So if you jump an installed battery on a touring bike (pick one) you are usually safe if you do without the donor vehicle idling. The cranking amps are the close to the bikes battery capacity. Now what about jump starting from the battery booster packs, claiming 1,000 amps, any harm being done? My cars alternator will crank 150 amps, is CCA a different animal? Maybe I'm over thinking this.

 

The dealers are selling those booster packs , but I am leery,chancing damage to the charging system. I would think like you mentioned to jump from another bike.That's just me

 

The specs on booster packs tell you what cranking amps that are AVAILABLE to be drawn. Your bikes system will only draw as many amps as it needs to complete the circuit . If your bike draws 300 amps on a crank- it will only draw 300 amps no matter what the size of the booster pack.

 

These portable starters will only deliver as much amps as needed to start the bike. Just follow the instructions carefully. No harm to the charging system will happen.

 

I have a booster/jumper and used it several times on Sportster. I think it safer as you can’t mix up the leads or it won’t work.

 

they are just a battery, not pushing. Even with a car you may have to rev it up. i got one for truck, one for sled/sxs, going to add to bikes this year. They are made for this.

 

If someone was buying a new battery to put in _____, would you tell them not to buy one bigger than stock?

 

Amps are a factor of demand, not supply. The danger in jumping a motorcycle with a running boost vehicle isn't the amps. It's the remote possibility that the boost vehicle has a bad voltage regulator, which could send way too high voltage into the motorcycle's electrical system, which could cause significant damage. The boost vehicle can in fact be running as long as the voltage is correct. It could have a 20000 amp capacity, and it would harm nothing.

 

Donor vehicle should be OFF.
If not then the added demand of disabled vehicle while cranking could cause donor vehicle to compensate voltage thus presenting a sudden over voltage situation on disabled.
Most likely due to the disabled vehicles inability to shunt excess voltage..
As explained before it is not about amps but volts and how fast can excess volts be shunted.
The days of raising the RPM's on the donor vehicle while cranking the dead vehicle are over.

 

I only jumpstart cars from my truck when my truck is turned off, if the down vehicle is suffering from a low battery because there's a second issue I'm not willing. With all the electronics on vehicles I want those off during the connect and disconnect.