Looks like it may be time for a new battery. My bike hasn't been cranking like it used to and it appears the battery is weak.

My last two batteries have been HD and each have lasted about 2 years. My bike is stored in a garage and I use the HD tender most of the time.

I was looking at an Odyssey battery specifically the PC545MJ. It has great specs and many good reviews. I was about to pull the trigger and I came across some info about the proper way to charge this battery. Apparently Odyssey recommends their chargers/tenders because many will not fully charge the battery. They even say the factory HD stator will not be sufficient to properly charge the battery. Anybody ran into this?

My local Indy is a Deka dealer so I may just go that route.

 

www.batterymart.com they sell Odyssey and Big Crank which i think is Deka...They are in Winchester VA so you will get it in 2 days. I have a Big Crank in my bike. for 1.5 years now and now issues. Best price i could find at the time.

 

I've been running one in mine for 2 years now with no problem. Matter of fact its the only battery I've used that seems like its standing up to my 113". Could be they are just trying to sell you a $66 charger but it sounds like a bunch of crap to me. I don't think their charger puts out special Odyssey brand electrons.

As far as what they say about custom bikes with high draw not charging them enough, I guess that depends on how much you ride. I average about 2200 a month on mine. If yours is a garage queen you may have problems. But consider this, the odyssey has more CCA than most batteries out there and definitely a lot more that the HD (deka) batteries you have been using. If the bike draws more than the Odyssey can give it with out having to charge it sometimes what do you think a lesser battery will give you?

Another thing to consider is compression. I'm running 10.2:1 with 101.5hp and 124 ftlb tq. I have compression releases. When I forget to hit them before I start the bike I would say it cranks a good 50% slower. If you are running through batteries quick you may want to consider putting some in.

 

I call BS on Odyssey batteries not being able to be charged by ALMOST any charger other than their own! I'll go even further to say that if they state that the HD factory stator will not be sufficient to properly charge their battery then according to them their battery will fail in a stock HD!

All wet cell batteries are supposed to come FULLY CHARGED and ready to go. AGM batteries offer the latest in battery technology. Because they are sealed, if they need to be charged, they need to be charged at a slower rate. If you need to not use the vehicle over an extended period of time, a tender is a good thing. If you go DEKA make sure it is AGM.

Don't be so quick to plug in the tender. Only use it when you know the bike will be laid up for an extended time.

 

According to Odyssey their batteries require a "special" 3 stage charge and have a list of approved chargers. It's all on their website. They also say you need a 40 amp 3 phase stator or the battery will not charge unless you ride over 150 miles. I was sold on their battery until I ran across the charging issue.

I have compression release valves and use them every time I crank the bike. I also only use the tender when the bike bike will be sitting for a while. I'm usually on my bike 3-4 days a week so it's definitely not a garage queen.

 

Yeah, once again, I'm with Jeffrey. I call BS on having to use their charger. As far as them saying you have to drive at least 150 miles to put a charge on the battery with 32 amp stator...I don't know. All I know is in two years I've never had a problem and I don't own a tender. I ride year round so I've never had a need for one.

 

I guess I was lucky .. my stock battery lasted 6yrs .. has a battery tener on during winter storage and garage new got colder than 40.

 

07 Heriage, bought in May of 07..

Battery lasted till May of this Yr, 5yrs almost to the day. And I put her on the tender during the 5-6 months of winter storage, but not during the summer.

Our rides usually are 50 to 100 miles everyday that its nice out, so usually 4-6 days a week.

Installed a new Battery Plus battery,, their just across the street, so I didn't have to drive 90 miles to get a HD one.

On any new battery I buy I always put it on the 2 amp trickle charger till the light goes out to make sure they start out with a full charge.




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OK... then why would you want their battery? All total BS sales crap. There is some reason your batterys only last two years...short trips, regulator over- charging etc...changing battery brands is not likely to change that. My last HD battery died while I was loading up to go out of town...so I ran down to my local Orileys auto parts store...their sealed battery was obviously made by the same manufacturer as my HD sealed battery at a cheaper price...where do you think I will buy my next one?

 

I have Odyssey batteries in more than a couple vehicles (I have four in my boat). I have always used standard chargers that are compatable with AGM batteries, and have never had a problem. I have three on my boat that I will discharge and re-charge (using them to deep cycle and power onboard equipment) several times in a 3-4 day trip, and they charge fine.