The Fire

As a further bit of info, working from the left, carb bowl three is quite blackened - the others are not. Correct me if wrong, but the fuel / vapor would have run though that carb to get out of the breather?

Fuel pump I have got a new one but of the same ilk (genuine item - it's a Mitsubishi made part). Do you think the pump was responsible for the whole incident on its own?

Still not getting how a longer f.p breather pipe would have solved all this as Honda suggested on their recall. Is it more likely that air gets sucked up the f.p breather to vaporize everything - then ignited by the contacts in the pump?

These bike's don't catch fire every day. Furthermore, do you think the carbs are damaged now internally?

Bear in mind Nick I've no specific knowledge of the CBR or their fires just kicking around ideas .

TBH I'm surprised the pump still has points , you'd think they'd be electronic by then/now ?

I don't see the pump itself being the culprit but like many "accidents" just one part of a chain of events that come together to produce an "incident" .

I'd thought that the two breathers were sharing the same sort of area and so the longer breather pipe was to keep the two apart from each other ? I'm assuming the pump breather is a low pressure and the carb breather could supply an inflammable mixture which if adjacent within the bellypan could be sucked up into the points area . If that is the case I'd look at raising the pump breather to a clear area under the tank etc where petrol fumes would not gather ?

I don't even know for sure if the pump breather does produce a vacuum - maybe a test with a small amount of water in a jar - bubbles or the level goes down ?!

But you'd think the problem would be more common . A non OE solution could be an electronic fuel pump- no points no extrenal ignition source ?

If nothing else I suppose a longer FP breather makes it less likely to "suck fumes" right up a length of pipe - ie the pressure is likely fluctuating , just like a crankcase breather . If you have a short pipe the short term vacuum can suck rubbish/water all the way in but a longer pipe overcomes this and after the vacuum recedes the rubbish/water drops down again .

Conjecture .

Email HMC ? though with an eye on litigation probably not very fruitful.

Them carbs look a very similar set up to our blades and on Pauls even the air unions had gone brittle  

Really want to get this bike on the road to being nice again.   Thank heavens for ebay, these good used parts are coming in cheap.

By the way guys, I really appreciate all your advice and help so far even though I know that you are not familiar with the model.   But this is what it's all about - brainstorming.