Topic: Is a kill switch necessary?

[stereosilence]

Some PO has reworked the electronics (new handlebars I think) on my bike and the hand controls are now defunct (only Hi beam headlight, starter was moved). I am wondering if there is any reason safety or otherwise that I need a kill switch instead of just using the key. I want to try to move the battery and hide a bunch of the electronics to get the area under the seat open if I can.

Any thoughts?

[Gordon]

Imagine you've wrecked, the bike is on top of you, the engine is still running with the throttle jammed wide open and transmission in gear, the chain and rear wheel are spinning furiously and one or both are ripping into the meat of your leg.  Wouldn't it be nice to have an easily accessible switch right next to your thumb to shut off the engine? 

[Rgconner]

Well, yeah.

The point of the kill switch is so that you can kill the engine in an emergence.

For example, you slide out and end up with a leg trapped under the left side. The key is likely unreachable.

Also, a Good Samaritan is more likely to see a red kill switch than know where the key is, assuming you are unable to reach the key for some other reason, like being unconscious.

[CycleRanger]

Imagine you've wrecked, the bike is on top of you, the engine is still running with the throttle jammed wide open and transmission in gear, the chain and rear wheel are spinning furiously and one or both are ripping into the meat of your leg.  Wouldn't it be nice to have an easily accessible switch right next to your thumb to shut off the engine?

What a great visual! 

[Damfino]

Imagine you've wrecked, the bike is on top of you, the engine is still running with the throttle jammed wide open and transmission in gear, the chain and rear wheel are spinning furiously and one or both are ripping into the meat of your leg.  Wouldn't it be nice to have an easily accessible switch right next to your thumb to shut off the engine?

What a great visual! 

Leave it to Gordon to make it as plain as the nose on your face!

[stereosilence]

Yeah. I thought about that. I think if I wrecked that bad mt hand probably wouldn't still be on the accelerator (AKA near the cutoff switch). Plus, I'm not sure I can get the switch mounted back in that spot. I think it is a put far fetched to not be able to turn a key that is 6-12" from where the cutoff switch would be anyway. I'm about to start trying to streamline my electronics...I'll probably see what is possible and revisit the question later.

[MCRider]

Yeah. I thought about that. I think if I wrecked that bad mt hand probably wouldn't still be on the accelerator (AKA near the cutoff switch). Plus, I'm not sure I can get the switch mounted back in that spot. I think it is a put far fetched to not be able to turn a key that is 6-12" from where the cutoff switch would be anyway. I'm about to start trying to streamline my electronics...I'll probably see what is possible and revisit the question later.

Its one of those pesky questions, how safe do i want to be? There's no end to it.

The key could be broken off.

What we often thought they were used for, was a young mans game of "hey whats over there?" then hit your buddy's kills switch and ride away.     Always fun.

[octagon]

if the bike goes down on it's left side you can switch off the engine. that alone justifies it to me. but consider how easily we all get rattled when something unexpected happens. even if it's just if the engine overrevving suddenly from carburetor or throttle cable problems it's not a bad thing to have that switch right there, in line of sight.

[wanackg]

Ha! Me and a buddy used to do what MCRider was talkin about to each other on lawn mowers when we were working for a lawn mowing business together.

[MCRider]

Ha! Me and a buddy used to do what MCRider was talkin about to each other on lawn mowers when we were working for a lawn mowing business together.

Good fun knows no age bounds!   

[Duke McDukiedook]

Not necessary but like a push cable, it is a good safety idea.

[srbakker]

Also, totally aside from possibly saving your leg from being turned into corned beef, where I live you can't get insurance without a kill switch operational on the bike.  Might be the same for you.  Good thing those little buggers are rebuildable, eh?

[Duke McDukiedook]

Rebuildable? Do you know where you can get new switch parts from?

[Gordon]

Yeah. I thought about that. I think if I wrecked that bad mt hand probably wouldn't still be on the accelerator (AKA near the cutoff switch). Plus, I'm not sure I can get the switch mounted back in that spot. I think it is a put far fetched to not be able to turn a key that is 6-12" from where the cutoff switch would be anyway. I'm about to start trying to streamline my electronics...I'll probably see what is possible and revisit the question later.

I had a feeling you already knew what you wanted to do and were just looking for some support for your decision.

It's not a matter of how close your hand is to the kill switch when you need it.  It's a matter of having more than one option for quickly shutting off the engine in an emergency when you need to.  Remove the kill switch and you've cut your options in half.  There's a decent chance you'll never actually need the kill switch, but when you do, you really need it.  Same goes for wearing a helmet. 

[bollingball]

Look at reply #5 Why did he even ask?

[stereosilence]

I don't have my mind made up. It is always good to make sure there isn't something you aren't thinking of.

The electric starter has already been moved, so I don't know if there is something wrong with the hand controls that I don't know about.

