I ride an 08 Ultra Classic, pure stock, and live in So. Cal, so weather is really not an issue. Charging system works fine.

My battery seems to go dead if I don't ride every few weeks. I replaced my battery with a Deka about 3 months ago.

When just sitting, I measured that it draws 110 millamps, which seems acceptable to me, but I don't know what it should be.

Do I have a battery issue or a drain issue ????

 

ive heard the security system takes a small draw,living in wisconsin got me into a battery tender jr. around 20$ i use it year round not just for storage,been getting 5 years or better from batteries.

 

It shouldn't go dead in a couple weeks, IMO. I don't have security, but even if I don't put the tender on mine for weeks here in Central Ill. where it can get cold, my battery doesn't go dead.

I got 8 years out of an HD battery with no battery tender.

 

security, radio...

trickle charge it when it's sitting.

BTW discharging a battery 100% reduces it's potential capacity by 50%....an early death.

Mike

 

I would say with a good battery and your location,3 weeks should not be an issue.
I would find where the currant draw is coming from.

I have left my bikes sitting that long at times without any problems.

Have you checked the battery terminals and grounds for corrosion and loose screws?

 

Check your charging system when the bike s running. See what the voltage is at the battery terminals. Should be greater than 13 volts or better.

 

At least for cars, 110 mA is not acceptable- that is enough to kill a battery over a week. 50 mA is the bare minimum, and I would expect it to be lower for motorcycles. I think the spec for most jap bikes is in the 5 mA range or lower.

I'm too lazy to go look this information up in the service manual, though.

 

I keep both of mine on a tender all year round. Seems to greatly extend battery life.

 

if i dont ride mine for around a week the battery is too low to start. battery is about 1.5 years old.

 

I'm guessing that you have a battery drain issue. At a rate of 110 milliamps, about .1 amps, the battery will discharge 1 amp in 10 hrs.(.1 Ah). Therefore, in 300 hrs. the battery will have discharged 30 Ah, or be discharged. 300 hrs=12.5 days. This is a rough calculation and because the discharge rate is so small, the battery will last longer than 12.5days but probably not much.

This is based on some quick research and I don't guarantee exact results.

Cecil