A Beginner's Guide to Jump-Starting a Motorcycle

While learning to jump-start a motorcycle isn’t a difficult process, it can become dangerous if done incorrectly. To ensure you’re setting up your jump correctly, be sure to carefully review our instructions below. If you’re missing any of the important equipment listed in our article, feel free to visit us here in Eugene, Oregon to find what you need.

Plan for Emergencies 

While jump-starting a motorcycle doesn’t require many tools, there are a few items you’ll always want to keep on hand in case of an emergency. While you’ll obviously need a set of jumper cables to get your bike up and running again, we also advise packing a pair of durable gloves and some protective eyewear just in case. If you’re traveling long distances and are worried about getting stranded, we advise buying a portable jump starter. These little machines are easy to travel with and will have you back on the road in no time. 

Safe Set Up

When setting up an electrical connection between your motorcycle and another vehicle you’ll need to be very careful. Be sure to remove any dangling jewelry that could conduct a charge, and make sure both engines are off before connecting the cables. Start by clamping the red cable to your battery’s positive pole (indicated by a plus sign) then do the same to the other vehicle. Next, take the black jumper cable and connect it to a grounded piece of metal on your bike, such as the frame. For the vehicle jump starting your motorcycle, you’ll need to connect the black cable to the battery’s negative pole, often indicated by a minus sign. 

Jump Starting Your Motorcycle 

If you are jump-starting your motorcycle with a car battery, do not start the vehicle. A car battery is much stronger than a motorcycle’s and will likely harm the charging system if started. Instead, start the motorcycle and leave the car off. Allow the bike to run for a few minutes before first disconnecting the black cables and then the red. 

If you’re jump-starting your motorcycle with another motorcycle battery, you will need to start both engines to receive an effective jump. Connect your cables the same way you did before, then start the motorcycle with a good battery first. Once it’s up and running, start the other motorcycle and allow it to idle for a few minutes to get a full charge. 

Once you've gotten some charge back into your battery, be sure to visit our on-site repair center here at Willamette Valley Harley-Davidson®. We proudly serve the nearby cities of Albany and Corvallis, Oregon, and our expert technicians will have you back on the road in no time!