We were stressed to ALWAYS use the kill switch to turn off the engine in my MSF course. I took mine in Northern Virginia. Seems like it's different in some states.

I've started turning clicking the kill switch when I park now.

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Dar ~ I was born to ride!

my blog: Princess Scooterpie http://scootermayhem.blogspot.com/

on my first scooter kymco xciting 250, I never had a problem with the battery. durning winter I would start it for 3 to 4 weeks at a time, no battery tender either. Now with the 500 , The battery has died twice I recharged it both times. the second time it happened , I remembered this thread and did notice that the kill switch was on. I have now purchased a gel cell battery and make sure to turn the kill switch off. It has only been 2 days but is still cranking ok for now. I was able to find this link below, still doesn't explain much, but if it works , I'll do it.

http://www.motorscooters.com/articlelive/articles/35/1/The-039Kill-Switch039-on-our-Scooters-is-not-our-friend/Page1.html

What is interesting about this thread is that I had battery issues on the scooter I just sold this morning. The kill button was on. I just kicked started it and let it warm up. Hubby had to tell me how to do this. But it is something to think about.

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Scoot On!!

Itashka

Well, I have been riding over 10 years and never turned off my kill switch. Intentionally anyway.
I think this is taught in the MSF to make it second nature to turn the engine off in case of an emergancy. Has nothing to do with the battery.

Yup, that's it

For instance,
when I was stupidly riding on road with periodic patches of ice
and my throttle froze open...
(back in NJ)

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~~~~~ Linda ~~~~~

quote]
Yup, that's it

For instance,
when I was stupidly riding on road with periodic patches of ice
and my throttle froze open...
(back in NJ)[/quote]


That must have been so scary! I hope you weren't hurt.

_________________
Dar ~ I was born to ride!

my blog: Princess Scooterpie http://scootermayhem.blogspot.com/

Nah, that was the 2nd time the throttle froze open

The first time I was just starting it up after a very cold night in my unheated garage
My scooter danced around on the cement floor
until it finally dawned on me to hit the kill switch

As you might imagine, I was faster to the kill switch the 2nd time
...Although I gotta say
I braked first and those GT brakes are just awesome!

