The "Stupidity" Award

[oldandcrotchety]

I should get an award honoring the level of stupidity I have managed to attain without the help or influence from any outside source. I went out to the shop this morning to finish putting plugs and plug wires on my bike. (I had done one yesterday.) I was hoping to get it done in time to go to afternoon church service at 2:00. So anyway, having removed the side covers, top cover, battery, tie wiring back all the wires that were in the way, the battery box, the 2 little chrome covers behind the horns, and the horns and having wrestled the solenoid away from the battery box, I changed the plugs and plug wires. Put everything back together and hit the starter. Nothing....nothing. OK, what did I not hook up. So I take it all apart again and retrace my steps to see if I had left something off. Everything looked fine. Got the multimeter and checked everywhere I could think and could see that I had voltage on the battery side of the solenoid but not the starter side. I checked the ignition wires where they go together prior to the solenoid and discovered I was getting .5v when I hit the button. Sumpin serious wrong here. I cleaned all the connections I could find and put it back together. Nothing....nothing. OK, took it back apart and checked all the fuses, more wires, everything I could think of. (again) After a couple of hours I said the H*** with this. I buttoned everything back up and decided to call it quits for the time being. I was standing there staring vacantly at the bike and thinking nasty thoughts about this bike and was starting to dredge up visions of myself throwing gas on it, followed by a match, and then riding off on a new bike, when all of a sudden my vision snapped into focus on the kill switch. WHAT?? WHAT!! I don't believe this!! I walked over, flipped the switch and hit the starter and it fired right up!!! Since I never use the kill switch, I must have accidentally hit it while I was working. How could I have not checked that to begin with? How stupid!! and before you say: "that ain't so bad, could of happened to anyone." I will tell you that this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I should KNOW to check it first.....man....I need a drink!!!

[Thom]

:rotfl::rotfl:

at least you did not push a cb 750 up and down a hill 4 times trying to get it started than find out about the kill sw.

you have joined the KILL SWITCH CLUB . :rotfl:

[robertbob]

Coors Light,

[Grandpagak]

been there done that.... only took me 2 days to catch it..

[Adventure]

"That ain't so bad, could happen to anyone".....like me! A few years back I was out riding one cold winter day and the bike suddenly died. Absolutely dead. So I called the towing service with my cell phone cause there ain't no way I'm pushing this 835 lb beast home. Long story short, after sitting there freezing my butt for 1 1/4 hours the guy comes, flips the kill switch and starts the bike for me. Turns out, because I was wearing very heavy gloves, I probably somehow hit the switch without realizing it. "could happen to anyone"

[pegscraper]

I'm also a member of the kill switch club. Now I've rewired the kill switch to operate the passing lamps. It's the first time for me that a kill switch has had any purpose. Cars don't have them. Why does a bike need it?

[juggler]

There's been a time or two when riding with the cruise control engage and wearing heavy gloves that I have been relaxing my right hand on my leg. Then upon returning my had to the grip hit the kill switch and the bike shuts off at 70mph. The first time this happened was the day I bought it and I probably coasted 200 yards before I realized what happened and flipped the switch back on again. On the Second gen it's way too easy to hit that switch when wearing heavy gloves. I've done it a few times, but now I know to flip it back right away.

[stardbog]

I Have similar situation. Riding West on I 94 Trough Wisconsin, about Half way between Milwaukee and Madison, accidently Hit kill switch with winter oversized gloves, and kill engine, doing 75 MpH. Pull over in emergency line and try to troubleshoot what was wrong. First thing in my mind was main fuse, take off a cover and checked... Everything was OK. Call Brad ( Squidley) and over the phone go trough all possible things, Brad was in Car going to Canada, and he is give me Don's ( Free Bird) Ph#, Don is pull service manual and once again going step by step, over a phone, troubleshooting stuff, I was Just about to take off lower firing and check fuses and relays , when is kill switch cut my attetion

..... Shoot, Flip a switch and there we go... I was filling soooo stupid I Can't describe. A Kill Switch can sometime be a very tricky Gremlin...

:rotf::rotf::rotf:

[BOO]

Few years ago my friend and I were riding up the interstate about 75 MPH when all of a sudden my bike went dead, first thing I did was pump the gas a few times, I don't know why just seemed like the thing to do, and then I noticed the kill switch was off. Turned it back on, huge backfire, friend bought fell off his bike. I was riding a 86 VR when this happen.

When I was a younger rider we use to turn each other's kill switches off just for fun so that's usually one of the first things I check when the bike won't start. It's really a bummer when you are kick starting the bike.

Jerry

[VTirelli]

Wow......now THAT'S something I'VE never done.

[Squidley]

I Have similar situation. Riding West on I 94 Trough Wisconsin, about Half way between Milwaukee and Madison, accidently Hit kill switch with winter oversized gloves, and kill engine, doing 75 MpH. Pull over in emergency line and try to troubleshoot what was wrong. First thing in my mind was main fuse, take off a cover and checked... Everything was OK. Call Brad ( Squidley) and over the phone go trough all possible things, Brad was in Car going to Canada, and he is give me Don's ( Free Bird) Ph#, Don is pull service manual and once again going step by step, over a phone, troubleshooting stuff, I was Just about to take off lower firing and check fuses and relays , when is kill switch cut my attetion

..... Shoot, Flip a switch and there we go... I was filling soooo stupid I Can't describe. A Kill Switch can sometime be a very tricky Gremlin...

