Dear friends, I apologize because my English is not so good.

I own a 2011 Road King Classic with motor 103 cubic inches engine and Screamin’ Eagle Stage I Kit (mufflers, street performance tuner module and air filter).

I use the bike every day because It’s my form to commute in Madrid (Spain).

The bike has a important problem. It is very difficult to start the engine when it is so hot. The most difficult moment is when I try to star in the gas station after refueling (in summer is terrible).

For example, this week the electric starter was running for a little before stopping without start the engine. In a second attempt the engine started but with the battery in bad condition.

And I just finished a highway tour for 100 km. at 130 km/h only five minutes before ... so the battery should be in good condition. It is not the typical Bendix failure noise, it’s it like the engine had a compression that the electric start could not overcome.

And this is the second battery that I use, and my motorcycle is only four years old.

The official workshop has cheeked the electrical system and it’s seems to be in order. Their smart charger says the battery is OK, they have tested the electrical system, OK, and the recommendation that they suggest me is buying a charger because in the city the alternator is not capable to maintain the battery in good condition.

So I bought a HD 5 amp battery charger (66000042). I've put a Harley battery charging harness with led charge connector (66000005) that is always flashing ... so according to the manual should mean that the battery is discharged and that it is time to recharge it.

When I put the charger… one minute later the led that the charger has says the process is finished… and when I disconnect the charger, the external connector flash another time remembering that it is necessary to charge de battery ???. And when I try to refuel the bike ... the problem appears. It´s like a circle without solution.

I have seen your thread with the technical note where Harley recognized that in 2011 there was an amount of defective regulators ... but mine is a pre-affected one (was produces only half a year before).

In short, no solution…. I would appreciate I you can help my.

Regards.

 

This is how I fixed my hard start problems.
HD High Performance 1.4KW Starter

 

You don't need a battery charger, what you need a battery tender. A charger simply puts a 2/5 amp quick charge into the battery, where as tender will bring the battery up to a full charge slowly and then monitor it and keep it in an optimum charged condition. Plug it into the bike when you've finished riding it for the day and over winter. They cost about $35 USD.

 

Make sure that you clean the battery connections very well. If that doesn't help take the battery out of the bike and have it thoroughly tested.

 

Here's the kit you need:

 

First your HD 5 amp battery charger (66000042) is a battery tender so don't listen to the folks who say you need something you already have.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...ender---europe

Second if you had a lithium-ion battery then extreme heat and cold can cause issues, but if you have the more traditional lead-acid battery then heat is most likely not the cause of your symptoms. A warm engine should be much easier to start than a cold one.

Clean your battery terminals with a Scotch Brite Pad, Steel Wool, or sandpaper. Then make sure they are tight. If the connections have corrosion they can prevent the tender from charging the battery.

The tender is not magic and it does not communicate with the battery. It just assumes the battery is being charged when the battery is accepting a charge and assumes it's charged when it no longer accepts a charge. You should bring the battery into a shop to get tested if you still believe the battery is an issue.

 

That is NOT a battery tender. the previous post had a link to a Battery Tender.

 

Do you have ACR's ? Are they functioning?

 

After reviewing the HD site for maintenance items, there is a battery "charger" that will charge 1-2 hours then goes into a "float" mode. Most regular chargers do not have a float mode like a "tender". I think it's just bad verbage in the description of their branded product. I would find a battery smart tender from Deltran and use it to obtain the "deep" charge your AGM battery requires. I'm not a battery expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

If you look up the part number or follow the link in my post you will see the term "Tender" right in the title. The description section also describes how the charger works:

"...features advanced solid-state circuitry that constantly monitors the batterys charge and maintains the voltage without overcharging."

In other words, "It's a tender".