Even worse than flipping your buddy's switch, I have heard of people at stoplights yanking the key out and tossing it before driving away. Still not as bad as stalling and not being able to restart, IMO.

[Gman]

Not to belabor the point, but even if your leg isn't being chewed off, you may want a kill switch. 

My idle was really low, so I was fiddling w/the idle knob on my 76' 550.  Evidently, being the idiot I am, I turned it waaaay too far and, as I didn't do it w/the engine running, I couldn't gauge the effect.  Started the bike and it immediately started screaming towards the redline.  After I crapped my pants at the howl my bike was emitting, I started fumbling for something, anything, to make it stop.  At that moment, I learned several valuable things: 1) the kill switch is my friend, 2) don't overdo the idle adjustments, 3) have an extra pair of knickers handy if you don't have a clue what you're doing.  And, for the record, my key (courtesy of PO) is on the bars dead center, yet it was the kill switch that I managed to flip before I blew up the engine.  I'm just sayin'...

[the technological J]

 i got rid of my kill switch and now im looking for a smaller replacement... the bike doesnt  exactly hit neutral so well so when i pull up to a stop i either have to stall it out....fool around and try to hit neutral or grab the clutch with my right hand so i can kill it with the key set up under my left side... the kill switch on my KO is def missed when im on my K8

[Danno]

if we were all that worried about the kill switch in an emergency we would yank the old ones out and put deadman switches in like I have on my boat you fall off or whatever it kills the engine

[754]

 srbakker, I have never heard that before, the bike I am riding has one, but it does not work..

 One time I took a whiz leaving A bar, my 2 buddies rode off, one took my mirror.. he used to like slapping it loose sometimes while riding..
 Got up the road about 3 miles they stopped for a whiz, so I rolled up and pulled the key out of mirrorthiefs  bike.

 Then I rode off up a steep hill and thru some corners. Got up to about 90 up the hill, passed a car before I got into the corners. After the corners there was au small uphill straight. I slowed to pull a U turn shoulder checked saw a light, thought that car is way back.
 Just as I started my U turn, and got near the centerline..the light hit me..


 Ditto on the deadman switch if you are really worried about it....

 It was the other bike, who only had time to roll off the throttle, and start leaning left.. too bad he only slowed to 95 mph...

[Gordon]

if we were all that worried about the kill switch in an emergency we would yank the old ones out and put deadman switches in like I have on my boat you fall off or whatever it kills the engine

Those only work if you are separated from the bike. 

[754]

 Who here has gone down on their bike, and remained within had grasp of the bars?

[MCRider]

Me, about 50/50. Been off 13 times.

Once I lost it,  It slid into a curb, and I slid right up to it. The motor was reving wildly and i reached up and hit the kill, as the key was under the bike. Actually it went down on the right side first, stuck the throttle, flipped over and finished its slide on the left side. A failed and very lame attempt at a holeshot on a public street. Wiped out all 4 pipes, dinged just about every conceivable visible parts, including the instruments. Totalled.

It spun a nut off a tappet adjuster as well.

Those were the days.   

I can think of 3 other times, all on interstate exit ramps, where i bailed at speed. I usually ended up within a step of the bike.

[Leanier]

Although I think the point has been proven.  I vote keep the kill switch.  I was riding my cb360, having some fun and zipping around town when the throttle jammed wide open. pulled in the clutch, realized the throttle stayed wide open, and managed to kill it in half a second or so with the kill switch, with a stop sign right in front of me.  No way I could have gotten to the key in time.  the kill switch not only saved my engine, but also a possible hospital trip due to the approaching stop sign.

[TwoTired]

Who here has gone down on their bike, and remained within had grasp of the bars?

I did.  1967

But, any poll on this forum would have to be a pretty biased data sample.  It is not from a cross section of motorcyclists, just ones from a corner case of motorcycle type.  And, a pitifully small sample size at that.

Compare number of member on this list -
actual respondents from this list -
entire population of motorcyclists.

Then there is the "popularity-does-not-prove-technical-merit" aspect.

My wife relayed an experience with poll takers in San Fransisco.
As she was walking to work at the stock exchange, a man approached and offered her a free cigarette sample to try (new unknown brand which she recalled, but I don't).
At the other end of the block was a poll taker who was asking people what brand cigarette they were smoking.
Later, the brand advertisers made the claim that 9 out of 10 people polled smoked their brand of cigarette.

I very very rarely use the kill switch on any of my bikes, and some might (erroneously) rationalize that I therefore don't need a kill switch.
I also very rarely use a fire extinguisher.
I also very rarely need anti-biotics, pain killers, Helmet function, sturdy boot function, hand operated can opener, shovel, tree trimmer, etc.
However, I would not say that I would NEVER need these things.  I'm happy these things are available when needed.

Cheers,