:rotf::rotf::rotf:

 

 

I remember that day Dan! I laughed pretty hard after you called me back and let me know what it was....and yes I have done it too

[Venturous Randy]

They say that confession is good for the soul. In this case it is a good reminder also. Even though it has not caused me to tear a bunch of stuff apart, I have had a moment or two of anxiety when everything is dead and I'm thinking "Now what?" It is a relief to look up and see a tiny sliver of red where the kill switch is just barely raised up.

So again, good post oldandcrotchity, this story and reminder may cause some of us to take a deep breath and look at the obvious. Now, does that make your miss-adventure a little easier to live with?

RandyA

[Guest Ken8143]

Few years ago my friend and I were riding up the interstate about 75 MPH when all of a sudden my bike went dead, first thing I did was pump the gas a few times, I don't know why just seemed like the thing to do, and then I noticed the kill switch was off. Turned it back on, huge backfire, friend bought fell off his bike. I was riding a 86 VR when this happen.

 

Jerry

 

Oh man this brings back a bad memory. Doing the same speed, all of a sudden nothing. I'm twisting on the throttle furiously. Just won't go. Notice the kill switch. Push it on and twist the throttle again. Massive bang.

 

Only problem - it took me 2-3 times to learn to just push the switch FIRST.

[kantornado]

I too am way to guilty and the thing about it is every time it happens I think man how dumb is this.

 

I look it over call people like Dan did and feel so dumb afterwords.

Like others have said I too do not flip the kill switch so never think of it.

Now the first thing I do is check the kill switch if the bike don't start when I hit the button.

 

Good thread brought back memories.

BAD but memories:rotf::rotf:........Ron

[Marcarl]

Well I heard that learning is done on the go, but training takes a little longer, so keep learning guys, we're all in the training mode, just that some train faster than others. For myself I learned a long time ago that thing about a kill switch, really had me worried for about 10 minutes sitting at a stop sign, found the problem and haven't had to deal with that again, well not often anyways, at least not when somebody else was looking, or when I was close enough to a computer to post it, and by the time I got to the computer I'd forgotton what I was going to post about, only killed the battery 2 or 3 times in the process, but that's called a battery test and so that doesn't really count, does it??

[Yammer Dan]

Did it with Convicts and fellow Officers watching. Tore in to wiring after pulling top cover and had everything I could pulled out when I noticed it. They still talk about how good I am fixing that thing in the parking lot. Guess no one saw me ease my hand up there and turn that switch back on. Threatened to kill officer with me if he told!!

[wolfman1]

Been there, done that! Welcome to the club.

 

Steve

[Condor]

I should get an award honoring the level of stupidity I have managed to attain without the help or influence from any outside source.

 

ROTFLMAO.... I could see where this story was going half way thru. That's why I always use the kill switch. It's part of the starting check list. Started using it right after the same thing happened to me, and..... probably every one on this board.... Another thing is using it keeps the dirt and corrosion off the contacts. A dirty switch will drive you nuts....

[Rip]

if I understand the purpose of the kill switch, it is for emergencies, when you just have to shut down immediately. Has anyone ever used it for that?

 

The only time I've used it is at customs, where I toggle it off/on so I can talk to the customs agent, and be ready to restart. Similarly in other instances where I want to quick talk with someone and can't hear well with the bike running.

[Condor]

if I understand the purpose of the kill switch, it is for emergencies, when you just have to shut down immediately. Has anyone ever used it for that?

 

The only time I've used it is at customs, where I toggle it off/on so I can talk to the customs agent, and be ready to restart. Similarly in other instances where I want to quick talk with someone and can't hear well with the bike running.

 

You may be right Ken, but I think it's something left over from the days when there were no ignition switches. I just can't think of an emergency situation where one would come into play.???

[Tnventurer]

I have never done that!

[kantornado]

Under a emergency the last thing I'm thinking about is flipping the kill switch.

Under extrema braking and stopping the bike dies anyway or at least all of the bikes I have had do. I am just trying to keep her up without falling down (that hurts).

 

After coming to UN emergency stop I have always had to restart the bike.

 

Maybe its just me..........................................Ron

[Guest KitCarson]

Thinking back......under an emergency stop most of the time the bike dies because we do not pull in the clutch.......too many other things to think about and do.........do not know the value of a kill switch myself, even on flat track, you slide the bike out from under you and go sliding down the track after it or ahead of it......bike is still running........you run over and turn it off.......now recently in racing rigged to the bikes is a dead man kill switch, works well, you fall off it pulls the lanyard and kills the bike.......I have often wondered exactly what a kill switch is for on these big bikes.......maybe for that time you get over balanced and are about to drop it? Have used it then....other than that I really cannot figure out what it is for except for consternation!!! But I have never done that........not this year!!!

[KiteSquid]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

I will ALWAYS use the kill switch to turn off my bike, so it will be the FIRST thing I check after turning on the key switch when I want to go for a ride...

[Mariner Fan]

I hit that dang kill switch all the time. Lucky for me I've managed to figure it out without too much trouble.