Hello all! I have a 2007 Super Glide Custom. Very low miles, but I have an issue I think is electrical. For the past 5 year, I have had to buy 3 or 4 batteries. The damn thing is just hard to crank over and needs every possible amp to fire. With that said, I have just lived with it and keep buying batteries. During my last ride in October before putting the bike away for the winter, the bike literally cut out (died) completely on me numerous time on the freeway at constant rpms. I was able to press the start button and re-fire everytime. I got off the freeway and took back roads home and it still cut out. If approaching a stop, I could not let it just idle. I had to keep revving it. When I fianlly got near my home, I experimented with letting it idle. It died and my clock was flashing 12:00.

The problem cannot be the battery as I always put it on a battery tender when I know I won't be using it for a while. But I can't even call myself a shade tree mechanic. The nearest dealership to me is about 25 miles away. The bike has a stage 1 kit and a lojak installed and that is it as far as non stock items.

Does anybody have any ideas on where I should look for a problem or obvious solution?

 

Check your battery terminals to make sure they are tight. Check ground wires.
Invest in a battery tender.

 

Have you done all the checks on the stator and regulator to make sure the charging system is up to speed??

 

This was my first thought. Ground wire = both ends of your battery cables

 

Sounds like a PIA for you. Since you are using a battery tender it sounds like the battery itself isn't an issue. Does the tender stay in the charging mode very long? If you have been riding for a while and then hook up the tender it shouldn't need much of a charge. Loss of power while riding does makes you think it's a stator issue. Without putting it on the tender my bike can sit a couple of weeks before the battery is too low to start it. But, once it starts it's all good. Hate to state the obvious, but have you thought of disconnecting the LoJack just for troubleshooting purposes? That almost has to be a constant drain on the battery, right? Does it broadcast a signal even if the bike is not running? It alerts you even if the bike is moved, so that is a bit of power draining the battery all of the time (I'm guessing). I have never had a vehicle with one so I don't know. Good luck. My opinion is worth what you paid for it.

 

Find someone with a volt meter and measure your battery terminals with the bike running at high idle ~1100 or so. You should be seeing 13+ volts, up to say... 14v. If not, check all your connections.. all.. you may have corrosion that needs cleaned off. If so, clean it (wire brush) and apply some dielectric grease to it before reconnecting it. ( you should be able to get a small packet of that, like a ketchup packet, and your local auto store).

If all that checks out and you still have low voltage, you may need to check your stator/rotor and wiring. That will require removing the outer primary cover at least, but you probably should leave that to a dealer/mechanic.