2.75 years on the RKC's OEM battery ... on a tender. No short rides. Avg ride is 125 miles. Garaged!

Some batteries are good from the factory... some... not so good. Just like other parts... most good, some not-so-good.

I could almost tell from the git-go that the OEM battery was... not great! Took many hours to fully charge on the battery plus tender AFTER a very long ride.

Charging system and all connections are fine.

Recently replaced the battery with a Big Crank for one hundred bucks delivered and that's that!

Already I can see the new battery operating like it should.

Replacing a battery is an inexpensive and easy fix! Was glad it was not something more... serious and costly.

 

Yep, Big Crank. IIRC, I paid $81 shipped to my door.

 

I just replaced my original battery on my '07 FLHTC two days ago. I decided to go with the Big Crank from BatteryMart for $99.95 shipped to my door. I ride year around, and use a tender whenever going on vacation and not taking the bike. I hope I have as good luck with the Big Crank as I did the OEM. Only time will tell.

 

A battery tender is not just a charger. It 'tends' to the battery. If required it applies a slow charge to bring the battery up to full charge, then switches to a maintenance/float mode.

My post said it's on every night, meaning when I arrive at home I park in the garage, plug in the tender, unload my gear, exit the garage. It's just my routine. I do not necessarily ride every day.

The charging circuit is not faulty on my bike. The Arizona heat does definitely affect the lifespan of automotive batteries. At 104*F the life cycle of a battery can be reduced by up to 40%.

When i take my car in for regular service (oil/filter), the first thing they do is a battery load test.