I was stranded on my 2018 Road King about 4 weeks ago. It was a very cold day mid 20's if I recall, and I went into a phone store and forgot to switch of the ignition switch! When I came out about 75 minutes later the bike was clicking and making weird noises. It was totally dead. I called a local dealer and asked advice and they told it could be jumped and where the starter stud was. They said if you jump from a car DO NOT leave the car on. I started walking to a parts store to get cables but was able to reach someone that had a portable booster box. They came over and it started right away. one clamp on the stud another clamp on the frame. I put it on a tender when I got home and the battery has been fine ever since. LESSON LEARNED. Happy New Year everybody and thanks for another great vid Doc! I'll have to make one of these just to have in my bag. I was able to reach the starter stud on my bike without any problem.
Yeah, if you jump another car, the way to do it is to hook up the jumper cables, start the donor car and let it run (perhaps revving it to 2000 rpm or so for better charging) for 5 or 10 minutes to help build up the charge in the dead battery. Then TURN OFF the donor car and try to start the car with the dead battery. Otherwise, when the car with the dead battery starts, the sudden voltage spike from its alternator can fry computer components, or at least confuse them into malfunctioning.
I have a Buture jump pack .Good thing about the Buture is it will transfer the power from the Buture to the bike battery .You don't need to jump start , just plug it in to your charge cable ( i put one one my battery for my garage optimate 7 day 24 hour chargerv) And after say 15 / 20 mins just disconnect the Buture and start the bike with nothing connected .it works same in a car except you plug it in the cig lighter socket ( it comes with all the adaptors ) sit in the car for say 15 / 20 mins pull it out of the cig socket and start the car .its a portable jump start come charger .
This is one of my worries. Bc with the newer Harley anyone could just come by and turn the power switch on and walk away ( when you’re not there ) Then you’d return to a dead battery bike.
Thanks Doc, in my 40 years of riding experience I have learned 1 crucial thing, you have to know your Harley like a U.S. Marine knows his rifle, if you don't your setting your self up for walking a long distance.
Hi Doc, great idea. Just one suggestion - your tool touches the starter stud at a single point, and there's a lot of current (100 amps +) flowing through that tiny contact point when you hit the starter button. I would suggest filing a narrow V instead of a circular notch on the end. Now you have two points of contact instead of one, and the narrow V angle increases the contact force. Both features make it less likely to leave a burn mark on the stud. Other than that, an excellent tool to have handy.
Great tip. I made something similar a few years ago. Take snips and cut a v shaped notch at the end instead of using a file to make rounded groove. Thanks!!
I carry the plain non HD branded Noco booster with me but never used it, now I'll have to look @ my bikes & check. I have saddlebag power ports & SAE to cigarette lighter adapter to charge but I like this better.
What a great idea! I always carry my mobile jump starter around in my car and my bike but always had to take off my seat and so to get to the battery in case I needed it, will make myself one of your jumper arms to have it a lot easier with less working on bike My jump starter had helped a lot of people so far
I have same type jump box as Doc They have harness you can buy goes from box to battery or plus to battery and negative to ground Zip tied along frame under seat area Easy to attach box like you would a battery tender leads Have 09 FXSTC
That's a fantastic idea. Thank you again Doc Harley for sharing what seems to be a infinite amount of knowledge. Keep em coming. Happy new year to you and yours.
Nice video. I truly respect and do get solid tips from you Doc. I have been following your sage advice. Your method is simple old school. For me, the new school is to get a copper or aluminum bar instead of the pipe. The newest school is to create an SAE connector for the battery. Alligator's 10-awg extension is also a plus to actually connect to a car battery.
Good procedure never really thought of it on my Road glide. What I did was make an 8 gauge charge jump harness that goes directly to the battery all silver soldered terminals and on the other end I soldered a heavy charging plug same as the charging configuration. Then I cut my 8 gauge Polar Jumpers and soldered and shrunk tubed the end of my Jumpers but also soldered another plug on the other end so I can just use them conventionally as well. I hard mounted the bike side plug with a clamp. Charge and Jump.
Doc that is a very good idea there, might want to make the curve for the stud slightly smaller but if it works go for it. On my Oldwing, well that is what we call it as it is 30 years old, we can access the positive cable relatively easily. Yes I did exactly as you noted, had to jump it to get it going as had a bad case of HUA, Head Up -ss, and it worked fine. Some people cringed but hey it worked. As for the Damn BMW, either you make an emergency pigtail and install it when you change the battery. Yep again HUA, and on the BMW made a short 10 gauge leads off of the battery to a homemade nylon hookup point. I guess I have to much time on my hands and a shop full of toys. You can't jump it but you can charge it at a rather healthy rate if needed. I use this as a place to slow charge the battery. Change the battery out on a Oil Head BMW 01, ONE, Uno time and you will see just how over-engineered and under-thought-out Germans can be, either that or they are still trying to get even with the Allies for those 2 disagreements some years back.
great video......where do you suggest stickin the earth/ground cable so not to mark or get arc marks (coz most of our bikes are chrome or painted?)...thanks..
