I have EITMS turned on and leave it that way. And as others have said you will know when it kicks in. But I had forgotten exactly what it does so i did a search.
here is a pdf directly from harley

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...bmLocale=en_US

EITMS Relash
Harley-Davidson is offering a free, dealer-
installed software upgrade called the
Engine Idle Temperature Management
System (EITMS) for all 2007 and 2008
Touring models. On 2008 model Touring
models produced after December 3, 2007,
the EITMS is already installed and ready
for you to activate using a simple throttle
activated switch. When you are stopped
and at idle, simply push the throttle forward
(closed) to roll off position and hold. After
approximately 3 seconds, the cruise control
indicator will lash either red (disabled) or
green (enabled). Repeat the procedure to
toggle between the two.

During hot idle, or when the motorcycle is
off-throttle and running at hot temperatures,
EITMS shuts off fuel to the engine’s rear
cylinder, leaving it to idle on the front
cylinder only. Without combustion, the
rear cylinder and exhaust header will begin
to cool, bringing relief to the rider (and
passenger) soon after. Once the rear cylinder
cools to a predetermined temperature, or as
soon as the rider accelerates, both cylinders
resume operation. And by maintaining
constant rpm during rear cylinder
“shutdown,” transitions between one and
two cylinder operation are nearly seamless.
EITMS is purely for rider comfort. When it
activates and “shuts off” the rear cylinder, it’s
not because the motor is overheating. It’s
designed to reduce the heat radiating from
the rear cylinder to the rider.

 

I'm not sure if it is always ready to be used on the Road King, but on my 2009 Electra Glide Classic I had to turn on the EITM through my dash board mode button (check your owner's manual). Then I could use it even in cooler weather when stopped at a long traffic light etc. On my bike you really have to listen closely to hear the minimal difference to the idle making it slightly rougher (the tachometer flashes the green cruise control symbol). Before I programmed the bike through the mode button, it would only flash the red cruise control symbol on the tachometer when I tried to use EITM. Not only does the rear cylinder cool down because of the lack of combustion but it also is essentially an air pump pumping in cooler air. I would think you save a little bit of fuel also.

 

[quote=kingkingking;6805174]To enable/Disable EITMS the engine has to be stopped.[/quote


who says?

 

You are Correct!

 

Incorrect !!!!! read ure manual.

 

I leave mine activated all the time. It only comes on when the rear cyl reaches 278 deg. I check it every now and to make sure it's activated, and let it work as designed.

 

No it does not. I turn mine on ands off all the time with it running. I do it in neutral and stopped.

 

Not trying to put anyone down but 'just sayin' guys like you make me sick. You spit in the eye and then say 'nothin personal' It one thing to say a person is wrong but to criticize and then say 'not trying to put anyone down'
geez what a laugh
So I was only wrong about the the injector still pumping fuel, you and the chief are a pair.

 

Page 145 of the handbook says turn the ignition on but dont start the bike.

Trust me, you cant do it with the bike running. My dealer has turned mine back on a couple of times after a service. A 124 with 4 5/8 stroke running on 1 cylinder is a bad idea. Vibration is enough to rattle your teeth. Rotating the grip backwards does nothing, gotta stop the engine.

 

I guess I spit in my eye too then, because if you read a little closer you'll see that I included myself as well. "heck, we all do it". I was making an observation, not putting people down. It's a fairly accurate observation if you think about it. How many ideas do we have that we've never confirmed but just took someone's word as fact? If you check some of my posts early on about efi and closed loop operation, you'll see that I have been just as guilty. I try to be more carefull about that nowadays because I don't want to give out any bad information. So, hopefully you can see that I really wasn't trying to put anybody down, it was just our human nature that I was commenting on. Ride safe