What Battery is everybody running on there bikes? I bought my bike in july 08. I put the battery tender on it back at the beginning of oct. when I noticed the bike getting hard to start. I went into the garage this past weekend and the bike just clicked. A new battery at the stealer is $127 otd. If it is only going to last 18 months I'm not sure I want to buy a hd one

 

My bike is an 06 that I bought in May of 06 and I'm still using the original battery. I have religiously plugged in my battery tender and as of yesterday no problems. I plug my tender in after every ride, takes 5 sec.

 

HD makes some great batteries... i have an 06 as well and the battery just went bad this winter... not bad just not as much umph as it used to have... i was VERY pleased with this battery and will replace it with the same!

 

I do the exact same thing you do after EVERY ride and it stays on till the next , i bought my bike in Dec 06 and have no problems with original battery holding a charge ... Yet !

 

Never replaced the OEM battery in my 04 FLHTI even after 5 yrs. Don't use a tender since I live in FL and ride pretty much year round. Never a problem in my s/o's Lowrider with HD battery. In fact, the only battery I've ever had any issues with was a non-HD one in my Shovel. Assuming you bought the bike new, I'd wonder about the tender. No reason for a new battery to have issues in 18 months unless you've made a lot of mods or do crazy stuff like leaving the lights on to drain it down. Something isn't right if you ride normally for a battery to go out in 18 months.

So help me understand something - why do you call them "stealer"? Do they point guns at you when you walk in? Hit you on the head with a blackjack and rip off your wallet? $127 is a very fair price for a gel battery and nobody's forcing you to buy it from the dealership. Go to WalMart and get one that may or may not last a year.

 

I have never had a HD battery last less then 5 years. I never use a tender. I ride almost everyday though so a tender is not needed. They sell a damn good battery. If you find a Deka AGM they are the same as a HD battery.

 

My H-D battery lasted 4 years to the day (almost). Don't use a tender and use my Visa points so replacement was 'cheap".

 

My HD battery lasted 7 years, and the one in my OL's scoot is now 5 years old without a problem. We live in the north where the temps dip, and the snow flies. The only time I put a tender on the batteries is in the spring, right before I'm going to bring them back to life after a cold winters nap.

 

Mine lasted 4 months, then after a long charge on a tender to try and revive it, another couple months.

 

I still have the original battery in my 05 (purchased new in 7/05), have never used a tender or any kind of charger on it. I don't exactly live in a year round warm climate and it lives in an uninsulated detached garage/shed.
I do ride mine year round, not daily, but as much as possible. Last December was the first month I had not been on the bike at all and it still started right up.
The only accessory I run is an occasional GPS.

Curious about the reasons some fail.
Do those of you with failing batteries ride consistently?
Are your rides more than 5 minutes at a time?