast idle on as you ride away cold, something is wrong with the bike.

[beemerman2k]

A mechanic screwed up my fast idle adjuster about 3 years ago, and ever since I've lived without it. In any weather condition from the winters in Massachusetts to the summers in LA, my bike starts right up first time every time. It might stall if I let it idle, so I might have to start it again a minute after the initial start, but once I'm on it -- usually with no bars on the temp guage -- it just goes without hesitation, stalling or any other issues. Thus I never bothered to get the fast idle thing fixed.

[Mr. Frank]

Was the R1100 a roadster? I've heard of RS's and RT's catching fire, but not naked bikes. I thought they just seized.

[John in VA]

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying when I come to stop at the end of the street if I DON'T let it warm up to running temp. My 00 RT stalls cleanly at the end of my driveway or at the end of my road if I don't have at least 3 bars when I drive off.

 

A Techlusion R259 and some Autolites will fix that (assuming all else is at spec). I punch the starter dead cold at 25F, one half-blip and get a perfect chuffing idle.

[Bob Palin]

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying when I come to stop at the end of the street if I DON'T let it warm up to running temp. My 00 RT stalls cleanly at the end of my driveway or at the end of my road if I don't have at least 3 bars when I drive off.

 

Multiple trips to the dealership and an independant mechanic tell me "all is within spec".

You are leaving the fast idle on? If so either the fast idle is broken or the bike needs tuning whatever the shops say. Off to a tech daze for you!

 

Edit: Aha - I see you have made these complaints previously - definitely a problem of some sort.

 

- Engine vibration so bad it puts my hands to sleep within 20 minutes of riding. I have a 1979 Yamaha SR500 single that doesn't vibrate so bad.

 

- Surging. I'm so tired of surging.

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Maybe the BBQ was also cooking some burgers and the whole shooting match caught fire? Then again, if the fuel system was leaking, I suppose that could have contributed to the fire. The owner clearly isn't telling us the whole story.

[Nevets]

Sorry for the loss. A sad picture indeed,. although I would suggest an appropriate fire extinguisher. One should never waste beer.

 

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying when I come to stop at the end of the street if I DON'T let it warm up to running temp. My 00 RT stalls cleanly at the end of my driveway or at the end of my road if I don't have at least 3 bars when I drive off.

 

Multiple trips to the dealership and an independant mechanic tell me "all is within spec".

Me too. I'd be interested to see what the fix for Gorf is... Mine has even stalled AFTER warming up (sure on a 35 degree day) when releasing the throttle. Guess I should start a different thread and request some help on resolving that.

 

 

As a relative (one year) newby, I must admit I was a little suprised to discover that my 2003RT-P could not be left idling for more than a minute or two. Seems to me there should be some type of auto shut-off if the results can be so destructive. I have even learned the hard way what VERY hot plastic smells like when doing a carb sync. I tell myself it's like a shark that has to keep swimming to breath, etc.

[UberXY]

Never quite have figured out why anyone would feel the need to let a fuel injected air/oil cooled engine "warm up". The unchoked, oversized, primitive, 40mm dual throat Weber carbs on my 64 356 on a cold day, sure, i let them warm up, for about a minute, but not FI. Not even my 20 year old, carbed airhead gets warmed up.

 

Please by all means come and show me how to keep my bike from dying when I come to stop at the end of the street if I DON'T let it warm up to running temp. My 00 RT stalls cleanly at the end of my driveway or at the end of my road if I don't have at least 3 bars when I drive off.

 

Multiple trips to the dealership and an independant mechanic tell me "all is within spec".

 

Well, I am not a mechanic, but it sure doesn't sound right to me. It was 44 degrees in my garage this morning. My RT started instantly, and I never touched the fast idle control. Snicked it into 2nd gear, headed down the driveway, and went for a ride. Never a moments hesitation, much less a stall. That's one of the beauties of FI, when it's working correctly.

[smiller]

I agree. I always start the bike, give it 15-30 seconds to let the oil get where it's going, and ride off. I rarely bother with the fast idle lever, and I can't remember the bike stalling when cold even once in the past 10 years. If yours stalls even with a few bars on the RID (that's pretty warm) then something is wrong, whether your dealer knows how to fix it or not.

[mountainred]

mine takes about 5 minites to warm up to two bars. The bmw mechanic said this is ok as long as you don't walk away and leave it. I always suit up and get on my bikes first. I use the box fan in front if I am doing anything off the bike (like now since I cant ride yet). He also said the paint burns at a lower temp and inturn ignites the plastic. I also have a oil cooler fan that works. If a bike won't idle ofter a little warming up then I would suggest checking the throttle balance and even the tps millivolts to see if you are running alittle lean.

