Suggestions for the best portable battery powerpack needed please

[pilgo]

Well , my little 2 day trip to Yosemite went a bit wrong after my battery died on me right opposite El Capitan 😶 

Spent 5 hours waiting for AAA to find someone willing or able to come get me out of there , they eventually even phoned the Park Rangers who kindly sent someone out to pick me up and they'd organise the bikes recovery ' sometime over night ' ......

It was the Ranger who had a powerpack , I had an inkling it was just a dead battery so we managed to get the bike fired up. He hung around while I let the bike run ( it's 7 20 pm by now and it gets dark up in those canyons !! ) 

I made the decision to do the 4.5 hour ride home rather than go to Mammoth to the hotel I'd booked as I was a bit pissed off by then , a tough ride on a bike with , what I was worried about , a battery that might let me down again when I would need to stop down in Lee Vinning for fuel. Thankfully she fired straight up again !! 

Two things I learnt yesterday ; 

1. Always carry a spare clear visor , riding at night with a gold coloured visor , which I had to keep down due to the thousands of suicidal moths killing themselves on my lid , made that 4.5 hour ride home just that little bit harder . 

2. I should of bought that battery powerpack that I nearly bought recently ( but put down as I ' couldn't justify the $100 ' it would of cost ) !!!! 

 

So , which ones do you guys carry / recommend please ? 🤔 

[pilgo]

5 bloody hours I sat in this layby !!

I asked a few random people if they happened to have a powerpack , I think my English accent confused a couple of them as they'd give me a strange look.

Most people didn't really care that I was stuck there , and most people there were clearly tourists in hire cars which they couldn't drive properly. One guy even scrapped the wing of his EV into a tree while reversing out , nearly hitting a passing car. Was actually quiet an eye opener seeing just how dumb some cagers are to their surroundings. 

[dazzler24]

I've never tried this on my current bike and it may be a silly question/statement to the wider brain's trust but is there any reason that you can't push/bump start these 'modern' bikes like we used to be able to do in the 'olden' days?

I'm talking about a time when those bikes were simple with magnetos and carburetors and no ECUs etc.

i.e.  Ignition on, select 2nd or 3rd with clutch in and push your bike (downhill and with help preferably) until you reach a pace conducive to dropping the clutch as you dump your weight on the seat and pray that the bike fires up.

It sounds like your battery was not completely dead as you mentioned that the bike fired up again after getting fuel so I'm assuming (never good) that the battery had something left in its tank, when it let you down, to power the electronics so I'm thinking (also never good) that this push start method may have been worth trying?

My logic may be off??

[miweber929]

2 hours ago, dazzler24 said:

I've never tried this on my current bike and it may be a silly question/statement to the wider brain's trust but is there any reason that you can't push/bump start these 'modern' bikes like we used to be able to do in the 'olden' days?

I'm talking about a time when those bikes were simple with magnetos and carburetors and no ECUs etc.

i.e.  Ignition on, select 2nd or 3rd with clutch in and push your bike (downhill and with help preferably) until you reach a pace conducive to dropping the clutch as you dump your weight on the seat and pray that the bike fires up.

It sounds like your battery was not completely dead as you mentioned that the bike fired up again after getting fuel so I'm assuming (never good) that the battery had something left in its tank, when it let you down, to power the electronics so I'm thinking (also never good) that this push start method may have been worth trying?

My logic may be off??

Yes, as long as the battery is flat and not bad you can usually bump start them. 

[Heavy]

What drained the battery in the first place?

[BarryGT]

I have an Antigravity micro-start. It is compact and can boost a car.

[OldBikers]

I bought a power pack/jumper box from Amazon for $40.  It is a Buture car battery jump starter 12800mah.

Edited October 9, 2023 by OldBikers

[robzilla]

Glad to hear the park ranger's powerpack was able to get you going.  As for reco's, I've used this one from Amazon many times including loaning out to buddies.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B08CC1GYR1&crid=3VOD6QLYCGR16&sprefix=b08cc1gyr1%2Caps%2C148&ref=nb_sb_noss

Besides this one, you'll find many similar brands or models in auto parts stores and Costco, so whatever you choose you can't go wrong.

[pilgo]

4 hours ago, dazzler24 said:

I've never tried this on my current bike and it may be a silly question/statement to the wider brain's trust but is there any reason that you can't push/bump start these 'modern' bikes like we used to be able to do in the 'olden' days?

