I have been reading the stories of batteries going bad during winter storage. Naturally was hoping it wouldn't affect me, but....
went to garage today, as it was a warmer day for a looooong time.
And you are right, dead.

No possibility to charge there, no outlets around and open garage, now thinking of options. It is not totally gone, lights come on, partially, but no life when pushing the start button.
Should I take the battery out and charge it properly? Not easy, as the garage lighting is miserable...can't see much there, and don't know easy ( or difficult ) it is to take the battery out.
Simply go and buy a brand new battery ? Bike is my 2012, so it should still be OK but.....
Or can I even try to get it started with jumper cables ? Which would save me trouble of fiddling with tools in this dark garage. What are my chances of starting it with jumpers anyway?

 

You can start it with jumper cables. DO NOT JUMP IT FROM A RUNNING VEHICLE. You take a chance of frying the electrical system of you do.
Once you have started if it dies on the road, you are screwed.
Flashlights are cheap. Buy one, pull the battery, and charge it correctly.
Hell your smart phone probably has an App for a flashlight.

 

^ This. Pulling battery out is not difficult. Also get a battery maintainer and harness that you can leave connected to battery. Makes life so easy. Connect the battery to maintainer every night during winters.

I am seeing the battery symbol whenever I connect the heated jacket liner for more than 20 minutes. Everything works well and the symbol goes away once I disconnect the liner. The new battery is sitting in garage and I plan to change it this weekend. Hopefully it works till then.

 

I feel stupid, as I have been running the bike regularly for long periods during winter to keep it charged. But then didn't continue that habit, when it dropped under freezing point. Simply didn't want to start the ice cold engine, as it is never easy in these temperatures. Well...then it just stayed cold for a while, for a long while, and I didn't do the starting & charging procedure for all this time...and the poor battery is now empty.

I would have used the maintainer if there would be a possibility to use it. My Sportster is kept in a garage that is semi-open, so almost anyone can walk in. So most likely the maintainer would have been stolen. And didn't see any outlets there either.

But will do as recommended, taking the battery out, to charge it properly.
It is not rocket science, simply was trying to avoid all fiddling there in that dim garage.
Will get a proper flashlight too.
And if charging doesn't help, will buy a new battery.
Not in a hurry, luckily, as it snows here, AGAIN ! Aaaaaaargh.....

Edit: Saw a utube video of battery replacement, simple. Seat out.A clamp nut out, clamp out, slide the battery out a bit , loosen terminal nuts, and take the battery out. The clamp nut and terminal nuts , are they 10mm ones ? or are they US sizes ? 1/2" ?

 

Don't even start bike during winter storage as it's harmful to the motor...just add fuel stabilizer, hook-up tender and leave it be.

For your situation (now), remove battery and get it charged. When re-installing, add pigtail and connect tender...voila - good till spring.

 

You are riding the bike to do this right? If just idling and reving in your garage, I don't recommend this method to charge the battery.

Might be better off running a long extension and hooking up a battery tender.

 

On a 2012 you probably have a pig tail for the battery maintainer,if you have access to a small generator you could charge it that way,if the battery is mounted like a 1997 it's pita to get out.

 

Battery terminals are 10mm. Not sure about your clamp nut, but it's probably US.

 

When removing the battery, some people find that access to the negative terminal is difficult because the battery won't slide out enough to get a wrench (10mm) on the battery's negative screw. Disconnecting the neg. cable at the frame connection may be easier, pulling the cable out with the old battery and installing it on the new battery before sliding the battery back into the frame. Take note of the negative cable's routing before dis-assembly.
If a bike is started and ran over the Winter in a garage, it might not get hot enough to boil off the condensation that forms in the motor. Also, if it is kept at idle, the charging system may not have enough juice to put back the charge that was needed to start the bike, resulting in a net loss of charge.
Many, not all, of the newer "smart" battery chargers won't work below freezing. These chargers would require charging the battery inside, or outside during a warm spell (good luck with getting a spot of above freezing weather). Sometimes, if a battery is too flat, the "smart" chargers won't "see" the battery and doesn't engage the charging program. Hooking a good battery to the dead battery can fool a "smart" charger, allowing it to charge.
Factory Harley batteries are AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat). Use that setting on a charger, if it has one. My favorite outdoor battery maintainer (not a "charger") is a Battery Tender brand, water-resistant, 800 mA unit. They're small, but securing one to avoid theft could be an issue for you. I bet you could devise a rig with some chain, clamps and padlocks to deter a convenience thief (then, there's the issue of your extension cord being stolen/sold for scrap copper). A true battery charger with 2 to 10 Amps is plenty sufficient to charge a motorcycle battery. It's possible to charge a weak battery with a battery maintainer/tender/minder, but it takes a while.
http://www.batterymart.com/p-battery...FU0vgQodxmwA7A
If you want to read a crap-ton about batteries and charging/maintaining, check out a camper/RV forum: RV.net
An electrical conduit clamp, some swing-set chain, a bicycle inner-tube and a lock I used to secure a camper's power cable. The chain is inside the inner-tube to protect campgrounds' power equipment/pedestal from scratces. A Tweaker would have bolt cutters, but meth-heads aren't too prevalent where I camp. Just a thought.

 

Pull it out, put it on a 2A charger, watch the needle on the charger. It should go to 2A and then start dropping. When it's dropped back close to zero, you should be fine, it took a charge. Don't leave it on the charger any longer than necessary.

Always plan on riding your bike for at least 30 minutes to get engine up to full operating oil temps (180* to 220*) which eliminates any condensation and gives your charging system time to fully recharge your battery.

John