Hey there! a Motorcycle ride can quickly turn into a nightmare if your bike’s battery dies unexpectedly and you get stranded in a forest or remote location.
This is where portable motorcycle jump starters come into play. These compact and powerful devices will provide enough energy to start up your bike’s engine and get you back on the road.
Portable motorcycle jump starters are particularly useful if your bike’s engine displacement is above 600cc as it gets harder to bump start larger engines. The traction provided by the rear wheel may not be enough to overcome engine compression and spin it, especially on a gravel road or in the forest with no asphalt and a hill nearby.
They are also helpful if your bike has a DCT (automatic) gearbox that does not allow bump starting.
In addition, motorcycle jump starters often double as Powerbank that you can use to power a portable tire pump or a laptop if you are wild camping in remote locations and want to work in the evening.
During one group ride, after crossing a river, my friend on the Africa Twin with a DCT gearbox turned off his engine. However, his bike’s Li-Ion battery didn’t respond well to the water crossing and its BMS decided to electronically disconnect it from the bike.
As a result, our group spent more than an hour trying to figure out what went wrong. We initially thought that his main fuse had blown. Eventually, we realized that the bike was fine after connecting another bike’s battery to its plus and minus terminals.
Since then, my friend has made sure to carry a jump starter with him to avoid such situations in the future. BMS simply required incoming power from the engine generator to reset itself.
Overall, a portable motorcycle jump starter provides peace of mind when heading into the wilderness.
Contents
Portable Motorcycle Jump Starters
Best Overall if Ordered with a Quick Connect Cable KIT
#1 SCOSCHE + QUICK CONNECT KIT
Capacity: 56 Wh
Starting Current: 700A
Dimensions: 260x175x86 mm
SAE Connector: ⚠️ Available in Cable Kit
Alligator Clamps: ✅ Yes
Cigarette lighter Adapter: ⚠️ Cable Kit
USB Port: 2 USB-out Ports
Short circuit protection: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ It’s possible to get all the connectors you need for an extra $25. The SAE connector adapter plug is particularly convenient because you can use the SAE connector without having to remove your motorcycle seat or use crocodile clamps to connect the jump starter to your bike battery. Just plug it into the SAE connector. The SAE connector can also be used for other devices, such as air pumps or heated gear, that you plug into your bike while riding.
Secondly, there is a 12-volt DC cigarette lighter adapter that can be plugged into a SCOSCHE Jump starter to power air pumps and other devices that have this type of connector.
✅ Short circuit protection. A must-have fail-safe feature that protects from blowing up fuses, protects from sparking and potential fire.
✅ Despite not being the most powerful in terms of AMP output in this list – 700 amps is overkill for a motorcycle engine and will jump-start any bike with no problem. 56 Wh(watt-hours) is like 2 average stock motorcycle batteries.
✅ Has LED flashlight.
⚠️ Decent capacity at 56 Wh, however at this price point and dimensions – there are higher energy density Powerbanks. It will still power your laptop and charge your phone 3-4 times.
The Highest Energy Capacity
#2 GOOLOO
Capacity: 100 Wh
Starting Current: 4000A
Dimensions: 230x100x54 mm
SAE Connector: ❌ No
Alligator Clamps: ✅ Yes
Cigarette lighter Adapter: ✅ Yes
USB Port: 2 USB-out ports
Short circuit protection: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Has many usable connectors to charge your phone or computer from it, or charge GOOLOO from your bike’s engine using a cigarette lighter Adapter during the day ride. GOOLOO comes with: Crocodile clamp Jumper Cables, SC 100W Car Charger, USB to Type-C Cable, Type-C to Type-C Cable, and Cigarette Lighter Adapter for charging.
✅ Can be charged on the go through the cigarette lighter socket. If your bike does not have one in stock – you will have to install it, check THIS ONE on Amazon for example.
✅ Know your remaining charge with the digital screen displaying the remaining charge percentage. This feature is highly beneficial when using GOOLOO to charge your laptop in the evening, allowing you to accurately predict how much longer you can use it. When camping off the grid and needing to edit a video or work or even watch a movie on your laptop, a 100Wh power bank is equivalent to having two additional laptop batteries.
✅ Has inbuilt 400-lumen led lights. Powerful enough to illuminate the surroundings in the evening if you have to put up your tent in dark after sunset. Additionally, if you plan to hit the road at sunrise, the lights will come in handy when packing your gear.
