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I leave both switches on all the time so they won't go bad, I just remove my seat and disconnect the negative battery teminal to shut it down.
..ok...so lets start another poll...if you shut down by disconnecting the battery, do you disconnect the POS, or the NEG...or do you disconnect both?....
I use kill switch first, then turn off the ign. switch. Why?, because it says so in the manual. I figured MOCO had good reason to tell us that. Every time in the past when I did'nt follow the rules something bad happened.
I use the kill switch the way the manuel says too. Not because I'm some hard core rule follower, but that's what I started doing when I started riding it. It's a routine thing. Just like putting in neutral. No suprises.
I always use the kill switch first and then turn off the ignition. It just makes sense to do it that way. It will also help you remember where that switch is in an emergency if you use it every time you shut down your bike.
Harleys like all modern bikes have tip switches that will cut the engine so no worries there. If it was a runaway condition my impulse would be to pull the clutch in rather than fumbling for a small switch.
AMA still teaches it based on old MC technology to develop muscle memory in case of emergency. Harley is slow to change - we still have a cover to change the points!
Kill switch use is the leading cause of dead batteries with the 50+ year old guys I ride with.
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