so i bought a 2011 FXDC with 300 miles on it. when i picked it up the battery was low so we jumped it off. i rode it off and on but if i did not ride it everyday after several days i would have to put it on a charger or jump it. this basically makes the bike not reliable at all. upon testing the battery it was determined to be ok. i have read the possible problems to cause this. my question is should i take it to a dealer and let them deal with it since it should be under warranty or try and figure out the problem myself. i am mechanically inclined i just don't want to spend 12 hours working on it and not have the answer or problem fixed. Secondly I recently put on PCV, pipes, and AC. does this void the warranty? TIA, Adam

 

How did you test the battery?
My £ says the battery's knackered

 

have you done a voltage check with the motor running

 

brought the battery in to autozone to have it tested. and no, have not done a voltage test on it yet.

 

2011 and 300 miles. The battery has been idle too long. They can test it for volts but it might not hold up on cranking amps. Crew chiefs know that.

 

**** can the battery. Remove, clean & tighten the battery cables AT BOTH ENDS, change the fluids and you'll be good to go!

 

Crewchief make sure your battery cables are clean and tight. Mine bike had some of the same symptoms as yours. If I rode everyday no problems, but if I let it set for a couple of days it would just barely start. Checked the battery yesterday and it was ok, but the positive terminal connection was loose. Tightened it back up and it started like a champ.

 

Maybe the battery, three years old with a history of little discharge-recharge cycling is iffy, but if Auto Zone tested it, then it was tested under max rated cranking load conditions so it is probably OK...Also, if it is good for several days after you charge it, then my thoughts are that the bike's charging system is not working correctly. A fully charged battery will usually crank and run a bike for several trips even if the bike's charging system is bad...

Check all the terminals, including all of the grounds and the big cable on the starter, get a multimeter and check the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running...if you read ~13.5 or more vdc, then take it to the dealer and let them figure it out.

 

So the battery checked out good. The problem could be in the charging system. If the bike is under warranty have the dealer test it as well as the charging system. Why should you throw money at a problem when it's covered by the warranty.
As far as the stage 1 you installed, it should not affect the warranty unless something you did caused a problem related to the battery. Or the dealer is a real dick and won't help you. Which doesn't make sense since they are paid by the factory for the warranty work.

 

I have had batteries tested at a few different auto zones and sometimes they just read the voltage and if it is around 12.5 they will tell you it;s a good battery. You have specifically ask them to "load test" the battery. Most autozones will even give you a print out of the results. If it passes the load test then something else is going on. (chances are it's just your battery connections.)

I take it you bought the bike at a HD dealer? I take it you bought an extended warranty. If the answer is yes to both these questions then just take it in and make them fix it.

So if you bought it at the dealer...and it wouldn't start when you were going to take it home...you let them jump start it and you drove off? You paid a lot extra buying it at the dealer so you didn't have to mess with stuff like that. Take it to them and tell them to make it right.