I agree that using a battery tender is not necessary, I'm just a little cautious because last year the battery on my 02 Dyna took a dump on me....there was absolutely no indication it was going. Wife and I took off for a ride and (luckily) only got about 20 miles out of town when it died. Unfortunately while we were waiting for the brother-in-law to come pick us up the bike was sitting on the side of road just off the ditch when a freak gust of wind came up and blew the bike over into the ditch and damaged stuff on the right side of the bike. Got it into the shop and found out that either the battery took out the stator, or the stator took out the battery, but by the time I got out of the shop my "new battery" ended up costing me nearly $1200. I had been told once before by a reputable mechanic and again at the shop when I got the Dyna out that many riders choose to replace their battery every 3 years whether there is any sign of failure or not. Now I readily agree that you can sometimes get 4, 5, or even 6 years out of a battery, but after about 3 you are "riding on borrowed time", and if you ride like I do which is frequently out in the middle of nowhere a failed battery means major problems. So my 08 Ultra is going to get a new battery every 3 years and I'm going to keep it on a tender as much as possible during that time. My particular incident just proved to me that a failed battery can potentially lead to many other unexpected problems and $110 every 3 years is not very much to pay to avoid them.

 

You can always push start it and ride it home. I've done that several times over the last 30 years

 

Not on the new bikes you can't. Between lights always being on and the electricity needed by the ECU and fuel pump the system will not generate enough electricity to keep it running if the battery is totally gone.

 

+1

 

There is no 100% foolproof way to determine when any battery will fail. With a lead acid battery, a bump in the road could cause something to short between the plates and cause a dead cell. Just the constant vibration of our motorcycles can contribute to this. There is just no way to know when this might happen.
The absolute best situation for a lead acid battery is to be treated just as we treat it in our cars. It needs to be kept in the mode of being constantly charged and discharged. This keeps the chemical processes working and does not allow the build-up of impurities on the plates. The more you work it, the longer it will last.
The worst condition for the battery is to keep it on any charging system that will maintain it to 100% charge all the time.
If there is no load being placed on the battery, the plates are not flexing and the system is not working. Without the plates heating and flexing, deposites are allowed to form on the plates and the possibility ofshorts between plates is increased.
I'm by no means a battery expert, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I will tell you this much.
Emergency Generator power systems in hospitals maintain their batteries in a state of constant charge and they use charging systems that are both voltage and load sensitive.
It is normal practice for these institutions to replace their batteries every 2 years, and many choose to replace them every year. This has become normal practice due to the rate of failure of batteries that are left in service for longer than that.

 

I live in Colorado. I only put it on when it's cold and I might not ride for a month or 2. 24/7??? I think that is crazy. My salesman at the Harley dealership said he has never used a tender and told me to buy something elase

 

Iv'e had a 99 Ultra with fuel injection and pushed started it three times over the years, and just had my battery go bad in my 08 ultra (defective battery) and push started it 2 weeks ago , also pushed my buddies 04 ultra last fall without a problem. When I took my 08 to the dealer for a replacement battery the battery in it would only generate 13 cca (cold cranking amps).
Every time the batterys did have enough to run the fuel pump (very slowly) before we pushed them. If the fuel pump will build pressure it will start when pushed. Most of the time batterys will have enough to run thefuel pumpand ECM but not enough for the starter. If it isCOMPLETELY dead it won't start. Just wanted to let the members know that push starting is an option. Be careful when doing it andbe sure to get someone to push while you are in the driver position, use 2nd gear so the tire doesnt skid when you pop the clutch. It may be a better choice than sitting along side the road. Just some FYI thoughts

 

I would have to agree. Like with my laptop batteries, they tell you let them drain down all the way. Otherwise they will not charge fully to 100%. They told me that batterieshave a memory. With what was suggested here, I fear that I may 'over charge' my battery even if it is brand new.Experience is how it is so I'll take what is said here into consideration. I appreciate it.

 

+9 24/7



Dave...

 

Lead acid batteries should not be completely discharged, they are diffferent than dry batteries that are in electronics