I can’t understand why Harley Davidson doesn’t install a jumpstart pigtail like they do the charging tender pigtail. NOCO makes one, easy, safe and cheap. NOCO makes the HD branded chargers and jumper already. The jumper pigtail plugs right into the jump box. It’s just a fact of life your going to have a dead battery on the road at some time with a machine no matter how well you take care of your battery. Having to disassemble half of the bike to jumpstart it is ridiculous and could be impossible requiring a tow truck instead of a jumpstart. I have the NOCO jump pigtail on both my Softails.
You are talking about the same company that doesn't put heel/toe shifter on $40K bikes. They are probably trying to figure out how to sell big twins with one cylinder and then raising the price for their new weight saving package.
Something I haven't thought completely through. I want to get a small jump box but hadn't considered how to jump the bike with it. This is a simple and very usable tool. You have a new subscriber. Thank you Doc. Jake
Hi Doc, another great vid. I have a 2018 lowrider, got it new. It has 60 g's miles on her. Doc when should I get a new battery, she's runnin great now.
A Harley-Davidson battery could be good up to 4 years. Understand each year after installation the battery will loose a percentage of CCA. First year no problem. Second year a little less by the end of the 3rd year it would be well to start budgeting for a new one. Mileage only counts if you make a lot of very in town short trips or you have a lot of accessories draining the battery. The life of a battery is extended with a smart battery tender….Doc
@@Jonathan-L You'll melt your pigtail or blow its fuse if you try to jump start through the battery tender pigtail. It's for charging the battery, not jump starting. Compare the wires in your battery tender with jumper cables - there's a reason the jumper cables are huge.
Yeah, I just jumped my son's bike a few days, ago. I used an adjustable wrench I had in my bike tool bag. The taped up tubing would have made me feel better about not blowing a fuse.
Good Idea. I installed an EC5 to O ring cable extension to the pos and negative to the battery. The cable extensions get connected to the jump starter pack.
Great tip! Yes, batteries have a lot of instantaneous energy which must be respected, arc welding. Be careful of wedding ring or necklace. Explosive hydrogen gas and acid all bad. I replaced all my lead acid batteries with lithium Iron batteries. Worth the upgrade especially with increased CCA of lithium batteries and large bore bikes.
I carry a small jump starter as well as a set of Yousa Motorcycle Jumper Cables. The clamps on motorcycle jumper cables are small, and fit well on the starter post under that boot. Tons of hassle to try to get under the seat and ECM of many touring models.
@@Richard5873 GOOLOO Upgraded GP3000 Jump Starter 3000A Peak Car Starter (Up to 9L Gas or 7L Diesel Engine) 12V Jump Box Auto Lithium Battery Booster SuperSafe Portable Power Pack with USB Quick Charge, Type-C Port. Best on the market. I have 3 of them. Charges via USB - C phone charger. Cranks just about everything. Power bank also charges phones, powers usb items, too.
So I asked this question to you a few months ago: You should make also a video showing the Harley battery pack that you can use to jump start the bike and how it can be attached to the starter and not the battery. Also note that if you have a Lithium battery, this battery pack is not recommended. Your answer: Good points Eric. In my opinion, I would rather take the time to jump at the battery....Doc I shared this with alot of people including a motor officer and he said he jumps from the starter stud all the time and everyone else does not know why you consider it so dangerous? Thanks for posting the new video.
Hello Eric, I think the idea of having a live buzz bar (the copper pipe) just held in place by hand pressure and a groove is by far the more risky way to jump start your bike than clamping onto battery terminals but do appreciate that access to the battery on many models is a real pain. I have a 2014 Ultra Limited and the term Limited can be applied to battery access.......... ride safe one and all.
@@ianrobertsonRR1 Yes, when I spoke to a Motor Officer he said he uses his jump pack on the starter stud all the time. He said if he had to jump from the battery itself, it would take 20 minutes!
Most battery tenders come with a couple of attachments. One is a plug that fits into the charging plug that is connected to your battery. If you use the optional one that clamps onto the positive and negative terminal s. You can plug that into the bike’s connection. Now you can take a portable jumper to the positive cable and ground the negative cable. It will get you going! Ride safe wind brothers/ sisters.
I took the auto train from Sanford, Fl to Washington DC. I remembered to put my bike in transport mode before it was loaded on the train so when I arrived I was good to go. Unfortunately several others had not done the same and had dead batteries. I had a small booster pack and spent the next 2 hours jumping motorcycles.
It’s safe to do as long as the vehicle is engine off. I use a jump box and it works fine…for the Lithium folks, just warm up the battery if possible and wake it up first before jumping. If it’s cold, then jumping Lithium sucks regardless.
