talk about coincidence. yesterday my 07 dyna failed to crank a couple times when i hit the starter. of course when i went to check it out,all was fine. today it failed to crank. i checked voltage drop at starter,no current. so starter is o.k. jumped relay and fired it up. made it about 200 yards and it died. kill switch failed. as i said in my earlier post i see no need for it. so i installed a jumper at the kill switch and all is good.

 

Back in the 70's when I moved to AZ and started riding with a club I had to learn some new rules. It was legal to open carry, as it still is, and most of us did. When we were pulled over, which was fairly common, we always used the kill switch to shut the bikes off. It seems when you moved your right hand of the bars and toward the ignition, the powers that be could say they felt their lives were in danger and react accordingly. This happened twice that I know for sure of, and a few more are in dispute. We called it the 'don't get killed switch'. But I just got in the habit of shutting off the engine with the kill switch.
But to answer your question, yes I have hit it by mistake while riding and just pulled in the clutch, turned it back on, let the clutch back out and went on my merry way. What I consider a worse mistake is hitting the start button with the bike in gear. Last time I did that I threw my back out and had to go horizontal for 24 hours, you know, cuz Im old.

 

While it is true that a lot of bikes do have automatic kill devices, depending on the situation, they may not operate. The kill switch should also guarantee to shut off the fuel and ignition source.

Additionally, first responders don't just arrive in a bus: they are like you and me, driving cars and riding bikes.

IMO, everyone should have basic CPR and, if possible, first aid to understand the implications of an accident or injury.

 

but no autos have a kill switch. average bystander is not going to know about kill switches. i do agree basic first aid should be tought to everyone. sorry but i'm still convinced the cons outweigh the pros.

 

That is the ONE feature HD needs to add across the product line, not just on the tourers. I use it every day, in so many situations I can't even name them. It prevents speeding tickets. It allows hands-free adjustments and fixing of situations. It is relaxing. It needs to be on the Softails and Dynas. I won't even consider those bikes until it is included.

 

This thread brings up an interesting question. Does anybody actually use the kill switch? I always just shut my bike off at the ignition switch. I have been doing it that way since my first bike 30 plus years ago.

 

IMO the biggest problem with using the kill switch to shut the motor off is that you can then forget to turn off the main ignition, walk away and run out your battery. I have done that, and have witnessed other guys doing it. I still use it though.

 

This is something I have actually never done. I have hit the horn button when trying to signal left or put my light on bright. Scares the hell out of me.

 

Me three!

 

Yep, I'm guilty of having done that as well. lol