An Embarrasing but funny story I have to share...

[CloverHillCrawler]

Never underestimate the effect of lack of sleep has on your judgement.

I went out yesterday to the DMV Spyder Ryder meet and greet. I worked on Friday night so I only took a nap when I got home; woke up early; rode down to Bowie; and had a great time seeing everyone.

I leave to go home, but on the way, nature calls, so I pull off to take care of business, then go back to the Spyder and it will not start. No codes are being thrown, but my battery is about 4 years old.

I call for roadside assistance as I don't have a battery pack and I start troubleshooting.

No problem, I get out my emergency toolkit from the frunk, get out my meter, battery has 12.6V, I can hear a relay click, but no starter, no codes, and the battery stays at 12.6 with no fluctuations.

I removed my tender connector and the fused USB power supply off the battery terminal and try again. Nothing.

I check my brake switch, no issues. I start to pull off the side cover so I can look at my linkage position when the tow truck driver shows up. (He was really quick with getting there.)

We try his jump pack with no results. It's getting dark and I'm really tired, so we just tow it back to my house.

Come back with my head hung low and the wife says to just sleep on it, and you will realize what's going on. I had dinner and went to sleep.

I woke up about a couple of hours ago and couldn't get it out of my head. Make a cup of tea, pull up the service manual on my computer, and start going over the starter system, thinking of what I would've missed.

After reading through the manual. I do a classic facepalm, walk down to my garage, and flip the kill switch.

I guess I was in such a rush to respond to mother nature that I hit the switch as I got off the bike.

Now I have to tell my wife in the morning that I spent a $100 for a tow and got home late because even though I did all of this other troubleshooting on the road, I didn't bother to check the kill switch.

I think I am attributing this to my lack of sleep and NOT having a senior moment!

[Peter Aawen]

It might be slightly embarrassing now, and I'm sure your wife will never let you live it down!! I know the Child Bride hasn't let me off the hook for doing much the same thing with that bloody kill switch freakin' about 45 years ago in front of all her young and impressionable friends!!

And if we're all truly honest about this, then if you ride a motorcycle of any sort, then we have either ALREADY done the same sorta thing (I have, more than once! ) Or we WILL do the same sorta thing at some stage in our riding life!!

So congratulations, you've joined the rest of us in making a fool of ourselves by not remembering that bloody Kill Switch at a critical time!!

Ps: This embarrassing but funny moment of yours truly MUST have been due to lack of sleep, it simply couldn't have been a senior moment, cos you're still riding; and we all know that you don't get old so you stop riding; you get old BECAUSE you stop riding - you haven't stopped riding; therefore you aren't old; so it couldn't have been a senior moment!

Simples, really!

[Navydad]

I wonder if the engineer that came up with the dreaded "kill" switch ever received any death threats

[Kromm]

That's how I turn off my Spyder. First thing is hit the Kill switch, then turn the key off. Then on Start up First thing is turn on the Kill switch then the key. Ive made a habit of this. with every bike I have owned. My biggest issue with the Spyder has been remembering having to hit the "mode" before it will turn over.

[JohnRuckus]

HA!
Happens to the best of us.

[Snoking1127]

2024 solved this issue, as starter button is incorporated into the orange/red button. You push is down beyond run to activate the starter. My CFmoto CForce 600T quad was this way also.. Pretty cool that they finally solved this issue that catches so many of us over many decades.

My first real ride on the first spyder was to Fountain Hills 44 miles away. We stopped at McDonalds for lunch and the spyder would not start again. DW had hit the "Kill" switch getting off or on from the right side. Took about 5 mins to figure it out.

[JB62]

It happens to all of us, you arent alone.

[safecracker]

I did it yesterday. 5 minutes later I looked at the kill switch and there was my problem.

[Bangorbob]

Believe me I get it. Years ago when I didn't drink coffee for breakfast but I drank other drinks. Anyway, after a couple hours of breakfast drinks went out and tried kick starting my motorcycle for almost minutes. Forgot to turn the key on. It does happen.

[T.P.]

Mrs. T.P. did the same thing yesterday at an intersection when the light turned green. Spyder's out for first ride this year.
T.P.

[Captainmal]

I never touch that kill switch on only of my bikes. Why? With my luck it would just be like your horrible experience.

When the bike does not start now, that is the first thing I look for. Recently must have bumped it somehow and immediately found the issue.

[LALoner]

With the Kill Switch and the starter combined, I think that problem at least has been eliminated on my 24 F3-S.

[pegasus1300]

So, while we are sharing funny stories, here's one on me. My main riding group, The Temple Riders, was going to ride around Utah Lake on Saturday after breakfast at a member's house in Pleasant Grove. That is about 75 miles from my house. I agreed to meet them in Goshen, on the South end of the lake. I spent Friday night getting the Spyder ready. I tire easily since the heart attack, so when done, I went inside the house to rest.

