How to Push Start a Motorcycle

If you’re out on a ride or away from your garage with a dead battery, you’ve got a few options before you need to call a tow.

Before you get going, you’ll want to check the simple things first as to why your motorcycle won’t start:

• Check that the kill switch is in the right position.
• Check that the petcock is in the right position.
• Make sure you have enough gas.

If these things check out, you can move on to push starting the bike.

A battery that won’t hold a charge probably needs to be replaced, or there may be an issue with your motorcycle charging system.

How to Push Start a Motorcycle

A push-start, pop-start, bump start, or rolling start can also be used to get a bike going on a drained or dead battery.

All you’ll need to is gentle hill or someone to help you get the bike moving.

To push start a motorcycle:

• Turn the key to the on position.
• Pull in the clutch.
• Make sure the fuel petcock is open.
• Find a slight hill or have someone push you to get the bike rolling fast enough. Aim for about 5-10 mph.
• Pull in the clutch level.
• Put the bike into second gear.
• Get up to speed.
• Let go of (pop) the clutch.
• The engine should fire up.

If it worked, the bike should be running again. Allow the engine to warm up, if necessary.

Assuming you have access to a portable jump starter, another motorcycle, or a car with some jumper cables, you can also try jump-starting your bike to get it going again.