NHTSA Complaint #10855064 — 2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTKL

ON A FEW OCCASIONS MY ENGINE KILL SWITCH HAS BEEN INADVERTENTLY ENGAGED WHILE RIDING. THE FIRST OCCASION I WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE IN THE LEFT LANE APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH WHEN I WENT TO PRESS THE PUSH TO TALK BUTTON FOR THE CB (WHICH IS ON THE THROTTLE (RIGHT) SIDE OF THE HANDLEBARS) AND IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENT THROTTLE AND ENGAGE THE PUSH TO TALK, MY HAND HIT THE ENGINE KILL SWITCH. THIS HAPPENED AT NIGHT SO I HAD NO CLUE WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN MY BIKE TURNED OFF. I HAD CARS BARRELING UP BEHIND ME AS I RAPIDLY DECELERATED DUE TO THE LOSS OF ENGINE. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO, I MOVED OFF THE ROAD AND REALIZED THAT MY ENGINE KILL SWITCH WAS OFF. THE SWITCHES ARE NOT LIGHTED OR I MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THIS WHILE I WAS COASTING TRYING TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF. I WAS WEARING GLOVES SO I DIDN'T FEEL MYSELF HIT THE ENGINE KILL SWITCH WHILE REACHING FOR THE CB PUSH TO TALK BUTTON. THE PLACEMENT OF THE PTT BUTTON IS A HAZARD AS IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TRY TO MAINTAIN A STEADY SPEED WHILE TRYING TO PUSH THE BUTTON AND KEEPING THE BUTTON PUSHED IN TO TALK FOR A FEW SECONDS. IT IS MORE DIFFICULT WITH GLOVES AS IT CAN CAUSE YOU TO KILL YOUR ENGINE BY HITTING THE ENGINE KILL SWITCH WHILE REACHING OVER THE BUTTON IN THE PROCESS. ANOTHER OCCASION WHERE THIS HAPPENED, I WAS PULLING OUT OF A GAS STATION AND GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH THE TRAFFIC COMING UP BEHIND ME AND I REACHED FOR THE CB PTT BUTTON TO INFORM THE RIDE LEADER I WAS OUT AND WE WERE ALL TOGETHER AND I HIT MY ENGINE KILL SWITCH AGAIN AND MY BIKE RAPIDLY DECELERATED AND THE CAR BEHIND ME ALMOST HIT ME. I HAD TO QUICKLY MOVE THE ENGINE KILL SWITCH TO "ON" AND THEN RESTART THE BIKE AND SPEED UP TO AVOID BEING HIT. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE.