Is it the battery?
A flat battery usually shows as a click or a weak, slow turn of the starter, dim dash lights, or nothing at all. Before blaming the battery, check the kill switch, side stand and clutch switch: see motorbike won’t start.
Jump starting
- Use another bike or a lithium jump pack made for bikes. A car battery can work if the car’s engine is off, as a running car can damage a bike’s electrics.
- Red to positive on both, black to a bare metal point on the frame of the flat bike, not straight onto the battery if you can avoid it.
- Start the bike, then disconnect black first, then red.
Push starting (bump starting)
Only on a manual bike with a carburettor or enough battery left to run the fuel pump and ECU. Ignition on, second gear, clutch in, get it rolling at a brisk walk, then drop the clutch and open the throttle a little. It’s much easier downhill and with a friend pushing. Most modern fuel-injected bikes won’t bump start with a completely dead battery.
Why did it go flat?
Standing for weeks, an alarm or tracker draining it, a light left on, a battery past its life, or a charging fault. If the bike starts but the battery goes flat again on the ride, the regulator or stator may be failing, and you’ll keep getting stranded.
When to call us
No jump pack, no luck with a jump, or a charging fault: call us and we’ll take it home or to a garage.
FAQ
Rider questions
Can I jump start my motorbike from a car?
Yes, with the car’s engine off. A running car can push too much current into a bike’s system.
Will you jump start my bike?
Recovery operators carry jump packs and will try a jump if it’s safe. If it doesn’t work, we load the bike.