After a good long weekend trip to Asheville and the Blueridge Parkway, where it got hours of constant run and charging time, my wife's Triglide sat for exactly four weeks without a trickle charger attached (not that I hadn't thought about it!). It was dead 'er than the proverbial door nail when we tried to go for a ride this weekend with the trike (she's been riding, but on two wheels again). After a full day on the trickle charger it shows full charge again, but my question is whether it sounds normal for the battery to go so dead in four weeks. It's a 2010 with just under 19K miles, security system and a remote control led light system (trying to think of all the things that might affect drain). Does that sound normal, or could we have an undetected drain - or just a bad battery (seemed to take a charge just fine from the charger). This is the second time this has happened, although the first time I think was more like three weeks. I have nothing against using a trickle/maintenance charger, it just seems odd. I have a car that sits for weeks at a time and it never seems to have a problem!

 

I have never used a trickle charger in my 35 years of riding. I have let bikes sit for weeks at a time with zero issues. You have got something draining your battery.

 

I never had a problem with any of my bikes needing a trickle charger until we got our 09 TriGlide and 10 EGUC. They both have the security system in them and it does drain the charge on the battery. If I think one is going to sit for more than 3 days I put the charger on it and don't worry about it.
Fortunately living in Yuma, Az. it is not to often one sits for more than 3 days, unless we go on a trip on one of them.

 

Wife's '11 has gone 3 weeks without a ride, and it started right up. My '09 rarely goes a day or two without being ridden. Both have the security system.

Good Luck!

 

Not all batteries are created equal. There is a drain on the battery when not running because of the security system and you have a clock that is keeping time. I believe it is a good practice to put the bike on the tender if it is going to sit idle for more than 2 or 3 days.

 

I put a tender on mine when it gets below 40 degrees. I also try to start the trike and warm it up every few days just to make sure everything is okay (That also satisfies my need to hear the thunder). My Deluxe went dead on me last year in the dead of winter because I didn't put it on a tender.

Bubba

 

My indy says that 3 to 4 idle weeks on a bike with a security system will probably discharge the battery

 

Have the same problem with my Softail Custom. Dealer & the Forum confirmed what you found out the hard way. Everyone says it's the security system.

 

Bought 2 Battery Tender Juniors. Takes 30 seconds to hook em up to both bikes.
Why wouldn't I?

 

I have a LoJack on my TG and I've been told that if the trike's battery goes dead, the LoJack has a backup battery that won't last long without the trike's battery. Then, of course, the Lojack is useless.