OK…as many of you know I had earlier last year posted a review of the Micro-Start Jump Starter which was a compact lithium battery for starting your bike. The problem was that I assumed it would be powerful enough to start a V-twin engine on a motorcycle…since it supposedly could start a car V8 engine. In fact, I had used it on my 4 cylinder Altima and it worked flawlessly. But Dave pointed out that the cranking amps on this particular model was only 200 CCA (cold cranking amps) and that’s just not enough to start these bigger bikes. I found out the hard way…that was true. It would NOT start my bike from a dead battery.
So after speaking with the Micro-Start company about the battery..they said the only one that would do that was the Micro-Start XP-10 at about triple the price I paid for the XP-30.
I looked elsewhere and found out that Battery Tender actually carries a portable battery for just that reason. It’s called the Battery Tender Portable Power Pack and although the RETAIL price is $149, I found it brand new on eBay for only $54. I ordered one and received it today, so this will be a PRELIMINARY review of this product. Here’s the link for eBay Battery Tender Portable Power Pack…
The first thing I noticed before I even opened the box that was ALMOST twice as heavy…but for two reasons (more on that later). The box included the Power Pack Battery, a vinyl cloth carrying case, a cigarette plug adapter for charging, an AC charger, and the large alligator clips with a control module for attaching to your battery. All in all, everything seemed to be of good quality. The battery is about (guessing) 25% larger than the Micro-Start battery, but still it is fairly compact. But the leads are quite a bit bigger than the ones that came with the Micro-Start and that is where much of the bulk and weight come from. It comes already about 50% charged, but you need to charge it to a full charge before first use…which took about 2-3 hours…and then it needs to be recharged about 6 months if not used (as it normally discharges slowly over time). I will mention this about the Battery Tender Power Pack…it is NOT designed to be plugged into a pigtail if you use a Battery Tender Plus…the Battery Tender Portable Power Pack is intended to be used by connecting DIRECTLY to the battery (which is probably best anyway). All in all, this is a much better option for anyone that owns a 4, 6, or 8 cylinder automobile and almost a MUST for anyone that also owns a big V-Twin motorcycle.
So here’s all the technical information for the Battery Tender Portable Power Pack:
PN: 030-0001-WH
12V Jump Starter with [b]USB Charger[/b]
PRODUCT FEATURES:
• Lithium Powered • Lightweight and compact.
• Easy to use. • LED light for using at night.
• LED charge indicator. • 400 cranking Amps
• 1 Year warranty • Jump start your car or charge your portable devices.
SAFETY FEATURES:
• Spark Proof • Reverse Polarity Protection
• Boost Power Button When Required • Simple Connection To Power Pack
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: Approx. 3.5in x 6.75in
Weight: Approx. 0.9 lbs (Power pack only)
USB Output: 5V@2.0A
Input: 12V@1A
Starting Current: 200A
Peak Current: 400A
400 Cold Cranking Amps
Watt Hours: 41.07
NOTE: I have not used this yet. I will amend my review once I try it out…but I have EVERY reason to believe it will be fine for 3 reasons… It’s made by Battery Tender, It’s USE is also intended for LARGE MOTORCYCLES, and finally, it has 400 CCA which is more than enough to start even a DEAD battery.
I Gotta Tell Ya 