Completely off topic thread

[YoDude9999]

In response to a question posed on the Intruder Alert motorcycle forum which was.....
Is the clutch safety switch really necessary to have? Just bypass it, a chrome wirenut?

I replied.....

Well, it's a safety item that has been designed into the starting system to prevent, damage to the bike and possible personal injury.

Not trying to be an ass about it but I wonder...........

"I think it's a good idea to defeat the clutch switch, what the hell do I need that for? It'll only take a minute to do and I'll be rid of the hassle of that once and for all". "Oh, Hi wife and Junior", "Look at this new thing I just did to my bike! I defeated the clutch safety switch!". "How cool is that?!" Now junior happens to be standing right next to Dad because he's very very curious about everything, who's standing at the left side of the bike while Mom looks on as Dads presentation of his great new idea begins to unfold. Dad looks at Mom and says, "Watch this, it'll be SO cool!" Dad reaches over to the starter button, hits it and......The bike lurches forward because he forgot to check if it was in neutral or not, the kickstand folds up, Dad sees the bike going down and jumps out of the way. The bike falls over and Junior, who didn't jump out of the way now has the bike laying on top of him. To make matters worse, the bike actually started because it was so well tuned that just a single pop of either jug would get it going and now the rear wheel is spinning on the garage floor and trying to run around the room in circles with Junior under it!. Mom is TOTALLY HORRIFIED SCREAMING for you do do something. You grab the handle bars, but as you do, you end up "goosing" it a little because you have your hand on the throttle while trying to pick it up again. Now the bike is spinning on the floor even faster and you lose your balance and your right hand gets caught in the rear wheel and the spokes take off two of your fingers. Mom is TOTALLY HYSTERICAL now and grabs the closest thing she can find to try to stop the monster motorcycle that's eating her baby, the SLEDGEHAMMER and begins to beat the bike to death with it. Now Mom doesn't have a very good way with the sledgehammer because you never took the time to teach her how to use it correctly, so she just swings wildly at the bike. First the clutch cover, then the gas tank takes blow, then of course she manages to land a swing on you too. Of course on the LEFT hand that used to still have 4 good fingers, but now....Nope. Mom finally kills off the monster and the bike dies. SHE jumps over the bike, grabs it with one hand a FLINGS it off her badly damaged baby boy, snatches him up off the ground and screams at you to call 911 RIGHT NOW! You are in shock, run into the house and find, you have no fingers to pick up or dial the phone. The neighbors arrive to see what the hell all the commotion is all about, they call the cops, the fire department, the ambulance and all the rest of the neighbors., which arrive before any of the EMTs, fire department or police and are asking you what the hell happened.

What are you going to tell them?

Yo-

Oh, and if Mom actually stays with you after all this, you may find you have no sex life whatsoever.

[Mike029]

Great way to start my day.. The stupidity of people. lol

[Crazybob]

Looks like he was able to bypass the switch.:confused::p

[YoDude9999]

I just couldn't help myself when I saw the topic. The whole scenario just blinked into my head and so I just started typing away.....

[Slicker]

Having ridden motorcycles for 30 years (started in high school so I'm not THAT old) I'd have to say that anyone starting an engine without it being in neutral means they aren't the brightest bulb on the tree anyway. The safety measures are there to keep people with an IQ above 80 safe. Those that override them either shouldn't be riding or deserve what they get. Stupid people ride stupidly. The rest of us get supercar performance in a bike at less than the cost of a low end sports car. Darwin will always win. Make it moron proof and a bigger moron will come along. You just can't fix stupid. ....Err, I meant "mentally challenged without supervision".

[Bryan]

I used to be a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor and taught folks how to ride. Prior to about 1983 the Honda Goldwing (and all other bikes) had seperate front and rear brakes ... dual discs on the front and single discs on the rear. 70% of the stopping power of a bike comes from the front brakes but inexperienced riders were afraid they would "flip" (old wives tale) the bike and in panic situations they would only use the rear brake. Most manufacturers began employing an "integrated" braking system to protect the idiots from themselves. The integrated brake system would apply the rear brake and 1 of the 2 front discs when the pedal was pushed. The handle bar lever then applied the 2nd front disc when it was pulled. This safety feature has saved many lives.

[Slicker]

I used to be a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor and taught folks how to ride. Prior to about 1983 the Honda Goldwing (and all other bikes) had seperate front and rear brakes

I don't think my last Harley had rear brakes. It had a single front disc and there was a pedal on the right side, but I'm pretty sure that it was just there to make flat spots on the rear tire by skidding. As soon as you got on the front brake at all, the back end would lighten up so much that even slight pressure on the pedal would lock up the rear tire.About the only things I found that pedal was good for was slow speed manuvers and to help shift the weight smoothly after hard braking while entering a corner and getting back on the gas (e.g. keep the front end acting like a pogo stick).

Linked brakes would be nice, but ABS is a must have IMOHO. Knowing the front end won't lock up gives the rider the confidence needed to use that front brake for the majority of his stopping power in all conditions. I don't believe Harley has any models with linked brakes, but they do offer ABS on most models. And it is worth it. Especially in the rain, on gravel, or leaf covered roads.

[Bryan]

I absolutely agree that ABS is the way to go. Back when I taught they didn't have such a thing ... on bikes anyway. One of the things we taught WAS locking up the rear end until it skidded. The biggest mistake people make if they lock the rear wheel is to release it. If the rear end has moved off of center line and you release a skidding tire then the tire can immediately get traction and cause the bike to "high side". It is very simple to control the skidding rear end (if you leave it that way) in a panic stop. Trail/dirt riding wouldn't be any fun if you couldn't throw the rear end around :))

[Fire$torm]

I was never a motorcycle rider. When I could afford one I was married. Nuf said.....

When I was an avid bicycle rider and bike/ski mechanic for a big sports retailer, I had to teach customers all the time on proper braking & safety procedures. But unlike a motorcycle you can flip a bike using front brake only, if your not careful. All that was required was to shift your weight (i.e. your butt) further back. In a dire emergency you can add turning the front wheel 90 degrees to shorten stopping distance. Of course the front fork will fold but its better then broadsiding the SUV that didn't see you before it turned. I have used that only once, Still ended up going over the hood of the taxi (yes, I had the right of way) and broke his windshield with my right arm. Doctor had to cauterize the wounds in my arm before the double stitching, 40 stitches in all.....

I HATE dumb drivers, no matter their vehicle of choice.