Battery question
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 385
Likes: 131
From: DC
Howdy all,
I've had a battery issue lately that I wanted to run by y'all for some opinions.
Lately my Harley AGM battery (part number 66010-97d) has gotten to where if I let the bike sit for 48 hours without a tender on it the bike won't start. I haven't had the thing for no more than a couple of years or so. The date code on it is May of 2018. It has always been plugged up to a Shumacher battery tender. The charging system is fine, volt gauge on the dash is always at 14v while riding and I double checked it with my phone linked to my Vance & Hines FP3 and the ECM reports 14.0 volts while riding. I have checked the parasitic drain with an amp meter and it is only a few mills. Also I should mention that the bike lives inside in my basement, so even on the rare occasions it gets real cold here the battery is not subjected to those temps.
In checking on the battery that came with the bike (an Interstate AGM) it only lasted about 3 1/2 years before I had to swap it out. That brings me to my first question; how long do y'all usually get out of an AGM battery given the pounding we give them with these amps?
So, given all this it looks like that HD battery is on its way out. I got one from HD because I liked the robustness of the battery terminals. I don't have room for distribution blocks so I just have a long bolt going through the four terminals on each post (two for the amps, one for the tender, and the main battery leads on each post).
My second question is I am looking for opinions from y'all as to what AGM battery with robust terminals would be a good deal. I don't want to get into the lithium arena at this point. The HD battery claims 405 CCA at zero degrees. I have seen some form online retailers like Battery Mart that claim similar specs at a good price but the terminals look pretty flimsy.
Sorry if all this seems a bit jumbled it's been a long day (I almost forgot about the hurricane that went through here today). Any and all opinions are appreciated.
I've had a battery issue lately that I wanted to run by y'all for some opinions.
Lately my Harley AGM battery (part number 66010-97d) has gotten to where if I let the bike sit for 48 hours without a tender on it the bike won't start. I haven't had the thing for no more than a couple of years or so. The date code on it is May of 2018. It has always been plugged up to a Shumacher battery tender. The charging system is fine, volt gauge on the dash is always at 14v while riding and I double checked it with my phone linked to my Vance & Hines FP3 and the ECM reports 14.0 volts while riding. I have checked the parasitic drain with an amp meter and it is only a few mills. Also I should mention that the bike lives inside in my basement, so even on the rare occasions it gets real cold here the battery is not subjected to those temps.
In checking on the battery that came with the bike (an Interstate AGM) it only lasted about 3 1/2 years before I had to swap it out. That brings me to my first question; how long do y'all usually get out of an AGM battery given the pounding we give them with these amps?
So, given all this it looks like that HD battery is on its way out. I got one from HD because I liked the robustness of the battery terminals. I don't have room for distribution blocks so I just have a long bolt going through the four terminals on each post (two for the amps, one for the tender, and the main battery leads on each post).
My second question is I am looking for opinions from y'all as to what AGM battery with robust terminals would be a good deal. I don't want to get into the lithium arena at this point. The HD battery claims 405 CCA at zero degrees. I have seen some form online retailers like Battery Mart that claim similar specs at a good price but the terminals look pretty flimsy.
Sorry if all this seems a bit jumbled it's been a long day (I almost forgot about the hurricane that went through here today). Any and all opinions are appreciated.
You can get a battery to last longer by never letting it run down. That is keep it charged with a trickle charger over long periods of non use. Take it out of bike and put it in your basement during winter. That said no battery should run down after a few days unless it is bad or you having something drawing power while the bike is not running. Is any aftermarket accessory directly wired directly to the battery? 3.5 years is decent life for a motorcycle battery.
Last edited by mnowak; Nov 3, 2020 at 10:00 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,168
Likes: 79
From: so cal
Bike batteries use thinner plates than automotive batteries so do not normally last as long.
You can get a battery to last longer by never letting it run down. That is keep it charged with a trickle charger over long periods of non use. Take it out of bike and put it in your basement during winter. That said no battery should run down after a few days unless it is bad or you having something drawing power while the bike is not running. Is any aftermarket accessory directly wired directly to the battery? 3.5 years is decent life for a motorcycle battery.
You can get a battery to last longer by never letting it run down. That is keep it charged with a trickle charger over long periods of non use. Take it out of bike and put it in your basement during winter. That said no battery should run down after a few days unless it is bad or you having something drawing power while the bike is not running. Is any aftermarket accessory directly wired directly to the battery? 3.5 years is decent life for a motorcycle battery.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 3,829
Likes: 984
From: Southern Virginia
That Braille B3121 looks like a strong contender. I figure those big ***** would need to go to fit it in the bike. Does it take standard screws? I like that it has top and side terminals like the OEM Harley.
To catch up those late to the thread, there is no parasitic drain on the battery. An older battery that I put back into the bike does not drain down over a few days.
To catch up those late to the thread, there is no parasitic drain on the battery. An older battery that I put back into the bike does not drain down over a few days.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 6,446
Likes: 873
From: TEXAS
Originally Posted by SBates08
I know it's not what you're looking for but this is the one I'll be using. 2 features that drew me to this particular battery other than the 880 CCA's.....1st is the restart feature and 2nd is the 4 posts on the battery. That allows me to not have to stack so many wires on one terminal.
T
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 3,829
Likes: 984
From: Southern Virginia
Thanks again for all the good links y'all. They all definitely appear to be better than the OEM Harley battery.
Just an update I last rode the Geezer Glide Saturday with the five year old Interstate battery in it. I purposefully left it off the tender and just cranked it three times in a row with the stereo on and it fired right up every time. Looks like that OEM Harley battery just won't up to long term usage.
Just an update I last rode the Geezer Glide Saturday with the five year old Interstate battery in it. I purposefully left it off the tender and just cranked it three times in a row with the stereo on and it fired right up every time. Looks like that OEM Harley battery just won't up to long term usage.
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Ragnar Danneskjöld
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May 30, 2012 05:21 PM