Great idea! Couple things to improve maybe. You can drill the hole in end then cut half the hole off instead off filing. Try heat shrink tube instead of electrical tape. Also, the current capacity of the copper should be more than adequate so I wouldn’t worry too much about heating up during use
Hey that's a great idea.. also I can't remember the name brand. Bot there is a jump pack / charger that uses the tuck away connector from a trickle charger
2020 Softail Lowrider S, I just made and ran an insulated jumper cable from the positive on my battery over the top to behind the right side cover and have tie-wrapped it in there. So if needed I just remove the right cover and there it is.
Hay Doc, that is a great ideal. I made one but I cut a rectangle slot in the end that goes to the starter it is less likely to slip off. Just an update to the original ideal.
I've been charging with that stud since I got my bike..... Thanks for letting me know I'm not screwing up😅.... I don't jumpstart my bike either.... Charge check and replace if necessary... Thanks doc
...But you are endorsing it. I'll make me one tomorrow. Great idea. I would think you would want to hold the tool tightly to the starter stud to ensure a good contact.
Maybe it’s just me but my bike does set a lot and when I do plan to ride or think there’s a good chance I will have that opportunity, I just put the dang thing on my smart charger till it’s showing a full charge. I will throw this out there but it was news to me that my battery would not hold as good of a charge with the keyless security system. That little red blinking light reminds me of a heart beat. And seems to slow as my battery depletes. Now this may not be news around there but I’m in Arkansas and we are 20 yrs behind lol.
Jumping a Harley with a fully discharged battery will blow your stator and voltage regulator as soon as you remove the jumper cable connection from the running bike. The dead battery will look like a short and cause high current flow which will burn the stator up. The voltage regulator usually overheats as well. The proper way is to let the jump vehicle (or box) charge the bikes battery until the bike will start WITHOUT the jumpers connected. This takes time. Either wait and get the dead battery charged enough so it doesn't overload the charging system or just jump it off and blow your charging system. Your choice. Just remember, if the bike can crank in it's own, it's safe to run.
Hay Doc, that is a great ideal... I'm going to make one for my son and me. We have Street Glide Specials and it's hard to get to the battery. Thanks and have a great New Year...
Wishing you a fine New Year . I have bungee corded a yard stick across my bars sorta stuck thru control cables and brake line, of course I checked to not obstruct anything. Be well.
I have a battery charger/tender that allows me to connect a "pig tail" to the battery posts and are external to ""connect" to the charger. The unit comes with a pair of clamps to "connect" to battery for bench charging. I tried to jump start my Heritage Classic by connecting the pair of clamps so I can connect to jumper cables. I learned that the polarity is reversed in this manner and the clamps polarity should be reversed in this situation. I hope this helps somebody.
Thinking that if you make a small semi-circle at the end of contact, it may have a little snap on effect onto the stud. More surface contact, and a little more insurance.
This is a very good ideal, and there is room for a little improvement. Like drilling a hole on the end and put a bolt the for the Jumper Clamp, that would make it a little more secured. I took a trip through the mountain (about 140 miles round trip), here earlier this month. After arriving at my destination, I parked my bike for about an hour. Came back to the bike to get on my way back home, and the bike wouldn't start, because the battery was too low of charge, I know this because I have a charging station on my bike that has two UBS ports and one cigar lighter port plus the voltage meter read-out. The volt meter read 11.7 I was parked on a small hill, so I just drift started the bike, after riding for about 40 miles I knew the bike wasn't charging the battery (volt meter reading was down to 8.6), and I was in the only town around for miles that had a Auto-Parts store. I bought the only Battery they had for my bike, the battery (it was listed for my bike) was short from side to side about 2 inch, but it was fully charged (volt meter read 12.4) and got me home (voltage was 11.2 after riding almost 30 miles). I have a 1993 H-D FLHS after getting home I put my bike battery on charge, over night. Next day it was fully charged, I then found the charging problem, the connector from the stator to the voltage regulator was about half-way disconnected. I fix that and put a rap of tape around the unit to help hold in place. I also took the battery back to the store and got a refund(150 bucks), because it was the wrong size battery for my bike (I also fully charged this battery too). So the moral of this story is you can make it home without a charging system working, you just need a Fully Charged Battery to do so.
Steve there is no “regular” time to replace. You could check with an ohm meter and wiggle test when you want. The most important is clean tight connections at both ends….Doc
I like your Harley jump start tool, it's inexpensive, easy to make and appears to be practical, reasonably safe and effective. I suggest making it a bit longer so it can be used on a greater variety of motorcycles. And as another person has suggested, making the notch at the end that engages the starter battery terminal a slightly smaller radius to facilitate a more secure engagement. Someone also suggested using a permanently attached battery charger connection. BAD ADVICE! Those are ONLY intended to provide a convenient connection for CHARGING the battery ONLY and NOW FOR A JUMP START CONNECTION. Attempting to jump start through those things will cause them to overheat immediately, causing damage and a real risk of fire. As an alternative, connecting the discharged motorcycle battery to another RUNNING vehicle via an installed charger connection will recharge a GOOD motorcycle battery if you're patient, but only if all the bikes electrical loads are TURNED OFF. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START THE MOTORCYCLE WHILE THE OTHER VEHICLE IS STILL CONNECTED TO THE MOTORCYCLE!
