Any guesses on what was the cause of this fire?

    Thankfully this is the only account of a polaris catching fire that I have heard of or seen so I am confident that this is very rare.


    Watching the video I can't help but wonder what would cause this. Reading the comments carefully the poster made it clear he had did not have a custom exhaust extension and from what he typed it looked like the engine was overheating/losing power prior to catching fire.


    So what happened? Faulty fuel line? Engine oil leak/low oil? Faulty radiator pump? Too many electrical mods etc....


    Also for those gearheads out there do you think there is any danger of running an exhaust pipe down the center to the rear? I assume the temps will not be that hot to start a fire on the underside once you leave the muffler.


    There is no clear answer from the OP after 3 years so I assume NDA with polaris or maybe he settled with insurance, walks away and ends the story there. :/


    Campaign: 16V754000 on 10/17/2016


    Component:Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings


    Manufactured:03/03/2014 - 10/06/2016


    Affected:17,795


    Defect:Polaris idustries, inc. (polaris) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 slingshot motorcycles manufactured march 4, 2014, to october 7, 2016. the affected vehicles may have insufficient clearance between the fuel line and the hood structure.


    Consequence:The insufficient clearance may allow the fuel line to rub against the hood until it leaks fuel. a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.


    Correction:Polaris will notify owners, and dealers will replace the replace the engine fuel line, and inspect the retention clips to reduce the risk of interference, free of charge. the recall began december 2016. owners may contact polaris customer service at 1-855-863-2284. polaris' number for this recall is t-16-03.



    Bill

    Yeah I was thinking about that recall and the fact that the owner states engine power loss prior to the fire, really does point to the fuel line.


    With that said, does anyone who really knows engines and exhausts ever have a concern with an extended exhaust running down the centerline?

    I ask this because the vehicle was clearly not designed for that setup. I am nervous about the plastic catching fire down the centerline with a hot exhaust (now that we can see how fast the damn thing can burn up, it's a scary thought).


    I am seriously considering getting the dual exhaust kit from slingmods and having it professionally installed down the road. I really want that noise behind me. I just sat in a SS today that had a modded exhaust out the back and it sounded much quieter in the passenger seat vs. stock.


    Has any long time SS owner bothered with carrying an extinguisher just in case?

    Quote from LargeCar

    There was a fuel line recall sometime after this fire, could be the cause. Or just an insurance sale.



    LC


    Except that if you watch the fire (0:52) you can see when the fuel system fails and depressurizes, the passenger area back to the storage boxes and rear of the engine bay are almost fully engulfed at the time and the wind is blowing steady from the rear to the front. Seems awfully strange that the fire spread rearward against the wind if it started at the engine where the fuel line meets the injector rail.


    I'll see if I can find it but he posted an article well after the fire and well after he settled. I thought I copied it but just need to find it because it vanished shortly after it made the social media rounds.


    He had a comments section and was trolled into stating he had a lot of electrical and audio modifications that he did himself.


    Don't think anyone will really know .....


    ....

    :REDSS: The ghost of SLingshot past ......

    Edited once, last by Orangeman ().

    If my S/S caught fire i would just back off, Even if i had a extinguisher that wound't save it, Plastic burns fast .....Talk to BRP About the 2013 Spyder's and see how many of them went up [totally] in flames....And the cause was hot exhaust pipes next to gas tanks and fuel lines....

    Some times a Cigar is just a Cigar.......

    After scrutinizing this install video of the exhaust system I see no fire danger whatsoever. Looking forward to picking this up in a few months. Only drawback of the system is the loss of clearance near the back wheel. I am willing to take a chance on that.