I'm talking about a time when those bikes were simple with magnetos and carburetors and no ECUs etc.

i.e.  Ignition on, select 2nd or 3rd with clutch in and push your bike (downhill and with help preferably) until you reach a pace conducive to dropping the clutch as you dump your weight on the seat and pray that the bike fires up.

It sounds like your battery was not completely dead as you mentioned that the bike fired up again after getting fuel so I'm assuming (never good) that the battery had something left in its tank, when it let you down, to power the electronics so I'm thinking (also never good) that this push start method may have been worth trying?

My logic may be off??

The biggest problem was the location I was stuck in.

It's a 2 lane , one way loop around El Capitan , and to push it down hill meant doing so into a blind bend which , if it didn't start , say it had been a more serious fault , I would of been stuck in the road , on a blind bend , with no where to then put the bike safely out of harms way. Plus the ' quality'  of the driving left much to be desired.

If I'd been with a buddy they could of held up the traffic , as I did on one occasion to help a very nervous tourist to reverse out of the layby ( mainly so he didn't swing into the bike ) 

Trust me , I considered it , but the lack of interest from everyone made me a bit hesitant in asking for that kind of help.

My wife said I was ' to English '  with my patience in waiting for AAA 😶 

[pilgo]

1 hour ago, Heavy said:

What drained the battery in the first place?

That , i have no answer for.

It had been very ' stop / start ' on the way to where I was , I'm a scenery junkie so was stopping a lot for photos.

I was charging my phone all the way in from the east gate ( just as well with all the calls I was making / receiving) 

The temperature gauge on the dash was flashing ' Hi ' and no , it wasn't saying hello , when I attempted to start the bike again so I wondered initially if the bike had just got to hot , but I've never had that problem before ( it was only 86° F at that time of the day ) so decided that somehow I'd cooked the battery.

I've had the bike for 2 years , I've no idea how old the battery is , it stays outside my house under cover but permanently on a trickle charger. I got home about 1am,  parked up and didn't get back to the bike again till 5pm when it fired up straight away first time 🤔 

It's a weird one.ill get the battery checked asap.

[The Pilot]

I use an Antigravity restart battery, it senses if it is discharging too much and will shut off the battery. It always keeps enough stored to start the bike, you just push a button on the battery… think built in jump pack. Also significantly lighter than the standard battery.

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/antigravity-atz10-yamaha-fz-09-mt-09-14-18-lithium-ion-battery/

[robzilla]

53 minutes ago, pilgo said:

I've had the bike for 2 years , I've no idea how old the battery is , it stays outside my house under cover but permanently on a trickle charger. I got home about 1am,  parked up and didn't get back to the bike again till 5pm when it fired up straight away first time 🤔 

It's a weird one.ill get the battery checked asap.

Yes best to get the battery checked especially if you've had the bike for awhile and don't know the battery status.  Also as noted, make sure any extra electrical items, aux/fog lights, GPS, etc aren't draining it faster or left unswitched.

[2and3cylinders]

I had 2 well taken care of Antigravity jumpers go bad well before they should have.  One of mine and a buddy's swelled so bad they popped open their cases.  Quite alarming!

Now in all our vehicles, 4 wheel as well, we carry these.  Not the smallest but on the bike I only carry it when I'm more than 100 miles from home (where I can be rescued my SWMBO) but in a smaller case with an alligator clamp set I modified from one of the 2 dead AG units with old Radio Shack half size clamps that are perfect for bikes.

I also on tour carry this smaller power pack. It is pretty trick and can fully recharge my S21 4000 mah battery twice!

[piotrek]

Quite an ordeal. Glad it kinda worked out.

This is one of those scenarios that crosses my mind often these days as I venture out into remote areas on a 9 year old OE battery. Still sharp as heck... but I know the end is near. I am following this with interest... please update this thread with your findings and your purchase choice.

[betoney]

26 minutes ago, piotrek said:

This is one of those scenarios that crosses my mind often these days as I venture out into remote areas on a 9 year old OE battery. Still sharp as heck... but I know the end is near.

That is EXACTLY why I recently replaced the battery on my '15, it still worked and started with just a quick press of the start button, every time but... I also ride a lot of solo rides into some pretty remote areas and just didn't want to push my luck, better safe than sorry.