Hello all, I've been browsing this forum as a source of info (and entertainment) for quite some time now, only registering recently and obviously not feeling motivated to post anything until now. Here's my attempt at a quick story for anyone who cares to read along with a corresponding question (which I'll refrain from ever asking the dealer for warranty preservation purposes).

Got back from a rather long ride to NY and back to find my '98 Chev Tahoe battery was dead and, this being my only 4 wheeled form of transportation, I needed it in order to go pick up a carryout pizza I had ordered (b/c bike carryout=cold soggy pizza). Being in a hurry, I went ahead and hooked some cables to the H-D and truck, started up the bike, and started up the truck with a little coaxing. Immediately jumped out of the truck to pull the cables off and shut down the bike and thought (but not sure) I heard a "pop" come from the vicinity of the bike, but of course it still ran/runs fine as of now.

That got me to thinking, I know about alternator vs. stator output, both 12V batts but leave your car off when jump starting bike etc...but of course this is the other way around (at least until you get the car running). When the truck started and the alternator got to kicking, how many of those amps were going into the dead truck battery and how many were going into the motorcycle battery? Oh yeah, and after running the truck for 30+ mins to include driving to p/u food the battery still didn't hold enough amps to start it back up when I tried....go figure.

Thanks,
Andy

 

is there something wrong with the bike now?

As for your question. Both vehicles operate on 12v. However, the only real damage I could see is overdrawing your moto battery when pulling high amps to start the car. Just because a car alternator can pump out 140amps, doesn't mean it does all the time. Amps are a function of load, so if nothing needs the current, it is simply not produced. If your truck battery was dead, when the truck started most of the current in the circuit is being absorbed by the truck battery until it reaches a full charge. That current wouldn't "hurt" the bike. However, I wouldn't advise jumping cars off your bike in the future.

 

i'd pull the battery cover off the bike again and make sure the case isn't deformed. the gm starters are VERY VERY high drain starters, they require anywhere from 140-200amps at start up, sometimes even more if they're in bad condition. team that up with a dead battery and that is way too much for a bike's battery and charging system to handle. you might have got lucky, but it's def not something i would recommend trying again. you can easily fry the stator and regulator on the bike doing it.

 

That poor little stator and regulator on the bike isn't designed to handle the load a large vehicle battery and starter will place on it. The bike should not have been running when trying to jump the truck. I'd be surprised if the bike's regulator and/or stator aren't toast.

 

yep, what they said... I'd never attempt to start a full size vehicle with a motorcycle.... it would be wise to invest in a self-contained jump starter pack for your truck....cheap insurance. Who knows what damage was (or could of) been done to the bike...you may not know right away... may want to get the bike checked out.

 

The proper way to jump would be to connect all the cables except for one of the grounds. Start the bike, connect the last ground and just let it charge the battery. Don't try to start the car, just let the battery charge up; the longer the better. Then disconnect ground again, shut the bike off, and start the car. If it doesn't work, repeat or go buy a charger.

 

All of that trouble for a "cold soggy pizza"! ..... Sounds like somethig that I would do.

 

+1 ON THAT...keep an eye on your bike battery. if you fried the regulator you can overcharge the battery and it can explose. if you see the battery bulging i would remove it from the bike, have your regulator checked and replace the battery.

 

Thanks for the replies, will definitely keep an eye on the battery for the next few days and have the dealer check out the electrical when I go in for 10k. Ran some various errands with the bike today with no issues so we shall see.

On the plus side, picked up a Duralast battery for the truck with an 8 year warranty (so I'm told by the Autozone folks). This gave me a warm fuzzy during purchase even though, in the back of my mind, I know I'll lose the receipt in a year or two and the battery will decide to fail shortly thereafter.

 

that might be some high priced pizza ...