Just looking for some recommendations for one I can carry on my bike on long trips in case needed.  There are so many different brands and styles out there I am sort of lost.

How hard is it to push-start a motorcycle?  

Serious question.  I had an old Honda when I was a poor young man, that never had a battery in it.  It wasn't a 1000 pound Harley, but in a pinch...

I've got a "Powerall" branded one sitting right next to me, thing has been reliable and quite useful for me for coming up on two years. Just jumped a vehicle twice with it this morning.

Depends on the bike. My Yamaha YZF600 was easy to bump start in 2nd gear. Don't know about the bike I am riding now, but it's so loaded with electronics I just don't know.  At some point I'll try it.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. This is exactly what I am looking for - people with real experience with various brands.

Whatever happened to kick starters.  Shit.

We need to find the bastard that thought deleting them was a good idea and string his ass up.

Electric fuel pumps, though if the battery can't run the fuel pump it is probably past saving.

I went ahead and ordered this one. I think it will work fine, including the size.  Thanks for the info.

This is my 5th bike in the last (nearly) 30 years but none of them have ever had kick starters. Fortunately it's an issue I have run into very few times and most of the bikes were easy enough to bump start.  

At some point I will get an opportunity to try and bump start the Triumph I have now. Since I bought it in December I have killed the battery twice from turning 1 notch past the fork lock, which leaves the lights on, and I am sure I will make that mistake again.

I am planning on doing some longer rides in the coming months where I will be gone overnight, and I thought investing in something like one of these could save me a little trouble should I make the above mistake again.

Thanks again for the info.

You will eventually lose the wall wart & the 12VDC dual ended cigarette lighter cord, and have to buy a new one.  The batteries are easy to replace - just sealed 12VDC lead acid.

I have the Schumacher equivalent.  They work.  I ride a 37 year old Suzuki GS750 and its a little more than I want to bump start on flat ground.  I'm getting too old to be jumping onto a running bike.

I bought one of these from target when I was having some alternator problems..






https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDD8GW4?tag=vglnk-c102-20


This little guy is awesome.. so far I have jumped the following vehicles.


Chevy 5.3
Suzuki  1500 intruder (prolly a dozen or so times.. it needs a battery)
84 MB 300SD diesel (i got 6 jumps out of it on one charge and she was still half full)
df225 outboard



It also has a usb port so I use to charge my phone at work.

a little late but I picked up one of these: NOCO Genius Boost Plus GB40 1000 Amp 12V UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter

started up my 4Runner a few times on a single charge.

I bought the one Mr. Zhukov posted above and it starts the bike just fine, but if the battery on the bike is completely dead the bike will not idle at all once power from the device is disconnected. I had to leave the battery on a regular charger to get the battery back up to being usable, and everything works ok now.

This was my fault because after I killed the battery (by leaving the "parking lights" on overnight) I left the bike sitting for nearly week due to the weather. I think if I had used this device to try and start it the next day while the battery still had "some" power, it would have been ok, because the last time this happened I just jumped it off my car (SUV) the next day and it was ok.  

This bike is like my car in that it is always using the battery, even sitting still without the motor running. There is a little LED on the dash that always blinks (just like my car), so leaving a weakened battery sitting for a week will lead it to run down completely.

I think bump starting this particular bike is a no go, since the first thing the bike does when you turn it on is run the fuel pump for a few seconds (before it will even allow the use of the starter).

I don't doubt that most modern bikes are the same way and the only way around it is to get a much older bike, or maybe don't be stupid and leave the "parking lights" on like I have done twice since buying the thing in December - despite my friend who owns the shop where I bought the bike clearly warning me about it.

Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who responded to this thread. This thing I bought will stay charged and go with me from now on - especially on overnight rides.

You've got a fuel pump b/c you have fuel injection.  A carbureted bike will fill the bowls using gravity from the tank above.  On idle, your alternator won't spin fast enough to charge the very low battery & keep the lights on & the ignition charged.  If you have a simple mechanical cruise control, you can just bump the throttle a little & lock it, then it will idle fast enough to charge the battery.

The only option I had was holding the throttle open my hand - no mechanical cruise control - and I could not let go long enough to even strap my helmet on or it would die.  

My last bike was easy to bump start but it would not idle with a dead battery either, and it had carburetors. I had to ride it home about 40 miles of back roads one time and killed it at numerous stops, but it was always easy to roll a little bit and drop the clutch in 2nd gear to get is started back.  

I am just hoping I can keep from killing the battery on this one again.

Mechanical cruise control is easy to add.  It just bolts onto the throttle.

Very few alternators are going to charge a dead battery, operate the lights, and keep the ignition going @ idle.  Almost all of them will have to be bumped up over standard low idle.

I've got one of these, jumped quite a few things with it in the last year or two, including v6/v8 vehicles, works like a charm and hardly weighs a thing.
Got it on a promo through ADVrider for like $80.
It stays under the seat in my 350Z.

https://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/products/micro-starts/xp-3/

Back in my day we rode a horse. We need to find the bastard that thought mechanizing something as simple as horse was a good idea and draw and quarter him.

So you have a problem with a backup, non-electric starter that always works?  Yeah that's really progress.

Some modern bikes can't be (easily) push-started.

Yep, especially if the battery is truly dead.

An old bike with points and a carb could run without a battery, but with fuel injection and even throttle by wire now, you need a little charge before things will happen.

This is a really nice one.

It has a mode that will usually deal with a dead battery, but using it disables some of the safety features.

You don't need some proprietary charger for it, either.   Has many more uses than just jumping vehicles.

I've got the NOCO 40 and it's been pretty good. First one I bought died after a couple of uses but when I reported it on amazon I got a contact number from the manufacturer for their design engineer. They of course replaced it even before I sent the defective one back.  Good company.  Even better the unit is STRONG on starting power.  When the battery went on my 4.7l tundra it had no problems spinning it over with a totally flat (measured 0.0 V) battery.  Several times. Amazing performance from a paperback sized unit.

For my bike that is certainly true, but the battery being completely dead is again my fault. The first time I left the bike on overnight (accidental parking lights) I jumped it off my SUV the next morning and it ran fine, since the battery was not completely dead.   But the second time I left it on, I let the bike sit for nearly a week due to rainy weather and that killed the battery completely.  The bike uses at least some power constantly, whether running or not, just like my SUV.

I think this thing will work fine for overnight trips, because if I do leave the bike on overnight, I will start it the next morning long before the battery is completely dead.  Of course the best thing to do would be to not leave the thing on overnight in the first place, which I am trying to be mindful of.