Still using the 'Kill Switch'?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,246
Likes: 19
From: Cypress, TX
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
(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
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Chicago
The dealer told me shut it off how you wish but when you turn it back on to get your daily dose of wind and air to keep your hand off the throttle until after the ECM boots up and the check engine light shuts off as some people tend too turn the grip slightly and it will use this new position as the new idle point
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
From: Mass
couple things.... I have a kill switch on my 1968 XLCH Sporty, from the factory I presume as I have seen them on all of them back then.... And 2..... The most likely reason the big guns aren't responding to this thread is.... they don't have a definitive answer... that's what makes them so smart..
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 1
From: Texas
I guess I have done it wrong the last 120,000 miles I have ridden my Harleys, but it is too late to change now. I've apparently screwed my bike totally up. I will have to live with it the next 125,000 miles...
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 127
The ECM (Electronic Control Module) remembers the rpm's that the engine was turning at the exact moment the engine switch or kill switch was used. It actually remembers the last 4 times (as an average) I believe. So, if you like to blip the throttle one final time before you shut the bike off, you are probably telling the ECM to learn an engine speed that is higher than normal idle 950-100 rpms. The next time you start the bike up it will remember it was last shut down at something other than normal idle speed. This is all part and parcel of the complicated fuel injection procedures and maps that modern vehicles must suffer. Many riders endure the high idle syndrome when they first start their bikes up, expecially when it is cool. I have heard many go to 1500 or more rpms until it warms up and idles down. When I shut my bike off I resist clearing out the pipes or giving it one final blip of the throttle. Instead, I let it calm down for about 20 seconds and return to normal idle speed on it's own before I shut it off via the ignition switch or kill switch. This has the effect of letting the ECM do a little house cleaning before it shuts down. If I remember correctly the MOCO offered a one time download in 2009 using their digital technician that addressed this high idle problem but not many technicians nor owners knew about it.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,140
Likes: 17
From: Wisconsin
Aww crap, safety police are probably coming! 
First off, I only have one cap, not caps ..... haha ..... When I bought the bike, I drained the tank and welded one of those retractable key chains in the tank, then attached the cap to the end of it. Now I just let the cap hang on the side of the tank, when I'm done fueling up I give it a little tug and it retracts right back to where it belongs ....