Although I had no immediate need for the Harley jump start tool, knowing that it will be handy someday. I made one, but Instead of wrapping the tool with tape for insulation I used heat shrink, two layers for extra security. I cut the upper layer of heat shrink slightly longer so it extends a little bit beyond the ends of the first layer to achieve a little better appearance. I'm sure that tape works fine, but heat shrink won't deteriorate as much after riding around an the bottom of the saddlebag after a few years. I think it gives the tool a more professional look too.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Look at you Doc, trying to help people out and all...What is the world coming to? 😉 Thanks for everything you do Doc.
Thank you Doc for sharing my suggestion. Hope it helps those that need it. They also call me Caretaker.
Thank you for your idea….Doc
Thank you Omar. I am surprised JP cycles hasn’t started selling the jumper yet.
🤯I ran out to the garage right after watching this video. I insulated mine with an old bicycle inner tube.
I new a gal that could suck start a Harley, but I was a lot younger then. 😂😂😂. Great video.
And where do you hang out?😆….Doc
😂😂😂. Not going to touch that one Doc.@@LowCountryHarleyDavidson
I was stranded on my 2018 Road King about 4 weeks ago. It was a very cold day mid 20's if I recall, and I went into a phone store and forgot to switch of the ignition switch! When I came out about 75 minutes later the bike was clicking and making weird noises. It was totally dead. I called a local dealer and asked advice and they told it could be jumped and where the starter stud was. They said if you jump from a car DO NOT leave the car on. I started walking to a parts store to get cables but was able to reach someone that had a portable booster box. They came over and it started right away. one clamp on the stud another clamp on the frame. I put it on a tender when I got home and the battery has been fine ever since. LESSON LEARNED. Happy New Year everybody and thanks for another great vid Doc! I'll have to make one of these just to have in my bag. I was able to reach the starter stud on my bike without any problem.
Thanks,,,love these Tech tips,,, Aussie boy
Yeah, if you jump another car, the way to do it is to hook up the jumper cables, start the donor car and let it run (perhaps revving it to 2000 rpm or so for better charging) for 5 or 10 minutes to help build up the charge in the dead battery. Then TURN OFF the donor car and try to start the car with the dead battery. Otherwise, when the car with the dead battery starts, the sudden voltage spike from its alternator can fry computer components, or at least confuse them into malfunctioning.
I have a Buture jump pack .Good thing about the Buture is it will transfer the power from the Buture to the bike battery .You don't need to jump start , just plug it in to your charge cable ( i put one one my battery for my garage optimate 7 day 24 hour chargerv)
And after say 15 / 20 mins just disconnect the Buture and start the bike with nothing connected .it works same in a car except you plug it in the cig lighter socket ( it comes with all the adaptors ) sit in the car for say 15 / 20 mins pull it out of the cig socket and start the car .its a portable jump start come charger .
@@John-ob7dhpm😊
This is one of my worries. Bc with the newer Harley anyone could just come by and turn the power switch on and walk away ( when you’re not there ) Then you’d return to a dead battery bike.
Thanks Doc, in my 40 years of riding experience I have learned 1 crucial thing, you have to know your Harley like a U.S. Marine knows his rifle, if you don't your setting your self up for walking a long distance.
OooRah….Doc
Hi Doc, great idea. Just one suggestion - your tool touches the starter stud at a single point, and there's a lot of current (100 amps +) flowing through that tiny contact point when you hit the starter button. I would suggest filing a narrow V instead of a circular notch on the end. Now you have two points of contact instead of one, and the narrow V angle increases the contact force. Both features make it less likely to leave a burn mark on the stud. Other than that, an excellent tool to have handy.
I like your suggestion….Doc
Definitely a new addition to the tool kit 👌 Thanks Doc
Plain, simple, on point, direct & no sales pitch - THANK YOU!
Thanks Patrick….Doc
So simple but yet effective in a pinch. Thanks Doc 👍
Great tip. I made something similar a few years ago. Take snips and cut a v shaped notch at the end instead of using a file to make rounded groove. Thanks!!
Hey Doc, I was fortunate to have watched this video last month when my battery died at auto zone. thanks
I carry the plain non HD branded Noco booster with me but never used it, now I'll have to look @ my bikes & check.
I have saddlebag power ports & SAE to cigarette lighter adapter to charge but I like this better.
