new battery... now or spring?
 

Hi Guys...

I have a 2010 Road King in MA... Just getting ready to put it to bed for the winter. Today, I was going to get an oil change, fill up the tank, add the fuel stabilizer and give it a good wash before putting it away. For the first time ever, the bike wouldn't start (lights came on but the starter just wouln't turn). I rode 3 days ago with no issues at all and it has started every time since I bought it. The last few nights temps have been in the 20's (bike is always in an unheated garage). I put the bike on the battery tender for a few hours and then it started right up. So, I guess the cold is draining my 3.5 year old battery. So I will be getting a new one for sure.

Here's the question.... Do I put it in now when I'm about to put the bike away for the next 3 months (will be on a tender either way) or wait until March?

Any advise and opinions are welcome... thanks!

Wait until March. Then your battery will be 4 months newer, and have 4 months more life at it's end.

Spring . . . I'm with Dickey on this. But, what is really important is to pay attention to the date code that is stamped on the battery. Not much value in waiting until March to buy a battery that was made the previous September. All battery manufacturers date stamp their batteries so that they can manage their inventories. The date stamp you want to read is the one in the case, NOT the one that is usually also on the label, and also easier to find . . . Duh! The one on the label will usually be at least 90 days newer than the date stamped in the case. Batteries have more in common with Bread than they do with Wine in as much as age does not improve the quality of the Battery.

Probably wait, also Ur warranty will be 4 months longer on the other end.


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Agree with everyone else. Wait until spring.

It really depends on how adventurous you are and how cold of weather you will ride in and how much between now and then you think you will be riding?

What Dickey said. Unless you plan on riding any during the winter, then do it now.

If I stored my HD the battery would be disconnected and out of it anyway. It only takes a little time to install a battery right. By right I mean with cables and post cleaned with a light grease applied then everything tightened down. I would wait till spring to buy a battery if I stored the bike for winter.

As suggested above, the age of the "new" battery next spring might be a few to several months old...and I don't know of any retail outlet that keeps their unsold batteries on a "charger" for that long.

If you have a really decent battery maintainer/conditioner/charger (not one of those cheap chargers), I'd suggest getting the new battery now and letting the maintainer do its work over the winter.

Who knows, you might even be able to find a good quality battery at a good price now instead of the spring when many others will be in the market too.

hopefully , be sure and check the mfr date ...sometime they sit on shelves
all winter ..