your guesses make a lot of sense. I have a P180UG3 and I have been using the engine kill switch since the very first day. It doesn't kill the engine guys! Don't worry!

I think the 'emergency' would be a situation where you need to quickly switch off the engine without taking your hand off the handlebars. What i can think of is, eg1: brake failure, you can cut the engine without removing your hand and in gear this would slow the bike. eg2: throttle got stuck. Im just guessing.

^^The ignition switch cuts off power to the ignition coil and CDI. But, the engine kill switch just shorts the pulser coil signal to ground. Without any timing signal, the engine stops. The CDI, ignition coil however remains powered. So, it may drain the battery in the long term. (On a DC powered ignition system only)

AFAIK in the old vehicle like Bullets (which had engine kill switch in 90's), RTZ and all just break the power line to the coil. (I am not very sure).

Where as the latest bikes break the power from CDi directly. Emergency in the sense when you have a fall and you wont be able to reach the key and engine is still running u can cut off the engine with engine kill.

I had read this in some post in xBhp where the discussion was more on FZ and in FZ manual it was much clear. I will try to find that document over the weekend and upload it.

He he.... Both my uncle(1991-2008) and then me(2008-2010) have been using the engine kill switch on the RTZ(currently mine). That's 18yrs of usage. No problemo!

What a co-incidence. This thread comes up exactly a year after this thread: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/help-me/...h-harmful.html
Mods, maybe you can merge these threads.

Anyways, I had the same question when I got my ride a year ago..
An R15 owner got a go-ahead from Yamaha about frequent usage of the engine-kill switch..
So pls go ahead & use the engine-kill switch at traffic-signals.. I have been doing that 1 week since I got my ride.. It will also save you the time the bike takes to do the self-check, if you turn on the ignition key after switching it off..
Just one more pointer the Yamaha showroom guy had mentioned: If you're going to restart your bike after switching it off (say at a signal), then use the engine-kill switch.. & if you're not going to start the bike again for sometime (say while parking it), then switch off the bike using the ignition key.. It saves up the battery is what he said.. Now pls don't ask me how.. Sounds a bit unbelievable to me too..

Aside, I can't seem to understand what emergency situation does the kill-switch have to be used in! If the bike (R15 in this case) falls, the ignition automatically cuts off owing to the lean sensor (65 degrees IIRC).

Emergency features are not so easily available in the switchgear... I always turn off my engine first with the engine kill, only then does my hand proceed towards the key.

Its perfectly fine to use the engine kill switch.

35K on the ODO and my R15 is still going cool. I use Engine kill switch all the time...

What foolishness The Engine Kill switch will damage the engine???
Then why do the manufactures put such a feature on the bike if it really harms the engine...

I find the advantage especially in signals... coz if we stop the engine using the key and need to start the bike by turning the key on it takes 3-5 seconds to do the auto check... i have heard it is good to start the bike only after the auto check completes...

the disadvantage of that thing is that i have found the switch goes kaput for many of my friends FZ's, they don't use that switch, but for me it was ok... i used to use it when the engine is off more than 10+ minutes...

For R15 they have mentioned that one should stop the engine and then remove the key from the main switch. (owner's manual page 5-4)

Hi guys according to me in most engine kill switch circuits turn off the engine by grounding the some connections of the ignition circuit so it does use power.But this used to happen in earlier engines.So maybe that is why they recommend to not use engine kill switch.But if u quickly on-off the switch then it may not harm th e circuit/battery.

i also had doubt regarding the same, well thanks for making it a thread....
i had words with the Yamaha guys and got a reply that one should not use kill button as it consumes battery (dont know whats the logic behind it). mine is R15 so they said your machine doesn't have a kick and it will create a problem for you to start it, therefore its better to use the key to restart the bike even on signals.....

i believe the emergency word refers to "use this switch if you want to stop the engine on emergency"


Also refer http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/help-me/...harmful-2.html

Im using it regularly on my bike since three years, never knew it was for emergency.