battery problems
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 163
Likes: 1
From:
Battery tenders also go dead. Check the voltage on the tenders connections to see if you are getting 12+. I had one on my bike one winter and it glowed green and was stone cold dead and so was the battery. Check the voltage on the battery itself. If its dead and the tender is alive you need a new battery.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 535
Likes: 14
From: Highspire Pa
I suspect the maintenance free batteries are not very deep cycling. I use a battery tender as well, but some times it takes a while to get the old bike started so the battery gets run down and even though it is charged back up again the battery does not last as long. I got a little over a year on a Drag Specialties before it started acting up and now less than a year on a Harley AGM battery and it doesn't take much for it to go too low. I suspect that if you run the battery down really low even 1 time it is damaged. Afterwards, the battery tender can bring it up but it doesn't have the lasting power. With the stock 80" evo the batteries lasted a couple years, but with the higher compression and bigger engines the batteries seem to die sooner.
I hate to buy a new battery now because the weather in our area just isn't good enough for riding on a regular basis. However, I am looking to see if I can find a better battery - I can accept buying a new battery every year (about 10,000 miles) , I just hate to need one sooner.
I hate to buy a new battery now because the weather in our area just isn't good enough for riding on a regular basis. However, I am looking to see if I can find a better battery - I can accept buying a new battery every year (about 10,000 miles) , I just hate to need one sooner.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 3,599
Likes: 9,905
From: Florida's gorgeous East coast
Pd...sounds like your battery is dead. NOW...you gotta ask...how long has it been in there..?? Is the charging system working properly..?? Whenever you replace a battery...get a meter, and check the charging system. It's a simple diagnostic and will reveal more serious problems before you trash a new battery, and possibly get stuck someplace.
Pajoe...I don't ride in the kind of cold weather(anymore) that you have to contend with. My experience with the AGM batteries down here in FLorida has been 4 yrs or so...Maybe you're bike has some other "issues" causing you to get such poor service life from them.
I did 3-5 out on the prairie a while back( Nebraska), which is where I got my first H-D AGM battery. It lasted 4 yrs too now that I think about it. In the Winter out there...we took the battery out of the bike and kept it in the house until we caught a break..you know...temps in the mid to upper 30's, and could get out on the road..then put the warm battery in the cold-azz motor...and started right up. Back home in the evening...pull the battery again 'til the next "warm-up". Winters out there are so damn cold...batteries can freeze if left in the bike, in an unheated garage or shed.
Pajoe...I don't ride in the kind of cold weather(anymore) that you have to contend with. My experience with the AGM batteries down here in FLorida has been 4 yrs or so...Maybe you're bike has some other "issues" causing you to get such poor service life from them.
I did 3-5 out on the prairie a while back( Nebraska), which is where I got my first H-D AGM battery. It lasted 4 yrs too now that I think about it. In the Winter out there...we took the battery out of the bike and kept it in the house until we caught a break..you know...temps in the mid to upper 30's, and could get out on the road..then put the warm battery in the cold-azz motor...and started right up. Back home in the evening...pull the battery again 'til the next "warm-up". Winters out there are so damn cold...batteries can freeze if left in the bike, in an unheated garage or shed.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 4,325
Likes: 3,594
From: Picayune, Ms.
pd76 frist thing I would do is check all the battery connections, this includes the ground to the frame, the ground in the headlight bucket and all other connections, especially at the battery. Is your battery tender connected directly to the battery??? If so it can still corrode between the connection and the battery. Claean everything to the point of shiny.
Check battery voltage disconnected from the bike if less the 10.5 volts toss in trash will not re-charge battery is sulfated(lead plates coated with sulfur from the acid) and totally unrecoverable.
If you still have the volt chart that came with the battery there will be a "dead" graph on it.
If battery shows more that 10.5 volts it is recoverable and there is a bad connection somewhere.
Check battery voltage disconnected from the bike if less the 10.5 volts toss in trash will not re-charge battery is sulfated(lead plates coated with sulfur from the acid) and totally unrecoverable.
If you still have the volt chart that came with the battery there will be a "dead" graph on it.
If battery shows more that 10.5 volts it is recoverable and there is a bad connection somewhere.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,137
Likes: 17
From:
Yeah, check the easy things first, like the battery terminals. They can have corrosion that you can't see. Clean them up and coat them with WD40.
My first AGM battery lasted seven years, so don't hesitate to get one if you need it.
My first AGM battery lasted seven years, so don't hesitate to get one if you need it.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
I just replaced a thirteen year old battery on my Beemer! The shortest battery life I have had on my Glide is about two years, more normally 3-4 years each.
On my BMW I had similar problems to what you describe. While the charger was connected all seemed OK, but it only had to be disconnected a short while for the battery to struggle starting the bike.
Some excellent advice already, about checking everything over, but it does seem a new battery is necessary.
On my BMW I had similar problems to what you describe. While the charger was connected all seemed OK, but it only had to be disconnected a short while for the battery to struggle starting the bike.
Some excellent advice already, about checking everything over, but it does seem a new battery is necessary.
Trending Topics
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Central NE
My Interstate is a year old and it checks OK until you hit the starter and than
it drops to less than 8 volts. Here is a link to a simple charging system test that
is simple to do.
http://www.wildwestcycle.com/f_charge.html
it drops to less than 8 volts. Here is a link to a simple charging system test that
is simple to do.
http://www.wildwestcycle.com/f_charge.html
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From: NC USA
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