Jump Starter Battery - What's your experience?

[SMSW]

Just returned from a wonderful OHSTOC - great rides, great people, very good weather. But, my AGM battery died on the way down and intermittantly would not start the bike. A voltmeter check showed 10+v when it would not start and more than 13v when idling. Sirepair's Gooloo Jump start pack started the bike 6 times in two days and showed no reduction in its charge. (I idled the bike whenever we stopped for gas or regrouping on rides.)

This particular model Gooloo pack is not available any more. Reviews seem to suggest that as a group, these packs do not hold a charge for long after one or two uses. To be fair, the reviews I've seen in a cursory search (I'll do more looking later) do not strike me as much more than a subjective evaluation done by non tech writers tasked with something beyond their knowledge.

What Jump Starter pack do you have, how many times have you used it, and have you had any experience with it? Can you add to this discussion with general knowledge about these packs? Please limit the discussion to the smaller ones we might be inclined to carry with us on the bike - not the bigger commercial types that a service garage might own that would be too large for an 'always carry' item.

One last question. If the jumper pack is purchased at the same time as a new bike battery, do you think the pack will last longer than the bike's battery or will I have TWO dead batteries in some years down the road? :bow1:

 

[Bush]

Why not just buy a new battery and save the $$ a jumper pack would cost towards the next new battery? Makes no sense to me to run a battery until it dies, so you can rely on a jumper pack that has sat stored on the bike for ?? how long?

 

[SMSW]

Why not just buy a new battery and save the $$ a jumper pack would cost towards the next new battery? Makes no sense to me to run a battery until it dies, so you can rely on a jumper pack that has sat stored on the bike for ?? how long?

I had planned to replace the battery this coming winter, when it would be about 5 years old. It beat me to the punch....

I see a jumper pack as a bit of insurance - the same reason why many of us carry gummy worms and tools to patch a tire or a road hazard option on our insurance. I've already had a car battery die on one of our day trips around Ohio, and a replacement in this small town at a fortuitously located NAPA auto store cost a bit less than double what I would have paid had I bought the battery at my usual local vendor (local to home). I would carry the jumper pack in our cars when on vacation or on such day trips, and on the bike when its used.

 

[Daboo]

I bought a jump starter battery pack from Costco. I've used it twice. Once when I left the dome light on in my Subaru and drained the battery. The other to help a rider at NASTOC last summer. It worked very well both times.

 

[Nashcat]

I use a AntiGravity XP10. I've had it for 2 years and haven't seen any degrading of charge capacity. It has jumped off a V8 truck that was completely dead. I also have their air pump which can be powered by the battery and will inflate a car tire in about 5 minutes without running the battery down. It will charge my phone and iPad several times over a long weekend, so I don't have to camp where there's power.

Its also handy for jumping lawn mowers and ATV's.

It stays on whichever bike I'm riding, but I've also been known to throw it in the car for trips. Who knows when I might leave the lights on or need to top off a low tire.

Ride Safe
John

 

[SMSW]

I use a AntiGravity XP10.

Since posting the thread I've looked at Consumer Reports. I know there are at least a few people in the world who don't think much of them, but until someone else steps up to their standards (no advertising, not allowing their evals to be used as advertising, attempting to design impartial tests, etc.) they are the go-to people for me.

Their jumper of choice was the XP-10, then Spirit A8, Bolt Power D28, etc. They said nothing about degrading storage capacity. As I said, I'd use it much like John uses his - for a variety of vehicles....

 

[wjbertrand]

I've got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Starter-INTELLIBOOST-Flashlight-Charging/dp/B01JJZQPB4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1528732370&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=rugged+geek+rg1000&psc=1

Only used it twice so far, once on my neighbor's Chevy Tahoe and once on a colleague's Suzuki SV650 here at work. Worked well in each case. The one time I needed it myself it was in the other car. Now I have two of them!

 

[Upt' North]

Check out Dave Silvers on the interweb. They've got some in at around $65.
Can't imagine Silvers would sell rubbish?
Hope it helps.
Upt'North.

 

[MidLife]

I've got this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Starter-INTELLIBOOST-Flashlight-Charging/dp/B01JJZQPB4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1528732370&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=rugged+geek+rg1000&psc=1

Only used it twice so far, once on my neighbor's Chevy Tahoe and once on a colleague's Suzuki SV650 here at work. Worked well in each case. The one time I needed it myself it was in the other car. Now I have two of them!

Bought the smaller version of it after an older recommendation on this board (It could have actually been from you!).

Has been working flawlessly on bike, car and also powering phone and tablet. 4 starts on the car brought the charge down to 60%.

