Engine shut off by itself

Was your kickstand still down? If not, maybe the kickstand switch is faulty?

X2 what Mase said. My ninja 2-fitty did the same thing this past winter. The side stand switch was either frozen or just gunked up from winter road grime and salt. A quick shot of Twister (same as wd-40) fixed it. You also have a neutral safety switch at your clutch lever.

I think my kick stand mightve been still down. Would this really turn off the engine going into first? I did not know that happens. Not 100% sure it was down but it mightve. Would that shut off cause any damage to the engine? Thanks for the help guys! Also where is this neutral safety swich and what does it do?

Pretty sure if in first and you put the kick stand down it will kill the engine. I'm pretty sure I did this once by accident.

No damage. It's a safety feature so you don't accidentally ride off with your stand down.

Thanks guys, im still a noob so i guess i learned something new today thanks to you I did go through the manual but mustve skipped that part somehow.

An explanation of the neutral safety switches is on pages 4-20 and 4-21 of your owners manual titled "ignition circuit cut-off system".
I recommend to try the procedure listed on 4-21 to become more familiar with your bike.

Ok i did read about that but isnt that located by the front brake not the clutch? I thought the neutral switch is something different than the emergency shut off switch.

The "kill switch" is in the switch pod next to the front brake lever. It's purpose is to cut power to the engine in the event of an emergency (i.e. tip over, throttle stuck WFO, etc...). The clutch lever has its own switch. The clutch lever switch and the side stand switch are both neutral safety switches. Maybe people call them different things like water pump pliers and channel locks. I've always called them neutral safety switches (and channel locks...lol).
If you follow the test procedures on page 4-21, you'll better understand why they're dubbed "NEUTRAL safety switches", as they will or won't allow you to start the bike, pending certain conditions.
With practice, you'll be able to perform these simple tests in less than 30 seconds.

Thank you man, i will make sure i do the procedure as descriped in manual.

Glad to be of help.

yep, first gear (even with clutch in) and KS down, engine cuts off. It's a requirement these days...in the US at least.


The kill switch was already mentioned on this thread....but there's also the Bank Angle Sensor for when the bike is dropped, to kill the engine.