I have a 2012 Fat Boy Lo with about 12,000mi. I've been having to hook it up to a battery tender in order to get it started. Today, even after being on the tender for a week, it wouldn't start. This all started when the weather got cold. I know the cold can effect the battery but DH's 2003 Softail Standard sits right next to it and his bike starts like a top with a battery older than mine!

Could something be draining the battery? There's been nothing new or changed so why the sudden problem?

 

Sound's like it's just a bad battery. That's where I'd start. If your still under warranty talk to the dealer. Remember that the tender is not really a 'charger'. It maintains. You'll probably burn up the tender trying to bring a low battery up.

 

Since you do not say. Have you made sure the battery connections are tight?

 

My battery tender charges as well as maintains it at full strength. If you have had your battery tender hooked up for a week and it still wouldn't start I'd check the battery to see if was good and getting fully charged. I would also check the connections both from the battery tender to make sure that it is doing it's job and also check your battery connections to make sure that the power from your battery is getting to your starter. Another idea I just thought of, is your battery tender working properly, maybe it has a defect in it so it's not doing it's job properly either.

 

Aside from the battery tender check your voltage regulator it could be only putting out just enough voltage to run the bike and not enough to charge the battery. Check to see if your bike is covered on the recall of the voltage regulator

 

Sorry I didn't say....yes, thst was the first thing I checked.

Springer...I changed tenders just in case that was the problem. It's working just fine.

 

Is it common for a battery less than 2 years old to go bad?

 

I wouldn't say its a common problem but it does happen

 

I've often heard that anything over 2 years on a motorcycle battery is good.

Even though your bike is barely 2 years old your battery could be older.

I'd take it to an independent battery dealer and have it load tested. If you need a new one you can probably get one there cheaper.

Last year I bought a made in the USA sealed battery for my Heritage for $84 out the door.

 

Battery life depends more on how the bike is ridden. A bike that sits in a garage on a tender and not ridden much will last 6 + years.
A bike ridden every day especially in the heat, especially a Softail with the battery in the oil tank where it gets extreamely hot will last two/three years.