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Not completely sure what happened. We were in some tight single track and as I was making a left hand turn and I noticed flames coming up in front of the left radiator shroud. The pictures don't really show everything. We had just stop to get gas and to fill up with water and gator aid. Everyone dumped their camelbacks and water bottles on the fire and it just kept going. We pulled the burning side panels off and unbolted the seat and while Grape smothered the gas cap, we were able to smother the other fires with dirt.

My theory is that the bike got hot in the single track and caused the full tank of gas to boil, pushing the expanding fuel vapor out the vent hose, which is routed to a fixture on the frame by the headstock. Maybe an arc from the spark plug cap or the heat of the header pie was enough to ignite the fuel? The flames quickly spread from there.

EMS put it best. This was the best scenario that could have happened. No one got burned. The woods did not catch on fire. The bike is replaceable. I got to go home and give my wife and son a hug. All is well!

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Let me start by thanking GG John for the hospitality and for leading us around on some sweet trails and singletrack. It was great to meet you. I'm very sorry about your bike. Your control and positive attitude were amazing considering what happened. It was great ride up to that point. It was nice seeing and riding with everyone else also.

That fire was indeed CRAZY. The pictures, while awesome, don't do the fire justice. Here's my story:

I was running number three in our pack of six. We had just got done honking through some tight singletrack. The pace was fast. After the single track, we started a descent down a rutted up section of trail. We were still moving at a pretty good clip. I rounded a bend in the trail and saw GG's bike lying on its side. My first thought was that he had another flat. He laid the bike on its side earlier in the day to change a flat tire. I rolled to stop then I saw the problem - FLAMES! http://rufcutriders.com/Smileys/default/shocked.gif

I immediately grabbed the two 22 oz. bottles of water that I had in my tank bag. I ran to the flaming 525 and dumped one bottle of water one it. It had no effect on the fire. Some of the other guys emptied bottles and CamelBacks onto the flames. Still nothing. My instincts told me I had to get the bike out of the fire that was burning on the ground. I grabbed the bars and righted the bike. I then did a little dance to stomp out the fire on the ground. I rolled the flaming bike away from that spot. Fire was coming from everywhere. The tank was surrounded by flames. I reached through the flames and turned the gas off.

The bike was hot and gas vapor was being pushed out of the vent in the cap. Like GG said earlier, the vent tube is routed to the frame. The vapor kept feeding the flames. The side panels, seat, air filter, air box, and wiring were burning also. In an effort to extinguish the gas vapor fire, I ripped the vent hose off of the gas tank. The escaping vapor immediately ignited and steady flame appeared above the tank. You can see this flame in some of EMS's pics. I put my finger over vent hole and the flame disappeared. It was too hot to keep my finger on. As soon as I pulled my finger away the flare reignited. ****! I asked GG to hand me a stick. I held the stick over the vent and said a quick prayer. I was now afraid that the other flames under the seat might burn through the full tank or that the pressure building up in the tank might rupture it and spray me with gasoline. I held the stick there as long as I dared. When I pulled it away the flare didn't reappear. http://rufcutriders.com/Smileys/default/smiley.gif

At some point in time, the starter started to turn over. The bike was in gear and lurched forward. It was as if it came to life and was trying to escape the flames. Next, we turned our attention to the flaming air box, filter, wiring, and seat. I got the melting side panel over the air box off while the other guys removed the bolt that was holding the seat on. We were stuffing dirt into all of the crevices in an attempt to smother the flames. I asked for a shirt and Jeff graciously donated his. I used his shirt to snuff out the last of the flames. I am not sure how long the battle lasted but it seemed like it took about 5 minutes to put the fire completely out.

I appreciate all of the kind words. I am not a hero. I just couldn't stand there and watch GG's bike burn up. I am sure my training and experience in firefighting played a role in my actions. Everyone played a role in putting the fire out. We acted as a team. It sucks that GG lost his sweet 525 but as others mentioned, nobody got hurt.

The beer I had at dinner later that evening tasted as good as any I've had in my life. http://rufcutriders.com/Smileys/default/cool.gif

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