Well it looks like i'm going to have to replace my battery in my bike and was wondering if i should go with an OEM from Harley or a aftermarket battery.

 

I always run the Harley batteries. They have a 1 year warranty. I believe AGM makes them or maybe it is ACM.

Drew

 

Cycle Gear offers a battery with life time warranty.

 

interstate brand pops in the mind when talkin batteries.

 

I have a interstate in my 97 heritage,, 2nd year still going strong so far.

 

My stock battery lasted 5 yrs and I never use a tender so I bought another one.

 

Stay away from HD marketed batteries....they don't make them anyway. You will pay a big premium for a crappy battery. And the warranty is worth crap...they want to keep your bike overnight...to see if a tender will bring it back. Why take the risk of a dealer screwing with your bike....the youngest and dumbest will be all over your bike. Get the dimensions...go on line....and order an aftermarket AGM. Will cost you less and you will have a better battery.

 

Best place I found...$85.00 to your door

http://bohannonbattery.com/html/motbat/20lbs.html

 

JCI (Johnson Controls) makes the Interstate brand and they have a fairly solid reputation as well as a national distribution system (good for warranty if you're out of town). They also make a number of other brands, some of the Sears Diehard branded batteries come to mind. The only manufacturer that I'd shy away from is Exide and that would include batteries that are not branded Exide but are made by Exide. Motorcraft would be one of these as an example.. Exide was a consolidator of small battery companies some years ago, and depending on which plant built your battery you can get a good product . . . . or not.

Two things: 1.) "AGM" stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. It's a battery design not a manufacturer of batteries, and 2.) Harley doesn't make their own batteries. They outsource them and have them labeled/branded Harley-Davidson. For all I know JCI is their supplier; but more likely it's an off shore sourced part. Also this sort of thing gets bid on an annual basis so the supplier for Harley one year may not be the same the following year. Also the OEM source for batteries may not be the same as their aftermarket supplier. I know this is the case for several OEM automotive companies.

 

This guy says Deka makes the Harley batteries, and he sells them. They are made in the Pennsylvania.

http://alphadogchoppers.com/Specials/BatteryOffers.html