David Stroud posted:I've got about 60,000 miles of speedster travel. No fires. I'm thinking the odds must be against me now hence this question. What has been the most common cause of catastrophic fires so far ? If you know.... Thanks.
Backfire. Far and away. Not the "pop pop pop" on deceleration, but if you're farting and spitting on acceleration, it's spitting raw fuel up through the carb.
Like most running problems, the carb where the campfire starts is likely not the cause of the issue. I've often said that 90% of all carburation problems are ignition, but I think I underestimated it. When the engine starts bucking and farting, you need to get to the bottom of it.