When Doc Harley said he owns a Slim (FLS), that really made my day, because I've got one also.
Doc. That is BRIILIANT!!! So much easier than removing the seat and trying to clamp cables on the skinny HD battery posts. Thanks!
Thanks Jeff….Doc
What a great idea! I always carry my mobile jump starter around in my car and my bike but always had to take off my seat and so to get to the battery in case I needed it, will make myself one of your jumper arms to have it a lot easier with less working on bike
My jump starter had helped a lot of people so far
Thanks for sharing Paul….Doc
I have same type jump box as Doc
They have harness you can buy goes from box to battery or plus to battery and negative to ground
Zip tied along frame under seat area
Easy to attach box like you would a battery tender leads
Have 09 FXSTC
Without a doubt Doc, you are second to none.
Thanks Buddy…was always wondering about that
That's a fantastic idea. Thank you again Doc Harley for sharing what seems to be a infinite amount of knowledge. Keep em coming. Happy new year to you and yours.
Thanks Doc! I like the out of the box thinking👍🏻
Nice video. I truly respect and do get solid tips from you Doc. I have been following your sage advice. Your method is simple old school. For me, the new school is to get a copper or aluminum bar instead of the pipe. The newest school is to create an SAE connector for the battery. Alligator's 10-awg extension is also a plus to actually connect to a car battery.
Good points! Thank you….Doc
Good procedure never really thought of it on my Road glide. What I did was make an 8 gauge charge jump harness that goes directly to the battery all silver soldered terminals and on the other end I soldered a heavy charging plug same as the charging configuration. Then I cut my 8 gauge Polar Jumpers and soldered and shrunk tubed the end of my Jumpers but also soldered another plug on the other end so I can just use them conventionally as well. I hard mounted the bike side plug with a clamp. Charge and Jump.
Well done sir…..Doc
Doc that is a very good idea there, might want to make the curve for the stud slightly smaller but if it works go for it. On my Oldwing, well that is what we call it as it is 30 years old, we can access the positive cable relatively easily. Yes I did exactly as you noted, had to jump it to get it going as had a bad case of HUA, Head Up -ss, and it worked fine. Some people cringed but hey it worked. As for the Damn BMW, either you make an emergency pigtail and install it when you change the battery. Yep again HUA, and on the BMW made a short 10 gauge leads off of the battery to a homemade nylon hookup point. I guess I have to much time on my hands and a shop full of toys. You can't jump it but you can charge it at a rather healthy rate if needed. I use this as a place to slow charge the battery. Change the battery out on a Oil Head BMW 01, ONE, Uno time and you will see just how over-engineered and under-thought-out Germans can be, either that or they are still trying to get even with the Allies for those 2 disagreements some years back.
A great story, thanks for sharing…Doc
This was worth a subscription, very ingenious!
Thanks for your support Fernando…Doc
great video......where do you suggest stickin the earth/ground cable so not to mark or get arc marks (coz most of our bikes are chrome or painted?)...thanks..
A mounting bolt in the frame…. Doc
I put an Anderson Power Products plug on my bike. 120 amp capacity. Plug in a jumper cable set.
Please send me photos to our Email…Doc
I can’t understand why Harley Davidson doesn’t install a jumpstart pigtail like they do the charging tender pigtail. NOCO makes one, easy, safe and cheap. NOCO makes the HD branded chargers and jumper already. The jumper pigtail plugs right into the jump box. It’s just a fact of life your going to have a dead battery on the road at some time with a machine no matter how well you take care of your battery. Having to disassemble half of the bike to jumpstart it is ridiculous and could be impossible requiring a tow truck instead of a jumpstart. I have the NOCO jump pigtail on both my Softails.
Would you Email me photos of your set up?…..Doc
You are talking about the same company that doesn't put heel/toe shifter on $40K bikes. They are probably trying to figure out how to sell big twins with one cylinder and then raising the price for their new weight saving package.
Something I haven't thought completely through. I want to get a small jump box but hadn't considered how to jump the bike with it. This is a simple and very usable tool.
You have a new subscriber.
Thank you Doc.
Jake
Thanks Jake….Doc
Thanks Doc for the great tip. I'm going to make one of tools to carry. You never know when you or someone else might need a jump. Happy New Year!!
Right on Brad…Doc
Hi Doc, another great vid. I have a 2018 lowrider, got it new. It has 60 g's miles on her. Doc when should I get a new battery, she's runnin great now.
A Harley-Davidson battery could be good up to 4 years. Understand each year after installation the battery will loose a percentage of CCA. First year no problem. Second year a little less by the end of the 3rd year it would be well to start budgeting for a new one. Mileage only counts if you make a lot of very in town short trips or you have a lot of accessories draining the battery. The life of a battery is extended with a smart battery tender….Doc
Instead of a semi circle at the end perhaps a v shape cut into the end would provide more stability.
