Ok, I have a 2010, I purchased in Jan of 10. Battery is 3 yrs old and died on me, I have not tried to charge it yet, don't know if it's got much life left.
It would not start Wed morning, been cranking a little slow for a week.

Should I get it tested, see if it's any good?
Is 3 years about the life of an original battery?
Is there a good option for aftermarket (Better battery comparable price, or good battery cheaper, etc...) Or should I just go HD again?

Need something today,

Thanks for any quick replies.

 

many use a deka battery, you can find a local dealer through the deka website.

3 years is about typical.

...and next time it seems to be cranking slow, get it checked before you get stranded.

a duff battery can stress the charging system and damage it requiring further repairs at substantial cost.

DO NOT jump start a bike with a duff battery- the charging system may burn itself out trying to charge a battery that won't hold a charge ( kinda like a bucket with a missing bottom, you can't fill it)

mike

 

Replace it with Deka ETX30L. BatteryMart.com or BohannonBattery.com.

 

Lots of opinions about this. The battery is probably toast. Most people buy the OEM battery made by DEKA. I personally would go to Batteries Plus and see what they have before I would buy from the dealer. There is a Batteries Plus in Saint Peters

 

Its safer to replace your battery. At 11.8 Volts you have 0% chance to get it going normally again

 

Battery mart also sells the battery for $99.95 delivered from them through Amazon.
Just got one and no tax either even though it came to SoCal. I like Amazon's no
hassle return if there's a problem such as damaged in shipping.

One last thought - nothing will kill a starter faster than a weak battery. When
turning over slowly it's pulling maximum current and, as previously mentioned,
you can damage your charging system too.

Btw - the Deka comes with spacers you'll need and a drop of super glue on the
flat side will hold them on for easier install. When you get the battery you'll see
what I mean.

 

3 years typical??? I think you'll find that that may not be the general concensus.

 

I would charge the battery up first out of the bike then take it in and have a load test done to see if it's any good if not www.batterymart.com for a ETX30L $100.00 free shipping samething that HD sells but $70.00 cheaper.

 

I bought my 09 Rk as a leftover when the 2010's were released. When it started cranking funky I changed the battery out for a new one BEFORE it died and I got stranded. Guess that makes mine about 3 years old also when I felt the need to replace it. Three years may not be a "norm" but it is still very common. A lesson I learned from my experiences with auto, bike and boat batteries is that they are a "maintenance" item. An ounce of prevention and all that crap!

 

I don't agree about 3 years being typical, I think that's on the low side. One thing you can do is hook a battery tender on it when it's going to sit a while. I do that religiously. If I park it in the evening and don't think I'll be riding again the next day, I plug it in. The battery on my last bike lasted 6 years.

Ride Safe