It was dark when I came back out to put the Spyder away. Starts fine sounds good, hit the paddle to go reverse, no go. Hit the paddle for 1st goes just fine. Turn it off, try rolling it back and forth a bit, start back up, hit reverse, no go. Push harder, no go, hold it longer, still no reverse. I can't back up. I sit for a few minutes. Now it is really dark. Since I have been having shift problems in the past, I think this is just another phase of those, so I shut off the Spyder thinking I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. I go to bed... 6:00 am it hits me, I forgot to push the reverse button as well as the reverse paddle!

BTW, it was a great ride, and it was so fun to see my friends again.

[Raven]

I think anyone who rides any type of bike has done this at least once.
I did something along that line with the Ryker.
I forgot to put the chip key back. I was just starting to panic when I felt the key in my pocket.

[ARtraveler]

Another been there, done that person. We did not have to spend the Cnote though.

[Lew L]

.
Been there done that twice. Once my fault on my old Honda 900F( baged as a 750F, a real sleeper). Second ,on a Ryde with bikers I didn't know. While paying for fuel( cash), one of the fine fools switched the kill switch. Wouldn't start, but I remembered. They didn't even have time to laugh.....

Lew L

[JayBros]

...I forgot to push the the reverse button as well as the reverse paddle.

I did exactly the same thing checking onto a motel when on tour with a couple of other riders. Something was quirky about the check-in and it was playing on my mind as I pulled into the parking spot in front of the room. I went to back up to reposition the Spyder a bit, hit the reverse paddle, Nothing! Did it again, Nothing! Remarked to the other guys, "I've completely lost Reverse gear." Then I looked down at the big, white R, followed by some such claim about my ignorant backside. I'm glad there were no Navy vets in the group, so there were no comments about Dumb Jarheads.

[canamjhb]

Brain farts can happen no matter how old the person is. But in my case, age is blamed because there is nothing else to point the finger at! A few years ago, while leading 3 bikes on a multi-week tour, my Spyder would not start at a fuel stop. I was in a panic! Things like how far I was from home, no dealers in the area, my incompetence diagnosing Spyder issues, etc. were all flashing through my mind. I don't remember the exact particulars but I believe I had just pulled up to the pump and shut the engine down, not putting the bike in neutral. Anyway..... my buddy waiting for me on his RTL, finally asked if I was putting my foot on the brake. Once I did so, old Spydie came to life. I felt really stupid.

[MonPaul]

I have an ATV I rarely ride at night, but I know the lights work because the previous owner showed me everything worked. Well, I finally needed them the other night and nothing! OK, night was ruined and went back home. Fuses fine, wiring fine nothing wrong that I can see. Just for laughs as a last resort like all men do I decided to check the owner's manual only to find out you have to turn the key one extra click to the right to turn on the lights! I don't know why they would even do this (maybe afraid you might turn your lights on accidentally?) but this "idiot proof" safety feature ruined this idiots night.

[Spyderglide]

Older lady mechanic
I was at the grocery store with my new Spyder RT. (it was one month old) I was about ready to start it when an older lady came up and asked me, "your new Spyder?" I said “yes!” She said, “oh I just love mine!” Which really took me by surprise. Then I proceeded to crank the engine without it starting! Being new and in a hurry, I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Then she said, "oh your kill switch is on!" I swear, I never remembered using it! LOL!

[ryu1867]

No choice with a Ryker. The Kill Switch is the Only way to shut the engine off.
And yes, I've tried to start it with the kill switch off!

[RapidSpyder]

I think we’ve all done that at one time or another…

[PDXRTL]

Interesting to read how many people don't use the big red switch.

As a motorcycle safety instructor, we coach all our students (two and three wheel) to use the "engine cutoff switch" (we don't want them killing our motorcycles :-) ) before reaching for the key.

Two reasons:
1. Develop the muscle memory so that using it is the immediate response if there is a problem and they need to turn the engine off quickly
2. Keeps their hands on the controls until the engine is off. Not all bikes have a key front and center within easy access and trying to find the key while the engine is running can lead to problems

Obviously, different with a Spyder since you aren't using your hands to hold either a clutch lever or a front brake lever.

But now I can add a third reason to build the habit - avoids embarrassing moments when you try to start your bike if using the engine cutoff switch isn't part of your normal routine but you accidentally used it.

[Flylow]

Wouldn't it be nice if when the kill switch is in the kill position and the key turned to the on position, a lamp on the dash would light with "KILL". Yes, I to have tried to start a bike with the kill switch on.

[old Timer]

Back then, we sold lots of Batteries and $ trips to various homes because of the Kill Switch.