Booster Cables

If we live long enough, we all will have the experience of a failed battery, with or without warning. Of all the safety and maintenance equipment that I found helpful during my career as a Trooper, booster cables would have to top the list. The SW luggage compartment is plenty big enough for a small set of booster cables. They need not be heavy duty cables, as the amperage required to turn over the SW starter is minimal. They just need to be long enough to reach between the SW and a donor vehicle's battery. We really are at the mercy of that battery when we get far from home and streetlights, with no kick start capability, a good source of 12 volts is a must. The only caution required is to avoid incorrect polarity hookup. Keep your wits about you, YOU do the hookup, don't trust anyone else to do it correctly. Just request that the donor battery's owner disconnect the negative clamp as soon as the SW starts, and that the donor vehicle NOT be running.
And just as important as the cables are, a dependable LED flashlight will be a must if you have to use those cables in the dark.
I carry a commercially made set in my SW and have actually fabricated a set for use in my Piaggio Beverly using appropriate gauge wire and battery terminal clamps.

Thanks for the tips. Hope no one needs them.

Booster cables are nice but they are so last century.
Today its a portable power brick that you carry.
Weights less then 2lbs and can start your bike (or car).
Here are two of the more popular ones:

Anker Jump starter

Cobra Jumpack

These are just a few of the blocks you can buy.
Each has a pair of plug-in jumper cable ends.
So it takes up less space then cables, and you don't need someone else's vehicle.
They also double purpose to charge USB devices.

Dan

Definitely make sure the donor vehicle isn't running because the varying load on that vehicle's system from cranking the SW can produce some pretty impressive voltage spikes that can damage both the car and the scooter.

dspevack wrote:

Booster cables are nice but they are so last century. Today its a portable power brick that you carry.
Weights less then 2lbs and can start your bike (or car).
<>Each has a pair of plug-in jumper cable ends. So it takes up less space then cables, and you don't need someone else's vehicle.
They also double purpose to charge USB devices.

Ooo, Great idea.

That's why we keep you around Dan.

Tim

In my best Patrick Warburton voice: "Its my job. Its what I do."

Not saying it can't be done, but before I purchased one of those 2# battery packs, I'd like to see it in action turning over a SW motor enough to start it. Also have questions on how long they can be left, unused and forgotten and still perform up to advertised capabilities..

AV-40 wrote:

Not saying it can't be done, but before I purchased one of those 2# battery packs, I'd like to see it in action turning over a SW motor enough to start it. Also have questions on how long they can be left, unused and forgotten and still perform up to advertised capabilities..

All good questions. How long can they be left unused? If considering one, then research it definitely.
You'll find that they advertise capability of turning over 6 cylinder engines, so I wouldn't worry about a
Silverwing engine.

Dan

They do look encouraging according to the Anker webpage, says charge at least every 3 months, which isn't too much to ask. Comes with its own case to hold all the accessories together too. Runs $90 on eBay including shipping.