What a great idea. Thank Omar for us!
I have a small jump pack that has a pigtail connected to the battery like a battery tender . Just plug in and jump off if needed . I like the tool .
Your idea is better.
@@Jonathan-L You'll melt your pigtail or blow its fuse if you try to jump start through the battery tender pigtail. It's for charging the battery, not jump starting. Compare the wires in your battery tender with jumper cables - there's a reason the jumper cables are huge.
@@cjflintstone9509 Thank you kindly sir.
Deep down in your heart, “sparks” are what makes it work. Smart not to mix up your sparks.
Yeah, I just jumped my son's bike a few days, ago. I used an adjustable wrench I had in my bike tool bag. The taped up tubing would have made me feel better about not blowing a fuse.
Thanks Doc! I think this is brilliant, thanks Omar for this idea.
Thanks for tuning in and posting….Doc
Good Idea. I installed an EC5 to O ring cable extension to the pos and negative to the battery. The cable extensions get connected to the jump starter pack.
Thanks for the tip!…..Doc
Excellent idea Doc - thank you for sharing this.
Ahhh man thanks.
FLH 2009 is a pain to get to the battery.
I will absolutely make this tool.
Great tip! Yes, batteries have a lot of instantaneous energy which must be respected, arc welding. Be careful of wedding ring or necklace. Explosive hydrogen gas and acid all bad. I replaced all my lead acid batteries with lithium Iron batteries. Worth the upgrade especially with increased CCA of lithium batteries and large bore bikes.
I carry a small jump starter as well as a set of Yousa Motorcycle Jumper Cables. The clamps on motorcycle jumper cables are small, and fit well on the starter post under that boot. Tons of hassle to try to get under the seat and ECM of many touring models.
What brand jump start and model # do you have and cables ?
@@Richard5873 GOOLOO Upgraded GP3000 Jump Starter 3000A Peak Car Starter (Up to 9L Gas or 7L Diesel Engine) 12V Jump Box Auto Lithium Battery Booster SuperSafe Portable Power Pack with USB Quick Charge, Type-C Port. Best on the market. I have 3 of them. Charges via USB - C phone charger. Cranks just about everything. Power bank also charges phones, powers usb items, too.
Great idea! also if you have a buddy or a hill you can push start it on 2nd gear
Dead/weak battery may not start the fuel pump on fuel injected bikes.
It will start easier in the highest gear you can get it in.
This is such a great series. Thank you Doc.
like the FXR behind you. Cheers from Australia.
Made one of these many years ago and keep in my sidebag, neevr had to use it, but Ive made several for firends to keep with them as well.
So I asked this question to you a few months ago:
You should make also a video showing the Harley battery pack that you can use to jump start the bike and how it can be attached to the starter and not the battery. Also note that if you have a Lithium battery, this battery pack is not recommended.
Your answer:
Good points Eric. In my opinion, I would rather take the time to jump at the battery....Doc
I shared this with alot of people including a motor officer and he said he jumps from the starter stud all the time and everyone else does not know why you consider it so dangerous? Thanks for posting the new video.
Hello Eric, I think the idea of having a live buzz bar (the copper pipe) just held in place by hand pressure and a groove is by far the more risky way to jump start your bike than clamping onto battery terminals but do appreciate that access to the battery on many models is a real pain. I have a 2014 Ultra Limited and the term Limited can be applied to battery access.......... ride safe one and all.
@@ianrobertsonRR1 Yes, when I spoke to a Motor Officer he said he uses his jump pack on the starter stud all the time. He said if he had to jump from the battery itself, it would take 20 minutes!
Most battery tenders come with a couple of attachments. One is a plug that fits into the charging plug that is connected to your battery. If you use the optional one that clamps onto the positive and negative terminal s. You can plug that into the bike’s connection. Now you can take a portable jumper to the positive cable and ground the negative cable. It will get you going! Ride safe wind brothers/ sisters.
Those leads will not handle the amperage needed to jump start a bike….Doc
Brilliant. I have some copper tubing that would work great for this.
Good idea Omar!, good on Doc for sharing it!
Glad you liked it Buck….Doc
I took the auto train from Sanford, Fl to Washington DC. I remembered to put my bike in transport mode before it was loaded on the train so when I arrived I was good to go. Unfortunately several others had not done the same and had dead batteries. I had a small booster pack and spent the next 2 hours jumping motorcycles.
Now THATs a Story👍……Doc
Clever little tool/ trick!
It’s safe to do as long as the vehicle is engine off. I use a jump box and it works fine…for the Lithium folks, just warm up the battery if possible and wake it up first before jumping. If it’s cold, then jumping Lithium sucks regardless.
