Quote:

Not good to jump your bike off of a car. The car puts out too much power and can damage the charging system, maybe the ignition too since our ignition seems to be fragile.


I don't know how often I've corrected this little bit of urban mythology... a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and this is an example of it.

A power source - be it a battery or a car or a jumbo jet - doesn't push power into the flat battery. Rather it makes it available and the flat battery draws power from the source, at the rate the flat battery demands (up to the maximum rate available from the source). If the source is regulated or unable to provide the demanded current the flat battery demands (eg: trying to use a battery charger to jump start) or if the jumper leads etc you use are unable to carry the current the flat battery draws then you'll have problems, otherwise you can jump the bike off whatever 12V source you have available. The battery itself will act as a buffer/filter against any spikes, but if you're still worried just leave the car/boat/jumbo jet engines off to minimise spikes that might possibly (very minor chance) damage the ignition.

To address the original question of jumping the bike via the aux power socket - NO. There's a reason jumper leads and battery cables are as thick as they are, and the bike's internal wiring would simply melt if it wasn't for the fact that the fuses would blow first. You CAN recharge the battery via this socket but trying to jump start it this way's just asking for a melted bike.

Matt Electronic mods for TBA/SM!