battery
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,170
Likes: 435
From: australia
battery
havent ridden fx for about 6 mths. put the tender on to charge battery charged when green light shows. took plugs out engine turned over to pump out sumped oil. reinstalled plugs to start. turned over to slow to start voltage says 12.1 battery 3 yrs old. to me battery needs replacing ? also when trying to start there was a gurgling sound coming from the engine. does that mean there is still oil in the sump ? thanks
Road Captain
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 554
Likes: 359
From: Bristol, CT
havent ridden fx for about 6 mths. put the tender on to charge battery charged when green light shows. took plugs out engine turned over to pump out sumped oil. reinstalled plugs to start. turned over to slow to start voltage says 12.1 battery 3 yrs old. to me battery needs replacing ? also when trying to start there was a gurgling sound coming from the engine. does that mean there is still oil in the sump ? thanks
IMHO electric start shovels are hard on the batteries (and all the starting components too). The archaic starting system hammers the juice outta them fast if it doesnt catch and fire in the first few tries.
My 2007 XL1200R gave 10 years on the original battery with a tender attached. The second battery from DS lasted barely 4 1/2 years then I heard the dreaded SNAP poof when I hit the starter last year while in FL. The original 2009 Ultra battery lasted until 2017.
BTW - no matter what you do those quality jump packs are the best. The HD branded one they sell is junk by comparison.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,170
Likes: 435
From: australia
Yer battery is toast. Fully on a maintainer when not in use helps extend the life. Batteries have a shorter life (4-5 years) than Ive been used to. Was able to get up to 10 years from various mc batteries up until abt 12 years ago. First rule for me is keeping the battery tender on 24/7/365. Ive always done this and I can say newer batteries are sad. After a ride as soon as my bike cools enough I hook up the tender. It think thats what you need to consider. I also have a Hulkman jump pack if needed, real handy tool fits in my saddlebag too. With 3 diff HDs in my garage battery maint is #1.
IMHO electric start shovels are hard on the batteries (and all the starting components too). The archaic starting system hammers the juice outta them fast if it doesnt catch and fire in the first few tries.
My 2007 XL1200R gave 10 years on the original battery with a tender attached. The second battery from DS lasted barely 4 1/2 years then I heard the dreaded SNAP poof when I hit the starter last year while in FL. The original 2009 Ultra battery lasted until 2017.
BTW - no matter what you do those quality jump packs are the best. The HD branded one they sell is junk by comparison.
IMHO electric start shovels are hard on the batteries (and all the starting components too). The archaic starting system hammers the juice outta them fast if it doesnt catch and fire in the first few tries.
My 2007 XL1200R gave 10 years on the original battery with a tender attached. The second battery from DS lasted barely 4 1/2 years then I heard the dreaded SNAP poof when I hit the starter last year while in FL. The original 2009 Ultra battery lasted until 2017.
BTW - no matter what you do those quality jump packs are the best. The HD branded one they sell is junk by comparison.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 8,590
Likes: 3,361
From: Cental, MI
Batteries...101
at rest 12.0 Volts is Dead-Junk
12.3V is 50%
12.6+ is 100$
Wide window huh???
I use alot of Batteries, in everything on the Farm..
Cheap...Zero Mainrtenance, 3 Years.. Max
High Quality AGM (Dekka etc) 4 Years, sometimes More with some Reasonable Maintenance..
New Lithium etc...IDK...I cant justify Cost... Would need a Pallet of them to Justify cost of Charger
I like Jump Packs... I have seen more than a couple Voltage Regulators Cooked by an Aggressive Charging System... remember the Voltage regulator is only designed for Perhaps 32 Amps (most of Them) and will shunt excess to Ground!!!
at rest 12.0 Volts is Dead-Junk
12.3V is 50%
12.6+ is 100$
Wide window huh???
I use alot of Batteries, in everything on the Farm..
Cheap...Zero Mainrtenance, 3 Years.. Max
High Quality AGM (Dekka etc) 4 Years, sometimes More with some Reasonable Maintenance..
