Hello Beeb. So I was thinking a portable jump starter might be something handy to have in case a battery dies on me (again) but I thought I remembered one day reading or hearing that the ones you use for a car battery isn't good for a motorcycle battery. Is this true? and if it is, what portable jumpers are out there that are motorcycle friendly? thanks for the help as usual.
12v is 12v. I have one for a car that I take with me to the track all of the time. The only thing I'd change is replacing the big clips for smaller ones better suited to the terminals on a motorcycle battery.
Precisely. You can use your jumper cables from whatever vehicle you used to tow it to the track, if you wanted to. Just don't start the vehicles engine while doing so. Or you could push start it.....also very easy to do (in most cases).
Just the thing for trailriding... Microstart by Antigravity Batteries. We just got one in and it's pretty cool.
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-jump-start-and-power-supply-38391.html Works really well and they have gotten cheaper the last few months.
fantastic. this is why I come to you guys for answers. lots of good ideas. (though a surprising lack of smart a$$ replies that this place usually offers. haha)
Get one that also has a built in air compressor, cigarette lighter style charger, and USB input. All very handy features at the track.
This was my first thought as well, although it's not always as easy as I'd like on cold mornings... Harbor freight needs to make a cheap set of starter-rollers where a buddy can spin up the rollers with his pit-bike, and you can just dump the clutch in 2nd on the big bike once the rear wheel is spinning. It would kind of be a pain if you're running warmers though...
Dtalbott beat me to one: I'm doing a comparison test on a couple of the newest Lithium based small, lightweight jumpstarter sets. AntiGravity Batteries MicroStart XP-1 400A Peak, 200 CCA. Output ports: 19V 3.5A (Laptop running), USB 5V 2A (any USB-powered device), 12V 2A (Mobile DVDE player, etc., 12V and 110 VAC chargers included. Carrying Case. Three-function lamp, steady, pulse and strobe. Packed with 17 different adapters for charging different brands of cell phones and other small electrical devices. MSRP: around $145-150 MotoBatt also has one in the market that is so new it's not on their website: The MBJ-4500. Same basic concept, 1.7 lb, 600A peak, 405 CCA. USB port for charging phones, etc. Includes jumper cables, carrying case, 12V and 110VAC chargers. Built-in dual work lights. MSRP around $185. Both are very small and light so they would be practical to carry on a dual-sport bike into the wilderness, which would offer another level of backup for starting the bike (very handy if you leave a lamp or heated seat turned on) as well as to power a cell phone, laptop, work lamp., etc. The AntiGravity Batteries offering is smaller and lighter, but has only half the Cold Cranking Amps, which is what you need to start the bike or car. While 200 CCA might start a "slightly dead" four-cylinder race bike, I doubt that it would start a stone-dead H-D, Ducati or BMW big twin on a cold morning. The MotoBatt setup definitely wins that challenge, as it has more CCA than the OEM batteries in any street twin I've ever seen. (Most run from 275 to 325 CCA with the OEM batteries.) Either one will probably work well for backup at the track, as would a set of jumper cables or the more conventional jumper packs that generally use AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries that are like what your race bike probably came with from the factory, with a set of jumper cables. As far as testing these units, they have proved the old adage that nothing staves off problems like being prepared. NOTING in my garage has gone dead since the day I got these two units for testing. When I get down to the actual tests, i have a couple really dead batteries that i will put into my BMW and Ducati for testing these things under real-world conditions. I did run my laptop off the AG setup one afternoon, with no drama at all. The charge outlasted my three hour work session. I'v charged my iPhone several times off USB port on the MotoBatt unit, with fine results. I always bring a jumper box to the track, and it seems to be the thing most often borrowed. A few guys have even managed to bring it back un-damaged and none of the small parts were missing. It would be nice if the rest of the guys had that level of courtesy. If any of you guys have a similar product from another manufacturer, please let me know. PLEASE DON'T QUOTE THE PHOTOS IN THIS POST. I LEFT THEM HUGE SO THAT THE GUYS WHO ARE INTERESTED CAN REALLY CHECK THEM OUT CAREFULLY.
