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Started to go for a ride yesterday and discovered my battery was dead. When I removed it I found the negative cable connection covered with corrosion. I cleaned it off with foaming battery cleaner and soaked the bolt with WD40. The bolt would not come loose and I twisted the terminal open on the battery trying. I ended up cutting all the caged nut lead off but the back tab. I found a thin, square, 1/4-20 nut that would squeeze in behind the tab. I used that for a template to drill the back negative tab that remained. I cut the nipple off a brass hose connector to use as a spacer.
I figured the corrosion had leached into the battery cable crimp so I made a new cable using some #2 welding cable with heavy duty tinned terminals. I crimped and soldered both terminals.
Here is the cable I made.
Here it is connected to the battery.
Here I have it all buttoned up except the ground connection to the frame. (that was a bugger to get bent around with that heavy cable but I got it) Always disconnect the ground first and reconnect it last.
This battery has 1995 under the bar code making me wonder if that was the date it was made. The install punch outs indicate it was installed in April 2013. I think I will call Battery Source and ask if that 1995 is the actual date of MFG.
Last edited by Sandy H.; Aug 10, 2016 at 12:07 PM.
Nice! I can vouch for getting the cable reconnected being a pain. Those wires are darn near professional.
My only comment would be about your wrapping. It looks like you used electrical tape to seal the crimps, I think? Being crimped and soldered, it should be pretty solid. However, the best thing to prevent future corrosion would be to get some adhesive heat shrink. I usually get it at West Marine or some other boating store. It's not exactly cheap, but ideally you only use an inch or two at a time. This is the process used to make marine battery cables. They need to be sealed because they are in the bilge. Electrical tape has the habit of drying out and cracking with time and heat. Everything else is top notch.
As for replacement batteries, the HD ones are pretty darn good. If you can get it cheaper, the OEM supplier for batteries is East Penn Mfg./Deka. I've had cheap batteries only last a year or two, while the OEM ones tend to get 5+ if maintained.
Last edited by Scuba10jdl; Dec 28, 2014 at 04:00 PM.
Nice! I can vouch for getting the cable reconnected being a pain. Those wires are darn near professional.
My only comment would be about your wrapping. It looks like you used electrical tape to seal the crimps, I think? Being crimped and soldered, it should be pretty solid. However, the best thing to prevent future corrosion would be to get some adhesive heat shrink. I usually get it at West Marine or some other boating store. It's not exactly cheap, but ideally you only use an inch or two at a time. This is the process used to make marine battery cables. They need to be sealed because they are in the bilge. Electrical tape has the habit of drying out and cracking with time and heat. Everything else is top notch.
As for replacement batteries, the HD ones are pretty darn good. If you can get it cheaper, the OEM supplier for batteries is East Penn Mfg./Deka. I've had cheap batteries only last a year or two, while the OEM ones tend to get 5+ if maintained.
I hear you on the sealing type heat shrink. I have plenty of it but none large enough for this size cable. Will probably pick some up next time I go to Tractor Supply and I'm sure this won't be the last time this battery is out. Next time I will do the cable upgrade on the positive cable while I'm at it. The bike already starts better than it has since I bought it. No lag or hesitation when it comes up on compression. It just spins till it starts which happens pretty quick.
I've heard mixed reviews on the OEM bateries as you will on any product. I actually have a co-worker that has a HD battery less than a year old that will not take a charge. He has not ridden the bike and left it on the battery tender so he may have a bad cable as well.
That little Battery Tender brand battery I linked to above has a 3 year warranty. Out of 122 reviews on Amazon only 15 are below 4 stars.
I have looked at the MotoBatt battery. It cost more, has the same power rating, and 1 year less warranty than the Lithium Battery Tender battery.
As for replacement batteries, the HD ones are pretty darn good. If you can get it cheaper, the OEM supplier for batteries is East Penn Mfg./Deka. I've had cheap batteries only last a year or two, while the OEM ones tend to get 5+ if maintained.
+1 for hd batteries. cough up the scratch for the HD. i've been down this road and have yuza battery hanging around that i bought and never installed. the terninals were crappy and not worth of my bike. if you want it you are welcome to it for just shipping cost.
+1 for hd batteries. cough up the scratch for the HD. i've been down this road and have yuza battery hanging around that i bought and never installed. the terninals were crappy and not worth of my bike. if you want it you are welcome to it for just shipping cost.
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Battery
