Dumber than a 5th grader? Kill switch stories?

[sgollapalle]

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 

[tuxicle]

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...

[MadDuck]

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.

[Mhanis]

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

[VisceralReaction]

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. RIP

[bob795]

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.

[LA]

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.