I first posted on 12/12 an issue with a friends bike ,where the battery would go dead in about 3 weeks if the bike was parked. I received some great suggestions from the forum on things to check. Well hereare the tests I performed. Unless they left the switch onthe last time they parked it. I don't see how the battery would drain.

2002 Classic

Brand new battery reading 12.65 volts with everything connecting and on the bike. After sitting 24 hours, still read 12.65 volts. Started the bike and the voltage reading at the battery was 14.46 VDC at 3600 rpm. Shut the bike off, reading at battery 12.81 volts.

Next a Milliampere draw test.Connected digital VOM in series with the negative battery wire.
Reading was 22.24 milliamps until the TSM dropped out 30 seconds later and the reading then was 3.59 milliamps. So Idisconnected theTSM and it dropped .22 to 3.37 milliamps.Next the radio memory fuse, dropped another 2.71 milliamps leaving a reading of .66 Next the ECMfuse which accounted for another .35 milliamps. Leaving a draw of .31 Milliamps.Pulled all other fuses and the .31 would not drop out. I attributed the draw to the speedometer and tach, but didn't disconnect them to verify. Here iswhat the manual says for the draw specs for a 2004 bike.
Which should be pretty close to the 2002 ( don't have the 02 elec manual).

ECM = 1.0
Speedometer =.5
Tach =.5
TSM=.5

Bottom line is, 3.59 milliamps current draw should not be enough to drain the battery in my opinion.I also could not read any shorts to the frame etc. Any suggestions from here would be appreciated.

Stroker

 

Is this the original battery? If so it may just not be taking a charge.

Chris

 

Battery is 1 month old. All cables are new too.

 

Just bought a new battery for my 03 Deuce. It is a standard H-D battery. I charged it and put it in the bike about 3 weeks ago. Out of the bike it registered 13.5 volts at 100% charge. I just took the battery out again and checked it. It is reading 13.1 volts at 100% charge.
Try charging the battery and leave the negative cable disconnected for a couple weeks. It may be that the battery is defective and won´t hold a charge.

 

I tend to agree with this one.

 

Don't park it! Just ride and ride, and ride some more...
Only time my battery has died, even after sitting for weeks, is if the switch was left on.
I would see if a wire got pinched when the battery was put in, and is shorting across.
I would assume you didn't strip the battery bolt and juice is getting to the started and that the battery is actually dead, and not just failing to start the bike.
Have you tried another battery to see if it does the same thing? Or had a buddy try your battery in his bike to see if it does the same thing or different?

May sound stupid, but wipe your battery down, and any components the juice goes through. My autoshop instructor in high school told us that they used to take a pencil and make a mark from thecable insert to the base of the distributor and that the spark/electricity would short to ground along that graphite line that was invisible to the eye, and cause problems with the vehicle. This was a joke they'd play on each other or someone they were going to race
In other words, maybe you've got a short by something on a component, that you can't see, and the battery is grounding that way and draining. We were told to alway wipe the distributor cap to avoid any potential problems like this.
Have you put contact cleaner in the ignition lock? May be stupid to suggest, but there may be a short in the back of the lock, or right where the wires exit the ignition lock/switch. Cleaning the lock may dislodge any crap that may be in the back of the lock, where the contacts are, and alleviate your problem.
I put cleaner in the locks and run the key in and out till the key comes out without a bunch of black crap on it, then put a good lube like Tri flow in the lock, or just do it with tri flow. Tri flow will cut the dirt. All you have to do is remove the dirt, in solution,off the key after that.
Tri flow is what I use to lube locks with as a locksmith, and the only place I see it besides my locksmith distributor, is at motorcycle shops. Strange coincidence.

 

All Automotive, Boat, MC, etc. batteries will discharge over time even sitting disconnected on a shelf. I'm talking weeks to several months. Given the size of Auto vs MC batteries, this discharge becomes much more apparent in the smaller MC battery and that is why it's recommended to keep MC batteries on a tender even if the bike is going to sit for just a few weeks. I'm not saying that you don't have another problem but suggesting you consider the possibility. The typical MC battery has very little in the way of reserve cranking amp capacity compared to an automotive battery.

At the local dealrships here, if you look at their line on rental bikes, they all sit plugged into a battery tender.