My battery is exactly 2 year old in my SG. It was a little slow to crank the other morning but it as a little chilly. ..around 45. Voltage gauge reads 14.5 while running and holds. When I shut it down for 15 mins or so and turn it on without kicking it over it reads 11 to 11.5. Tonight in ride and let it set for 4 hours and it at 12. Am I over thinking this? Or is it time to spend 170 for a new battery

 

Time for a new battery. You did right. I waited too long. That voltage is dropping off too quickly.

 

Advance Auto Parts is a good source for some Harley batteries.
Go online and google Advance Auto coupon code.
They had one code today for 30% off.
Order online and pick-up in store the same day.
Bring old battery in when going to store and get core charge back.
Harley battery is a DEKA battery. They have a relabeled DEKA agm battery at advance for about $100 with the coupon.
Just to be clear: sometimes the Advance Auto parts battery brings a little washer/spacer that must be used in some applications for the cables to sit correctly.

 

Make sure you keep it charged using a tender if you go periods of time without use or if you take short trips.

 

I gotta tell ya their website sucks when it comes to fitment and when I called the store they asked me for the part # because they don't have the info
I went with this one same price free shipping and no tax or core charge Made in America

 

Battery Mart: Big Crank ETX30L $99.95 Free ground Shipping. I had mine in two days. I have 'em in both bikes.

http://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Cra...L-Battery.html

 

If you have the scratch, consider a Shorai LIon. Expensive now, yeah. But you'll be buried with it.

 

there is no fool proof way to know for sure -- you indications were good and helped you. I have batteries just fail and they had no issues

 

There is one foolproof way to test them and that's with a load tester. It's a voltmeter and dummy load that works by applying a DC load for a short duration to a starter battery, simulating cranking. The voltage drop and recovery time provide a good indication of battery health. To do a CCA pass/fail test, load a fully charged starter battery with half the rated CCA value for 15 seconds. To pass, the voltage must stay above 9.6V at 10º C (50º F) and higher.



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One code that seems to always work is TRT30.

Be aware of parts store load testing. I had my last battery "pass" the load test and still wasn't cranking the bike fast enough. I replaced it and all was well. 99 bucks using the above method.