'14 ultra
when starting, even if rode the last day, it struggles like low battery. when I asked service manager he said they recommend using a battery tender all the time!

any comments/thoughts? I never had this problem on older bikes, softails, etc. do the electronics really pull that much juice just sitting for a day?

TIA,
Rem

 

Yes, use the battery tender every day. These new bikes with all the electronics will draw down the battery. I've used one even on my older Harley's and I get 4 to 5 years on a battery. If you don't use one, you'll get about two good years out of it.

 

I swear by those battery tenders. Use one on an airplane and car that gets rarely driven. I keep mine on the bike all the time. I buy the Deltran Battery Tenders and have had zero problems ever.

 

you now have an alarm system and radio battery pulling on the system- this can be as much as 500mA...which on a 30 amp-hour battery is ...60 hours.

I believe your model comes with a tender plug pre-installed...so just plug into it.

costco ( mine) has a pretty good battery tender deal right now

mike

 

If you are riding one day and the battery feels weak the next day, then a battery tender wont solve your problem. One day of sitting will NOT draw down your battery, unless you have a weak battery, some kind of parasitic current draw or charging problems. This is assuming you rode long enough to let the bike fully charge the battery.

Put your bike on a regular charger to make sure the battery is topped of and then perform a load test on it. You can buy a load tester from harbor freight for about $15. The load teser will tell you if your battery is weak or bad. you can also have it tested at the auto store, but pulling the seat and stuff to get to the battery is a bitch. You could use the tender pigtails on the bike to connect up to for the load test also. Proably May blow the fuse in that though, cant remember how big it is.

That being said, use a tender at all times you are not riding to extend the battery life

 

Come on guys, seriously? Ask the dealer how you're supposed to do a multi-day tour on your new "Touring" bike when it wont start on the second day?

 

What if you're on a 5 day road trip? Battery tender won't be of much help. I was told years ago to replace the battery every 2 years. I usually wait 2.5 years or so before replacement. I also use a tender if the bike sits for several day in the garage. Never had a problem.

 

Always do a load test by connecting directly across the battery terminals...

Other than that, above is correct advise...a good battery, sitting for one day will not drain far enough for you to notice any hard starting condition, unless your charging system has a problem or battery has a shorted cell or??...

 

If you put a new battery on a tender from the very beginning, you will extend the life of the battery by a huge amount. It's the multiple voltage drops that shorten the life of the battery and prevent it from holding a charge.

 

I don't know if it still holds true today, but years ago I was told it takes driving or riding 8 miles to recharge a battery from a start. And that was if it fired right off. So if you are only riding a few miles each day you are constantly draining the battery. My bike doesn't go out unless I put 20+ miles on it. Period. That helps with other issues as well. But even so, I put mine on a tender unless I'm going right back out the next day. And mine doesn't have near the current draw yours does. At least I don't think it does.