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What is the "proper" way to turn off your bike?

How do you turn off your bike?

  • Total voters
    50
CaptCrash said:
I'll offer one bit of insight into this--the Kill Switch is wonderful because you keep both hands on the bike...and in Training that can be important.

Namely when a lady in an ERC takes her clutch hand OFF the bars to use the key to turn it off BUT she's still in gear and launches a running 883 at you...
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I see you, and raise you.

I'm standing in the staging area directing students to their 'T' as we end Ex7 of the MRC:RSS. I have 2 rows (8 bikes) of riders behind me. As the next rider comes off the perimeter (wrist high), she rolls on the throttle and grabs the front brake. Her next reaction was to grab the clutch and release the front brake but keep the throttle pinned! She then let go of the clutch and the bike instantly wheelied (GN125). The bike returned to two wheels and she repeated her actions and got a second wheelie. Again the bike returns to two wheels at full throttle. She is now in a full panic, staring at me, and tracking towards me as I run away from the staging area (you go where you look). She barely misses me, rides through a row of motorcycles and sideswipes a bike in the next row.

Wait. It isn't over.

She grabs the clutch and releases it yet again. The bike wheelies into the vertical and onto the license plate (rear wheel off the ground). It spins around its axis and falls onto the riders thigh shattering it. Yes shatter. There were over 10 pieces visible in the X-ray. She lay there on her back yelling and crying that she could feel the bones scrapping against each other. It was all we could do to get the remaining students into the classroom as quickly as possible.

Yes, I know this was a newbie in a class, but a quick search on YouTube will yield a few instances where the engine cut-off switch would have helped. We've all seen the Harley rider hit the car on the other side of the parking lot.

FYI: I've seen my share of small training motorcycles getting pushed across the parking lot with the throttle pinned and the front wheel locked. If underpowered motorcycles can do it, what do you think a large bike is capable of?

Traq said:
That's because their theory is based on muscle memory. In an emergency situation, like you laying on the ground with the bike on top of you in gear and running while the rear tire burns it's way through your leg, your muscle memory will just flick the kill switch! Ta-da!
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This is why I do it. I don't envision the need to use the engine cut-off switch at high(er) speeds. I'm more worried about getting stuck under the bike after being hit or loosing my footing.
 
aj3 said:
A buddy of mine told me that his manual and the salesman of his new Daytona 675 both mention to use the key.
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with some of the things i've heard come out of salesmen's mouths (like their explanations of suzuki's 3 power modes on the GSXR), i tend to doubt 99% of what they say anyway :x
 
Enchanter, what a total nightmare. I swear a remote switch would be helpful. One remote push, and ALL bikes are killed in the class. Probably would not cost that much.

No where near as serious as your experience, but my class had two ladies that pinned the throttle BUT kept the clutch pulled. We were sweating it big time, and so was the instructor. No matter what the teacher did, they just kept the throttle pinned. Finally he eased them outta the class. Seriously, what happened to you passed through my mind! Never been so scared in my life, as they were BOTH directly behind me! I knew the teacher didn't have a remote, so we were at the babes' MERCY!
 
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Turning the ignition key has worked pretty well on the numerous bikes I have ridden.

There is also the "stall it" it method. This is generally done when an attractive female is watching you.

The British and Italians typically use the "can't get the fucking thing started in the first place" method.
 
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Yowza! 'Didn't think teaching a motorcycle riding class could be so stressful.

Bottom line is that the motorcycle doesn't care how it's shut off. Any way will work. Those who are concerned about leaving the ignition on probably shouldn't be riding at all if they don't have the attetion and discipline to turn the key off and remove it after thumbing the kill switch. Using the kill switch is really the very best way to turn the engine off as it "trains" your brain on using it so that should an emergency occur, it's second nature and you keep both hands on the bar. Any arguments to the contrary are BS. Once you're thoroughly "trained" and "indoctrinated" in the use of the kill switch, then the ignition switch or the kick stand are perfectly acceptable secondary means as long as you don't get out of the habit and the learning of using the kill switch. For instance, sometimes I'll zoom into a parking spot and the instant the bike has stopped, the side stand is down to catch the bike as it leans over. As I swing my leg off the bike, I'm pulling the key from the ignition and I'm gone before the bike has hardly stopped.
 
SuperMike said:
The conveniently-placed engine cut-off switch didn't help her much...
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No. She had no experience on a bike. 'Couldn't even handle the basic controls, let alone the kill switch. A kill switch only helps those who know how to use it and are also in the habit of using it. Key point being "in the habit".
 
ST Guy said:
No. She had no experience on a bike. 'Couldn't even handle the basic controls, let alone the kill switch. A kill switch only helps those who know how to use it and are also in the habit of using it. Key point being "in the habit".
Click to expand...

My key point was that if one knows how to ride a motorcycle, it really doesn't matter how one turns off the engine.
 
ST Guy said:
No. She had no experience on a bike. 'Couldn't even handle the basic controls, let alone the kill switch. A kill switch only helps those who know how to use it and are also in the habit of using it. Key point being "in the habit".
Click to expand...

