Handle bar engine kill switch or ignition key switch to stop bike?

Do you use the handle bar engine kill switch or ignition key switch to stop
your bike?

I have been told that my Triumph Bonneville has been eating ignition coils
every 1500 miles, because I have been using the engine cut out switch, that
is on the handle bars to much.

It was explained = It's to do with the correct power down procedure for the
microprocessor inside the igniter / (cdi) likened to pulling the plug on a
PC. Instead of pressing the turn off button, does this sound accurate?

I have used /worn out 4 ignition coils 3 Gill and 1 PVL in 8500 miles...

Well to be fair the first one lasted 4500 miles so that's 3 coils in 4000
miles...

 

huh? Sounds like a load of old shoe repairers to me.

 

Only when I crash it.

I always feel that ignition keys are good enough for cars, and therefore
are good enough for my bike.

I always thought the main use for it was when you wanted to make a lot
of noise in a tunnel.

 

A SOB kill switch will be in the 12v line, in series with the ignition switch
so it makes no difference which one you use, except that the kill switch leaves
all the other electrics live.
I wouldn't be surprised if the kill switch, or the ignition switch, on a new bike
just sends a signal to the ECU to stop playing.

I've only ever used the kill switch by accident, to cause embarrassment in public.

 

I almost always use the key. Mainly to prevent that feeling of despair
when it won't start. The elation on realising it is just the kill switch
is bad for the heart.

--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster [ SPACE ! ] Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Always the ignition, unless I'm somewhere hot on the MV & stop it at
lights/toll queues.

It sounds like total wank at first glance, *but* I was warned very
strongly not to use the kill switch on my T4 Tiger as doing so could
**** the alarm. OK that's not the same thing, but T4s also have a bit
of a reputation for killing the middle coil, but mine never has. I'm
now wondering if there is something funny with Triumph electrics, & all
those T4 owners with coil problems use the kill switch regularly.

 

If that's not complete and utter bollocks it definitely should be.

 

I use the k/s a lot on my 1999 Tiger and (tempts fate) there have been
no problems to date. I don't use it every time, but often I will if I am
farting about with luggage because switching off with the key only
leaves a few seconds before the alarm arms itself.

 

I've not heard of T7s eating coils, so I'm not surprised.

 

Good, ta.

 

Has anyone any suggestion why my 05 Bonneville has this appetite for
ignition coils. Indecently its also on the 3rd crankshaft pick up, this one
is a rewind done by west country windings out of better insulated wire, so
seems to be lasting a bit longer.
This started just out of warrantee 4.500 miles.
Using the Gill stuff is like feeding strawberries to a donkey!

 

Bad earth(s), alternator overcharging/dodgy voltage regulator, leaking HT
leads/plug caps, plug gaps too big (unlikely but I'm out of ideas now).

 

You've been told wrong.

 

DING!

 

When kill switches were first introduced, some SOB's had the switch wired
across the points; no points opening meant no spark and the engine would
die. Great for batteryless ignitions but for the rest the trouble was that
the coils were then earthed with the ignition still powered-up, which
resulted in cooked coils.

This only applied to v small selection of models in the late '70s - early
80's and couldn't apply to a bike with CDI or ECU.

It's funny how these things get written into bike folklore.

 

Thanks for that: I wasn't aware.

 

What sort of shit design allows the starter motor to spin over when
the kill switch is off? The last bike I saw that on was a 70s 400/4.

 

Yeah, bad electrics was my first guess.

And believe me, having picked up one slightly foxed[1] Guzzi V11 Sport
last weekend and spent a morning getting it to start reliably, I know
about these things.

[1] not just foxed, but badgered, beared and gorilla'd too.

 

ISTR all my Kawasakis doing it. Go out and test the Turbo.

Or was it all my Hondas? ICBA to check now.

 

The whole woodland alliance?

--
Malc

Rusted and ropy.
Dog-eared old copy.
Vintage and classic,
or just plain Jurassic:
all words to describe me.