There may be a drain on it when it supposed to be off. Disconnect the ground cable from the battery and touch it to a good ground while ignition off. See if there is a spark, if so something is open when ignition should be off.

 

my first battery in my softail went back in under 2 years. Even though it showed 12v, as soon as you hit the Start button it dropped down to between 5 and 6v, had to replace it :'(

 

My last battery only lasted 2 yrs before I had to replace it. My battery in my 2008 4 wheeler is still kicking strong and it stays outside in the shed in 20 degree weather throughout the winters. Who knows.

 

Three years is about all I get out of one & I have used all kinds.Does not seem very long to me either {(

 

Wonder If the quality in these batteries are declining? I noticed my new battery seemed harder to charge. My previous batteries would show a green light in just a minute or so, this new battery I have takes a half hour or so for the tender to show a green light.

 

From the number of responses that are indicating a shorter life
i'd be inclined to say the battery quality may have declined like many other items now produced.

 

OMG!!! The sky is falling! The number of people here that have indicated perceived early battery failure is not statistically significant to indicate a low quality trend.