Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: mikesince1974 on July 10, 2011, 03:59:03 pm
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Went out to take a ride this morning, got on the bike and -no start. Went through all the normal checks *kick stand etc.
*I'll make this short. I stuck the key in the side cover on the left side of the bike, turned it about half way and started seeing smoke, then fire. It burned for about 8 seconds while I got the fire extinguisher. It had gone out before I got out. I'm afraid to look underneath the cover at the damage.
I wonder is this going to be covered under warranty? I only have 1573 miles on the bike.
anyone have any experience with this?
thanks, mikey ???
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Well, that just sucks...
I would think spontaneous combustion is covered..
My guess is a loose wire touching ground before the fuse block... Might be one of those rough edges people are talking about..
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Uh, yeah, it is covered. Talk to your dealer ASAP.
Guys, get those wires covered!
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Finally got the cover off to inspect the damage. Not as bad as I thought. Appears that the bolts that hold the battery in either loosened up and fell out or were never put in from the dealer. The battery rubbed the insulation off the main wiring harness that goes to the fuse box. It shorted out, most of the fire was the split loom melting off. I could fix it myself, but I think I'm gonna let the dealer take a look first.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--igE-9rc71I/ThnBSL49t8I/AAAAAAAAAJg/OwocyOcQU7w/s720/DSCN0495.JPG)
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Check ALL the nuts & bolts. Frequently. Add Loctite.
And yes, it's a warranty issue, of course....
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Looks like a large amount of shit hit your van! Nightmare squared.
Of course warranty issue, another chaffed wire issue. Certainly it´s quite tough to keep a stiff upper lip when the smoke arises, I have to admit that would shake my confidence if it would be my bike. Actually it´s shaking my confidence hearing from your´s!
Hell, it´s really necessary to work yourself through the wiring thoroughly, with lot´s of cable ties and shriking tube.
Did anybody had a closer look behind the casquette yet? Any issues in sight?
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We usually get our first look when pulling the headlight jumper. Next we get a better look when swapping to a 7" headlight. There have been reports of plugs not snapped all the way, but I haven't seen any wear or shorting issues reported.
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I had the exact same issue but without the fire. You seem to have been particularly unlucky. Those bolts definitely come loose easily so they should use locknuts in the first place. Why not some rubber around the side panel to stop the wires shearing too? Neither measure impacts the production cost.
Regarding the casquette it doesn't look too bad to me but I put a couple of sponges around the headlamp shell which both prevents wires moving and protects them from contact with metal.
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Unlucky and lucky at the same time. I took her on a 120 mile trip the day before, glad this happened in my carport and not in the vicinity of "Backwoods Alabama" lol
-mikey
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It just sucks now, I have three motorcycles and none of them are in working order.
1. Enfield- Wiring woes
2. '73 Cb450- Gas tank is in the paint shop
3. '73 KZ900 frame with SR500 Yamaha Engine- disassembled in my shop.
I'm headed to Las Vegas, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Yellowstone and all points in between at the end of next week. This'll keep my mind off it for a bit and hopefully give the dealer time to get it fixed.
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@Mike:
That does suck. You are right about letting the dealer have a look at it.
The battery is installed by the dealer when he sets up the bike. I wonder who was the dealer because a good and experienced person (who is knowledgeable about Royal Enfield motorcycles) should have either used some loctite or a locking spring / split washer to keep the screws in place. That is the difference between an experienced vs. not-so-familier-with-the-product dealer.
Dealers charge the buyer to set up the bike - it is part of the total cost that you paid. OR at the very least they should tell the buyer that he could add or modify a potential weak part that will ensure the buyer a worry-free ride for months to come. OR there should be a standardised check list for all dealers on HOW to set up a Royal Enfield.
The dealer service varies tremendously. In your picture I could not see any mark of screw on the clamp, as if he forgot to put the screw.
Have an enjoyable trip and hopefully by the time you are back, G5 will be ready to take you places !
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My C5 tried to catch fire, wiring loom round the headstock got rubbed through to a bare wire, 2500miles on clock, hoping to steal a half to an inch in the loom to prevent another drama!
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My dealer wraps that spot with old inner tube or wire loom on every RE they work on just as a preventative.
Scott
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Same here. And it does not have to be a wire before fuse block. Mine burned from battery to headlight area. Never blew any fuse. Main fire was near speedometer / headlight area, but slight insulation melting showing heat between battery and fuse block. I took mine to the dealer and am still waiting. Been well over 2 months now. Seems to have had trouble getting new loom. Hope to get help from warranty but do not know yet. GA-DK
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RE fuses will carry more power than RE wire. The fuse seems to be just for show. GA-DK
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glad u okay...I'm not surprise to hear about it happening...not like we haven't suggested that enfield increase the size of their wiring and re enforce problem area of wear....for a second i had a vision of you becoming Nicholas cage in ghost rider and on fire hauling ass on your enfield....
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say mikey.. keep us posted on the sr500 project. love those thumpers.
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I took a day over the christmas break to try & "proof" my wiring throughout the bike (C5). Went over most of the snap connectors with large bore heat shrink, removed the fuel tank & tidied/re-routed some of the injector wiring (it aill tucks up under the tank a lot neater, but not invisible...with a little fiddling !!) & covered the main loom in bicycle inner tube/zip ties where it exits the tank front & goes into "headlight spaghetti world !" , tightened up the mess behind the headlight bowl with a few additional ties & lined the bowl with high dense foam padding. It's an a*se of a job to do thoroughly & WHY should we have to doing this on new bikes....but a bit of prevention is better than a short somewhere.......
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My dealer does a mini rewire on every RE, Vespa, Genuine Stella, and Buddy scooter that goes out the door. They're under warranty and you're going to fix it anyway, may as well do it while the bike is fresh and new and before you have to go pick your customer up on the side of the road.
I don't think all dealers do this kind of preventative prep but more should. Many bikes have poorly routed wiring and hoses.
Oh, they also put a little plastic guard on the edge of the C5/B5 battery box where the edge passes (and often rubs) the fuel line.
Scott