How Do You Turn Your Bike Off

[Borowno]

This may seem like a daft question but here goes.....

I have got a keyless 2019 R1200GS Rallye TE.

I am intrigued to know what is the ‘official’ correct way (if there is one) of turning the engine off. Is it by the Kill Switch, or, is it by pressing the keyless black button, or, does it not matter either way..........??

Is there any advantage or disadvantage of doing it either way

I would be interested in your views and comments.

Many thanks.

 

[jetjock]

Either way is fine .

 

[Tarka]

Just keep it running at all times.

It'll save you worrying about having switched it off the "official" way, and it'll always be at running temperature, ready for awesome hooning.

 

[Doc]

Just keep it running at all times.

It'll save you worrying about having switched it off the "official" way, and it'll always be at running temperature, ready for awesome hooning.

Oops just said that in the other thread.

 

[Wapping]

I am intrigued to know what is the ‘official’ correct way (if there is one) of turning the engine off.....

Man, you are a real biker.

You know that book thing, that came free with your motorcycle? No? OK, you are looking for a book, with a picture of a motorbike on the front, that looks pretty much like this:

Your book will have a different picture on the front but don’t worry or get too intrigued, at least you’ll now know what you are looking for. If you can’t find it or really are not sure what it is you are looking for, pop alone get to your local ‘official’ BMW dealership. There is one in Battersea, which (as you seem to live in London) may well be convenient. Who knows, you may even meet some likeminds when you are there; wouldn’t that be great?

Anyway, it’s crammed full of all sorts of useful and helpful stuff, including how to turn your bike off. As the book is published by BMW (they are the people who made your motorcycle) it’s about as ‘official’ as you can get. This is what it says:


Switching off ignition

Requirement Radio-operated key is within range.

There are two ways of deactivating the ignition.

Version 1:

Briefly press button 1.
Light is switched off. Handlebars (steering lock) are not locked.

Version 2:

Turn the handlebars all the way to left.
Press and hold down button 1. Light is switched off.
The steering lock engages.

PS Button 1, is shown in a picture in the book. It’s the button you used to turn your keyless motorbike on with.

Helpfully, it’s marked ‘On’ and ‘Off’. The thing that looks like a padlock, is the steering lock. Its operation is also described in the book.

PPS The kill switch is, as its name might imply, an emergency method of killing the engine. Not every stop is an emergency. If you find that it is, then maybe motorcycling really is not for you.

You can also stop / kill the engine by coming to a halt in gear and flicking the side stand down. This is not ‘official’ as it’s not in the book.

 

[iandavid]

Keeping it running also stops you worrying about “will it start” after standing idle for 3 days.

 

[tanneman]

I don't bother will all that switch nonsense. I just let it run out of fuel. Sorted.

 

[Wapping]

Keeping it running also stops you worrying about “will it start” after standing idle for 3 days.

Advice like this is not helpful and will only add to additional concerns. You are clearly not a biker and have no place in the 1250 section.

 

[Wapping]

I don't bother will all that switch nonsense. I just let it run out of fuel. Sorted.

I am intrigued to know. Do you find it takes longer to run out of fuel if you use the higher octane? My mate says he always uses higher octane fuel in his steed, as that is what he’s heard. Is he right to do so?

 

[Arsey]

Favourite thread of 2021 so far.
Could only be in this section.

 

[Rushy]

I ride mine up to a wall , the side of a house or building , or a small boundary wall perhaps? Try to ride very slowly up to the wall until front wheel strikes it and then simultaneously let go of the throttle and the clutch and hey presto the engine will turn off.

Pros - no need to press ANY buttons , the bike will not roll backwards if you’ve stopped on a slope

Cons - your battery will be flat next time you go to ride , also will not work if your bike is fitted with a Rekluse clutch or DCT. I now have to remember to use the key for my Honda

On a serious note I sometimes turn the bike off properly with my key and then hit the kill switch afterwards in the vain hope a hapless thief might not be able to start the bike or it might delay him. I’ve also used kill switch to kill the engine if I want to quickly stop & restart , for example if I want to stop and silence the engine for a horse to go past, or briefly hear what someone is saying to me. But otherwise why would you Not just use your keyless button because I assume you’d still have to press it after you’ve used the kill switch ??

