Just sittin' here reading some of these justifications I have to ask, What prevents the throttle from being "off idle" no matter which switch is used? Not using the kill switch doesn't guarantee a perfect idle. Neither does using the kill switch. Both the ignition & kill switches interrupt the same circuit, & the distance between them is insignificant in terms of time when related to electron flow.

If the ECU needed some sort of "soft shutdown" like your computer I'm reasonably sure there would be a separate power circuit & a built-in program for that purpose. Relying on getting a consumer to follow some mythical sequence is too dumb for even the MoCo.

 

Now I am sorry I even asked if anyone else had heard this as to a OP, a few had seen/heard this same topic, seems three shops I have spoken with, two indy, one stealer and all MoCO authorized don't know squat. You use your kill switch with no issues then you are not seeing a problem yay for you, I had not either but the possibility to cause some problem evidently has existed for a few years for posts to show since 2010. Kill the messenger and you get little input later.

 

I heard running the motor will eventually wear it out. According to the dealer and every indy I've asked the only way to prevent this is to park the bike in a temperature and humidity controlled environment and never run the motor.

 

So.... what is the kill switch for then?
Whats its purpose and why is it on the bike?

Lump

 

I was taught to shut the bike off via the kill switch. I'll have to look into this further.

 

If memory serves (& that is questionable) the first ones for street use were introduced on early Honda 750's. The reason was that the motor would overpower the brakes if the throttle locked wide open. (that part is fact, I've seen a first year Honda 750 power down the highway with the front wheel locked) You could thumb a "kill switch" without removing your hands from the handlebars. A commercial version of the wrist strap kill switch on lots of high performance vehicles at the time. It quickly became an industry standard on any motorcycle that wanted to claim any power/speed. In reality it's use is extremely limited. Modern motorcycles have "tilt switches" that kill the motor if the machine exceeds a certain tilt angle, & most have either push/pull throttle cables or fly-by-wire throttles that are more likely to restrict your throttle than to cause wide open acceleration.

 

well asked one of the local dealers about this today and the service rep told me they are told to use the kill switch on the newer bikes , something about the crank sensor learning , so one more answer

 

Well I use mine because of the 750 Kawasaki H2 I had in 72. For the youngsters here it was the fastest and one of the worst handling bikes of the time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_triple)
Once a carburetor slide stuck open and there was no kill switch. Getting it stopped without killing myself was interesting. So since then I am VERY comfortable using the kill switches provided every time I shut down a bike.
to say the least

 

My 2012 FLHX owners manual says use Kill switch, my 2008 FXDB owners manual said to use Kill switch, my 2007 sporty says in owners manual use kill switch, my old 2001 Sporty owners manual and workshop manual say use the kill switch.
Anyone seeing a trend here?

 

The trend: HD may be using previously published information in current HD manuals.

You guys keep researching this topic... I'm going for a ride... and then using my kill switch when I'm done.