The luggage fire

**ejfudd** · 08-27-2012

This years fly-by was again a fantastic event for me. I had the opportunity to try out my new luggage soft saddle bags, with integration to a rear bag, all designed to snap together into one complete secure package! I loaded her up, wrapped the tail with suran wrap to assure no scratching, and we're off to mid Ohio for a day, before dropping down the next to Marietta, OH.

The new GSXR 1000 I purchased (left-over 2011 model, but new) is very comfortable for me, so there was no stopping planned until I needed food, gas, potty, or something significant. The new Yosh mufflers added a nice tune to the trip, and before you know it, I was exiting in Perrysburg to take route 199 into some better roads.

Sun was out, birds chirping, and there was a smell that was strange, not good, that makes one go Hmmmm...

I pulled into the Speedway gas station and was notified by another customer that my luggage is burning. I knew my GSXR was a hot bike, but damn! I had to look like squad 51 from emergency dumping stuff out and doing the pat-it out dance. I had packed a container of pledge to polish the bike, and the lid had melted into the bag bottom, label burnt, and was ready to begin shooting lemon fresh flammable liquid.

While a lemon fresh rocket propelled GSXR to Marietta sounds cool, it never works out that way. Basically, the system "relaxed" and sagged down onto both mufflers. I made adjustments, and delt with the remaining smell to Marion Ohio, where a good part of the day was a visit to the local salvation army (Jeans, 19 cents in the budget bin), Big Lots (Scissors, 2 part epoxy, and chrome polish) to begin my now Jean-lined epoxied saddle bag repair attempt. The hotel was a smoking room, which I do not smoke, but the luggage fit right in. Cheap shampoo worked for laundry the next night as I was "one pair short" from burning my britches. Polish and some scraping removed the nylon stalagmites that had formed on the Yosh mufflers.

The happy ending is a visit to Iron Pony on the way home, and whilst I did not have the luggage as secure as it could be, Iron Pony gave me instructions for some type of compensation! I am to follow their directions and see how it goes, otherwise, I will bondo the current bags, and paint some flames on the side.

**VersysRider** · 08-27-2012

Originally Posted by ejfudd

This years fly-by was again a fantastic event for me. I had the opportunity to try out my new luggage soft saddle bags, with integration to a rear bag, all designed to snap together into one complete secure package! I loaded her up, wrapped the tail with suran wrap to assure no scratching, and we're off to mid Ohio for a day, before dropping down the next to Marietta, OH.

The new GSXR 1000 I purchased (left-over 2011 model, but new) is very comfortable for me, so there was no stopping planned until I needed food, gas, potty, or something significant. The new Yosh mufflers added a nice tune to the trip, and before you know it, I was exiting in Perrysburg to take route 199 into some better roads.

Sun was out, birds chirping, and there was a smell that was strange, not good, that makes one go Hmmmm...

I pulled into the Speedway gas station and was notified by another customer that my luggage is burning. I knew my GSXR was a hot bike, but damn! I had to look like squad 51 from emergency dumping stuff out and doing the pat-it out dance. I had packed a container of pledge to polish the bike, and the lid had melted into the bag bottom, label burnt, and was ready to begin shooting lemon fresh flammable liquid.

While a lemon fresh rocket propelled GSXR to Marietta sounds cool, it never works out that way. Basically, the system "relaxed" and sagged down onto both mufflers. I made adjustments, and delt with the remaining smell to Marion Ohio, where a good part of the day was a visit to the local salvation army (Jeans, 19 cents in the budget bin), Big Lots (Scissors, 2 part epoxy, and chrome polish) to begin my now Jean-lined epoxied saddle bag repair attempt. The hotel was a smoking room, which I do not smoke, but the luggage fit right in. Cheap shampoo worked for laundry the next night as I was "one pair short" from burning my britches. Polish and some scraping removed the nylon stalagmites that had formed on the Yosh mufflers.

The happy ending is a visit to Iron Pony on the way home, and whilst I did not have the luggage as secure as it could be, Iron Pony gave me instructions for some type of compensation! I am to follow their directions and see how it goes, otherwise, I will bondo the current bags, and paint some flames on the side.