Very responsive customer support, responding to inquiries within hours.

 

[klaproth]

+1 on the Costco unit. Was on sale for 49$, and has started the car once. I charge it about every 6 months, and it takes about 1/2 hour to top up. After using it, it took about 2 hours to charge, as did the initial charge-up.

 

[jmcarruth]

I use this one. Gave one to each of my sons for Christmas.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Rugged-Geek-Portable-Car-Jump-Starter-Rg1000-Safety-1000a-2/558395129?iid=162930503700&chn=ps

 

[jmcarruth]

Replacement battery - I highly recommend this one. Starts my ST1300 like no other battery ever has, been in there two years, no issues:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017DX6V2W..._t3_B00DCXIJJG

Just be aware that lithium batteries have about 1/3 the discharge capacity as their lead acid counterparts, and parasitic drain will discharge them three times quicker.

 

[T_C]

ust be aware that lithium batteries have about 1/3 the discharge capacity as their lead acid counterparts, and parasitic drain will discharge them three times quicker.

Not quite a direct marketable comparison.
Depends on time and amount. I can drain 80% of a LiFe battery and still get a sold punch out of it to start an engine. You drain 80% off a flooded/AGM battery and you won't light up a headlight.

But this post is about jumper packs and the don't use LiFe batteries, not enough energy density.

 

[wjbertrand]

Bought the smaller version of it after an older recommendation on this board (It could have actually been from you!).

Has been working flawlessly on bike, car and also powering phone and tablet. 4 starts on the car brought the charge down to 60%.

Very responsive customer support, responding to inquiries within hours.

I've one of each. The smaller unit goes in the Wife's Rav4 whereas the larger one goes in the Mustang GT's trunk. I will carry it on the bike on longer trips like WeSTOC or my annual trek to Laguna Seca for the races there.

 

[MidLife]

I use this one. Gave one to each of my sons for Christmas.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Rugged-Geek-Portable-Car-Jump-Starter-Rg1000-Safety-1000a-2/558395129?iid=162930503700&chn=ps

Yep. Same Rugged Geek unit wjbertrand is using and that I purchased after his mentioning it.

Except I purchased the smaller unit, the 600. Used it a few times on the 1300, started right away...and still showed 100% charge after the one cranking! Btw, cranked stronger than with any of my previous Yasuas.

Largest engine used on so far was a 4.5L V8, here again, strong start on first try.

To be perfectly honest though, as I bought this jumper on wjbertrand's recommendation, when I crank the 1300 with it, I am always very anxious to find out how the bike will behave around 4200 RPM......

 

[ST_Jim]

Why have a jump starter?

Why invest in a jump battery instead of a new bike battery? I've had battery issues twice, both when I accidentally left my (locked) GPS turned on overnight runing the bike battery down.

First time, at a motel in Canada, I had to hunt up someone with a set of jumper cables to get the bike going.

Second time I had my jump starter battery along. Worked like a charm. (Once I got to the battery! Maybe I should figure out a connector or something...)

 

[Honda-st-team]

Thanks for the info

 

[Daboo]

I've used my Jump Starter battery pack twice now. The first time was for a NT member over in Spearfish. His battery was dying and all he needed was a jump to get going. The other time was when I left the dome light on in the car. Both times, it worked extremely well.

Chris

 

[rdmsttrav]

I bought the one at cycle gear their brand I think, it was about $75.
I was contemplating getting it before a long trip on the bike but decided I'd wait until I got back so I'd have more gas money. You can probably figure thats the one time I left my key on with aux lights and gps etc draining the battery. I was just outside East Glacier National Park with no ATT cell service. To be fair I saw a fellow ST-Owner's bike out front of the restaurant and was kind of excited to talk. Once we had breakfast and ogled each others bikes, they left and I got on mine to start up, no go, dead battery. It never even occurred to me to try and push start it, I did try to wire a battery I was carrying for a cpap and try to jump it but that didn't work. I had to get a tow to Kalispell via AAA, prearranging to pick up a battery at the local dealership and paying over the phone as we would be there with the bike after closing. It was $140 for a battery or more than that for a room.

Long story short I bought the jump battery when I got home and carry it on the bike all the time.
I've used it to jump a camry twice and a van and truck each once. It's holding its charge so far. I think thats 2 years now. It gives me a little piece of mind knowing I have an option to try and help myself out if I am in that situation again. I counted not less than 67 motorcycles that passed me by while I was working on my bike trying to start it and waiting for a tow, I even had my camp chair out. A little old man asked if I needed help but neither of us had jumper cables.