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A bike fire, with a happy ending!

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  • #1

    A bike fire, with a happy ending!

    So due to the nice weather we had here on Sunday, I finally decided to take the VTR out for its maiden voyage since the facelift. I blasted off out of town at a leisurely 75 mph. At about four miles out, the bike died suddenly. I coasted to the edge of the road, and witnessed this:



    My brand new trick Shorai battery was burning under the seat. I disconnected the neg. battery cable (the only one I could reach not on fire), and then stood back till it kind of went out on its own. Here is the battery:



    My wife brought me another battery, with which I could make the bike run for a short period of time, but the charging system was seriously damaged, and there were a few other areas of damage under the seat. Fortunately, due to the nature of Lipo4 batteries, there was not corrosive acid spilled, or hydrogen gas set on fire. Also, due to my seat and undertail design, most of the fire was directed away from the bike, so no serious cosmetic damage occurred.

    Continued on next post...
    Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

    Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson
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  • #2
    I spoke with Shorai over the last couple days. Shorai is a very new company, leading the Lipo4 battery technology, and they were very concerned about the issue. Without detailing everything, it turns out that there had been a potential for bad battery assembly during an early run, (the company has only made 3000 batteries, of which 12 have failed--none in this way). Given the assembly flaw, the potential to fail in the manner that happened to mine was infinitely less than the potential to simply fail and no longer work.

    The issue will manifest itself within the first couple starts. If the battery has worked reliably for any period of time, then the flaw is not present in the battery.

    However, Shorai has since redesigned the battery (and in the process has reduced cranking performance by a minimal degree in the favor of safety), and will be supplying the new battery in mid April.

    Shorai product support has been awesome during this whole thing. I spoke with the president this afternoon, and they have offered to pay for the repairs to my bike, are replacing the battery (with the updated one), and are refunding my original purchase. They are even including extra cash for the whole ordeal. I cannot say enough good about the company, at least to this point. Having worked closely with them the last few days, and researched as much about the Lipo4 battery as I can, I am still convinced of the technology, and look forward to using it again. Just wanted to post this here in case anyone received wind of a severe safety issue, and would be too quick to jump on a bandwagon.
    Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

    Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

    Comment

    • #3
      Not cool, but like your title says, with a happy ending. Weird though.
      Nathan
      KD9ARL

      μολὼν λαβέ

      1978 XS1100E
      K&N Filter
      #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
      OEM Exhaust
      ATK Fork Brace
      LED Dash lights
      Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters
      Green Monster Coils
      SS Brake Lines
      Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

      In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

      Theodore Roosevelt

      Comment

      • #4
        thats heartbreaking after all the work
        you put into it,
        but glad the company is coming to the party
        and paying for the repairs.
        pete


        new owner of
        08 gen2 hayabusa


        former owner
        1981 xs1100 RH (aus) (5N5)
        zrx carbs
        18mm float height
        145 main jets
        38 pilots
        slide needle shimmed .5mm washer
        fitted with v/stax and uni pod filters

        [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pA8dwxmAVA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/url]

        Comment

        • #5
          Wow that really sucks, there's nothing like watching your bike burn on the side of the road. YIKES. It may not be the battery that caused your problem.
          Do you store it with you xs11? Watch out, "Hell has no wrath like a woman scorned."
          79 XS11 Special (Lazarus)
          80 XS850 Special (Old Faithful)
          80 XS11 Standard sorta stock (Beatrice)
          79 DT 100

          Comment

          • #6
            Thank goodness you were uninjured, and was able to safely exit the road! Not many companies would go out of their way like that for you, so once they get production re-tooled, they might have a new customer next time I'm shopping for a battery!
            Richard
            '79 XS1100SF "Phantom Stranger" full fairing w/radio and cd player, H-D Roadking trunk, everything else stock
            '02 Honda VTX1800C

            Comment

            • #7
              Ditto. I was already considering one because I could really use the space for the MS and its associated doo-dads.
              '81 XS1100 SH

              Melted to the ground during The Valley Fire

              Sep. 12th 2015

              RIP

              Comment

              • #8
                I'm glad the damage was minimal, both to the bike, and of course, yourself. It's nice to see there are still some companies that know what customer service is all about. They are very likely to gain new customers in the future because of how they are treating you now. I know I'll be checking them out.
                XS1100SG - Obsession

                Like I told my last wife, I says, "Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it's all in the reflexes."
                -- Jack Burton

                Comment

                • #9
                  I agree with XS11Lover -
                  Better check the VTR for other Suspicious, Indiscriminate areas of possible violation... the splooge holes are probably clogged now. (a whole seperate thread).

                  Also, I'm surprised to see you holding that battery with only a couple of fingers... must weigh next to nothing?
                  Can you shoot a link for info on this battery?... I'm sure I'll need to replace mine soon.

                  Thanks
                  JT

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Well, the XS11 won that day! A hauled the VTR home, and pulled out the 11 for the rest of the day. There really was no down side to that choice, either. I ended up hooliganing around with another guy on his XS400 the rest of the day. He let me ride it for a bit, but I kind of missed the point and shoot of the 11.The 400 had to take some time to wind...

                    I got the VTR back together today, with a new MOSFET R/R, and a lead acid battery for now. It is relatively unharmed beyond that, and runs like a violated primate, so I am happy.

                    Jarion: Check out "Shoraipower.com" It is all there. The battery pictured weighed 1.6 lbs before the fire, and cranked better than what it replaced.

                    A note of caution, though. These batteries are very charge specific. They do not like wide variations in charge. Check you charging system and regulator to ensure that you are getting a reasonably stable charging voltage. The 11 cannot put out near what the VTR can for charge, but make sure everything is in order before proceding. Otherwise the life of the battery can be greatly reduced.
                    Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which you can die

                    Some people will tell you that slow is good - and it may be, on some days - but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba….Hunter S. Thompson

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Just checked out the site...
                      "pricey" ($186.00)
                      The site shows the battery for the XS weighs 2.2 pounds.

                      Thanks for the info.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        I just bought a new battery (gel) for my Bandit. I considered one of those. Now Im glad I didnt get it.

                        While its great the company is reimbursing you....they still put out a faulty product and apparently knew so. It burned your bike, not cool.

                        Glad everything is turning out well though.
                        Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.

                        1980 XS1100G 1179 kit, Tkat brace, progressive springs & shocks, jardine spaghetti, Mikes coils, Geezer's rectifier

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          I cannot believe you had the presence of mind to calmly snap that photo while yer bike was on fire. T99, yer a cool one for sure!

                          I've seen bad stuff happen with all types of batteries. This won't deter me from my plans to use one on a build I'm planning.

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