2024+ Center-Cooled Touring Models 2023.5+ CVO and 2024+ Road Glide/Street Glide/Street Glide Ultra Center-Cooled Gen 2 M8 Touring models

New Touring bikes battery issues

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Old May 8, 2026 | 12:31 PM
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Default New Touring bikes battery issues

So... I think it's fairly common knowledge that the new touring bikes with the Skyline setup have a residual power drain on the battery, so much so they actually give you a battery tender when you purchase a new bike. I just feel like this is kind of on the borderline of being too big of an issue to be acceptable in this day and age. When I bought the bike they installed a new battery before I could leave the showroom because the bike had killed the factory installed battery just sitting in the showroom and it wouldn't even take a charge anymore. Now after having owned the bike almost exactly a year I have learned to get in the habit of plugging the bike into the battery tender when I park it, occasionally though I have forgotten to do so.... This isn't a big deal if you ride every day or every few days, however springtime in the Midwest mother nature is a moody bitch and you can have a week of sunny and 75 or a week of 35 degree rain showers. If this bike sits for a week or a little more without being ran or plugged into a charger it will be so dead that it won't even power up the dash. Can you imagine if this was acceptable performance in the automotive world? I feel like a power protection relay that cut power to preserve enough battery to start the bike or something wouldn't have been too much to ask for on a $30k motorcycle. I'd rather have to reset the time or whatever vs having to do the battery charger dance all the time. Am I being a grumpy GenX'er here or do y'all agree on this?


 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 12:52 PM
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Industry needs to address this. Bikes need to leave home. You go to City you may under for few days. Go to rally or camp ground you may party for few days

A bike needs to last a week off tender.
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by bluesmanjesse
So... I think it's fairly common knowledge that the new touring bikes with the Skyline setup have a residual power drain on the battery, so much so they actually give you a battery tender when you purchase a new bike. I just feel like this is kind of on the borderline of being too big of an issue to be acceptable in this day and age. When I bought the bike they installed a new battery before I could leave the showroom because the bike had killed the factory installed battery just sitting in the showroom and it wouldn't even take a charge anymore. Now after having owned the bike almost exactly a year I have learned to get in the habit of plugging the bike into the battery tender when I park it, occasionally though I have forgotten to do so.... This isn't a big deal if you ride every day or every few days, however springtime in the Midwest mother nature is a moody bitch and you can have a week of sunny and 75 or a week of 35 degree rain showers. If this bike sits for a week or a little more without being ran or plugged into a charger it will be so dead that it won't even power up the dash. Can you imagine if this was acceptable performance in the automotive world? I feel like a power protection relay that cut power to preserve enough battery to start the bike or something wouldn't have been too much to ask for on a $30k motorcycle. I'd rather have to reset the time or whatever vs having to do the battery charger dance all the time. Am I being a grumpy GenX'er here or do y'all agree on this?

Did you have the latest software update installed? This is supposed to address this specific problem. Also, curious as to why you bring this complaint to a Road Glide forum if you are riding a street glide? Asking for a friend.
 

Last edited by jake24lt; May 8, 2026 at 12:58 PM.
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Old May 8, 2026 | 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by jake24lt
Did you have the latest software update installed? This is supposed to address this specific problem.
Yes, I'm up to date.
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by jake24lt
...curious as to why you bring this complaint to a Road Glide forum if you are riding a street glide? Asking for a friend.
This is a touring bike forum, not a Road Glide specific forum.
And yes, this is pretty much unacceptable.
 

Last edited by YZR; May 8, 2026 at 03:27 PM.
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Old May 8, 2026 | 05:02 PM
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Yes what happens if go away and don’t use the bike for a couple days. What do you do carry a battery pack jumper?
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 06:36 PM
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I do carry a jump pack with me, but I have a tri- glide with the slip and assist clutch and you can not pop start it. SUCKS !
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by hardheaded
I do carry a jump pack with me, but I have a tri- glide with the slip and assist clutch and you can not pop start it. SUCKS !
If you have fuel injection, you usually cannot pop start any of them, slip/assist clutch or not, as they need voltage to operate the fuel pump and fuel injectors.
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 07:28 PM
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Ridiculous. Any motorcycle in above freezing temps should start within a few weeks of last running. Too much technology. When Skyline first came out you couldn’t even start the bike until the system loaded up. Wondering if that is still true.
 
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Old May 8, 2026 | 08:47 PM
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Originally Posted by hardheaded
I do carry a jump pack with me, but I have a tri- glide with the slip and assist clutch and you can not pop start it. SUCKS !
Usually you can't pop start fuel injected bikes. The pump needs to prime. Though it may prime on partial battery??
 
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