I have a 2014 Ultra Limited which will be 2 years old in April. It hesitated while cranking during startup a few times. In other words, it would start cranking at its normal speed, then get a slight hesitation in cranking, and then while still depressing the start switch, the engine would start. Dealer said to bring in just the battery for a test. Now the stock HD battery is rated 405 CCA. After the test, the printout from tester stated 366 CCA, 12.4Volts, with a state of health OK.

Now I know from past Harley's, they will do this from time to time. I was just concerned because since getting the rushmore bike, I always turn the ignition to accessory till the nav, etc. boots up. Then I would depress the button to get rid of the warning notice. But when this hesitation during cranking occurred, I would have to clear the GPS warning again. That's never happened since the bike was new. That's why I thought the battery is weak. I also use a battery tender.

Even though it tested OK, could that still cause a hesitation of cranking while starting the engine? What do you think? TIA

 

sounds like your battery voltage may be dropping below 10 vdc during the start cycle. That usually indicates a weak battery or charging system issue...or both.

My battery is over 3 years old and I have accidentally discharged it a few times and had an issue with the stator and voltage regulator since installing this HD battery new. Those kinds of things will shorten the life of a battery. It is doing the same thing you are describing and I have been monitoring the volts during the cranking cycle and I have noticed it drop below 10 vdc a coupled of times and had a couple of cold starts so I figure that this battery doesn't have much life left.

 

I read where as long as it doesn't drop the voltage below 9.5 volts when cranking, the battery is ok. Though it still doesn't seem right.

 

Just an update. I did a parasitic draw test and it showed 1.50-3.20 ma. I think when the security light flashed, that causes the jump to 3.20 ma.

Does that sound ok?

 

If you have a volt meter with a min/max function you could hook it up to a fully charged battery and start the bike. Shut off the bike and check to see how low the battery went while cranking. I believe 9.6 v is the magic number, below that is bad.
Does this happen often? Only when parked for a few days? Keeping it hooked to a tender will help.

Here are a couple pages from the electrical diagnostic manual:
Good Luck

 

Thanks Vernal. I have tested the voltage upon starting bike with charged battery and it drops to 8.8 volts. Yet the battery tested good at the Harley dealer. Even though the stock Harley battery says it has 405 CCA, it only tested at 366 CCA at 12.4 volts. But maybe that's normal for a 1 yr and 9 month old battery? I also think the battery load tester the dealer uses will state the battery is OK if it tests over 50%. Here is a link to the HD battery tester the dealer uses. It's on page 3.

http://charleybragg.com/Linked%20Fil...ical_Forum.pdf

Also thanks for the ETM pages. I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the ETM.

 

Last April I bought a used 2014 Limited from a guy in Tulsa, flew down there and road it home. He had it for a year and half and it had 800 miles on it. When I started it up the battery was weak. I thought it was just not charged from sitting in his garage. When I stopped for gas it almost didn't start even though I rode over 100 miles. I stopped at a dealership in OK city and they pulled the battery, put it on the tester and it showed good. They gave me the print out and told me to show it to the next dealer if I continued to have trouble. The next morning in Shamrock TX it barely started so I went to the dealer in Amarillo. They replaced the battery and told me a proper test would take a few hours on the tester. I have not had a problem with the battery on that bike since. I've read that if the battery looses charge it may never charge fully again. I now keep both our bikes on a tender when parked. I've been tempted to buy a Shumacher load tester and just check the batteries when I have doubts.
I recommend everyone should buy the trilogy Service Manual, Electrical Diagnostic Manual and Parts catalog. Use them once to fix a problem and they pay for themselves.
Good Luck

 

When the dealer tested my battery, it took all of about 15 minutes. Then they give me the ticket that stated the battery tested OK. They said they can only warranty the battery if the battery fails the test. I bet if they tested it properly like the Amarillo dealer stated (3 hours), it would have failed the test.

I'll remember this next time I'm looking for a new bike.

 

Sorry about resurrecting an old thread but when I searched for "Rushmore Battery" this is where I landed. I too am experiencing battery issues. I have a 2015 Ultra Classic, purchased new Dec 26, 2014 and it has nearly 20,000 miles on it now. If it sits for an extended period (more than a couple of days) it is plugged into a battery tender. If sitting overnight, no. This past weekend we rode to southern MO for a poker run. One way trip distance was about 250 miles. No problems all the way there. Stayed the night, bike parked outside, temps got down to about 45 F. Next morning went to start the bike and it cranked incredibly slow, too slow to start. Ended up push starting it to get home. Shut it off several times on the trip home and did not have any other problems. Voltmeter was 14 to 15 volts all the way home. Once home, the next day, I pulled the seat and checked all battery connections and all grounds that I could find. No problems found. I do not have the tools to load test the battery but it sounds to me like it is getting weak and not holding a charge. I have never had problems with it before. Not looking for the magic answer, just opinions before I go spend the jack on a new battery. Thanks!

 

I'd charge it up good and take it to a parts store and have it load tested.
Good luck