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On June 30 2016, the EPA instituted new rules for lead acid battery manufacturing/remanufacturing. That costs money ,and without drastic cost increases I’d guess quality decreases.
I went through the same situation this last December, did my research and bought the MX30L - MOTORCYCLE BATTERY - 600+ CCA. Works great on my 2014 FLHTCU. Currently $154 and some change on Amazon. Good luck.
Yuasa has been the best I have found and the HD has been the worst as far as my experiences go. I haven't tried any of the newer lightweight lithium batteries yet and will probably try one of them next time. Our patrol bike fleet had to swap away from the HD batteries because they would not last long at all.
I spent a career fixing electrical issues caused by well meaning owners trying to save a buck. I have many classroom hours and years of hands-on experience with automotive charging systems and I learned from all of this is that when given a choice between aftermarket or manufacturer's, the best electrical and electronic parts are the ones designed for your specific application.
I have been following these battery discussions on the forums for years and I have noticed that the majority of battery related problems presented here usually occur when the HD battery was replaced with an aftermarket battery and or other cause or contributing issues with the electrical or charging system were not addressed. There are many battery types and choices for motorcycles, but I still firmly believe that best battery for your Harley Davidson is the one battery that was specifically designed and constructed for your bike and there is no aftermarket battery that fits that requirement. There is no cost savings realized by going another route. Batteries that are as good as the MoCo brand are usually the same price or more, and cheaper batteries are just that, cheap. Also, it is a fact that all batteries are by nature going to fail eventually. If you get 5-6 years out of any motorcycle battery, or even car battery, that is more luck than anything else. Yuasa, Deca, lithium, gel...no one is better than another for cranking your ride, but only one was designed, engineered, and tested to work in your Harley Davidson, and that is the MoCo brand.
Does this mean that I would never install an aftermarket brand in my bikes? No, it means that I could not get the right battery and had to settle for something else.
Last edited by skinman13; Apr 8, 2019 at 09:29 AM.
On June 30 2016, the EPA instituted new rules for lead acid battery manufacturing/remanufacturing. That costs money ,and without drastic cost increases Id guess quality decreases.
Umm... You do realize that Harley dropped Lead-Acid and went to AGM batteries years ago. (Like maybe 8)
I spent a career fixing electrical issues caused by well meaning owners trying to save a buck. I have many classroom hours and years of hands-on experience with automotive charging systems and I learned from all of this is that when given a choice between aftermarket or manufacturer's, the best electrical and electronic parts are the ones designed for your specific application.
I have been following these battery discussions on the forums for years and I have noticed that the majority of battery related problems presented here usually occur when the HD battery was replaced with an aftermarket battery and or other cause or contributing issues with the electrical or charging system were not addressed. There are many battery types and choices for motorcycles, but I still firmly believe that best battery for your Harley Davidson is the one battery that was specifically designed and constructed for your bike and there is no aftermarket battery that fits that requirement. There is no cost savings realized by going another route. Batteries that are as good as the MoCo brand are usually the same price or more, and cheaper batteries are just that, cheap. Also, it is a fact that all batteries are by nature going to fail eventually. If you get 5-6 years out of any motorcycle battery, or even car battery, that is more luck than anything else. Yuasa, Deca, lithium, gel...no one is better than another for cranking your ride, but only one was designed, engineered, and tested to work in your Harley Davidson, and that is the MoCo brand.
Well, I thought I'd already read the most ridiculous comment, but that one has now been replaced by the one above!
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
ThrottleX MX30L