To play devils advocate, those who know how to use controls wouldn't be in said situation.

That said I have used the kill switch after going down in the dirt but I still regularly use the key for any other shut downs.
 
ST Guy said:
Yowza! 'Didn't think teaching a motorcycle riding class could be so stressful.
Click to expand...

You should have seen me when I was taking flying lessons and my instructor was teaching me to land. "No not that way. Push here. No . . . pull up. Abort!!" :wow

I wouldn't want that job for no amount of money. :laughing
 
Gixxergirl1000 said:
Like not flicking your thumb makes a difference. And I don't shut my bike off until I'm actually parked... coasting up to an anticipated parking spot decades ago got a friend of mine into a situation that almost broke his leg and did result in a bike on the ground.
But you continue coasting, and I'll continue using my key. :thumbup
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surprised to see all the posts about killing the bike before it's parked for some reason. Learned the hard way.

Had a k75 which would smoke when lit if parked on the side stand. (typical of the brick) In order to avoid the odd looks from friends when leaving the parking lot in the morning I would kill the motor when I entered the marina, head strait for the curb then pull a tight "U" and back a couple of feet to the curb. Yup, after doing it for over a yr, pulled it too tight and w/o the throttle to lift the bike she went down which was even more embarrasing than the oil smoke.

Would also kill the motor on the TL1000, drop the side stand and coast to the parking spot and shift the weight onto the stand. How damn slick is that:cool Of course one time the stand did not go all the way forward and both feet were on the pegs. Perfect:laughing
 
Motech said:
Ask yourselves, seriously... What emergency can you imagine where a couple of seconds delay in hitting the kill switch will have any negative impact? :rolleyes
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My experience has been that kill switches are located to be hit by the hand as it comes off the handlebar in a crash with no thought or effort required.
 
Rev it until the engine explodes

auntiebling said:
while we're talking hypotheticals, ask yourself what company would intentionally put a switch on their product that performs a potentially critical function which isn't capable of doing that job for as long as any other non-wear component on the bike?
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Ducati
 
aminalmutha said:
I hold my hand over the air cleaner.
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HA! That's how I used to turn off my Royal Enfield when I first got it. The connector for the killswitch on the end of the magneto was missing, and there was no other way to cut the ignition off.

Actually, since none of the Interceptors had air cleaners, only velocity stacks, it was even easier. Of course, my hands always stunk of gasoline because the engine would spit back a couple of times before it quit running.

Even if anyone had known how easy it was to steal a Royal Enfield back then, this one wouldn't have been a target 'cause it was pretty ugly in those days.
 
Enchanter said:
I see you, and raise you.

I'm standing in the staging area directing students to their 'T' as we end Ex7 of the MRC:RSS. I have 2 rows (8 bikes) of riders behind me. As the next rider comes off the perimeter (wrist high), she rolls on the throttle and grabs the front brake. Her next reaction was to grab the clutch and release the front brake but keep the throttle pinned! She then let go of the clutch and the bike instantly wheelied (GN125). The bike returned to two wheels and she repeated her actions and got a second wheelie. Again the bike returns to two wheels at full throttle. She is now in a full panic, staring at me, and tracking towards me as I run away from the staging area (you go where you look). She barely misses me, rides through a row of motorcycles and sideswipes a bike in the next row.

Wait. It isn't over.

She grabs the clutch and releases it yet again. The bike wheelies into the vertical and onto the license plate (rear wheel off the ground). It spins around its axis and falls onto the riders thigh shattering it. Yes shatter. There were over 10 pieces visible in the X-ray. She lay there on her back yelling and crying that she could feel the bones scrapping against each other. It was all we could do to get the remaining students into the classroom as quickly as possible.

Yes, I know this was a newbie in a class, but a quick search on YouTube will yield a few instances where the engine cut-off switch would have helped. We've all seen the Harley rider hit the car on the other side of the parking lot.

FYI: I've seen my share of small training motorcycles getting pushed across the parking lot with the throttle pinned and the front wheel locked. If underpowered motorcycles can do it, what do you think a large bike is capable of?


This is why I do it. I don't envision the need to use the engine cut-off switch at high(er) speeds. I'm more worried about getting stuck under the bike after being hit or loosing my footing.
Click to expand...

:wtf

My kid will be taking MSF shortly. You may recognize her from her few posts here and if you do...........call in sick.

She is 17 now but when she was around 7 I took her out to Pismo Beach and rented some quads. Rental place was back off the beach and crowded. Got her the 125 yami and showed her the basics. The rental guy was going around giving a basic run down as he handed out keys. When he got to her he put the key in the ignition and said hurry up and go. She eased the throttle and the quad didn't move so I guess she decided to go wot:shocker. Like your students she went into panic mode and headed strait for the breakers just about clipping the rear bumper of a GMC doing about 40mph in the process.


No worries Enchanter. We've been working on it w/ a MSF approved method. I lay over the tank of the harley and she takes the bars. Pretty sure she has the right grip under control now. G/L.
 
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