Multi I hate mystery smells...

DG Rider

DG Rider

Member: Triple Clutch Club
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Aug 14, 2013
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Casa Grande, AZ
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  1. 700-2
I know we have a few linemen here...but I have an odd question.
While riding Friday, I got a hot/burning plastic/vinyl smell very briefly. I stopped and checked the machine out, but found nothing amiss, and no obvious source.
Then...later, i get it again, several miles away. Again, nothing on the machine is amiss. Nothing on the exhaust. No hot wiring that I could feel.

People will burn plastic out here in the fire pit...but this was midday, and the odds of 2 people doing it with some distance apart seems low, and the distance was far enough that I doubt it could have been from the same fire.

The one other common denominator to both times? I was under some of those big ass high voltage power lines. But...I don't remember ever smelling this near them before. It was a fairly cool day by az standards...probably the 50's.

Yesterday I went again and got nothing all day long.
 
Smitty335

Smitty335

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Oct 3, 2016
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NWA Arkansas
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  1. 1000-3

  2. 1000-5
I know we have a few linemen here...but I have an odd question.
While riding Friday, I got a hot/burning plastic/vinyl smell very briefly. I stopped and checked the machine out, but found nothing amiss, and no obvious source.
Then...later, i get it again, several miles away. Again, nothing on the machine is amiss. Nothing on the exhaust. No hot wiring that I could feel.

People will burn plastic out here in the fire pit...but this was midday, and the odds of 2 people doing it with some distance apart seems low, and the distance was far enough that I doubt it could have been from the same fire.

The one other common denominator to both times? I was under some of those big ass high voltage power lines. But...I don't remember ever smelling this near them before. It was a fairly cool day by az standards...probably the 50's.

Yesterday I went again and got nothing all day long.
??????????
 
Backwoods

Backwoods

Ambassador of Crocs / Speaker of truth & facts /
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Mar 2, 2018
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Douglasville ga
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  1. 700-2
I make my living working on transmission lines they won't have a burning plastic smell . I would think it came from your ride since it is new I would just wait and see if it happens again. I know you are a mechanic and would have found something obvious. Who knows it could have been something else.
 
DG Rider

DG Rider

Member: Triple Clutch Club
Lifetime Member
Aug 14, 2013
9,385
42,678
113
Casa Grande, AZ
Ownership

  1. 700-2
I make my living working on transmission lines they won't have a burning plastic smell . I would think it came from your ride since it is new I would just wait and see if it happens again. I know you are a mechanic and would have found something obvious. Who knows it could have been something else.
It's got 890 miles on it😁.

I looked it over again today and can't find any signs of hot wiring. And like I said, nothing yesterday. Don't know...maybe it was just something blowing across the desert...or a piece of bag blew into the exhaust.