When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This is 100% correct and was terrible on 08s and 09s. 10 and up to a lesser degree but not totally 100% reliable to use the kill switch.
Anyone with drive by wire really should train themselves to use the ignition switch as opposed to the kill switch for this reason.... having the TPS NOT at zero causes issues folks whine about on here and it is such a simple fix, too.
or maybe, just maybe, if you have tbw, instead of training yourself to use the ignition, you should train yourself to flick the kill switch off without cranking on the throttle.
in the 5 years that i've owned tbw bikes, i have never had that problem with fast idle. and i always use the kill switch.
i don't know the real reason for it, but what i was told was that it was there so that you could shut your bike down without having to take your hands off the controls. sounds logical to me, whether or not it's true....?
My Harley's TPI (Throttle position sensor) has only got mixed up on time in 40K. I cold started it in gear on a downward slope. It lugged forward a little more then usually (probably about 4-5") My first stop a few miles later had a 1300 rpm (about 300 high) Cutting it off reset it and this has been the only time it did it.
My shutdown process is so automated, I had to do it slow to even know what it was. Yup, I hit the kill switch, then turn off the ignition. Coming into my garage, I actually hit the kill in the driveway, and coast into the garage. That reduced exhaust in my garage. This would be a pain to do with the ignition switch. I also got used to using the kill switch on bikes where it was more difficult to get to the ignition switch.
Now for more important questions:
- do you start your bike before saddling up?
- do you put your helmet on before you start the engine?
- do you wear fingerless gloves in the summer?
I have a routine. I pull into the garage or anywhere else I'm stopping, hit the kill switch, put the jiffy stand down, turn off ignition switch, and hop off the bike. It's habit. The one time I deviated from that routine I forgot to put the jiffy stand down....
Exactly mine too.
Wear and tear on the switch? You have to be kidding. Modern microswitches (hell, even antique ones) can stand thousands and thousands and thousands of cycles. How often do you replace the light switches in your house? Think those are actually any more durable than the one fitted to your bike?
Does anyone, when riding with a couple good friends, reach over and hit your buddies kill switch as a red light turns green?
Such a hoot! Riding away as he blocks traffic, and gets left behind.
When I used to ride rockets with buddies we did that stuff all the time. Now we are all older not so much. Something about riding a $25000 bike as opposed to a $10000 bike. If someone gets close enough to hit my kill switch on my SG I'll beat em off with a big stick.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.