Charon
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Ridgerunner, perhaps you have noticed a few small changes since the '60s. Then, your starting procedure was correct. Then, few bikes had electric starters so starter interlocks were unneeded. Then, kickstarters worked through the transmission, and the clutch lever had to be released to get the engine to turn over, using the kickstarter. Then, the bike pretty much had to be upright, because the rider usually straddled the bike to use the kickstarter. Then, should the transmission happen to be in some gear, operating the kick starter made the bike move and usually didn't result in a start. Should you still be riding a motorcycle of that vintage, your procedure is admirable.
Now, most (road) motorcycles have electric starters and very few still have kickstarters. Since you no longer have to hold the bike up to use ths kickstarter it is very common to see people stand beside the bike, start it up, then put on helmet and gloves while the engine warms a little. Doesn't take much imagination to see a bike - absent safety interlocks - depart on its own. And there have been a goodly number of crashes caused by forgetting to retract sidestands.
Let's discuss procedures. There are proper procedures for almost every task. Pilots use checklists for various stages of flight, yet despite these checklists every year there are unintentional wheels-up landings. Despite variations on "Insure adequate fuel for the intended flight" every year there are unscheduled landings due to fuel exhaustion. The list can go on, but the difficulty is that humans make mistakes. Safety circuits can fail, too, but they usually don't. If properly designed safety systems interfere with your usual way of doing things, it is very likely you are doing something wrong.
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