Jump starting a 2016 Heritage (FLSTC)
#11
10-03-2017, 04:40 PM
Cruiser
battery tenders are not meant to charge a battery from a total dead state. they float a small charge to "maintain" a battery that already has a charge.
you should have pulled the battery and put it on a good 2-4 amp charger overnight and give 'er a go.
I know that's not always what a guy can do, but would have the best outcome.
the bolts idea sounds good to make jumping it work out.
you should have pulled the battery and put it on a good 2-4 amp charger overnight and give 'er a go.
I know that's not always what a guy can do, but would have the best outcome.
the bolts idea sounds good to make jumping it work out.
#12
10-03-2017, 04:54 PM
Okay, I see the confusion. I picked a crap picture to post of a battery. That one above shows a hole in the side of the post, as well as the top. Mine is not like that. (Same brand, I think, so I jumped the gun on downloading that image.) There's just a top hole. That's it. Stubby screw goes through the ring connectors, has a Phillips head.
Does your seat contact the cables when it's all connected?
Asking out of curiosity as I have never seen it set up like that. Could you post a picture when you have a chance?
#13
10-03-2017, 08:42 PM
So, like a dummy, I left my ignition switch on after parking the bike on Sunday and ended up with a dead battery. Realized it yesterday morning, put the battery tender on the bike (via SAE plug), which has worked before, but not on an overnight drain like this. Uber'ed into work, and a co-worker had a nice jump start kit that just didn't cut it for his big ol' V8 Nissan Titan, was planning to return it. "Let me take it home, try it out."
No dice after charging for an entire work day . Was hoping not to have to need the jump-start gizmo since I had the battery tender on all day, but no charge so let's give it a try.
Here's the problem: How in the [blankety blank *&^*&%^*%] could anyone get the jaws of the clips around the posts on this particular battery / model???
There's almost NOTHING to grab onto. And while there is a tiny bit of post you could try to use, it's recessed into the top of the battery case so much that you can't get the edge of the clip in between the post and the case. (As you should be able to see from the picture I attached.) And then you have the wires attached just taking up more room. How does ANYONE jumpstart a bike battery??? Forget that this was a jump starter gizmo...even regular jumper cables from the car (which are generally bigger, anyway) wouldn't be able to clip on. Big ol' WTF moment for me. Because I love standing out in the rain trying to jump-start a battery (and not being able to accomplish it) in the drizzle at 8am when I should be at work.
This morning it was raining, the battery still no good after another 12 hours of battery tender time. Wife is using the Ford to go out of town (fortunately not until about 10 am) and her little Mazda Miata also has a dead battery (because we never drive it). Moved the battery tender to the car, took the truck before she needed to leave and fetched a new battery at O'Reilly for $115 or so, all in, tax, core, etc. Able to start the bike and ride to work...in the rain, with my crinkly) rain gear) pants.
Would love to know what part of this equation I'm not grasping. Let's hear it, folks.
No dice after charging for an entire work day . Was hoping not to have to need the jump-start gizmo since I had the battery tender on all day, but no charge so let's give it a try.
Here's the problem: How in the [blankety blank *&^*&%^*%] could anyone get the jaws of the clips around the posts on this particular battery / model???
There's almost NOTHING to grab onto. And while there is a tiny bit of post you could try to use, it's recessed into the top of the battery case so much that you can't get the edge of the clip in between the post and the case. (As you should be able to see from the picture I attached.) And then you have the wires attached just taking up more room. How does ANYONE jumpstart a bike battery??? Forget that this was a jump starter gizmo...even regular jumper cables from the car (which are generally bigger, anyway) wouldn't be able to clip on. Big ol' WTF moment for me. Because I love standing out in the rain trying to jump-start a battery (and not being able to accomplish it) in the drizzle at 8am when I should be at work.
This morning it was raining, the battery still no good after another 12 hours of battery tender time. Wife is using the Ford to go out of town (fortunately not until about 10 am) and her little Mazda Miata also has a dead battery (because we never drive it). Moved the battery tender to the car, took the truck before she needed to leave and fetched a new battery at O'Reilly for $115 or so, all in, tax, core, etc. Able to start the bike and ride to work...in the rain, with my crinkly) rain gear) pants.
Would love to know what part of this equation I'm not grasping. Let's hear it, folks.
They small Harley batteries don't handle being drained completely dead too well. Do yourself a favor and just go buy a new battery before you find yourself stranded somewhere
oh yes! Using bumper cables from a car is a huge pain in the ads. The last time I did it, after finally getting a half ads connection, I had to let it sit hooked up the car (not running) for an hour or two before it started
Last edited by Amanelot; 10-03-2017 at 08:45 PM.
#14
10-03-2017, 09:44 PM
Tourer
The AGM batteries need a special technique to charge when deeply discharged. The chargers detect the low voltage and shut off.
Set this up so you can do all these steps in close proximity. You need to have another, good, 12V battery to do this. Connect the good battery in parallel to the discharged battery, then connect the charger to the discharged battery. The charger will read the voltage from the good battery and start providing charge current. After a few minutes, you can disconnect the good battery, leaving the charger connected to the discharged battery. Charging will continue and the discharged battery will get back to normal in a couple of hours.
Set this up so you can do all these steps in close proximity. You need to have another, good, 12V battery to do this. Connect the good battery in parallel to the discharged battery, then connect the charger to the discharged battery. The charger will read the voltage from the good battery and start providing charge current. After a few minutes, you can disconnect the good battery, leaving the charger connected to the discharged battery. Charging will continue and the discharged battery will get back to normal in a couple of hours.
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Will Belden (10-05-2017)
#15
10-03-2017, 11:31 PM
#16
10-04-2017, 03:52 AM
Tourer
Maybe too much current for that little cable.
If the AGM battery has dropped down to 8V, it might act like a short to the car battery. I did the same thing (left ignition on) on my '14 FLSTC - so speaking from experience. Jump start didn't work. Only the 2nd good battery trick I mentioned above...
If the AGM battery has dropped down to 8V, it might act like a short to the car battery. I did the same thing (left ignition on) on my '14 FLSTC - so speaking from experience. Jump start didn't work. Only the 2nd good battery trick I mentioned above...
#17
10-04-2017, 08:02 AM
The starter pulls more current than a charger cable can handle and you will melt the cable (trust me I know
)
#18
10-04-2017, 08:39 AM
I just went looking (Google) for a better picture of the battery, but every image I'm seeing shows both a top bolt hole as well as a side bolt hole. I'm seriously wondering now if my battery has both of those, but I simply didn't notice it. It's been raining for a couple of days, so not going to immediately "go play with electricity", but I am definitely going to check that out. I have the extra screws from the old battery, so I might be able to easily use both.
Again, though, thanks very much for all the input!
#19
10-04-2017, 11:20 PM
Balloo
#20
10-05-2017, 04:55 PM
A lot of people who store their bikes over the off season pull their battery and then clamp on a battery tender at their homes.