My '09 and my burned up '08. The '08 had 20hrs on it at the time of the fire.
It waited untill I was 600 miles from home at the Hatfield McCoys to go up in flames!!!! What a way to ruin a trip........
Ouch. Im sure he does hate you, lol. Glad no one was hurt. Keep an eye on the ujoint though, its know that it can fail if not properly serviced, swing around and hit the gas tank and puncture it, causing a fire, seen it happen on a renegade.The investigator said the best he could tell was the battery shifted and the positive terminal contacted the frame heated up and caused the fire. The machine was parked for 3 hours before it went up in flames. It also damaged my fifth wheel and my wife's 500 parked next to it. My insurance company hates me!!!!
Not sure what years it applies too, but i would watch it anyways, last thing i would want happening lol. Seen pictures of a 08 rene that was fried from that, completely burnt, nothing but the frame left.Is the ujoint problem on the '08 or the '09 machines? The '08 was a total loss, so now I have an '09 ? As a precaution I will keep an eye on the ujoints on the wife's '08 and my '09.
Thanks for the tip....
Click Here to visit the only recall in recent years that involves a fire hazard. It has nothing to do with the battery or u-joints.
As I mentioned I will inspect my 09 800XT for battery stability and monitor the u-joint closely. This has def. sparked my interest. (No pun intended).
I dont think the ujoint failure was ever put under recalls, its just from people not servicing the joint, it goes dry and breaks loose, and its right by the gas tank so it runs the risk of hitting it, and fuel pouring all over the hot motor. There are pictures from one forum, dont think im allowed to post the link, but he said he was riding when he felt something warm, turned around and there was a fireball behind him. I would keep a close eye on the joint, probably re-grease often just to make sure it doesnt happen. If the battery has the risk of hitting the frame and shorting, probably heavy foam would help that.Click Here to visit the only recall in recent years that involves a fire hazard. It has nothing to do with the battery or u-joints.
As I mentioned I will inspect my 09 800XT for battery stability and monitor the u-joint closely. This has def. sparked my interest. (No pun intended).
That is actually worth looking into. If the dealership weren't so far away I'd visit them to look at the Gade's battery set-up. I will probably end up doing a home made mod unless the Gade set-up is easy and inexpensive.i wonder if you could substitute the rubber strap with the metal hanger and battery retainer from a renegade? i had to add a few washers to mine, since the threads weren't long enough to keep it as tight as i wanted.
the basic setup looks identical from your picture. the only part i'm not sure about would be the hold-down on top of the battery. it's a piece of flat metal on the renegade, that "hooks" into the bike (at the front side of the battery). then, you have the metal rod that runs vertically at the rear, securing the top hold-down.That is actually worth looking into. If the dealership weren't so far away I'd visit them to look at the Gade's battery set-up. I will probably end up doing a home made mod unless the Gade set-up is easy and inexpensive.