New Lithium etc...IDK...I cant justify Cost... Would need a Pallet of them to Justify cost of Charger
I like Jump Packs... I have seen more than a couple Voltage Regulators Cooked by an Aggressive Charging System... remember the Voltage regulator is only designed for Perhaps 32 Amps (most of Them) and will shunt excess to Ground!!!
Road Captain
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 554
Likes: 359
From: Bristol, CT
Good thread. My smart battery tender/chargers of which I have 2 battery tender plus, Hulkman Sigma 1, one Schumacher, one HD branded. Output varies from .750 milliamp (HD), 1.5 amp the 2 battery tender + , the Schumacher max output is 2 amp. I never use more than that amperage on such small batteries. The Schumacher 2amp is used with the Shovel battery. Ive measured how long each battery takes to recover after use, a long day riding and stopping. The newer bikes charging systems keep those batteries charged better. The shovel does have a new alternator - cycle electric - but I shoulda gone 32 amp instead of the stock 22 amp rating. Wasnt thinking.
I also have some other homemade chargers that put out 1.5 amp but need to be used with a timer - that goes on the lawn tractor battery in the winter. Juice for a half to one hour a day tops.
With everything being made so cheaply, bottom line is batteries - even with care are suspect.
I also have some other homemade chargers that put out 1.5 amp but need to be used with a timer - that goes on the lawn tractor battery in the winter. Juice for a half to one hour a day tops.
With everything being made so cheaply, bottom line is batteries - even with care are suspect.
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,170
Likes: 435
From: australia
Batteries...101
at rest 12.0 Volts is Dead-Junk
12.3V is 50%
12.6+ is 100$
Wide window huh???
I use alot of Batteries, in everything on the Farm..
Cheap...Zero Mainrtenance, 3 Years.. Max
High Quality AGM (Dekka etc) 4 Years, sometimes More with some Reasonable Maintenance..
New Lithium etc...IDK...I cant justify Cost... Would need a Pallet of them to Justify cost of Charger
I like Jump Packs... I have seen more than a couple Voltage Regulators Cooked by an Aggressive Charging System... remember the Voltage regulator is only designed for Perhaps 32 Amps (most of Them) and will shunt excess to Ground!!!
at rest 12.0 Volts is Dead-Junk
12.3V is 50%
12.6+ is 100$
Wide window huh???
I use alot of Batteries, in everything on the Farm..
Cheap...Zero Mainrtenance, 3 Years.. Max
High Quality AGM (Dekka etc) 4 Years, sometimes More with some Reasonable Maintenance..
New Lithium etc...IDK...I cant justify Cost... Would need a Pallet of them to Justify cost of Charger
I like Jump Packs... I have seen more than a couple Voltage Regulators Cooked by an Aggressive Charging System... remember the Voltage regulator is only designed for Perhaps 32 Amps (most of Them) and will shunt excess to Ground!!!
Last edited by john lee; Jun 12, 2023 at 04:56 PM.
Supporter
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 483
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From: The Late Great Golden State
Many say Yuasa and Odyssey AGM batteries are very good, though I did have a two year old Odyssey go south after sitting unused and not on a tender for about two months. To be fair, the bike it was in is suspected of having an allusive parasitic drain issue. I have had a similar thing with my truck and two AAA batteries over the past two years. One going bad after sitting for about 4 weeks, and one going bad sitting for a few days. I am hoping its a bad run of batteries and not the truck. I have heard that overall, batteries are not what they used to be due to issues with using lead. After losing the Odyssey battery I try to do the battery tender thing every weekend on the bikes.
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Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,170
Likes: 435
From: australia
Many say Yuasa and Odyssey AGM batteries are very good, though I did have a two year old Odyssey go south after sitting unused and not on a tender for about two months. To be fair, the bike it was in is suspected of having an allusive parasitic drain issue. I have had a similar thing with my truck and two AAA batteries over the past two years. One going bad after sitting for about 4 weeks, and one going bad sitting for a few days. I am hoping its a bad run of batteries and not the truck. I have heard that overall, batteries are not what they used to be due to issues with using lead. After losing the Odyssey battery I try to do the battery tender thing every weekend on the bikes.
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