Happy to hear that all turned out well in the end, but damn, what was up with you Michigan guys at the Fly-By?

Note to self: Stay away from Michigan members during Fly-By week, things tend to get bent, scraped, broken and burned...

**Downs** · 08-27-2012

One of the constant fears I always had when I still used soft luggage. Was always worried it was gonna burn up. I did have one set of bags get on the back tire which burnt a hole in the nylon. Wound up fixing that with a simple bar that ran from the pax footpeg to the subframe.

**Brick** · 08-27-2012

Excellent this is a story/trip you will always remember.

Years ago on the way to a STAR in Avon, CO (I think) we, my wife Patricia and I were traveling on our Concours across Indiana. The rear break proportioning valve became a one way valve instead of a two way valve. The rear brake began putting the brakes on more and more. Consequently the rear brake caliper got hotter and hotter as we rode along the red hot caliper melted the saddle bag on that side of the bike. As luck would have it... "that" side was Patricia's side and so it also melted her small travel hair dryer and a bunch of other things of hers. We finally stopped and found it. I took the caliper off and tied it up so that it did not engage the rotor. I then remembered that Moose, who lived in Indiana, had had a Concours that he totaled when the bags were NOT on the bike. I called him and worked out a deal. He drove down some of Indiana and we rode north to meet him. I got the bags changed the locks from mine and re-installed the caliper and we rode to STAR. Moose shipped my old melted bag and stuff to us in Ohio.

A great story similar to yours that we will always remember. I also had almost melted some eclipse saddle bags on the exhaust of a CB-900F... but I added an asbestos pad to the back and they worked for years.

Thanks for jogging some good old memories.

**NinjaBob** · 08-28-2012

Of course I have a tale to add to this thread.

Me and my girlfriend were returning from STAR in Aspen on my 82 V45 Sabre. We had nice matching red soft bags but it wasn't the bags that caught fire. It was her purse that slid down between the swingarm and tire. The Sabre seemed to be loosing power and being a noob I just kept giving it more gas. We never noticed anything else until suddenly the purse expoded and the Sabre surged ahead leaving behind the smoking ruins of her purse and its contents. We stopped to gather the remains but there was little left to salvage. Her cash was burned and she even had to get a new drivers license.

**stevegrab** · 08-28-2012

Wow, that's a wild tale. I've never used soft luggage that hung over the pipes. I have heard some bad stories about soft bags catching fire, or slipping off the seat down into the area by the wheel. Glad to hear there was no significant damage to the bike or you.

I guess one lesson to learn here is if you're using something new like luggage on a bike for the first time, to make sure you stop frequently early on the ride and check that things are ok. Making sure the bag is secure, not shifting too much, etc. Having bikes now with hard luggage it is just one less issue to worry about.

**leonardlloyd** · 08-28-2012

Great stories, well told all. I am fortunate to have escaped with only a thumbnail size hole burned into the bottom of early Eclipse bags, which remained useful with the hard reinforced bottom. A nylon jacket of the same early era draped over the seat did not fare so well on a hot exhaust header ...

**Brick** · 08-28-2012

O my god... that is funny!!

Actually my Concours also was loosing power and I too kept giving it the gas... until I could no longer ignore it.
Oh I love the exploding purse... that is way too good!!!

Originally Posted by NinjaBob

Of course I have a tale to add to this thread.

Me and my girlfriend were returning from STAR in Aspen on my 82 V45 Sabre. We had nice matching red soft bags but it wasn't the bags that caught fire. It was her purse that slid down between the swingarm and tire. The Sabre seemed to be loosing power and being a noob I just kept giving it more gas. We never noticed anything else until suddenly the purse expoded and the Sabre surged ahead leaving behind the smoking ruins of her purse and its contents. We stopped to gather the remains but there was little left to salvage. Her cash was burned and she even had to get a new drivers license.

**RIDEMYST** · 08-29-2012

Yep, been there, done that!
When Dianne first got her FZ6 she used a tail bag on the rear seat to carry rain gear and other things such as (flamable) hairspray.
Well the bag became partially detached and rested on the hot exhaust and BINGO....smoke & fire at 70MPH!
Here are the results: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridemyst/451417195/
Later we got a good laugh out of it! -JEP-