[leikam]

My guess is that we'll never know what the cause was here. The only reason my RT ever caught fire was an electrical short. I think the insurance company will probably just total it and be done.

[Green RT]

Maybe I'm just naturally skeptical, but something about the opening of this thread and the picture just seems off to me. I feel like there is a lot more to this story than the original poster included.

[Guest]

I've seen this before. The problem is that the sight glass blows out and sprays hot oil on the left side header which is hot enough to ignite it. Idling unattended is the problem not just idling.

[Waltman]

This would never happen to a Harley .

 

Seriously, I can't believe I bought a machine that we are being warned it can get on fire.

 

There should be a built-in safety that turns the engine off when reaching an unsafe temperature. Some german technology

[DogGone]

This would never happen to a Harley .

 

Seriously, I can't believe I bought a machine that we are being warned it can get on fire.

 

There should be a built-in safety that turns the engine off when reaching an unsafe temperature. Some german technology

 

No, that would be one more instance of a manufacturer designing to the lowest common denominator. I was warned when I bought the bike not to let it idle for long periods, I think the owner's manual even addresses this. I've been warned, and I have a temp guage. That's enough.

 

pete

 

ps; it would never happen on a harley because you can't get them to idle at all

[Paul Mihalka]

One thing I didn't see in this thread is that leaving a bike alone at idling is not the basic problem, but leaving the bike running SET AT FAST IDLE is the the situation that may cause the fireworks. That means possible lack of getting or following dealer's instructions, lack of reading or following the owner's manual, and lack of common sense (the least common of the senses).

[upflying]

I guess the thing that strikes me here is the bikes were not damaged by fire, they were destroyed by fire. Fast idle notwithstanding, how could anyone ever leave any running vehicle unattended? Many vehicles are stolen because careless owners leave their cars in the driveway to "warm up". What if a curious child wandered up to the motorcycle?

Even if you support warming up your bike, you should always keep it in sight. Visible and olfactory alarms would have gone off and this disaster could have been made less serious by catching it early with a garden hose.

Sure the insurance company will pay the loss but don't expect them to renew the policy.

Blaming the dealer for failing to educate is typical of the "not me" mentality. Learn to accept responsibility.

[SageRider]

I also find it interesting that the KLR appears to have fallen into the still standing BMW. Did this happen before the fire?

I also wonder at the total destruction...

[tallman]

[Bob Palin]

I also find it interesting that the KLR appears to have fallen into the still standing BMW. Did this happen before the fire?

I also wonder at the total destruction...

Especially strange as the KLR only has a sidestand and would have been leaning the other way, it could have had a centre stand fitted but then why wouldn't it still be on it as the R bike is. The two bikes are also very close together, unlikely to be a natural position as the rider normally gets off the same side of each bike, of course the KLR could have been ridden up to the R bike after the rider had got off. If I was the insurance company I would be looking very, very closely at this incident.

[SageRider]

Especially strange as the KLR only has a sidestand and would have been leaning the other way, it could have had a centre stand fitted but then why wouldn't it still be on it as the R bike is.

Exactly what I saw!

[Haynes]

I also find it interesting that the KLR appears to have fallen into the still standing BMW. Did this happen before the fire?

I also wonder at the total destruction...

 

The tires would have burnt and caused the KLR to fall towards the other bike.

 

If it was a picture set up as a hoax, one might have put the bikes a greater distance from the building.

If it happened to me, I'd need something stronger than a beer.

[Softtail]

I just don't know anyone who would start a motorcycle and then walk away and leave it running, RT or not! The day I got my RT, I actually read the manual, such as it is. The one thing I remember was that it said, do not let the bike idle, start the motor and "ride off". I am willing to bet that the insurance company is not going to pay off on this one. Like someone else said, ill bet there is more to this fire than meets the old eye. Per chance, were any explosives stored near the bikes? maybe this is something for Homeland Secutity to look into. Maybe we should go to orange alert!! <<<<Softtail>>>>>>>>>>>

[philbytx]

Try this....

Fire up the bike using the fast idle lever in full UP position. Wait until the rpm's hold steady around 2300rpm then move down to middle position. It should idle steady but a little rough when cold. Then just ride away......keeping it in the middle position until 2 bars show then take it off fast idle. This should stop it dying...

 

If it doesn't...at the minimum, it needs adjusting.

[groundeffect]

My guess is that we'll never know what the cause was here. The only reason my RT ever caught fire was an electrical short. I think the insurance company will probably just total it and be done.

 

Nah...they're gonna rebuild it for sure