Great idea! Couple things to improve maybe. You can drill the hole in end then cut half the hole off instead off filing. Try heat shrink tube instead of electrical tape. Also, the current capacity of the copper should be more than adequate so I wouldn’t worry too much about heating up during use
Very good improvements….Doc
Hey that's a great idea.. also I can't remember the name brand. Bot there is a jump pack / charger that uses the tuck away connector from a trickle charger
Great tool Doc. Thank for sharing.
Flathead screwdriver does the job just fine for years for years already.
2020 Softail Lowrider S, I just made and ran an insulated jumper cable from the positive on my battery over the top to behind the right side cover and have tie-wrapped it in there. So if needed I just remove the right cover and there it is.
Well done sir👍…..Doc
Simple answer: Locate non-starting Hardley on edge of high cliff. Push! It still won't start but you won't care any longer.
Night time stand up comedian….Doc
A true Master Mechanic ! Doc Harley!
Thank you….Doc
Hay Doc, that is a great ideal. I made one but I cut a rectangle slot in the end that goes to the starter it is less likely to slip off. Just an update to the original ideal.
I've been charging with that stud since I got my bike..... Thanks for letting me know I'm not screwing up😅.... I don't jumpstart my bike either.... Charge check and replace if necessary... Thanks doc
...But you are endorsing it. I'll make me one tomorrow. Great idea. I would think you would want to hold the tool tightly to the starter stud to ensure a good contact.
Thank you Doc, that was some valuable information .
If you are that worried about jumping your bike just add another accessible cable with a cap. Kinda like a battery tender setup.
great idea, that will fit in the tool bag!
Put it on starter. Then the positive. No chance of sparking on the way in from what is not taped. Thanks doc
Doc, You ROCK! Thanks again! 🙌
I appreciate your support 👍…Doc
Voice of experience rules! Thanks Doc.
Thank you Mark….Doc
All about the bike info videos. Next time I’ll get the right bikes that I can afford.
Love your work Doc 💪
Keep Living the F#@KING Dream ❗
Safe travels 🙏♥️🐾🐾🇦🇺
I like that.
Thanks from Conway, SC
Maybe it’s just me but my bike does set a lot and when I do plan to ride or think there’s a good chance I will have that opportunity, I just put the dang thing on my smart charger till it’s showing a full charge. I will throw this out there but it was news to me that my battery would not hold as good of a charge with the keyless security system. That little red blinking light reminds me of a heart beat. And seems to slow as my battery depletes. Now this may not be news around there but I’m in Arkansas and we are 20 yrs behind lol.
😆….Doc
Jumping a Harley with a fully discharged battery will blow your stator and voltage regulator as soon as you remove the jumper cable connection from the running bike. The dead battery will look like a short and cause high current flow which will burn the stator up. The voltage regulator usually overheats as well.
The proper way is to let the jump vehicle (or box) charge the bikes battery until the bike will start WITHOUT the jumpers connected. This takes time. Either wait and get the dead battery charged enough so it doesn't overload the charging system or just jump it off and blow your charging system. Your choice. Just remember, if the bike can crank in it's own, it's safe to run.
Interesting facts. Thanks for posting….Doc
why can't you boost it from the SAE pigtail that hangs out from the battery compartment?
That wire can’t handle the high amps it take to move a dead battery….Doc
Hay Doc, that is a great ideal... I'm going to make one for my son and me. We have Street Glide Specials and it's hard to get to the battery. Thanks and have a great New Year...
I think it’s also important to note any differences between jumping an AGM battery versus a LiFE battery.
Best Q of the DaY✌🏻❤️🇨🇦🎄☕️
Just saying a battery explodes in your area is subsonic disaster with hot acid and skin burns too BooT. And scraps of battery case 😨
Great tool Doc, Defo one for the saddlebag👍
Thanks doc. U look good. Man. Have a great holiday. Great work
Wishing you a fine New Year . I have bungee corded a yard stick across my bars sorta stuck thru control cables and brake line,
of course I checked to not obstruct anything. Be well.
Thank you for your blessing and ingenuity…Doc
Is the body of the starter grounded? If so you need to be really careful with your 'probe' not to accidentally link stud to body.
Excellent Tech Tip! Yes the body of the starter is grounded…..Doc
I have a battery charger/tender that allows me to connect a "pig tail" to the battery posts and are external to ""connect" to the charger. The unit comes with a pair of clamps to "connect" to battery for bench charging. I tried to jump start my Heritage Classic by connecting the pair of clamps so I can connect to jumper cables. I learned that the polarity is reversed in this manner and the clamps polarity should be reversed in this situation. I hope this helps somebody.
Thanks for sharing…Doc
Great tip, thanks Doc! Happy 2023!
Another great tip Doc. I think I’ll make one for my police road King
Thinking that if you make a small semi-circle at the end of contact, it may have a little snap on effect onto the stud. More surface contact, and a little more insurance.
LOVE YOUR VIDIOS, WHERE IS THE WIRE CONNECTOR FOR THE FRONT FENDER LIGHT ON MY 2015 HARLEY TRIKE ???
