NHTSA Complaint #10712984 — 2013 CAN-AM SPYDER RT

WE WERE PART OF A NATIONAL BIKE CLUB RIDE TO A BEACH RESORT ACCOMPANIED BY APPROXIMATELY 300 RIDERS. WHEN WE DEPARTED ABOUT 7 AM, TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE LOW 70'S. THE ROUTE WAS MOSTLY DOWNHILL AND WE MAINTAINED AN AVERAGE SPEED OF ABOUT 50, 60 MPH. AFTER JUST OVER ONE HOUR WE ARRIVED AT THE RESORT WHERE WE ALL MOVED TO A LARGE GRAVEL PARKING AREA NEAR THE BEACH. WITHIN SECONDS AFTER I SHUT DOWN AND DISMOUNTED, GREY SMOKE STARTED SEEPING UP BETWEEN THE BODY PANELS WHICH QUICKLY TURNED INTO BLACK SMOKE SMELLING STRONGLY OF BURNING INSULATION. IN LESS THAN A MINUTE FIRE BROKE OUT FROM THE FRONT TOP VENTS AND BURNED THROUGH THE UPPER PLASTIC BODY PANELS EXTENDING MORE THAN 3 FEET INTO THE AIR. A FAST THINKING MEMBER RUSHED UP WITH A CO2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND STARTED EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE THAT BY THEN FLOWED OUT FROM UNDER THE BIKE AN THREATENED BIKES PARKED NEARBY. FORTUNATELY, THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITHIN 2 OR 3 MINUTES WITH NO DAMAGE TO OTHER PROPERTY OR ANY INJURIES. AT NO TIME DURING THE RIDE OR AT ANY OTHER TIME, EVEN WHEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURES WERE OVER 80 DID THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REGISTER MORE THAN NORMAL. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE DAY AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT A FRIEND INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE YEAR & MODEL WARNING OF POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. ALSO, UPON CLOSE INSPECTION IT WAS NOTED THAT ONE OF THE FUEL LINES WAS BURNED, AND WAS LEAKING. *TR