Can i use jumper cables on a motorcycle

Reducing the chance of sparking is why jumper cables made for motorcycles have alligator clips that are smaller to fit the small terminals on a motorcycle battery and the confined spaces they live in.

Having someone give you a push is the next best alternative to a long downhill for bump starting a dead bike. RevZilla photo. So, your bike won't start and you've confirmed your battery is likely "jumpable," but unfortunately no one is around and you do not have a personal power supply on hand. Time for a bump start. If the battery is too weak to turn the starter but still has enough juice that the lights come on when you turn on the key, you can probably bump start it. On EFI bikes, you can listen to hear if the fuel pump runs when the key is turned on.

If your battery is too drained to power the fuel pump, a bump start won't work on a fuel-injected bike. Bump starting is starting the bike by turning over the engine with the rear wheel instead of the starter motor. Generating some momentum, by pushing your bike or rolling down a hill, will allow you to put that energy through the drivetrain, into the crankshaft, forcing it to draw in some fuel and air, then compress and ignite the mixture in your combustion chamber, resulting in a running bike.

Starting at the top of a hill is the preferred method since pushing a motorcycle with enough speed to fire it up can be tough work. I recommend having your ignition on before you get rolling, but leave it in neutral since this avoids the drag of the clutch plates, helping you gain a little more speed.

Once you are rolling at no less than a jogging pace, pull the clutch in, pop the bike into second gear and plop your butt down on the seat as firmly as you can while simultaneously dumping the clutch.

The butt plop is essential to prevent the rear wheel from skidding. It gives you a burst of additional traction right when you need it most. You will hopefully hear the bike fire up so you can pull the clutch right back in and rev it a little to keep it from stalling and allow the alternator to begin recharging the battery. If it does not fire up on the first try, it may be worth giving it another shot or two to perfect your timing. Once your bike is running, be sure your charging system is working.

Typically, you should see around I would consider a portable jump starter battery pack an essential tool to keep on your bike—especially on solo rides, long distance rides, or excursions into remote areas. It will even come in handy at home, like when I couldn't get to work in the morning because I left the lights on all night.

Using a battery pack is the quickest and simplest way to get back on the road. You don't need to depend on anyone else or risk injuring yourself trying to push start your bike. For best results, you should consult the manufacturer's instructions that come with the jump starter, but here are the general steps:.

Jump starter packs usually come with an assortment of attachments, but the most common ones are the familiar clips seen on traditional jumper cables. Push starting, bump starting, or pop starting a car or motorcycle is a tried-and-true method of getting the engine running when the battery is dead or when the starter isn't working. You don't need jumper cables or any special tools, and in a motorcycle, you can easily do it on your own. No need to call a friend or recruit a helpful stranger.

All you need is enough strength to push your bike hence the name , or if you're lucky, a hill you can roll the bike down on. The transmission needs to be in a low gear to make it easier to turn the motor over. Although first gear can also be used, it can be too aggressive on some bikes, causing it to lurch forward and throw you off. This step is straightforward for smaller bikes, but for bikes with larger displacements or high compression, the engine might sputter, or the rear wheel might slip.

Once the motor starts, you can ride as you normally would; just make sure not to stall. Keep the engine revs high. This also helps recharge your battery—if it will hold a charge. However, this points to a big limitation of push starting. You need a little bit of juice in your battery to at least fire the spark plugs.

For fuel injected bikes—especially newer models—it may be even harder since the ECU, fuel injectors, and various sensors also need power for the bike to run. If your battery is completely dead, don't waste your effort trying to push start. Jump starting is not a repair. You should determine what the actual problem is so that you don't run into this problem again, or worse, damage your bike by running it at suboptimal conditions. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse of the order you connected them Steps 2 and 3. Be careful to keep the clamps from touching anything metal until the cables are fully disconnected. Leave the motorcycle running until you drive it home or to a bike shop to get a new battery or a proper recharge. He writes about business, personal finance and careers. Adkins holds master's degrees in history and sociology from Georgia State University.

He became a member of the Society of Professional Journalists in Step 1 Turn off both vehicles and make sure lights and other equipment is also turned off. When you connect the ground side of the motorcycle, try to not directly clamp it to the terminal of the battery. Put it on some exposed metal on the frame or the engine of the bike. This is different than when you are jump starting a car.

With a car you want the good car battery to be running and maybe even revving the engine to help charge. A bike is going to be very different since the battery is much smaller. Just simply connecting the two without starting the car should be enough to charge the motorcycle fully. After the car and the motorcycle have been connected for about a minute, go ahead and turn the key to the motorcycle and make sure that everything illuminates.

When you crank the bike, only let it crank for a second or two. This might cause the electronics on the bike to burn up. Finally, when the motorcycle starts up, go ahead and disconnect the cables. Using a car battery might cause the starting electronics to engage more quickly than they normally do.