Crash/push start - How?

[Waylander]

Odd that my bike would never start unless I did hit the starter then.

[scumdog]

Odd that my bike would never start unless I did hit the starter then.

IF your battery is not completely flat it MAY help turn the engine over if you hit the button as you try to 'bump' start the bike.

Otherwise no help at all.

[Kornholio]

Just run along side with key on and in neutral then jump aboard and when your weight hits the seat ram it into first...watch out you dont give it too many revs when you get it started tho...............

[Waylander]

IF your battery is not completely flat it MAY help turn the engine over if you hit the button as you try to 'bump' start the bike.

Otherwise no help at all.

Might be it ince it was my starter clutch that was buggered, not the battery.

[Hex]

Well my missis got home round 6pm and I surpised her with the old "Honey, ya wanna help me with the bike? I needed her help pushing my bike up our walk-way (We live in Welly, down beside the road so I had to push the bike up the walking path) Once onto the road I pushes it up a bit further, so if I did get it going it would be whilst riding past my missis and she would see how much of a 'bad ass biker dude' I am for starting it without the battery.

So thus began a furious 'duck like' walk, holding in the clutch in 1st (wouldn't change to 2nd for some reason) dumped the clutch, hit the starter for good measure and....

cough, cough, splutter splutter, Vrooom!!!! It was alive! Was kind of like being reunited with an old friend. Anyway took it for a ride out to the Hutt and back. And this morning, started without fault.

Im so happy.

[Paul in NZ]

Couple of points of caution and advice...

A competent motorcyclist should be able to bump start their own bike by running along side and jumping on side saddle etc etc - If I can do it to a fully laden Moto Guzzi at 2 am in the pissing rain you can do it to anything... Have a go - it may just save your arse...

A thoughtful motorcyclist would think twice about doing it because some ECU's don't like it (for some reason - it varies)

A competent and thoughtful motorcyclist would never need to do this because the battery would be kept in good condition. You bike needs a healthy battery and they are not overly expensive or difficult to test...

[Cynos]

I think somone said somthing about bikes being hard to push start with the clutch in? Kawasakis have some cool clutch thing that makes push starting with the clutch in easy but other bikes you have to put into neutral and then wack into gear when up to speed

Not my bloody Kawasaki.

[Freakshow]

A quick note to add is when you drop the clutch make sure it is the gear you want. It is really annoying running jumping on the bike and droping the clutch to realise it is still in nuteral... Cos then you have to do it all again!

[Paul in NZ]

And if it's a twin or a single - put it in gear and pull it backwards against compression first. It gives the engine a chance to spin some momentum up and help you.

[quickbuck]

Couple of points of caution and advice...

A competent motorcyclist should be able to bump start their own bike by running along side and jumping on side saddle etc etc - If I can do it to a fully laden Moto Guzzi at 2 am in the pissing rain you can do it to anything... Have a go - it may just save your arse...

A thoughtful motorcyclist would think twice about doing it because some ECU's don't like it (for some reason - it varies)

A competent and thoughtful motorcyclist would never need to do this because the battery would be kept in good condition. You bike needs a healthy battery and they are not overly expensive or difficult to test...

Good points there.

Also running around on a bike with a flat battery will send you to the shop to buy a new regulator/ Rectifier as well as a barrtey.

Not nice to the wallet at all.

[stelartia]

make sure you give it a good run once youve got it goin. last ime i had to crash start my bike is was the spark plug more than the battery. then it was the choke depressor stuck slightly out.
*sigh*
dramas

[90s]

Make sure your kill switch isn't pressed in, as I found out to my cost last time I tried a bump start.
Used to bump start my mini pushing in a flat car park by myself as was able to push, jump in and away so bikes are a piece of piss after that (and no bastard kill switches)

[swbarnett]

God, I hope this is gonna work, our its a long way back up the top :P

You want to try pushing an old (heavy) CB250 a kay or two up a steep road when I ran out of petrol on the AK harbour bridge . Took me a couple of hours (not to fit at the time but knew there was petrol on Ponsonby Rd).

[Dadpole]

One last tip. When bump starting a big bike (GSX1100) do NOT jump on sidesaddle so enthusiastically that when the engine fires, you are falling backwards off the bike.
I did not do this and there was not a large crowd watching.

[Squiggles]

with the real light on the rear bikes (such as GN's) have to drop ya wait onto the rear as ya let the clutch out, else rear'll lock (if the bikes being a bastard that is, otherwise she'll splutter into life easy)