ST3 burning rubber smell

Not having had my bike for long [only a couple of months], but already I’ve found that when I’m caught out in heavy rain and come to a stop, smoke and a rubber burning smell, comes up from the bottom of the engine and flows between the forks and fairing. Today I reckon I have sussed it out. The sponge type anti- noise material they put on the lower n/s fairing panel, is pretty close to the exhaust pipe and mine had been burnt away. I set to work with the Stanley knife and cut the burnt area away and coverered the gap with gaffer tape. I could no get my head around as to why it only happened when it rained. I can only assume, that the sponge absorbed the rainwater and it then expanded on to the exhaust. Has any other ST3 owner been faced with this problem? It would be of interest to me and perhaps other owners if you have and how you cured it.
Cheers
Dave Hughes
Liverpool

Not heard that before but that’s great information, I am sure it must have happened before !!!