Turning off bike @ intersections

I was riding home yesterday and got caught up with a group of kids, no more than 19 years old. Rode with them for about 10 miles. Every intersection they shut off their bike. They all seemed a little inexperienced with their riding skills.

Are they just pretending to be cool, or is there any reasoning behind it?

I was riding home yesterday and got caught up with a group of kids, no more than 19 years old. Rode with them for about 10 miles. Every intersection they shut off their bike. They all seemed a little inexperienced with their riding skills.

Are they just pretending to be cool, or is there any reasoning behind it?
Don't have the clutch figured out?:lol:

Sounds exceptionally dangerous to me.

proaly heard that air cooled bikes will over heat at a stop, and assumed that all bikes will at a stop. or maybe if just wanted to talk to each other, its hard enough talking through a helmet , let alone with the bike running. who knows

I have never heard of this. I do know that I make sure that I am in first (get away gear) when ever I am stopped at a light. If some idiot comes flying up behind you you dont have time to crank your bike I am looking for an exit stategy.

Since this is the street bike section, they were newer gxsr's, cbr's. I am with you camsdaddy. That could be a safety issue. Like I said before, they seemed to be new at the biking world. Twice the guy had his bike in gear and let the clutch go @ the red light. I don't think there is a solid answer, only they would know, so next time I will ask, although I would rather stay far away from them. Thanks for the responses!!

Yeah I would try to avoid them. Maybe they are accustomed to golf carts or electric cars that cut off when you stop.

may be they wanted to be hood ornaments or save gas :D.

i wonder how many batteries they are gonna go through before they figure it out.

Batteries and starters. :)

Well I turn off my bike under two circumstances 1) Bike is running over 200 degrees while at the intersection. 2) If I expect to be at the intersesction for over 5 min. (to help with the overheating).

Well I turn off my bike under two circumstances 1) Bike is running over 200 degrees while at the intersection. 2) If I expect to be at the intersesction for over 5 min. (to help with the overheating).
is your bike air cooled or something? my fan doesn't even turn on til the bike hits 225 degrees.

I am in Colorado and the outside temp was about 60 degrees when this exciting event occurred. I shut my bike off a couple times while on the road, all of which I had to wait about 10 minutes for a train to go by.

is your bike air cooled or something? my fan doesn't even turn on til the bike hits 225 degrees.
Yeah, it's a 2002 ZX6R, the Ninjas weren't water cooled until 2003. The fan turns on at 216 degrees.

Where did you get the specs :D? ZX-6R has been liquid cooled just like the rest since 90's. The radiator fan turns on whenever there isn't constant flow of cold air cooling the radiator fluid/engine, like being stuck in traffic or a hot day, but there's also the water pump constantly keeping the engine cool, it's the standard for all sportbikes. In 2003, they redesigned ZX-6r and gave it a EFI.

Each bike is different and some need cooling at lower temperature, or that your radiator fan switch is extra sensitive. Or it needs more radiator fluid, could be various things.

I'd rather have an engine running a bit hot with the water pump and fans running, than afterboiling with no coolant or air movement....

because my ninja is fairly old and the fan seems to come on very high up in the temp gauge i tend to switch it off when im stuck in dead traffic that isnt expected to move for a while, unless the outside temp is lower than 20 when the ninja seems to keep happy. i might install a new fan and a manual fan switch.

This is an old thread, but I'll chime in anyway. Turning your bike off at an intersection is a VERY dangerous idea. At a RR crossing waiting for a train it is acceptable, but at a traffic light, NEVER. 4-wheelers are blind enough to bikes, give them 45 seconds of impatiently sitting at a light, and they will forget you're there. If your bike sputters or doesn't start for whatever reason, you're a hood ornament.

That is very true. Anytime there are no cars waiting directly behind me at a red light, I am constantly checking the mirrors for any bone heads that don't register the red light.

when we get our learners permit, we have to attend a 2 day training course before we get to ride on the road. they teach us to sit in the tyre tracks at intersections (no oil) and point our nose to an escape route left or right depending on the situation. clutch in with first selected ready to move when needed.

when we get our learners permit, we have to attend a 2 day training course before we get to ride on the road. they teach us to sit in the tyre tracks at intersections (no oil) and point our nose to an escape route left or right depending on the situation. clutch in with first selected ready to move when needed.

Yup, or else... http://formerhpb.shackspace.com/Garyswreck.gif

Aussie, I wish they took motorcycle training more seriously here in the USA. Your technique is both fundamentally sound and a safe way to do it. I've watched quite a few of these videos, including the one Jeff posted the link to above, and that truck never would have hit me. There was no cross traffic, and my eyes would have been focusing on my mirrors and cross traffic. The idiot in the truck barely hit his brakes, and didn't even attempt to swerve until less than 2 car-lengths away. That is the perfect example of why I always stress to people to ride like you're invisible, because to idiot 4-wheelers and cell phone blabbers, you are!!!