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I know we're about the HD Softail Breakout here. That said, in a quest for bigger and badder and with the new CVO pushing 30 grand in Canada, the resurrection of "Big Dog" must have caught more attention than just mine:
I picked up my bike from the dealership last Thursday after winter storage and last mods were completed. After I arrived home I had her standing in the driveway with ignition turned on but engine off for approximately 20 minutes.
After those 20 minutes the bike wouldn't start anymore....starter would not fully engage and the power would break down completely.
So yesterday morning I took the battery to my dealer to have it checked.
Result: The battery was fu****. The 2 years warranty had just expired 9 days before.
But I got the battery replaced for free anyway....that's what I call good service...a bad quality of the battery, though.
I picked up my bike from the dealership last Thursday after winter storage and last mods were completed. After I arrived home I had her standing in the driveway with ignition turned on but engine off for approximately 20 minutes.
After those 20 minutes the bike wouldn't start anymore....starter would not fully engage and the power would break down completely.
So yesterday morning I took the battery to my dealer to have it checked.
Result: The battery was fu****. The 2 years warranty had just expired 9 days before.
But I got the battery replaced for free anyway....that's what I call good service...a bad quality of the battery, though.
That's not quite fair. Batteries doe discharge when left stored fro long periods of time. In addition, modern bikes (and cars) draw a small amount of power from the battery even when just in storage. Bike batteries need to be kept on a "smart" battery charger that monitors the battery condition and keeps it charged to a sort of "ideal" level. If your dealership does not do this as part of their storage program, then it's not fair to blame either HD or the battery manufacturer.
Your dealership did you a favor in replacing the battery under warranty.
...
Bike batteries need to be kept on a "smart" battery charger that monitors the battery condition and keeps it charged to a sort of "ideal" level. If your dealership does not do this as part of their storage program, then it's not fair to blame either HD or the battery manufacturer.
Your dealership did you a favor in replacing the battery under warranty.
Jim G
Of course they kept the battery on the tender for the whole time while the bike was stored for winter. Even when they did the mods and several test rides they used the battery and it was always fine.
Only after I took the bike home it was when the battery broke down.
But I agree that is was more than fair to exchange the battery FOC.
Of course they kept the battery on the tender for the whole time while the bike was stored for winter. Even when they did the mods and several test rides they used the battery and it was always fine.
Only after I took the bike home it was when the battery broke down.
But I agree that is was more than fair to exchange the battery FOC.
Yep, from all I've read, batteries are a bit of a crap shoot. Some guys claim to get 8 years out of a battery and others report their new batts are dead right out of the box.
I was toying with the idea of replacing my 3 year old (seemingly A-OK) OEM battery just for piece of mind but found one of those XP1 pocket boosters for 85 bux and bought it instead. Two are better than one ??? Hope so.
Actually I now got me a battery tender as weather dependant the bike may be parked for more than a week. In this case it's probably a good idea to put the bike/battery on the tender whenever it's not moved for more than a couple of days. Especially when doing only short trips.
EagleRay- sorry to hear about the bad battery. always good timing eh? ;p
you said you left the ignition on but bike turned off for 20 mins? if I understand that correctly, that is a lot of drain to put on a battery, lights and ecm left on for 20 mins. maybe it was good you 'stress tested' the battery now vs having it leave you stranded on the road later.
rule of thumb I replace regular AGM bike batteries every 2 years. they are really only good for 3 tops. anything over 2 that is a crap shoot. However right now I'm running a lithuim poly battery (AntiGravity), that thing can sit for months and not lose a drop of charge. but honestly for the cost of one lithium battery I could buy three quality regular batteries. lol
Like HKMark I have an AntiGravity XP1 mini pack and drop it into the solo bag. damn thing will jump start a V8 truck. great little gadget to have.
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