Have a fun problem going on this morning.
Bike is a 98 wideglide with 25k on the clock. All stock besides pipes.
The problem- went to start her today with no luck. Turned over slow but would not fire. Probably had the start switch down for 10 seconds during this attempt. Noticed smoke coming out of the battery box. Removed box to find the terminals melted and bolts discolored. I put this battery in last week and went for a 5 mile ride. It cranked slow out of the box but just assumed it was from sitting on a shelf. The battery is a Duracell direct replacement. Any insight would be appreciated. Pictures below. All connections were correct and tight btw.

 

 

Usually that is caused by resistance in the connections. High current draw through a resistive connection generates heat. It may be too late, but if nothing is damaged, you can try cleaning the connections (use sand paper) and reinstalling them, coating them with dielectric grease, and torquing them correctly. But if they're to far gone the only recourse is to replace the connectors (or, if I understand you correctly, the battery.) If the battery terminals melted, the battery is toast.

Another possible cause, although less likely, is excessive current draw by the starter, but, usually, if that's the case, the smoke will come from the starter or the solenoid, not the battery.

 

Ah, I posted before the photos. Yes, bad connections at the battery. have the battery tested to see if it is still alive, then redo all the connections making sure they are clean and tight. What do the battery leads look like?

 

The leads looked fine no discoloration or melting of the casings. I appreciate the quick reply. I inspected the connections during replacement and they were clean and undamaged. Any chance of a fault with the battery? If I'm lucky I might be able to get batteries plus to warranty the battery.

 

Lets see,
You put this BRAND NEW battery in last week and went for a 5 mile ride.
Starter cranked slow out of the box with BRAND NEW battery but you assumed it was from sitting on a shelf.
Was battery ever placed on a charger, trickle charger, battery tender or anything similar?
TODAY, bike turned over slow but would not fire. You report that start switch was held down for 10 seconds during this attempt.
Why did you replace the the original battery?
Did you have the original OLD battery tested?
Did you check the charging system prior to original OLD battery replacement?
When the NEW battery was brought home...Did you test that NEW battery?
When NEW battery was installed...Did you test charging system?
These questions are important in order to isolate if problem is with battery, charging system or loose ground.
A battery in a poor charging state that is forced to spin a starter will meet with a huge amount of resistance and cause wiring and battery to heat....if someone was to attempt multiple prolonged attempted starts then things start to melt.

 

The heat is generated at the point of the bad connection. The problem with a (my) Wide Glide is that the wiring wants to loosen at the battery when you are re-installing the battery box to it's permanent location.

 

I would not re-install that battery since external melting looks bad.
Internal could be similar, an internal short could cause damage to stator or regulator.

 

Non factory batteries sometimes require a small spacer between post and cable as the posts are not flush with side of case.
Installation without spacer will cause Ring on cable to not sit flat against terminal and can cables can get loose due to vibrations.

 

I doubt it. The damage appears to be right where the leads contacted the terminals. Unless there was something coating the terminals that prevented a good connection... Any resistance there acts like a heating element. The starter draws a lot of current, so a lot of heat is generated. (Obviously: enough to melt lead.) If you have a tenth of an ohm of resistance and your starter draws 150 amps then you're going to generate 2250 watts of heat, concentrated in the space where the terminal contacts the lead.