Way to go flange! Only reason why I taught go to OFF during the check done just after start was that in the long run it helped the student not to turn the switch to OFF during the run-up, by making the whole magneto testing procedure simpler to remember, and isolating the performance check done at run-up as unique. As you say, going to OFF at 500 RPM is not going to hurt anything.
[This message has been edited by deadhead (edited 01 February 2000).]