how long roughly should you expect to your battery to hang in there before needing replacement?

 

some say 2 years. I've been tendoring mine and its 4 yrs old and going strong.

 

Still have my original, since 2004.

 

The one in my '03 has made it 7 years, also use a battery tender.,,

 

Really depends on how it is cared for. Batteries last longer than they used to.
Most will last at least 3 years. A well cared for battery may last up to 8-10 years.
My guess is that 5-6 years is probably about the average.

 

I'm trying to figure that out myself. I tend to replace the battery every two or three years in my Softails, yet my wife still has her original battery in her '02 V-Rod. Ironically, the tech at the dealer told us that the V-Rod battery was small and weak and would probably not last long.

 

Keep it till it starts to shows signs of losing power and then test it with a multimeter and see how much power it's still producing. I'm still on my original battery after 4 1/2 years and still starts on the first hit every time. In the winter when I don't ride much I hook it to my battery tender.

 

I get three years give or take a few months. I could probably keep them longer but I like a good/hot battery. I replace them when they get where they don't turn my bike over like I expect. Low voltage is hard on starters. Ride almost year around with the bikes only down for two weeks at the most. I don't believe in battery tenders---I ride my bike and it stays charged. We used battery tenders at work and all they did was eventually fry our truck batteries. Others think different but my motorcycles--my way.

 

I was thinking of buying a new one this year, just in case. But the old one is just fine. Suppose the old one lasts another two years. I'd have a new one sitting around. Don't know how a battery reacts to not being used. What is the shelf life of a new battery?

I worked in the parts dept. at my local HD dealer. Batteries sold faster than we could fill the shelves.

 

If you're looking to get a new one, check out the Deka batteries. It's the supplier of HD batteries, but cheaper. My bike takes the Deka ETX30L battery.