Is it possible to jump start a motorcycle

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.

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Which of these ten basic problems is keeping you from starting your engine? Looking for the best space heater for your RV this Winter? Follow along with me as I provide research and reviews of the most popular space heater types on the market. Don't spend another frigid night with your old, inefficient space heater. The dreaded "click" When you turn your key on, hit the starter button and hear a big click, or maybe a series of clicks, or even a few slow cranks, and you realize you're not going anywhere fast.

It just so happens that between the time I was assigned to write this article and now, one of my motorcycles and my truck both experienced battery problems. Has Editor Lance been sabotaging my vehicles to remind me to get this done? We may never know. First, just a reminder that there's a difference between the motorcycle turning over but not starting and the battery being too weak to turn over the engine.

This article is about the second scenario. Also, see our article on how to test a battery if you're not familiar with the procedure. Your typical "dead but probably jumpable" battery voltage. This reading should be above 12 volts. A completely drained battery may resist coming back to life without a long recharge.

Even then, a fully drained and recharged battery might not have much life left in it either way. Photo by Joe Zito. Motorcycle jumper cables can fit in the tight spaces motorcycle batteries usually live.

Be careful if you have to use large, automotive jumper cables as it is very easy to accidentally ground them to the frame, which will make sparks and could ignite nearby flammable vapors. If you are not in a rush, I recommend connecting a charger to your battery until it is topped off. Turn the device on, connect the red alligator clip to the positive battery terminal and the black one to the negative terminal on your bike and fire away.

I also use it to recharge my camping lights, phone and GoPro on motorcycle trips. This is really no different than jump starting a car. You can jump a motorcycle with another motorcycle or a car. There are differences of opinion about leaving the car or truck running while jumping a motorcycle. A large car battery has plenty of energy to fire up a bike within a few seconds, without the need for the engine to be running.

If possible, place the ground clamp on the "dead" bike on a chassis ground like this frame hardware. This keeps potential sparks away from flammable vapors.

Then connect the other end of the red cable to the good battery's positive terminal. The idea is to keep any sparks away from the battery as the gases that can potentially be released from it are flammable.

Portable jump starters are extremely useful when no other vehicles are around to help get your bike running again. Jump-starting your motorcycle with a car should be avoided whenever possible, and many motorcycle and battery manufacturers provide warnings about doing so.

This is mainly because of the fundamental differences between car and motorcycle batteries. See how Nationwide can help protect your motorcycle today. Knowing how to jump-start your bike can help keep you from being stranded.

Make sure you have jumper cables. Attach the positive clip red cable to the positive battery terminal on the dead battery. Attach the other positive clip to the positive terminal on the working battery. Attach the negative clip black cable to the negative terminal on the working battery. Start the working motorcycle and let the engine run for a couple minutes.

Disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order you attached them. Ride your motorcycle for 15 to 30 minutes to recharge the battery. Check your lights Turn on your headlights and any lights on your instrument panel [1].