✅ Short circuit protection.
✅ 2 USB-out sockets if you need to charge multiple devices simultaneously. For example, you can charge your Laptop and Camera batteries during the night inside your tent while you sleep.
⚠️ No SAE Adapter for quick connection to your bike’s battery.
Most Popular
#3 NOCO GB40
Capacity: 80 Wh
Starting Current: 1000A
Dimensions: 210x104x116 mm
SAE Connector: ❌ No
Alligator Clamps: ✅ Yes
Cigarette lighter Adapter: ❌ No
USB Port: 1 USB out, 1 USB in for Charging
Short circuit protection: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ Powerfull to start a 6-liter gasoline engine, will start motorcycle engine easily. It may seem like overkill, but if you want it to double as a Powerbank for other electronic devices that you carry with you – it is a wise choice. NOCO has 80 Whatt-hours capacity which is like having an additional laptop battery.
✅ Has inbuilt 100-lumen led lights. Not as powerful as GOOLOO’s but still usable.
✅ Has 1 USB-out for powering your devices, 1 USB-in for charging, and a 12V out socket for crocodile clamps.
✅ Short circuit protection.
⚠️ Only 1 USB (out) port.
⚠️ No SAE connectors. SAE Connectors are convenient for quickly plugging the Jump starter into the bike’s battery. It is useful because other devices like air pumps and various chargers can be quickly attached through the SAE connector without taking off the motorcycle seat.
⚠️ Relatively slow charging through a micro USB charging port. Still quick enough to fully charge during a full-day ride using your motorcycle’s USB charging port.
⚠️ Alligator clamps are oversized for motorcycles and take up too much space. A four times smaller alligator clamps or SAE connector will do the same job as these while being more compact to carry with you all the time.
Worth Mentioning
#4 Powrun
Capacity: 67 Wh
Starting Current: 2000A
Dimensions: 184x87x40 mm
SAE Connector: ❌ No
Alligator Clamps: ✅ Yes
Cigarette lighter Adapter: ❌ No
USB Port: 2 USB-out, one 12V DC-Out
Short circuit protection: ✅ Yes
Benefits & Features
✅ LCD Screen shows the remaining charge in percent. Very convenient so you know when to charge it. And you don’t have to guess how much power you have left when your laptop is powered from Powrun.
✅ Has Compass. Not really needed in the modern age but it does not take up any space so you get additional peace of mind knowing that you have it with you in remote locations.
✅ Has LED flashlight – a useful feature when setting a tent after sunset.
⚠️ Comes with a wall charger that can not be used to charge Powrun off your bike’s USB charger.
⚠️ Although it is a useful powerbank, it requires a lot of additional wires to make it compatible with all your other electronic devices, which are not included in the kit. For instance, if you intend to charge it on the go using your motorcycle’s engine, you will need a USB charging cable. Similarly, if you want to connect your air pump, you will need a converter from 12V DC to a cigarette lighter to plug your air pump into. Again, it is not in the kit so you have to find it separately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are some common questions you may find useful.
How many amps do I Need to Jump Start a 1000cc Motorcycle engine?
If your engine is in good condition, 250 amps is more than enough. For smaller engines (500-650cc) – 100 amps will do the job. Your bike’s starter motor will draw the necessary amount of power to crank the engine from the Jump Starter.
Typically, a motorcycle battery has a capacity of just 25Wh, whereas all the jump starters on this list offer 3-4 times higher capacity.
how to jump start a motorcycle using starter?
- Plug in the Crocodile clamp cables into Jump Starter Battery.
- Make sure your motorcycle’s ignition is turned off before attaching crocodile clamps to the bike’s dead battery terminals.
- Connect the jumper cables: Connect the positive (red) cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery on the motorcycle. Then connect the negative (black) cable to the negative terminal.
- Turn on the Ignition.
- Start the motorcycle: Start the engine of the motorcycle using the starter. If the motorcycle does not start after a few attempts, wait a few more minutes and try again.
If you choose a larger capacity jump starter like GOOLOO and your bike’s engine capacity is less than 1000cc – you can crank your engine for a minute if you want since the load on the battery will be relatively small and it can handle it with ease. Anyway, if your bike’s engine is in good condition – it will start right away - After the engine started – disconnect the jumper cables within 30 seconds – you dont want to charge the JUMP starter from your bike’s engine this way. Disconnect the jumper cables in reverse order, starting with the negative cable first, then the positive cable.
