Couple questions

It does not matter if you kill your bike this way but it could harm the ECU when you turn the bike on and the stop-run switch is in the run setting. You could get a voltage spike that will damage your ECU. When you turn the keyswitch on the bike powers all kinds of electrical stuff (lights, radio, speedo, gages and more). The ECU is a computer and if you think of it this way you will understand.
Now for pipes. S&S has just came out with a quiet pipe for baggers. I got to hear them at Laughlin River Run last weekend. They have a long baffel or a short baffel and the long baffel was quiet and had a great TONE Quality.....nice rumble with more power than stock. Check out there web page www.sscycle.com and see SPO Mufflers.

Pipes

AFNurse,

How's it goin'? I haven't been online in awhile due to a job change and relocation.

Anyway, regarding your question on pipes and baffles: When I bought the V&H bigshot staggered pipes, they offered another "quiet" baffle in case the standard baffle was too loud. I had planned on getting the quieter baffle if sound became an issue, but I found that the standard baffle that came with the pipes was just fine, good tonal quality, dialed in good on a dyno and the sound was not too loud (subjective opinion of course ).

Other than V&H, my knowledge of other pipe mfg's with quiet baffles is limited.

regarding your question on ignition, I have no technical knowledge to offer...I just thumb the "run/off" switch to turn the bike off.

Are you still moving to Texas?

SISK

If you're not in front making the dust, then you're eating it.

I usually stop my bike by using the brakes. I like the pipes loud so I don’t have to listen to the ol’ Lady rumble in my ear. If she says the exhaust is too noisy I give her the Walkman and tell her to turn the volume up, way up!
Hope this helps. Look forward to seeing ya back in the USA!

That's funny

My boyfriend complains that my pipes are too loud, and he uses the ticket I got at Americade (me and a couple thousand other Harley riders) to back him up. I've thought about the new baffles for the V&H Big Shots, but I love the way my bike sounds. When we went to Las Vegas back in February and rented a Road Glide and an Electraglide, the stock mufflers made us feel like we weren't on Harleys.

As far as the kill switch goes, I used to use it, but then I started using the ignition switch all the time. I've got 40,000 miles on my 2001 FXST, probably half of them using the kill switch and half the ignition. I haven't noticed any associated problems with the bike, but based on what MPH said, I'll probably go back to the kill switch.

Kill Switch

On the issue of the kill switch... seems like I saw a letter in American Iron regarding that. Could have been in one of last year's mags... not sure. Anyway, if I remember correctly, the response did recommend always using the kill switch instead of the ignition switch. At any rate, the switch is a thumb flick away so why not?

My bike has 34000 miles on it and I have the habit of using the switch.No problems so far and thats alot of on offs. Remember "loud pipes saves lives"

I had a problem with my speedometer showing about 30 mph less than I was actually going. Happened off and on and I couldn't figure out why it was doing that. Heard of people cleaning this or that but checked my local Harley wrench about it. He told me that turning off the bike with the ignition key can cause this to happen once in a while. Sounded weird to me. I tried it and since I've used the kill button, it's never done that again. Go figure!

D**N, Lucky fer me my ride has an ol’ cable driven Speedo.
I’ve also got an “Air Horn”. You know, one of those things you use ta see on bicycles with a rubber bulb you'd squeezed to make noise.

On/Off

I've never heard of anyone having an issue with only using the key switch. I'm guilty of the same habit and never had any issues. That being said, I'm sure they are both there for some reason. I would think that someone on here must have the original manual. Does it say how and why you should shut your bike down? I've never bought one new, or any vehicle for that matter so I don't happen to have one. I guess I can't stand watching the value drop off so much so quickly.

I do have an ignition problem though. Last summer I locked my ignition at the beach so not just anyone could drive away on my bike. When I unlocked it the barrel lock came out on the key. Lucky it broke in the unlocked position! I haven't locked it since. Now I carry a pad lock so the guy that steals it can crash to the ground and wreck my bike. Oh... wait a minute....maybe I'll buy a new one this weekend.

