Jump Starters
The best jump starters for motorcycles
The right pack for a bike is deliberately small. Buying a car-sized one is the mistake, not the safe choice.
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How we assessed these: picks are selected from manufacturer specifications, current retailer listings and published owner feedback — not from hands-on testing of every unit. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, it is left out rather than estimated.
Short answer
Buy a small pack. NOCO's GB20 is 500 peak amps, 2.1 lb and rated to 4.0-liter gas engines — correctly sized for a motorcycle rather than wildly over it. Size up only if the same pack also has to start your car.
Motorcycle batteries are small: typically in the 8-20 amp-hour range, against 45-70 for a car. The starting demand is correspondingly modest, and the constraint that actually matters is where the pack lives — under a seat, in a tail bag, in a top box.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Scoring criteria are published in full on our methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NOCO Boost Sport GB20 Best for bikes specifically | Motorcycles, ATVs and small engines | 500 A, 2.1 lb, rated to 4.0 L gas | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  NOCO Boost Plus GB40 Best if it also covers the car | Most cars and small SUVs | One pack for the bike and the commuter | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 | NOCO GENIUS2 The thing that prevents the problem | Motorcycles, ATVs and lawn equipment | 2 A maintainer, for the off-season | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
Small is the correct answer, not the compromise
On most of this site, buying margin above your engine's rating is good advice. Here it mostly is not, because weight and bulk are the binding constraint. A 2.1 lb pack fits under a seat; a 4.18 lb pack does not, and a pack that will not fit on the bike is a pack sitting in your garage while you stand at the roadside.
The exception is genuine: if one pack has to cover the bike and the car, buy for the car — a GB40 at 6.0 L gas covers both and is only a third of a pound heavier.
Why bike batteries die differently
A motorcycle battery usually fails from sitting, not from being worked. Bikes are seasonal or occasional for most owners, and a small battery left partly discharged for months sulfates and permanently loses capacity — the mechanism described on battery desulfation.
That changes the recommendation. On a car, a jump pack is the front-line tool. On a bike, a 2-amp maintainer left connected through the off-season prevents most of the failures a pack would rescue you from, and it costs less. Use 1-2 amps specifically: a car-sized 5 or 10 amp charger is far too much current for a 10 Ah powersports battery. Sizing guide.
Using a pack on a bike
- Find the battery first, in daylight. On many bikes it is under the seat or behind a side panel and needs a tool. Discovering that at night in the rain is the wrong time.
- Watch for tight clearances. Clamps designed for car posts can be awkward on small terminals in a confined tray.
- Short cranks. Small engines either catch quickly or have a different problem. Extended cranking drains the pack and heats the starter.
- Ride, do not idle, afterwards. A motorcycle charging system replaces very little at idle.
The picks
1. Best for bikes specifically
NOCO Boost Sport GB20
NOCO · Best for motorcycles, atvs and small engines
The smallest pack in the range and the right one for powersports: 500 peak amps, 2.1 lb, and a gas rating that stops at 4.0 liters — which is all a bike or a quad ever asks for.
Published specifications
What works
- 2.1 lb — light enough to live under a motorcycle seat or in an ATV storage box, which is the whole point
- 500 peak amps is correctly sized for powersports batteries rather than wildly over them
- Same IP65 enclosure and reverse-polarity protection as the larger packs
- 24 Wh, so it flies in carry-on baggage like the rest of the range
What does not
- The 4.0 L gas ceiling rules out most cars, so it is not a do-everything pack
- NOCO states diesel is not recommended at all for this model — read that as a hard limit
- Small reserve, so cold-weather attempts eat into it quickly
Skip it if
Do not buy it as your car's pack as well. NOCO's own rating stops at 4.0 L gas and says not recommended for diesel, and a bike pack asked to start a car is exactly the wrong economy.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost Sport GB20.
2. Best if it also covers the car
NOCO Boost Plus GB40
NOCO · Best for most cars and small suvs
The default answer for a four- or six-cylinder car: 1,000 peak amps, 24 watt-hours, and light enough that it actually stays in the trunk.
Published specifications
What works
- 24 Wh sits far under the 100 Wh carry-on threshold, so flying with it needs no airline approval
- 2.45 lb and pocketable — the size that decides whether a tool is still in the trunk six months later
- IP65 enclosure, so a wet shoulder in the rain is not a problem
- Reverse-polarity protection means a backwards clamp does not spark
What does not
- 1,000 peak amps runs out of headroom above a 6.0 L gas engine
- The 3.0 L diesel ceiling rules out most modern diesel pickups
- 24 Wh is a small reserve — it is a jump starter, not a power bank substitute
Skip it if
Not the one to buy if you drive a diesel pickup or a big V8. You would be at the edge of its rating on a cold morning, which is exactly when you want margin.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost Plus GB40.
3. The thing that prevents the problem
NOCO GENIUS2
NOCO · Best for motorcycles, atvs and lawn equipment
A 2-amp maintainer for the small batteries a car charger would cook: motorcycles, ATVs, mowers and anything that sits for months.
Published specifications
What works
- 2 A is the right order of magnitude for a 10-20 Ah powersports battery
- Safe to leave connected through a whole off-season
- Light and small enough to live on a shelf beside the bike
What does not
- The 40 Ah ceiling makes it a maintainer for a car battery, not a recovery charger
- Recharging a flat car battery at 2 A takes most of a weekend
Skip it if
Not the charger to buy if your actual problem is a flat car battery you need back tonight. That is a 5 A or 10 A job.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO GENIUS2.
Key takeaways
- A small pack is correct for a bike — weight and fit are the real constraints.
- NOCO rates the GB20 to 4.0 L gas and states diesel is not recommended.
- Buy up only if the same pack must also cover a car.
- Bike batteries mostly die from sitting, so a 2 A maintainer prevents more than a pack fixes.
- Never put a car-sized 5-10 A charger on a powersports battery.
How we sourced this
Every figure on this page came from one of the following. Where a manufacturer or regulator does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
Common questions
- What size jump starter do I need for a motorcycle?
- A small one. NOCO's GB20 is 500 peak amps and rated to 4.0-liter gas engines, which is correctly sized for a motorcycle battery of 8-20 amp-hours. Size up only if the same pack also has to start a car, in which case buy for the car.
- Can I use a car jump starter on a motorcycle?
- Yes — a car pack has ample capacity for a bike. The practical problems are weight and fit: a heavier pack may not stow under a seat or in a tail bag, and car-sized clamps can be awkward on small terminals in a confined battery tray.
- Why does my motorcycle battery keep dying?
- Usually because the bike sits. A small battery left partly discharged for weeks sulfates and permanently loses capacity, which is why powersports batteries fail over a winter rather than from use. A 1-2 amp maintainer left connected through the off-season prevents it.
- Can I use a car battery charger on a motorcycle battery?
- Not a car-sized one. A 5 or 10 amp charger delivers far more current than a 10-20 amp-hour powersports battery is designed to accept. Use a 1-2 amp unit, which is the right order of magnitude and safe to leave connected through the off-season.
More in Jump Starters
A jump pack is the one trunk tool that turns a tow truck into a five-minute inconvenience. This is how to size one, and which ones are worth the space.
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