Battery Concerns
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
HD batteries are warrantied for 1 year. That is irrespective of leaving the ignition on. Only a defective battery would not have been able to be recharged.
In 2010 and earlier they were two years. My 2010 Superglide battery was replaced under warranty at 18 months.
Now it is one year and the replacement has a 6 month warranty.
Did the service department know it was 6 months old? Anyway who buys a battery from the dealer when the same spec battery can be had for less elsewhere. The AGM battery at Walmart made by Yuasa is under $80 andthey are the largest maker of motor sport batteries in the world.
In 2010 and earlier they were two years. My 2010 Superglide battery was replaced under warranty at 18 months.
Now it is one year and the replacement has a 6 month warranty.
Did the service department know it was 6 months old? Anyway who buys a battery from the dealer when the same spec battery can be had for less elsewhere. The AGM battery at Walmart made by Yuasa is under $80 andthey are the largest maker of motor sport batteries in the world.
Last edited by lh4x4; Feb 3, 2014 at 10:04 PM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,052
Likes: 6
From: North London, UK
I once left the lights on and came back to teh bike after work and there was nothing at all. I called the RAC (kinda like AAA in America) and they send a van. The guy hooked my battery to the van and charged it for like 20 minutes. The bike started and off I went.
That was two summers ago and I've not had a problem with the battery since.
That was two summers ago and I've not had a problem with the battery since.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 3,751
Likes: 459
From: Here and now
HD batteries are warrantied for 1 year. That is irrespective of leaving the ignition on. Only a defective battery would not have been able to be recharged.
In 2010 and earlier they were two years. My 2010 Superglide battery was replaced under warranty at 18 months.
Now it is one year and the replacement has a 6 month warranty.
Did the service department know it was 6 months old? Anyway who buys a battery from the dealer when the same spec battery can be had for less elsewhere. The AGM battery at Walmart made by Yuasa is under $80 andthey are the largest maker of motor sport batteries in the world.
In 2010 and earlier they were two years. My 2010 Superglide battery was replaced under warranty at 18 months.
Now it is one year and the replacement has a 6 month warranty.
Did the service department know it was 6 months old? Anyway who buys a battery from the dealer when the same spec battery can be had for less elsewhere. The AGM battery at Walmart made by Yuasa is under $80 andthey are the largest maker of motor sport batteries in the world.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 6,086
Likes: 1,128
From:
Do you have the papers for the new harley battery?
Do you have papers for your bike? is your bike 6 months old from factory new?
Was your bike purchased in the USA, new from a Harley dealer?
Return to harley dealer purchase point with papers and request a refund.
Unless you did not disclose the above to the Harley dealer during your transaction there should be no reason for them to refuse a refund.
Unless some information is missing the harley dealer gets paid by the factory for the replacement unless the dealer wants to play games about having to bring the bike in for service.
If the situation permitted..I would have charged the battery overnight and lived with it or if circumstances permitted i would have requested a warranty claim...45 minutes is not a huge amount of time.
Sometimes it is amazing how a respectful, polite and detailed conversation with the dealer management (face to face) helps to reach a resolution. At worse they toss a $100 store location gift card your way in order to remove the sting.
Leaving ignition open for 45 minutes would be very little reason to junk a 6 month old battery... but everybody is different.
Do you have papers for your bike? is your bike 6 months old from factory new?
Was your bike purchased in the USA, new from a Harley dealer?
Return to harley dealer purchase point with papers and request a refund.
Unless you did not disclose the above to the Harley dealer during your transaction there should be no reason for them to refuse a refund.
Unless some information is missing the harley dealer gets paid by the factory for the replacement unless the dealer wants to play games about having to bring the bike in for service.
If the situation permitted..I would have charged the battery overnight and lived with it or if circumstances permitted i would have requested a warranty claim...45 minutes is not a huge amount of time.
Sometimes it is amazing how a respectful, polite and detailed conversation with the dealer management (face to face) helps to reach a resolution. At worse they toss a $100 store location gift card your way in order to remove the sting.
Leaving ignition open for 45 minutes would be very little reason to junk a 6 month old battery... but everybody is different.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 10
From: Scotland
Harley make a lot of money selling bikes to people with no clue about anything to do with motorcycles, they then make a lot of money telling the same people anything they want to tell them to get them to buy new parts.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,514
Likes: 1,992
From: Vancouver BC
Fer cryin' out loud, just charge your battery for a few minutes just like you'd do if it was a car battery. There's no need to have the dealer give you the once over. 11.7 volts is close to the maximum discharge allowable for a lead acid or AGM battery but it will still charge and hold current. Just remember to keep your ignition off if boosting from a car battery, this is to avoid any in-rush current from whacking your bikes electronics when initially hooking up the battery.
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Road Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 417
From: Outer Banks, NC
Hi Scott, welcome to this MB. We all learn stuff, one way or another. At the risk of repeating, here's my opinions.
I think the stealership did you wrong. You can't test a dead battery. I've revived many dead batteries. The dealer should have given it a good long charge (overnight) and then tested it with a load tester. Only then could he have told you if it was bad. But instead of doing the customer right, he served his employer and sold you a battery. Some guys here are saying go get the battery. I say, too late, that battery won't even be found in their discard pile. If you were able to get it back from them and prove it could have been resuscitated you could sue them. I say it's not worth it, just learn from this.
I never understood some who always shut down with the run/stop switch; to each his own. I'll test it once in a while but I use the ignition switch to shut down.
I also believe in battery maintainers. I have a 1975 Suzuki GT750 that I only ride once in a while; it's on a smart charger all the time. It's conventional flooded battery is 5 years old, still cranks the old girl good! I throw the Harley on it once in a while.
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