tracking down an electrical issue

[bigbore2]

Had Randy hot/cold test my pickup coil.  that tested out fine. he suggested the on/off switch needs cleaning, so that is next.

I have read posts about that before, so its a possible issue ALWAYS.  Cant I just hard wire/bypass this switch anyway. I cant think think of a good reason for it to be there.  I have the ignition switch.

why do I need a kill switch? 

[red]

Had Randy hot/cold test my pickup coil.  that tested out fine. he suggested the on/off switch needs cleaning, so that is next.  I have read posts about that before, so its a possible issue ALWAYS.  Cant I just hard wire/bypass this switch anyway. I cant think think of a good reason for it to be there.  I have the ignition switch.  why do I need a kill switch?

Bigbore,

It will be closer to your hand, if you ever need it.  There can be times that you will want the engine off instantly, but you don't want to release either hand-grip.  It's a safety thing.

Cheers,
Red

[FJmonkey]

I use it to flash my headlamp, at speed I get a backfire but I can still flash.

[red]

I use it to flash my headlamp, at speed I get a backfire but I can still flash.

FJmonkey,

Hope that nobody is gonna shoot back, when that bike backfires . . .      

Cheers,
Red

[FJmonkey]

I use it to flash my headlamp, at speed I get a backfire but I can still flash.

FJmonkey,

Hope that nobody is gonna shoot back, when that bike backfires . . .      

Cheers,
Red

I like to live on the edge... It is SoCal...

[Earl Svorks]

 Bigbore,,,
The time may come for you  one day, as it did for me ,when a low side turns into a high side and you find yourself in the ditch, pinned beneath your upside down bike that is now running seemingly WOT. and the key looks like it's beyond your reach. The kill switch is your friend.
     Cheers
     Simon

[ribbert]

Bigbore,,,
The time may come for you  one day, as it did for me ,when a low side turns into a high side and you find yourself in the ditch, pinned beneath your upside down bike that is now running seemingly WOT. and the key looks like it's beyond your reach. The kill switch is your friend.
    Cheers
    Simon

I agree with you Simon but I think it's largely a hangover from when all the Jap bikes had the ignition keys mounted under the tank and if that was the side the bike fell on it couldn't be reached without lifting the bike. On modern bikes the key and the kill switch aren't that far apart. It would be a rare occurrence to be able to reach the kill switch but not the key.

I don't think they would come up with the idea today.

My Son recently got his bike licence and they were told to always turn the bike off with the kill switch so that both hands remained on the bars until the motor had stopped. WTF? How do you lose control of a stationary bike by raising one hand off the bars? Should people demonstrating so little control even have licences?

More often than not I turn mine off with the sidestand and occasionally then forget to turn off the ignition, fortunately is usually only over short stops where I don't bother to remove the key and not enough to drain the battery. I imagine turning the bike off with the kill switch would lead to this occurrence often.

Noel

[fnlyafjat51]

I use it to flash my headlamp, at speed I get a backfire but I can still flash.

FJmonkey,

Hope that nobody is gonna shoot back, when that bike backfires . . .      

Cheers,
Red

I like to live on the edge... It is SoCal...

HAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[FJmonkey]

I needed the kill switch during one ride from SoCal to Phoenix through the desert one winter. It gets really cold in the high desert and I was still young and foolish then. Not as young now. My hands got so cold I could not turn the key to shut the bike off. I could press the kill switch with my frozen hands and winter gloves. I sat in the parking lot of that wayside coffee shop for a few minutes till I figured out I could use both hands to turn the key and turn off the lights and ignition. the key stayed on the bike while I went in and thawed out for a while. 

[bigbore2]

FJmonkey - you may have unknowingly started a movement.  Now I can't wait to flash the lamp and fire the cannon.

[FJmonkey]

Make the WCR and get to fire a real cannon, the potato cannon.... And light the fuse for the Thermite...

[bigbore2]

well, I cleaned it, relubed and reinstalled it. I used HCL on the copper contacts.  HCL- hydrochloric/muriatic acid is the best copper cleaner I have ever found.  Rinse well and the copper surface looks brand new.

[Earl Svorks]

       Bigbore,
   Wow! Those are both very powerful acids. I have used muriatic on its own ,I figure it would destroy copper, maybe not. Is this combination available at a retail level? If so, what name does it go by and who makes it? I usually wind up with a stainless dental scraper on small contacts.
  As kids we used to use a mix of salt and vinegar to clean copper coins,  I wonder
if that might work? Less risk of losing the flesh it spills onto.
     Cheers
     Simon

[bigbore2]

I used a cotton swab as a tool and it worked perfect. After I cleaned off the grease first.