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I’m surprised e-bikes are allowed, they’re also prohibited on the trails here and considered OHV. Regarding fire I’d be worried about the hot exhaust on a dry

• zelon88 4y ago
  Most trail bikes come from the factory with spark arrestors with the major exception being cheap Chinese branded bikes. And I don't think the temperature of the exhaust stream would be enough to light a match 6" away from the tip of the muffler. You'd have to reef on the bike and park it in a pile of dry leaves up to the exhaust header for temperature alone to start a fire. The problem is when you dump the bike. If you dump it on a tree or a rock you can fracture the gas tank (releasing fuel) or the crankcase (releasing oil). Or if you tip the bike completely over the fuel will eventually be released. Releasing these doesn't imply fire is inevitable. You still need ignition. If a fire starts you can try to smother it. On an electric bike the same situation applies. If you dump the bike and fracture the battery (that is often attached to the downtube of the frame) then you will have a catastrophic chemical reaction. Thermal runaway is almost guaranteed. You can't even put it out by smothering it. Furthermore, most lithium battery controllers in consumer devices are proprietary and most consumers have no idea what their true capabilities and thresholds are. Some batteries might be inherently safer than others due to simple firmware that they don't know exists and have no visibility into. There's really no hiding the capabilities of an analog machine.
  • SoftTalker 4y ago
    > Most trail bikes come from the factory with spark arrestors And most riders immediately remove them because they gunk up with soot and restrict the exhaust.