battery life span

[dustryder]

Just wondering what is the life expectency of our batteries? Mine is dead after 15 months from new and 12000 km.
The local shop guy who play with Harley said that is normal, they all do that after 15 month??
I call HD in Bangkok to see if there is any kind of warranty they told me yes 1 month....
My question is, should I buy a (HD) battery at the equivalent of 200 Euro that will last only 15 months or is there a aftermarket battery of better standard that will last longer?

Dusty

[Mash]

Here in the states we usualy get a better warrenty with after market. Check around
Mike

[Cybrdyke]

Just wondering what is the life expectency of our batteries? Mine is dead after 15 months from new and 12000 km.
The local shop guy who play with Harley said that is normal, they all do that after 15 month??
I call HD in Bangkok to see if there is any kind of warranty they told me yes 1 month....
My question is, should I buy a (HD) battery at the equivalent of 200 Euro that will last only 15 months or is there a aftermarket battery of better standard that will last longer?

Dusty

No, this is NOT normal!!!

[Phaedrus]

Roger that. Not normal. These days HD batteries are pretty good quality, and a minimum of 3 years should be expected. I replaced the one in my other HD at about 5 1/2 years - not because it showed any signs of being bad, but because I wanted to replace it before it started to go bad.

[streettracker]

20 Years ago it was not unusual to have Harley battery's only last a little over a year. For the last 10 years or so, I have had much better life out of them. My's wife's Fat Boy has been on the same battery for 7 years now.
You must understand that Harley's are probably harder on their battery's than any other motorcycle. The three main killers of batteries are Heat, Vibration, and Lack of full charging. Heat - Harley batteries are always right near a magor heat source, like the XR with it right against the oil tank and right behind the rear exhaust pipe. Vibrations - No explanation necessary. Lack of Charging - If you only take really short rides you will drastically shorten battery life. They need somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of above idle riding to get back to a full charge when you start the bike. So if all you do are short rides, or at least a majority are that way, get a battery tender and keep it plugged in whenever the bike is parked. You battery will last lots longer.

[dustryder]

Most of the time I ride the bike for 10 minutes or so this for approximately 50 to 100k a day when I use it, many starts and stops for sure.
The temperature is kind of hot down here, this is probably why this battery is shot.
Anyhow it is kind of frustrating for a bike that price, as opposed to the other bikes at home that I own for years without any battery problem, I ride them the exact same ways.
Soon as i get a new battery I'll buy a battery tender to be on the safe side.

Thank's for all the answers

Dusty

[magoo]

Most of the time I ride the bike for 10 minutes or so this for approximately 50 to 100k a day when I use it, many starts and stops for sure.
The temperature is kind of hot down here, this is probably why this battery is shot.
Anyhow it is kind of frustrating for a bike that price, as opposed to the other bikes at home that I own for years without any battery problem, I ride them the exact same ways.
Soon as i get a new battery I'll buy a battery tender to be on the safe side.

Thank's for all the answers

Dusty

Yeah, that kind of usage... short distances, hot weather... is the worst environment for a battery. This is EXACTLY the way my problem started.....hopefully a new battery will fix yours....but if that new battery goes dead in a couple of days, then welcome to my world!

[98acrsilver]

yea thats a big lie! my dad had the factory one in his 99' superglide for 8 years! get yourself a battery tender and plug it in when not in use if it sits for a couple days! will greatly extends its life

[dustryder]

Magoo

Hope I won't experience your world, as the official HD dealeship is 700km plus 2 hours ferry away from home.

We are pretty much on our own

On the bright side I really enjoy this bike

Later

Dusty

[boz]

20 Years ago it was not unusual to have Harley battery's only last a little over a year. For the last 10 years or so, I have had much better life out of them. My's wife's Fat Boy has been on the same battery for 7 years now.
You must understand that Harley's are probably harder on their battery's than any other motorcycle. The three main killers of batteries are Heat, Vibration, and Lack of full charging. Heat - Harley batteries are always right near a magor heat source, like the XR with it right against the oil tank and right behind the rear exhaust pipe. Vibrations - No explanation necessary. Lack of Charging - If you only take really short rides you will drastically shorten battery life. They need somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of above idle riding to get back to a full charge when you start the bike. So if all you do are short rides, or at least a majority are that way, get a battery tender and keep it plugged in whenever the bike is parked. You battery will last lots longer.

What Don says, is a mirror of my experiences. Remember also, that Harleys have a relatively large, long stroke, V twin engines that require very high starter loads. (The starter motors are nearly 2hp). Multi cylinder engines are a lot easier on the batteries. In my view the current design of H-D batteries is by far the best it's ever been, and I've long since reached the point where I won't fit anything else. With the exception of the high end range of Yuasas (which are more expensive), everything else I've tried has proven to be complete junk. The downside to the current batteries is that if they are allowed to discharge totally, either through some parasitic drain, or if the bike has been left unused for too long, then it is unlikely that they can be recovered.
Back in the old days, when we had to endure points ignitions, and electric starts were for girls, we could get away with a battery in quite bad condition. With the advent of electronic ignitions, and latterly, EFI, consistent battery voltage is now very important. The rest of the system is now much less tolerent of a tired battery.