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07' FLSTC Left Ignition On - Dead Battery

Wow, an iginition switch time out, novel idea kinda like the automatic headlight shutoff, which works great on my Toyota if I remove the ignition key or the buzzer on my Honda. While technology is a good thing, the downside is, if it malfunctions, it could strand you out in the woods without some type of override...a welcome risk JMO! Seen too many discharged batteries in my time. The converse though is that good intentions can go bad...
 
Alls well that ends well... :D Put the recharged battery back in the bike, did the 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off three times to initialize the module. I wasn't sure I really needed to, but I thought it sure couldn't hurt. Praise be to dead terrorists, my black baby fired up first roll of the starter. I need to do all of the rest of my reading about my fairly new ThunderMax w/autotune control module, maybe next time something like this happens, I won't be scared of frying $900.00 of after market ECM.... Live and learn I guess. I knew sooner or later I was going to have to own an electronic Harley and learn how to wrench and trouble shoot the new technology. My problem all started back when I stopped turning my engine off with my ignition switch! To try and not make as much noise for any longer then necessary late at night when I got home, I started killing my engine with the kill switch as soon as my scooter stopped, then I'd find neutral, put the kick stand down and then turn the ignition off. At the time it seemed like A great idea... but I was wrong, I set myself up to make this method of shutting down a bad habit. I got interrupted in between putting the kickstand down and shutting the ignition switch off on the day I killed my battery. Needless to say, I will, from now on, only shut my engine down with the ignition switch and leave the so called emergency kill switch for those very rare emergencies that it was invented for way back in motorcycle history. I won't be beating myself up, I'm just going to learn from my mistakes... Thanks all for your help and kind words. Again I say, praise be to dead terrorists....
:mgun :worthy :worthy :worthy :worthy
 
just my 2 cents worth here -- but, I think - at least with me - the problem is using that run/off switch on the rightside handlebar to kill the bike. I have killed the bike using that switch and yes the ignition switch on the tank is still ON along with all lights. So, now, I try to make it a habit to turn off the bike using the tank mounted ignition switch. Am I right here or is this a concern? (using the tank switch)

Bill
 
Nogoslim; Glad it was nothing worse than a dead battery. CHALK one up for us that ONLY use the ignition switch to shut off bike. This was a pretty well discussed topic a week or two ago. And I'm gonna rub it in to the "always use the off/run switch because......." side of the discussion!! :newsmile100::p
 
The kill switch does just that, it kills and in my case, it killed my battery!! :bigsmiley15:
Thanks again to everyone here.... :D
 
Using kill switch is a good habit, forgetting to shutoff the separate ignition switch is a rather bad one, but one of the necessary evils of having a separate console mounted switch...you lucky ones out there so equipped!

Only wish I had that problem...even now, I still would like to have a console on my Sporty, rather than key and fob hanging on the ignition switch way up forward on the frame...! It was about the only "nit(s)" I have had with the bike since I got it almost a year and a half ago...
 
I did that once. I just put it on the charger till the meter read zero and it was fine. I had all harley parts though. Try talking to it nicely or giving it a hug. Sorry couldn't resist. =)
 
I'm sure the manual for my 2008 bike says to use the kill switch first,and then turn off the ignition switch.Isn't it to do with making and breaking load current and preserving the contacts in the ignition switch?
 
I turn the kill switch off and then the console, kind of like an aircraft-master on then ignition and the opposite on shutdown. First thing I do when I get near a bike is make sure that kill switch is off. I like having it shut off in two places, it lessens the chance of accidently hitting the starter button while it's on the stand or lift and you're doing maintenance. If you happen to have it in gear and bump that starter button it will walk off that stand and be on it's side in a heartbeat.

Doug
 
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