THANK YOU GREAT WORK
Usually on the left side of the inner fairing…Doc
This is a very good ideal, and there is room for a little improvement. Like drilling a hole on the end and put a bolt the for the Jumper Clamp, that would make it a little more secured.
I took a trip through the mountain (about 140 miles round trip), here earlier this month. After arriving at my destination, I parked my bike for about an hour. Came back to the bike to get on my way back home, and the bike wouldn't start, because the battery was too low of charge, I know this because I have a charging station on my bike that has two UBS ports and one cigar lighter port plus the voltage meter read-out. The volt meter read 11.7 I was parked on a small hill, so I just drift started the bike, after riding for about 40 miles I knew the bike wasn't charging the battery (volt meter reading was down to 8.6), and I was in the only town around for miles that had a Auto-Parts store. I bought the only Battery they had for my bike, the battery (it was listed for my bike) was short from side to side about 2 inch, but it was fully charged (volt meter read 12.4) and got me home (voltage was 11.2 after riding almost 30 miles).
I have a 1993 H-D FLHS after getting home I put my bike battery on charge, over night. Next day it was fully charged, I then found the charging problem, the connector from the stator to the voltage regulator was about half-way disconnected. I fix that and put a rap of tape around the unit to help hold in place. I also took the battery back to the store and got a refund(150 bucks), because it was the wrong size battery for my bike (I also fully charged this battery too).
So the moral of this story is you can make it home without a charging system working, you just need a Fully Charged Battery to do so.
Thanks for sharing your story….Doc
I’ve got a 1992 FLHS and had the same problem. I made a plug retainer out of a piece of wire. They sell them pre made online
Doc how about a video on battery cables? Should you change them out on a regular intervals. Upgrade to aftermarket? Battery cable life?
Steve there is no “regular” time to replace. You could check with an ohm meter and wiggle test when you want. The most important is clean tight connections at both ends….Doc
Great Idea thank you for sharing it Doc
Right on Doc. Tip of the year. Great Video as all ways.
Brilliant idea Doc
Thank you. Just passing on someone else great idea….Doc
It’s the crazy things that you never think of that gets you out of a jam
Thanks Doc. Great tip indeed.
I like your Harley jump start tool, it's inexpensive, easy to make and appears to be practical, reasonably safe and effective.
I suggest making it a bit longer so it can be used on a greater variety of motorcycles. And as another person has suggested, making the notch at the end that engages the starter battery terminal a slightly smaller radius to facilitate a more secure engagement.
Someone also suggested using a permanently attached battery charger connection. BAD ADVICE!
Those are ONLY intended to provide a convenient connection for CHARGING the battery ONLY and NOW FOR A JUMP START CONNECTION. Attempting to jump start through those things will cause them to overheat immediately, causing damage and a real risk of fire.
As an alternative, connecting the discharged motorcycle battery to another RUNNING vehicle via an installed charger connection will recharge a GOOD motorcycle battery if you're patient, but only if all the bikes electrical loads are TURNED OFF.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START THE MOTORCYCLE WHILE THE OTHER VEHICLE IS STILL CONNECTED TO THE MOTORCYCLE!
Although I had no immediate need for the Harley jump start tool, knowing that it will be handy someday.
I made one, but Instead of wrapping the tool with tape for insulation I used heat shrink, two layers for extra security. I cut the upper layer of heat shrink slightly longer so it extends a little bit beyond the ends of the first layer to achieve a little better appearance.
I'm sure that tape works fine, but heat shrink won't deteriorate as much after riding around an the bottom of the saddlebag after a few years.
I think it gives the tool a more professional look too.
I would think as soon as you touch that starter with a hot wire (and the starter is ground) she will turn over without hitting the starter button?
Two separate circuits. Top nut is power coming in. Not a direct connection to the starter solenoid…..Doc
Now I have something to do tomorrow. 👍
I have always been a fan of your videos but this has to be one of my favorites! Thanks for yet again another useful piece of information!
Wow, thank you Seth….Doc
Great idea... I have a booster that has an adapter attached to the battery. Easy access for the booster. Much safer option :-)
Great tip….Doc
Good info Doc, those of us with trikes can we jump start at the battery connection to the reverse under the rs cover
Tricky answer. Yes the battery is connected here BUT if anyone was not careful you could destroy that relay box. I don’t advise because of this….Doc
Great jump video Doc
Have a question.
Is a Harley stage 1 just as efficient as say a big sucker intake .?
No, the Big Sucker has a lot more volume…Doc
Thanks for the tip Doc, what's a good booster you recommend, I have a 2013 Electra Glide Custom....cheers😀
NOCO makes a good product. Buy their leads so it’s just a plug and boost
@@LowCountryHarleyDavidson Thanks Doc
Cool idea thanks for sharing