04-25-2021, 07:48 AM
(04-18-2021, 10:51 AM)Juancho76_imp Wrote: Excellent points to consider!
I have been using the kill switch myself as well. Most of the offroad/motorcross bikes i have owned do not have keys but rather switches. Just reading over the thread made me realize i'm doing this! lol
The seat comment killed me, i had to watch a youtube video to learn the secret latch!
Most of my old dirtbikes simply had a push-to-kill button as well.
No key, no switch (as switch dictates a change in position)
Just a momentary push to kill.
Funny story though-
In my teenage years I had a lot of dirtbikes. Many bought local, spur of the moment, when a good deal arrived from some friend or person I ran into that I had cash, and cash was king- especially when I had no fear I could fix whatever was wrong with whatever I bought= even never having seen whatever before.
So- at one point I owned an old beater Kawaskai F11 250 - probably a '1972 if memory serves correctly. Odd dual plug head.
Strange bike, as when I acquired it had already been stripped of any & all street gear and had a MASSIVE rear sprocket- larger than a Frisbee...it was geared very short, so even given it's relatively low power, heavy weight, and near bald rear tire- would happily stand up given the chance to meet something solid like a root or rock!
Rode this in the woods for a while around as a beater= at some point I parked it and cannibalized something- maybe the handlebars for another bike I forget....and a neighbor kid came along at some point and wanted to buy it. He wanted a bike, and I had several, in various condition.
I told him it needed bars- he wasn't concerned- and neither was I- so I didn't pay much attention as he bolted on something from something somewhere I had in spare parts boxes- and pushed the bike down the street to get approval from his dad - who apparently would be paying.
Remember- I was probably 15-16 at this time, the kid was probably 13-14.
I walked beside him as he pushed the (heavy) bike 6-7 house down from mine.
Stood in the dirt lane next to his garage as he was in the backyard talking to his father (who was known to have a very short temper and anger with his kids ALL the time, so god only knows in retrospect adult viewpoint- and modern times what his behavoir was towards his wife)....
The kid excitedly- something along the lines of- dad I want this dirtbike...father grumble grumble...kid- BUT DAAAD.. (and at that time, I was probably selling it for $50/75 at most)...
Memory tells me that the time played out like this- dad wanted to hear the bike run... young kid- probably hard time holding the bike up, a relatively big heavy kick start bike- kicked it many many time awkwardly...at some point I walked over- still being a young teenager- wanting a sale and money, but I was still a young kid next to a big 'old man'... saw he had the kill switch off...
I walked over- flipped the kill switch- said something like try it now- walked away...
He kicked another 2-3 times- probably had flooded it a bit..and then it fired up- immediately went to WOT as apparently he had not secured the 2 screws tightly that were holding the throttle housing and it had spun on the bars during his repeated attempts- pulling all the slack out of the cable....
So the bike roared to life- immediately screaming loudly to high revs- and the kid, not familiar with bikes- and not in frame of mind to think 'push the kill button'- defaulted to 'dump the clutch to kill it'- which abruptly, and in the blink of an eye- stood the bike straight up- dumped him off the back -while it proceeded right for his father who had chose somehow to be right in front of the killer motorcycle his son had brought home.
All I remember is the bike WOT- loud noise, blue smoke- wheelie, father jumping out of the way- bike fell on it's side- wheel still spinning, dirt flinging, engine screaming...I ran over to hit the kill- his father reached out and yanked the spark plug cap...and with no hesitation instantly pivoted in the other direction, screaming and pummel his crying child.
I quickly picked up the bike and hurriedly pushed it back to my house...never to be spoken about again.