- Fri May 20, 2022 1:40 pm
#101057
True story. I recomissioned a KLE500 which had been sat in my shed for years. Including lining the tank with POR15 and stripping and ultrasonically cleaning the carbs.
I went out on it a few times, then it sat for about another 6 months before I took it to a rally. It had stuttered on throttle pickup a few times and at one point cut out entirely for about 10 seconds as if it had run out of fuel.
When I got to the rally, I noticed a large hole melted in the corner of the airbox. later on I noticed a bit of fuel overspill from the hole.
It turns out that loss of power was an airbox fire which thankfully self-extinguished (presumably sucked into the engine). When I re-stripped the carbs, the float needles were extensively furred up and were binding in their seats. Only the vacuum tap had stopped it emptying the whole tank. It had been over-spilling fuel into the airbox on the overrun which had then ignited. Remember these are throttle valves that were scrupulously clean after ultrasonic cleaning in solvent 6 months previously (I bag them in a small amount of solvent then put the bag in the water in the cleaner).
Further research showed the original needle valves were not E10 compliant and the alloy had corroded but were easily replaced with more modern ones.
So yes. E10 set a bike on fire while I was riding it.
I went out on it a few times, then it sat for about another 6 months before I took it to a rally. It had stuttered on throttle pickup a few times and at one point cut out entirely for about 10 seconds as if it had run out of fuel.
When I got to the rally, I noticed a large hole melted in the corner of the airbox. later on I noticed a bit of fuel overspill from the hole.
It turns out that loss of power was an airbox fire which thankfully self-extinguished (presumably sucked into the engine). When I re-stripped the carbs, the float needles were extensively furred up and were binding in their seats. Only the vacuum tap had stopped it emptying the whole tank. It had been over-spilling fuel into the airbox on the overrun which had then ignited. Remember these are throttle valves that were scrupulously clean after ultrasonic cleaning in solvent 6 months previously (I bag them in a small amount of solvent then put the bag in the water in the cleaner).
Further research showed the original needle valves were not E10 compliant and the alloy had corroded but were easily replaced with more modern ones.
So yes. E10 set a bike on fire while I was riding it.
