tender all the time and your good

 

Thanks to all for the feedback! I took delivery of my ('05) bike in October 2004. The original battery is as good as new. I plan to keep the bike on the Tender and pay attention to how it sounds when cranking. Once it shows any sign of aging I'll get a new one.

 

Every three years or you chance damage to your charging system

 

I had one last 5+ years and the only time it was on the tender was in march when I would plug it in for a day or so after sitting over winter in the freezing shed for 5 months, still had the battery in it when I got rid of it. You never know how long one will last, but i'll ask you this: if you put it on the tender every time you park it, do you really know if the battery is good, or starting because it just came off the charger? I would rather leave it a day and see if it holds a charge on it's own, before I take it out.

 

I use the tender religiously too. I'm going on 4 years with this one, and I'm starting to wonder. I think 5 is about the limit for me. Your call. But sometimes it's worth the peace of mind to make the change. Then you never have to worry about it when you're out on the road on a long haul. It's like tires, I can always rationalize stretchin' a few more miles out of em, but I really like to change just before I go on a long jaunt. That way the entire trip is worry free. Same with oil, filters, brake pads, etc...

 

I just posted a few days ago about this here. I had just over a 6 month old HD battery that only comes with a 6 month grantee

 

I have an '05 Ultra born in May '05 and my battery croaked in Nov '07...no battery tender at the time, but the bike is ridden daily. The problem I found was there was enough juice to slowly crank the motor....it just didn't have enough to turn it over and light the ignition. Never gave a hint of trouble prior....kind of sucked as it was 3am and I had to call home for a ride. So you may not get a warning....not even sure if you can push start these EFI models ? Cheap insurance to just get a new one every 2-3 years.

 

my 06 is still starting strong if it aint broke dont fix it-ride safe

 

I sold my 2003 Ultra Classic last year. Like you, I felt I should update the battery after the third year of good service. I gave the old battery to a friend and to this day it is running strong. I have four years on the battery in the Softail, no problems.

 

I would say.... YES.

Do yourself a favor & get a stock replacement battery.