Your Guide to Jump Starting a Motorcycle

While jump-starting your motorcycle should be a last resort, it can come in handy if you’re ever in an emergency situation. However, jump-starting a motorcycle is a bit different from jump-starting a car, and you’ll need to know the ins and outs of the process before you grab your jumper cables. For step-by-step instructions on how to successfully jump-start a motorcycle, take a look at our short guide below.

Required Tools

In case you ever break down in an unfamiliar area, or even on the side of the road, it’s important to have the necessary tools to set up a successful jump-start. Many car jumper cables are too large for a motorcycle’s small batteries, so we recommend purchasing a set specifically designed for bikes and smaller vehicles. If you don’t have a set of riding gloves, we encourage you to purchase a durable set to protect your hands as you set up your cables.

Setting Up the Jump 

To jump-start your motorcycle, you’ll first need to park both vehicles far enough away that they don’t touch, but close enough that your jumper cables can reach each battery’s poles. To start, connect the red cable to each vehicle’s positive battery pole—often marked by a red cap or plus sign—before attaching the black cable to a grounded piece of metal. If you’re using another motorcycle to jump-start your bike, go ahead and start the other vehicle before trying your own ignition. If both motorcycles start up successfully, you’ll want to leave them connected for a few minutes before removing the cables in the same order you attached them. 

If you’re using a car to jump-start your motorcycle, you’ll first need to double-check that both vehicles are using a 12-volt battery. If not, we recommend finding an alternative option, as you’ll end up permanently damaging your motorcycle’s battery otherwise. If both vehicles are using a 12-volt charge, go ahead and set up the cables like normal, but do not start either vehicle. After being connected for a few minutes, the car battery should charge your own, and you’re welcome to try jump-starting your motorcycle. However, at no point during the jump should the car ever be started, otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your motorcycle.

While a jump-start is a handy way to get a motorcycle up and running in an emergency, you don’t want it to be your go-to solution for battery and electrical issues. If you’re located in the San Francisco Bay Area, feel free to visit us here at East Bay Motorsports for all of your motorcycle repair needs. With the help of the skilled technicians at our service center here in Hayward, California, your motorcycle will be up and running in no time flat!