I used to use the kill switch, but invariably a few times then forgot to actually turn the key off..allowing my battery to go dead because the headlight was still on (hard to tell during daylight hours). So I switched to using the key to turn the bike off and haven't had a dead battery since. Almost 100,000 on the cruiser and nairy a problem with the ignition key. I can't see the difference in turning the key on with the kill switch in the on or off position. The electrincal current has to go through the whole system one way or the other. I've always thoght the kill switch was more of a safety feature..like if your clutch broke, your throttle stuck wide open and you couldn't get it into neutral or something. Any way..what do I know..I ride Yamahas. (Is the Harley's ignition switch made in America?)

follow-up

AFNurse,

Is Austin where you'll be moving? I know you've said before, but I can't remember.

New job is great, much improved over the previous one. Relocation you ask? Yes, not as drastic as yours, but I will be changing countries. Around Mid Aug. I'll be moving the family to Monterrey Mexico, which is a bit closer to your new neck of the woods, so perhaps we can meet up for a ride once we're both moved in.
Anyway, until we make the move to Mexico, I've temporarily moved my family from San Diego CA to Las Vegas. My wife and I both have family in Vegas, so we thought it'd be good to move there for awhile so she can be near family while I'm away at work.
During the week I'm either in Monterrey Mexico, or in Indiana (company headquarters), then I'm back home in Vegas on the weekends. Maybe I can hook up with SK and go for a ride some weekend.
It's a hectic schedule, thus my limited time on Bike Talk. But hopefully things will slow down a bit once we get settled in down in Mexico.

I'd like to try and do the DP ride this year too, but there's a lot of potential scheduling conflicts, so we'll have to see how it works out.


SISK

If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

AFNurse, hope you can make the DP ride. Goose could stop by and ride out with ya. The more the merrier.

Sisk, didn't know you were temporarily in Las Vegas. A little different than San Diego, eh? It's tough for me to get a weekend to ride at the moment. I've been working weekends as I'm going to school during the week. Let me get past the next couple of weekends and I'll make a free Saturday or Sunday to ride..that'd be cool. I've got to finish a remodel on a bathroom/kitchen I'm doing at the moment. Hopefully most of it's done the next two weekends.

Stay in touch.

Hijacked thread

AFNurse, - sorry to have hijacked your thread...

San Antonio is even closer to Mexico than Austin. I'll be about 2 1/2 hours south of the Laredo border, so we'll have to meet up for a ride somtime when things settle down a bit for both of us.

SK,
Yep, I moved my family to Vegas about a month ago. My weekends are busy too, since I'm away from home during the week, I've got a lot of catch up to do on the weekends. But let me know when you can squeeze in a ride some Saturday. It's good therapy to get out on the road, and I understand that a good long ride can help increase your school grades
I'm looking forward to get out and explore the new Nevada terrain. I'll send you a PM with my email address, so we can keep in contact (I haven't been able to follow these threads as closley as I'd like too).

SISK

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

SISK, that would be cool. How long you gonna be living in town until the big move south? I know when the weather starts getting warmer, that a little ride up to Mt. Charleston is always a good getaway for lunch to beat the heat. It's only 36 miles up there and can be in the high 70ºs when it's 105º here in town. There's a great little German place with outside seating in the pines.

SK,
A Mount Charleston ride sounds good!

I'll be in town until the first part of August, then we'll be making the move South.

I should be in town most weekends with the exception of the next two. A co-worker hooked me up with tickets to the Indy 500 on May 29th pretty excited about that opportunity! , but after that weekend I should be back in town.

Check your private Messages, I sent you my email address so you can let me know when you have time to make a Charleston run.

SISK

If you're in control, you're not going fast enough!! - Mario Andretti

Cool..now how to figure out how to read private messages around here.

Have fun in Indy..that's the greatest track in the world, or at least the most famous. I'm envious.