Steam or smoke or WHAT?

[Guest billc700s]

Don't forget after a dry spell there will be rubber from tyres on the road surface and between the cracks in the tarmac, when it rains it will mix with the rain water and be thrown up onto the bike. This could be what you are smelling burning off on the exhaust and being heated up by the hot radiator, it does not take much to give a strong smell of burning rubber, the cat runs very hot which is why it is behind the gap in the lower shield open to the air flow to help cool it, plus any spray from wet roads also helps to cool it. Just be glad you are not in an area where they ride alot of horses on the public roads, not only the smell of rubber but also the smell of burning horse muck.

[Guest czbird]

LOL. Suddenly, with that vision in my head, the smell of burning rubber is just fine :-)

Thanks for the explanation. I'll give it another sniff-check when it rains again.

[Guest xjraus]

whats rain?

[Guest czbird]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain :-D

[ScaredyCat 1,659]

I had this today when I got home. At first I thought it had caught fire, was a bit worried then I remembered I'd read this thread before getting my bike. The smell was of something burning, not nice at all. Steam was rising from the gaps by the handlebars.

[Guest colinm]

Just a silly thought.............riding in a straight line and with a fender-extender will reduce the cooling effect of the airflow to the exhaust pipe.  Does this matter?

Clear the rad of dead flies/bugs etc with careful use of a pressure washer.

Edited August 25, 2013 by colinm

[Rocker66 34,523]

^{I have had fender extenders on loads of bikes and it hasn't caused a problem on any of them}