 

[y2blade]

Stall it

 

[Wapping]

I can see now why lots of bikers are suggesting (sometimes quite forcibly) that keyless is NOT the way to go. It is an additional complexity, which is unsettling.

 

[timeandtide]

Man, you are a real biker.

You know that book thing, that came free with your motorcycle? No? OK, you are looking for a book, with a picture of a motorbike on the front, that looks pretty much like this:

Your book will have a different picture on the front but don’t worry or get too intrigued, at least you’ll now know what you are looking for. If you can’t find it or really are not sure what it is you are looking for, pop alone get to your local ‘official’ BMW dealership. There is one in Battersea, which (as you seem to live in London) may well be convenient. Who knows, you may even meet some likeminds when you are there; wouldn’t that be great?

Anyway, it’s crammed full of all sorts of useful and helpful stuff, including how to turn your bike off. As the book is published by BMW (they are the people who made your motorcycle) it’s about as ‘official’ as you can get. This is what it says:


Switching off ignition

Requirement Radio-operated key is within range.

There are two ways of deactivating the ignition.

Version 1:

Briefly press button 1.
Light is switched off. Handlebars (steering lock) are not locked.

Version 2:

Turn the handlebars all the way to left.
Press and hold down button 1. Light is switched off.
The steering lock engages.

PS Button 1, is shown in a picture in the book. It’s the button you used to turn your keyless motorbike on with.

Helpfully, it’s marked ‘On’ and ‘Off’. The thing that looks like a padlock, is the steering lock. Its operation is also described in the book.

PPS The kill switch is, as its name might imply, an emergency method of killing the engine. Not every stop is an emergency. If you find that it is, then maybe motorcycling really is not for you.

You can also stop / kill the engine by coming to a halt in gear and flicking the side stand down. This is not ‘official’ as it’s not in the book.

 

[y2blade]

I can see now why lots of boomers are suggesting (sometimes quite forcibly) that keyless is NOT the way to go. It is an additional complexity, which is unsettling.

Corrected for you

 

[Wapping]

On a serious note I sometimes turn the bike off properly with my key

Are you thick or something? The OP has clearly told us that he doesn’t have a key, as his bike is keyless. He can’t do it ‘properly’! For feck’s sake, if you have nothing helpful to contribute, butt out, bud.


PS Keyless is not to be confused with, clueless. They sound not dissimilar and might often go hand-in-hand but they are not necessarily the same.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Key ignitions are the future

 

[Arsey]

Would it not be possible for BMW to install a similar system to a jet ski, where you wrap a bungee cord around your wrist and it cuts the power if you fall off.
Modifications would need to be made to enable the engine to cut without rider actually falling off-how about a much lighter resistance cord attached to a dummy ? When the intrepid 1250 owner reaches his coffee shop of choice he simply spits the dummy and power is cut-voilà !

 

[y2blade]

Would it not be possible for BMW to install a similar system to a jet ski, where you wrap a bungee cord around your wrist and it cuts the power if you fall off.
Modifications would need to be made to enable the engine to cut without rider actually falling off-how about a much lighter resistance cord attached to a dummy ? When the intrepid 1250 owner reaches his coffee shop of choice he simply spits the dummy and power is cut-voilà !

actual LOL

 

[g.s.john]

This may seem like a daft question but here goes.....

I have got a keyless 2019 R1200GS Rallye TE.

I am intrigued to know what is the ‘official’ correct way (if there is one) of turning the engine off. Is it by the Kill Switch, or, is it by pressing the keyless black button, or, does it not matter either way..........??

Is there any advantage or disadvantage of doing it either way

I would be interested in your views and comments.

Many thanks.

I bet you are really glad you asked that question