Strange battery problem
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Joined: Apr 2017
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From: Florida
Strange battery problem
I recently bought a 2020 CVO Limited, I have about 1300 miles on the bike. Since day one, I have plugged it into a Harley-branded Battery Tender. The tender has never shown the battery to be fully charged, the green light never comes on. Recently the tender has started alternating flashing green-amber-green-amber which, according to the instructions, indicates the battery may be sulfated. Note that the tender is a two-bank model that also has a Softail connected which appears fine. I have swapped banks with the same result. I also have a NOCO G4 tender so last week I took the battery out of the bike, thinking maybe the parasitic drain of the security system and other electronics was causing the issue, and connected it directly to the G4. The G4 has a desulfation mode as well which I thought might help. After two days it never got past indicating a 75% charge. Yesterday, I took the battery to the dealer for testing which showed 100% healthy. On my way home I stopped at a Batteries+ shop and had them test it, same result 100% healthy. The bike seems to start fine, although a couple times when hot it seems to crank a little slower. Am I crazy for wanting to buy a new (aftermarket) battery? I just do not trust this one, even though it has tested healthy twice. Any ideas on what might be going on?
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Joined: May 2008
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From: South Carolina
A battery tender is not a troubleshooting instrument.
You don`t need to put the bike on a battery tender unless it is inactive for a long period of time, if you ride it regularly it serves no benefit.
Stop looking for things to find wrong and enjoy the new bike.
You don`t need to put the bike on a battery tender unless it is inactive for a long period of time, if you ride it regularly it serves no benefit.
Stop looking for things to find wrong and enjoy the new bike.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Central Wisconsin
I have a 2019 Road Glide and have several trickle chagers as I have many toys. The Stanley brand tenders I have would never show a full charge with a green light on. If I switch to a Schumacher tender, the green light comes on immediatly. Not sure if it is the low draw from the security system that won't allw a full charge detection or not. Maybe just different sensors in the different chargers. I am thinking the issure may be the brand of maintainer. Put it on you car or mower and see what it does.
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From: Florida
I have a 2019 Road Glide and have several trickle chagers as I have many toys. The Stanley brand tenders I have would never show a full charge with a green light on. If I switch to a Schumacher tender, the green light comes on immediatly. Not sure if it is the low draw from the security system that won't allw a full charge detection or not. Maybe just different sensors in the different chargers. I am thinking the issure may be the brand of maintainer. Put it on you car or mower and see what it does.
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a drain can cause the tinder to never show charged but you solved that issue. can a battery test good even though it can have issue, well sure it can. you did not specify which type of test instrument used and it makes a big diff. you have the resistance element type and the digital type. there is a newer type that uses an AC current to check the battery charge and discharge capabilities, this is the cat' meow!
the issue relates to the internal resistance of the battery. when new, batteries are almost a perfect type of power source because of extremely low resistance and as time goes on, increases due to many reasons from plate to electrolyte issues. this battery could have been that way from the box as mfg boo-boos happen. the tinder sensor is fooled due to the resistance and yet the battery has enough ampacity to function.
if you even have a hint of starting issues, the battery is the weakest link as every time i started having issues it was not long before it failed to start and sometime in not so well situation.
a thing to ponder is this: if the resistance is high, your charge system has to work harder.
the issue relates to the internal resistance of the battery. when new, batteries are almost a perfect type of power source because of extremely low resistance and as time goes on, increases due to many reasons from plate to electrolyte issues. this battery could have been that way from the box as mfg boo-boos happen. the tinder sensor is fooled due to the resistance and yet the battery has enough ampacity to function.
if you even have a hint of starting issues, the battery is the weakest link as every time i started having issues it was not long before it failed to start and sometime in not so well situation.
a thing to ponder is this: if the resistance is high, your charge system has to work harder.
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From: Florida
bustert, thanks for the informative reply. I too have been stuck with a dead battery in an inconvenient place, with a pissed off old lady. Not interested in repeating that experience. As I mentioned, there has been a couple times when I've stopped for fuel and the bike seemed to turn over slow. In both instances it was a warm Florida day and the motor was hot. I'm going to roll with it for now but if it gives me, as you say, any hint of starting issues it will be replaced.
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that situation can occur even with a perfect system. it probably has happened to everyone on this forum. when hot, there maybe volatile gases inside the chamber or even the manifold. these gases can raise the pressure inside the chamber or even lite off and if severe, kick back. this kick back is very noticeable with a manual foot, the starter carries some oomph and the rotating assy inertia so it becomes less noticeable.
i would check some shops to see if any have the newer type of tester as its ac test current tell not only capability going out but just as important going in.
i would check some shops to see if any have the newer type of tester as its ac test current tell not only capability going out but just as important going in.
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From: Arkansas
2020 models the battery tender is part of the main harness and not a separate pigtail. It sounds like the battery is fine. Is the battery a LiPo battery or AGM? If it is LiPo then check to see if the tender is for LiPo batteries.
Last edited by Zanthamos; Oct 7, 2020 at 02:19 AM.
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It is a separate pigtail and it connects somewhere right? Maybe not directly to the battery but somewhere, I'm missing your point.