_________________
~~~~~ Linda ~~~~~

This is how much of a newbie I am... I didn't know there was any other way of turning the scooter off besides the kill switch! I guess I'm like a rat. Show me one way to do something and I'll never learn a different way. Anyways, I bought my scooter from a private party, so not a mechanic or dealer. But I do remember her telling me to always have the kill switch off when not using it because it'll run down the battery. Looking back, I do remember thinking, "of course it'll be off. It would have to be."
Still learning...

I've been working on bikes for over 30 years, and I know for sure that the kill switch functions by shorting out the connection between the points (or CDI box) and the ignition coil. It has nothing to do with the current flow that is supplied by the battery.

Turning the kill switch to the "off" position will do nothing to prevent draining the battery. However, shutting the engine off using the kill switch, and then forgetting to turn the key off will DEFINITELY drain the battery, because the lights will still be on as long as the key stays on.

If you want to put the kill switch in the "off" position after turning the key off, then go ahead if it makes you feel better. Just be sure to switch it back to the "run" position before you attempt to start the bike, or you'll be putting an unnecessary strain on the battery & starter motor if you try to start the bike without switching it back to "run".

The only time the kill switch should be used to shut the engine off is in an emergency, such as if the bike has been dropped and is still running, or if the key switch malfunctions and fails to shut the engine off.

Hmmm, interesting thread. Nothing is absolute in this world, foamynozzle.

We removed the battery in both of my scooters and installed capacitors in them. The lights operate when the motor is running and go off when the kill switch is used. I always use the kill switch to turn off my scooters and only remove the key if I am going into the store or leaving the bike unattended in public. The rest of the time the key is in the on position. They are kick start only and start with a minimum of hassle.

With my VTR I use the kill switch to shut it down, but have to turn off the key in order to get my lights to turn off. Battery is intact. My old dirt bike's kill switch Was it's off switch. No other way to turn it off. No Key. My new dirt bike, even with an electric start never has the key turned to the off position. Not necessary, no lights. Its still running on it's original battery and is an 03. Starts with two tries at the most. I had to use the kill switch today as an emergency shut down when I wound up on the ground in a tight turn that I missed and had my foot caught between the fairing and a sapling that I snapped off on the way down.

It was drilled into me from day one to hit that kill switch if your bike goes down to prevent engine damage. When I took my MSV they had us use the kill switch, then turn off the key. Guess it's stuck because today when I found myself laying on my side with 189 pounds of TTR pinning me down, the first thing I did was reach for the kill switch.

I think it's a good habit to get into using the kill switch so you always think to do it in case of an emergency.

_________________
There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.

Ahhh, the old "capacitor instead of a battery" trick. I haven't heard of anyone doing that for a couple of decades. It was popular to replace the battery with a big ol' capacitor back in the early '70's, when radical choppers with extended springer forks and coffin shaped gas tanks were all the rage. The reason for doing it was simply that there was nowhere to put the battery on a stripped-down chopper with a hard-tail frame without it looking like crap. A big enough capacitor will hold enough electrical "juice" to keep the lights on while the engine is idling at a red light or stop sign. It would also supply just enough current to spark the engine while kick starting it until the magneto was spinning fast enough to do the job. At least that was the theory... I had a '52 Panhead chopper with the "capacitor instead of a battery" that had to be push started if it sat longer than 2 days. I shoulda' kept that bike, but it was a cold-blooded, evil monster.

Of course, if you don't have a battery in the first place, then there's no reason to worry about it losing it's charge.

So here's the deal -- if any of your bike's lights come on as soon as the key is switched on, then use the key to turn the engine off unless it's an emergency situation. If not, then feel free to stop the engine however you want... Kill switch, stall it with the clutch, stuff a cheeseburger into the carburetor... whatever.

Bexx can tear down en engine with the best of you men mechanics, Foamy. She and her husband have also been doing that sort of thing for years...her hubby has a number of those old tricks up his sleeve, I imagine. I'm not that talented when it comes to the tech issues, but I certainly can see the advantage on a small scoot that has to sit through winter, or maybe only gets used on weekends....no need to plug a Battery Tender in. No dead batteries to worry about at all.

I use my kill switch all the time. I have no idea why I do...it's been a "couple of decades" ...well, ok, a few decades, since I took my class and got my motorcycle endorsement. I suppose they must have taught me that, but I don't remember. I normally hit the kill switch, then turn the key off.

With my most recent, and most modern scoot, a couple of times I've gone to meet friends that were already there, and gotten distracted talking as soon as I stopped...I turned the key off, but to the wrong position, and when I got off the bike, my headlight was still on. Had I not noticed, I might have had a bad surprise (dead battery) later on.

I also have a riding pal that recently experienced a drunk trying to hop on the back of her bike as we left a restaurant. He and his buddy asked if they could have a ride, she said no, and he started to climb on anyway. The Burgie went over, and she barely kept it off the ground. It was a mad scramble, but in the ensuing scuffle of bike falling and bodies trying to keep from getting crushed under it, one of them hit the throttle, and the bike nearly spun into a beautiful chopper that had parked near us. She is not in the habit of ever using her kill switch...and maybe even if she was, it happened so fast, she might not have thought to use it. But I see a kill switch as a helpful thing it's good to be friends with.

The capacitor is only holds enough juice to fill in between pulses of the alternator, maybe a 1/4 second. It weighs a couple of ounces instead of 3-4 pounds. Never leaks battery acid or wears out. The only down side is that the turn signals slow down when stopped and you don't have any lights until the engine is running. I don't generally ride at night. Too many deer about to take the chance.

My husband set this one up on my zuma.

It just drops into the battery box in the floorboard.

The zuma 50 and elite 50 both have electronic ignitions that don't need a battery and have kick starters. The Zuma's battery needed replaced when we bought it and since I was used to kick starting the Elite and TTR, I was ok with doing the same to start Zuma and could live without the hassle of having to charge a battery.

DH and I have a couple of old school bikes Yamaha SR500s that are set up the same way. Mine still has a key and a kill switch. His only has a kill switch no key.

Both are fully street legal. Having to kick start mine is always a challenge and worth the price of attendance to watch but loads of fun to ride.

_________________
There are two types of people in this world, people who ride scooters and
people who wish they could ride scooters.

Holy crap... If somebody tried to jump on my bike without being asked by me, they'd be eating their meals through a feeding tube for the rest of their days! I can't imagine somebody being that rude, no matter how drunk they were! What a total A$$hole!

Nice set-up with the capacitor! I've seen a few where they were just left hanging from the wires, swinging in the breeze... until they fell off, usually on a long, lonely road in the middle of the night.