How to bump-start your motorcycle - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

DaveAlvarado · 07-02-2008, 09:33 AM

I actually had to do this on my Ninja not my M, but the info is the same.

Every once in a while we all do something stupid, like pull the bike into the garage, kill the engine, then walk inside forgetting to turn off the key. You come down to the garage a few hours later and notice that your tail light is on, but *really* dim. Pressing the starter has absolutely no effect. What do you do?

You bump-start your bike and ride it for a while to charge the battery, that's what!

Bump-starting is the process of using the bike's momentum to crank the engine and forcing it to start when your starter can't do the job because of a dead battery. To do an ideal bump-start, you're going to need a hill. Preferably a big one, it makes it much easier. If you've got a sloped driveway and can start from the back of the garage that will probably work. If you're on flat ground, well, get ready for some exercise.

Bump-starting is pretty easy, just do the following:

1. Make sure the key is in the ignition, the killswitch is in the "on" position, the kickstand is up, and the bike is in first gear, just like you're actually riding.

2. Pull in the clutch and get the bike moving. You want to get to jogging speed or faster if at all possible. If you're on a hill run most of the way down the hill, if you're on flat ground you'll have to run next to the bike and leap on or have somebody push you.

3. When you're up to speed, dump the clutch (let go completely, don't feather it out) and at the same time press the starter button. I don't know if the starter is required, but I did it on my Ninja and it worked. I only had a little hill so I wanted to get it right the first time.

If you aren't going that fast, you might chirp the rear tire as the engine braking suddenly locks the back tire up. If you're on a big long hill, you can feather the clutch out to get the engine up to speed more gradually and the bike should pretty much start itself as you're rolling.

Once you get the bike started, it's time to go for about a half-hour ride to make sure the battery gets plenty charged. Ideally, you should ride around for a half-hour or so, then go find yourself a great big hill to stop at the top of and test to see if your battery will start the bike. If not, you've got that big hill right in front of you to bump-start it again.

Also note, it's possible to totally kill the battery if you deep-drain it, so you might need to bump-start and go right to the dealer or parts shop for a new battery, so plan ahead.