So a little news... my only stuntin' buddy just got an 08 Ducatti 848. 3 months ago. Last night, while he was riding home the thing started smoking... another rider noticed and pointed this out (I was not there...) he says that just a moment after he noticed the smoke the bike burst into flame from the engine area... and the motor died moments later. the other rider got a fire extinguisher from inside a churches chicken that was right there and put out the fire.

I still havn't seen the bike since, but I'll get some pics up when I go over there tonight.

Anyone Ever heard of this bike having a similar problem?

 

here are some pics

 

holy ****! was he on it when it lit up? Definetly not a common problem..

 

Yes, he was riding it. I guess when the motor died he jumped off and pushed it off the road. he was gonna ride it home while on fire!

 

one of the fuel lines could have popped off

 

Ride it home on fire?


Do you know if, once he stopped, did he LEAVE the ignition on, or kill it?



Worst thing to do in a car fire, bike fire, any motor fire, is to leave the key on!
Gotta turn it off, otherwise your full pump will keep pumping fuel tell it burns to the ground..

95% of the time someones car catches on fire under the hood, and it burns the entire car to the ground, is because they don't turn of the ignition, and it just dumps fuel

 

i'd have just let it burn... like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQeRhQAaRdg

 

Nice. found that vid yesterday. He said that he was gonna let it burn, but the guy (some stranger) on that gixxer got an extinguisher and put it out.
I don't know if he left the key on, but it only was burning a few minutes

 

could have been a fuel line, or an electrical problem. Albuquerque flooded a little earlier this month and he rode through some knee high standing water and the Duc dealership serviced it the next day says they cleaned all the electrical connections. Could have been a mechanics error. We are sticking w/ it being a manufacture problem. The guys at the dealership are our friends so not gonna point any fingers

 

so is he gona get a new one

 

Damn, that's some crazy ****. Hope Duc gives him a new bike and doesn't try to **** him.

 

My buddy had a peg break off while rockin a wheelie on the highway. Instant ape hanger to bike fire. Since it was a GSXR you know the frame snapped too.

 

nice Gixxer... From what I understand he doesn't want a Duc now. haha

 

My Duc is a 750 and never had any problems w/ it.

 

hmmmm i almost bought an new 848 a couple months ago

 

DAAAAMN! def sucks for him

 

its a wicked bike. Almost pulls w/ my gixxer in a straight line ( I've got full yoshi, PC3 usb, ignition retarder, and all the weight loss I could: shark skins, shed the headlight for small ones, race stay, no lisc bracket, no turn signals and a tiny bar end mirror)
It handles sick though, when he got that bike all the sudden he was beating me in the twisties, after 3 years of me being faster.
it sounds and looks awsome (sorry, soundED and lookED. haha) and it is SO light, you can feel it right away just sitting on it even.

 

I would go for the fuel line theory as well. Still surprised that it started to bur right away.

What does Ducati say? Is your friend liable or are they responsible?

 

Duc is sending a factory rep. As of yet they say it is under warranty. what do you think about wheelies and warranty? would they void it? he did a nice one up the street right by the dealership a few weeks before

 

casey stoner wheelies across the finish line . . .


i would have stopped the guy with the fire exstinguisher. ducati is a stand up company with a cult like following i bet they cover it just to save face becasue they know what one person and the internet can do.