Ducati Monster Forum

There must be some good stories about how, if you're dumber than a 5th grader, you've been stumped by
the kill switch?
This never happened to me, but, for instance, say you were riding down the slab minding your
own business, maybe rubbing thumb and index finger together to encourage some blood flow, airing
out your hands a little.  Maybe you slipped off the throttle (no traffic nearby of course) and next thing you know,
you're coasting to a stop wondering WTF??
And, if you're really dumber than a 5th grader, it would really top it off if, after checking fuses, wiggling wires
(hope you didn't just finish bragging about how you've had no issues up to about 38K miles) - you were so
helpless as to call a tow truck? Sure, even if you were that dumb you had the good sense to have it taken to your
home, not an mechanic somewhere - we'll give you that.
Also, the other funny thing that could have happened, is your sexy wife comes along a few minutes later with a car packed
full with shit (maybe you just helped her move out of her summer camp residence) and picked you up? Bet them bikers
that drove by you were saying 'why the make the beast with two backs does that bastard have all the luck? That NEVER happens to me?'
Did it cost you more than $175 dollars, then you realized, before you even got home the next day to look at it,
what was wrong?
In case you're wondering, the speedo indicates 0 and tach still works, after hitting the kill switch while on the move.
So I've heard. Gauges sweep nicely too.
So tell me, are you dumber than a 5th grader?
All I can say is, where the hell is a 5th grader when you need one?

My bike wouldn't start one morning, so I had to take the bus to work. I couldn't figure out what it was so I posted up the symptoms on the local board. Yep, it was the kill switch. I didn't check it because I never use it.  :P Still not sure how it got turned off...probably bumped it or something.

At least it was free though!  [laugh]

"Never" use it, so it's easy to forget  :-[

Kill switch - me
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I used it more on the Duc, so it was normal for me to check that first. Now on the Street Triple I never use it. The good thing is that I learned that certain lights on the cluster do not come on when the switch is off. Lesson learned after messing with the bike for 30 minutes.

not on my duc, but I did once have something similar happen with my jeep. It had one of those security chips under the steering wheel that wouldnt let it start without it in. Well one night I decided to take it off a sweet jump  [evil]
with a pretty rough landing haha and when I turned it off to get gas later it wouldnt start back up  [bang] so I left it at the gas station over night came back the next day and could not for the life of me figure out what was up, so in trying everything I figured maybe my starter went out and used a 0 guage speaker wire to bypass the starter and got it running just to notice when I was pulling in my driveway that the landing had jarred the chip slightly out  of its spot and thats what was causing my issues.  [beer]

Posts like this remind me to check the kill switch. 


I usually just use the key-unless I'm coasting into my garage late at night and don't want to wake up MY sleeping baby (screw everyone else's sleeping kids).

My kid could sleep through a thunderstorm.

I do have a story though.  I was out riding with a friend of mine on an old Honda I used to own many years ago when it suddenly quit running.  I figured it just broke down, which was not uncommon with that bike, so I coasted to the side of the road and called the tow truck.  While I was waiting I started checking things out, I had fuel, the bike seemed to have power and it turned over so I wasn't sure why it wouldn't start.  I figured it out after about 10 minutes, I had reached the reserve and had to turn the petcock to get to that last gallon and a half in the tank.  Derp... [roll]

I hardly ever use mine.  I was at an event one time for hours.  Came back to my bike and it wouldn't start.  Started freaking out a little bit. My group I was with was started and reading to head out.  I was 3 hours from home thinking what am I going to do.  Then I look at my kill switch and someone looking at my bike must of switched it to kill.  Bike fired right up after that.

Never happened to me.  Never lied either :P

Never used the kill switch until I took the MSF, after that I use it pretty much all the time.

Why? What did they teach that convinced you to use it?


Mark

If you have a "get off" it's good to be able to know where the kill switch is by instinct so you don't have to think "Now where's the kill switch" in an emergency situation.

Dont ask me how, but i bumped mine off one time on my ninja. i was on the side of the road for about 5 minutes wondering what was wrong.  [drink]

Yep - that's it  [thumbsup]

I figured it doesn't hurt to get in the habit of using it.

Not that I ever use it though LOL
I just use the key

The only times I've used it is when I need to get into the menu and look at the battery voltage, lap times and stuff after I'm home.. But there are times I turn the key off.. look at the cluster go off and damn! I have to turn the key back ok..

The other thing that has happened though is someone had pushed the shifter and it wasn't in N.. I sit on the bike, push the starter.. nothing.. look at the kill switch.. flip it a couple of times, and push the starter again.. nothing.. break my head for a couple of minutes, then realize it in gear  [bang]

I took the MSF BRC too, and it's become a habit to turn off the kill switch when I put the bike away, and turn it back on when I start up. My 695 doesn't seem to disable any indicators or gauges when the switch is off.

Having said that, I've had a similar experience where the bike would start up fine, but die when moving to first gear from neutral. Checked around, cursed, swore, then realized my side stand was down...

Some of the MSF course maxims are just plain funny.  Yes, you should know where the kill switch is so you can find it when you need to. The "in case you have an accident" argument is pretty thin if you ask me.  The downside of using it all the time is that the ignition can easily be left on which drains the battery. It kind of stems from the days when the ignition switches were under the gas tank or on the side of the bike where, if the bike was down on that side, you couldn't get to the switch.

I guess that was why I was asking, I just can't really think of a crash situation where my thought process would be "brake or accelerate to avoid accident/take evasive action/hit the kill switch". Maybe there is and I am too ignorant to know it.


Mark

MSF teaches to keep both hands on the bars, so to kill the bike you hit the switch rather than take one hand off to turn the key.
I've bumped the switch too but always remember to check the switch so it hasn't given me fits. I had a buddy that we'd ride together all the time.
I rode up next to him and reached across and hit his kill switch. ( big open empty highway ) He wasn't happy and thought something was wrong with the bike.
I realized he didn't see me actually hit the switch. So we let him stew a bit before clicking it back to run for him and giving him hell about it.
We told him later that night at the bar what really happened. Good times. Miss that guy. [leo] RIP

I only used the kill switch during the first several days I rode it. After reading the manual, which says to use the ign key to turn off the bike, I no longer touch the kill switch. Later, after I discover that in-gear and kickstand down will kill the engine, I simply kick the kickstand down.

On three different occasions I have pulled up to my local after work bar, the famous ESSO Club, and killed the engine with the switch as I roll up so as not to disturb the conversations going on at the outside tables.  I then neglect to turn the switch off and return to a very dead battery.

It was worse this past Friday as my tank has grown in length and the tank latch will not work anymore, so no access to the battery to jump start or charge it.

I'm old and apparently still a very slow learner. Yes, dumber than a 5th grader.

But, thankfully getting a new tank this Wednesday.