Engine Stop Switch -- Really?

[DJFaninTN]

I've only used mine a couple times, once doing 80 mph on the interstate! bumped it with my drink cup. you'll slow down REAL quick.

that's always a fun time

[bronzeflex42]

Drilled into me by years on a motorcycle - kill switch is right there next to your hand. On some Triumphs, Harleys, Hondas.. the key is not right in front of you but on the fork, or next to the seat, or somewhere. Kill switches are always on the handlebar. In an emergency you don't have to reach for or fumble for the key location especially if you ride different bikes.

Good explanation, but i don't use mine either, guess i need to though

[Trbayth]

I use it all the time. Let's me get going a little bit quicker after I gas up.

[Firefly]

Never used the engine cutoff as a routine and never will unless Can Am says it protects the electrical system. As far as a "safety" feature the cutoff is worthless in an accident. I have investigated HUNDREDS of accidents including many motorcycle accidents. They happen fast and without warning leaving the rider/driver no time to do anything.....other then scream "sh*t". I wonder what people think they are accomplishing by flipping that kill switch? If you can't remember to turn the key to off then you might forget to brake or stop at red lights or chew before you swallow. Maybe Can Am will have people press the Eco to remind them of another useless worthless lawyer inspired lawsuit reducing procedure.

Go ahead and flip that kill switch.....and throw out a boat anchor while your at it, you never know, a tsunami might be heading your way.

Perhaps an MSF course would be a good thing for you to attend sometime.. they can give you dozens of scenarios where using the kill switch might save you... but it's all the reasons they don't tell you about that really matter.

Every Spyder owner should take an MSF course.... you'll come away with knowledge that just might save your life.

[Firefly]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I have not been doing that. Earlier on this forum there was a flurry of posts about failed switches so I wonder if that's Can-Am's way of ensuring it gets cycled often enough to keep it working? I guess I'm willing to give the engineers the benefit of the doubt.

Meh... 100,000+ miles between my 3 spyders and never a kill switch failure. You probably have a better chance of failure due to non-use and corrosion than you do from over-use.

[ABQSpyder]

Ok
So do you follow the MSF T-CLOCK since everyone keeps saying you should take a course!
I feel this is the one to be adhered to before every Ride.

[Firefly]

Ok
So do you follow the MSF T-CLOCK since everyone keeps saying you should take a course!
I feel this is the one to be adhered to before every Ride.

I keep my Spyder in good shape and give it a good inspection once a month. Not as anal as the T-Clock, but then again I'm not riding an HD... lol

[asp125]

Why would Can Am put in a kill switch if it wasn't meant to be used? Just like the safety card.. oh wait. nvmd,

[ABQSpyder]

I keep my Spyder in good shape and give it a good inspection once a month. Not as anal as the T-Clock, but then again I'm not riding an HD... lol

Well sorry I'm so anal but have always been that way with all my Bikes. Just resentonaly was coming home from Trip towing my trailer did my usual pre ride inspection and found out my left side trailer lights weren't working. Glad I didn't wait a month. Just sayin!!
I keep my Spyder in Good working condition also!

[TexAmRider]

Actually watched a video of a being repo'ed. The guy had the key but could not figure out how to get the thing started. The previous owner just sat back and laughed. They finally figured it out, but it too a while.

I used the kill switch once. Just to cause my wife some greif trying to figure out how to start the Spyder !!

[BitSlayer]

I've only used mine a couple times, once doing 80 mph on the interstate! bumped it with my drink cup. you'll slow down REAL quick.

I did the. Rey same thing yesterday. Luckily, nobody was behind me.

[Easy Rider]

I'm sure there are quite a few people out there that have had problems starting their ride because someone flip the kill switch & they never got into the habit of checking it.

I discovered that my "dismount" technique on the Spyder causes my gut to bump the kill switch to OFF.

It is a tradeoff. Most of the people who have trouble with the switch are the ones who USE it all the time; it wears out.

[Road-Kill]

Perhaps an MSF course would be a good thing for you to attend sometime.. they can give you dozens of scenarios where using the kill switch might save you... but it's all the reasons they don't tell you about that really matter.

Every Spyder owner should take an MSF course.... you'll come away with knowledge that just might save your life.

I done both the MSF and Experience Rider Course. Couple that with investigating accidents tells me the "Kill Switch" is not about safety but rather just another means to turn off the engine. Common sense says that the 1-2 seconds before an accident the "kill switch" plays absolutely no assistance in anything, and yes accidents happen that fast.

Another poster to this thread stated they use the kill switch without even thinking about it. This is because they litteraly are doing it as a routine and not because of saftey. We all press the eco button for the same reason....WHO ACTUALLY OPENS THE SIDE PANEL AND READS THE SAFETY CARD? This make pressing the eco and kill switch meaningless to prevent anything. I stand on my previous statement.

[Easy Rider]

I stand on my previous statement.

As is your right.

I NEVER use the kill switch.

BUT getting into the habit of using it CAN save you more than a few seconds getting the engine turned OFF AFTER an accident.

This is more important, I would think, when on 2 wheels since the vast majority of the time your bike ends up on it's side with the engine still running.

If that were to happen to a Spyder, the rider probably wouldn't still be close enough to use EITHER the kill switch or the ignition.

Good habit to get into: maybe.
Necessary: With a 3 wheeler, not really.

Just jumping on the brakes hard likely will kill the engine anyway.

[Firefly]

I done both the MSF and Experience Rider Course. Couple that with investigating accidents tells me the "Kill Switch" is not about safety but rather just another means to turn off the engine. Common sense says that the 1-2 seconds before an accident the "kill switch" plays absolutely no assistance in anything, and yes accidents happen that fast.

