Proper way to JUMP START a GS?

[Anonymous]

Two points:

1. Batteries DO lose voltage when they sit. This is pretty significant with a small capacity M/C battery.

2. If you're in the habit of running as high a gear as possible around town, your battery will not be getting charged enough with our rather weak GS charging systems. I find that keeping the RPMs above 3,000 helps a lot. I use my turn signals as an indicator of the battery's state. If the battery is pretty well charged up, the signals will blink nicely when I'm stopped idling at a stoplight.

I use a battery tender every week or so to make sure my battery is fully charged.

[earlfor]

You can jump start a motorcycle from ANY 12 volt battery. The size of the battery does not matter as long as it is big enough to provide the current needed by the motorcycle starter. The battery must NOT be jumped with the doner vehicle running. Just dont start the car, tractor, or whatever when you are jumping to start the motorcycle. It doesnt matter if the battery you are umping from is 500 amps capacity or 5 million amps capacity. The starter motor will only draw what it needs.

Earl

[shortlid]

Thanks jumped it from the Civic (with the car not running) and the lights got bright. and she kicked over better than ever! Rode it around for awhile and put it away. Cleaned battery terminals with contact cleaner and covered in dielectric grease!

[Anonymous]

You can jump start a motorcycle from ANY 12 volt battery. The size of the battery does not matter as long as it is big enough to provide the current needed by the motorcycle starter. The battery must NOT be jumped with the doner vehicle running. Just dont start the car, tractor, or whatever when you are jumping to start the motorcycle. It doesnt matter if the battery you are umping from is 500 amps capacity or 5 million amps capacity. The starter motor will only draw what it needs.

Earl

I agree with Earl as usual!

The problem is the ampage of the other vehicles alternator. First of all the ampage is way to high, secondly GS's and most motorcycles use a different system for dispersing power that is not needed...........heat hence the heat sinks in the rectifiers. Most auto's use a pulse system or something along its's lines. Anyhow without getting to technical....GS rectifiers do not need any extra heat and the small wires don't help. Therefore you can use any 12 volt battery as long as the other vehicle is not running shoving 100 amps plus into your bikes system. This is even more important on modern fuel injected bikes with computers, this error can be a costly mistake.

Andre N. Bouchere