Another poster to this thread stated they use the kill switch without even thinking about it. This is because they litteraly are doing it as a routine and not because of saftey. We all press the eco button for the same reason....WHO ACTUALLY OPENS THE SIDE PANEL AND READS THE SAFETY CARD? This make pressing the eco and kill switch meaningless to prevent anything. I stand on my previous statement.

The fact that 1-2 seconds can make all the difference is exactly why the kill switch is a good practice. Why add the few seconds it takes to move your hand off the bar and to the key? Having it programmed into your 'muscle memory' is a good practice.. just like using your turn signals ALL of the time... you program your body to do that before turning or changing lanes.

To each their own, I'll stick with what every MC safety class teaches... which is to use it every time. There simply are not enough good arguments for not using it. It also may be a bit of a theft deterrent. Also not a bad idea to go out and practice on a back road using it while at speed to get a feel of what a total engine cutoff feels like.

To each their own....

[JayBros]

I use it all the time. Let's me get going a little bit quicker after I gas up.

You betcha!

[Road-Kill]

The fact that 1-2 seconds can make all the difference is exactly why the kill switch is a good practice. Why add the few seconds it takes to move your hand off the bar and to the key? Having it programmed into your 'muscle memory' is a good practice.. just like using your turn signals ALL of the time... you program your body to do that before turning or changing lanes.

To each their own, I'll stick with what every MC safety class teaches... which is to use it every time. There simply are not enough good arguments for not using it. It also may be a bit of a theft deterrent. Also not a bad idea to go out and practice on a back road using it while at speed to get a feel of what a total engine cutoff feels like.

To each their own....

MC safety classes teach that (in my opinion) because they must adhere to lawyer gibberish to prevent lawsuits. 1-2 seconds of notice prior to impact leaves shutting off the engine pointless. If you have enough time to flip that switch prior to or during an accident then you have enough time to avoid it to begin with. If flipping that switch makes you feel good then do so. If not reading the "safety card" is too time consuming then do so. Nobody I know who has a Spyder actually reads that thing every time they shut off the engine. So press away my friend.

[SpyderAnn01]

MC safety classes teach that (in my opinion) because they must adhere to lawyer gibberish to prevent lawsuits. 1-2 seconds of notice prior to impact leaves shutting off the engine pointless. If you have enough time to flip that switch prior to or during an accident then you have enough time to avoid it to begin with. If flipping that switch makes you feel good then do so. If not reading the "safety card" is too time consuming then do so. Nobody I know who has a Spyder actually reads that thing every time they shut off the engine. So press away my friend.

The hole in your theory is that you say the only time you need to shut off your engine is in the case of an accident. There are other emergency conditions besides accidents. Also using the kill switch keeps both hands on the bars.

Ill keep pressing away. I know I have been in an emergency situation and it was second nature to me. Good luck to you should you ever encounter an emergency.

[Peteoz]

Yep.....Makes sense to me....I'm convinced, Ann......I'll start using the Kill Switch as part of my routine.....

I did actually develop my own Kill Switch at one point. Every time I did a full U turn, the engine died on me, which was a bit dangerous with traffic coming

Turns out it was completely my fault. I had rotated the bars up, which had changed the cable position next to the ignition switch, and when I added Lamont's IPS key cover, the new cable position caught an IPS ridge at full lock, and turned the key off. Frightening as heck the first time it did it, but easy fixed with a bit of repositioning.

Pete

[ABQSpyder]

Wow another topic that we can beat to death and spin our Wheel's no pun intended. I brought up TCLOCK and it was dismissed but whatever we preach we follow what they taught me in my MSF class . I took a MSF class sponsored by Harley and the other by NAME and advanced skills they really pushed TCLOCK and the value of checking your Ride before every Ride. In today's world is probably a good idea to know were the switch is since your probably either looking at your GPS adjusting the volume on your music are reaching for drink cup Really!

[kbwitt]

I do not use and do not plan on using it. If I was to worry about my bike catching on fire I would try to rethink my thinking.
Kenn

[SpyderAnn01]

I do not use and do not plan on using it. If I was to worry about my bike catching on fire I would try to rethink my thinking.
Kenn

Thats not really the point. The time to think about safety is before something happens not while it is happening.

[Easy Rider]

Thats not really the point.

No it isn't.
The point, for me, is:
On a 3 wheel ride, actually NEEDING the kill switch in some kind of emergency is something that happens so infrequently as to be trivial.
I certainly wouldn't lose one second of sleep worrying about it.

[Peteoz]

No it isn't.
The point, for me, is:
On a 3 wheel ride, actually NEEDING the kill switch in some kind of emergency is something that happens so infrequently as to be trivial.
I certainly wouldn't lose one second of sleep worrying about it.

I also wouldn't lose any sleep worrying about whether I might experience a particular kind of emergency, Easy Rider, but adding a step to my shutdown procedure that will take all of one second, and will enable me to know where my kill switch is subconsciously, with the added bonus of not accidentally flicking it off and wondering briefly why the Spyder won't start, only has upsides for me.

Pete

[Road-Kill]

The "Kill Switch" has absolutely no value other then another means of turning off the bike. It is not a means of accident reduction. It will not assist in anything anywhere at anytime other then giving you a warm fuzzy feeling that you are doing "something". Pressing the "eco" button likewise does absolutely nothing and both are advice given by lawyers to reduce financial loss.

By the time you figure out to shut off your engine after an accident your significant other has already cashed in your life insurance policy and is sitting on a beach drinking pinna coladas. This of course is after you were scraped off the tread of the truck that ran over you.