Been a bitch of a week... and it's only Wednesday!
OK, so I planned to take a little ride tonight after work. Get some barbecue & some wind therapy. Looking forward to it all day.
Out to the garage, roll out into the driveway & the fookin' thing won't start. Loud clicking noise when the start button is engaged. Voltmeter shows about 11 volts when switched on, drops to 0 when start button engaged. Sonuvabitch... the thing is only 14 months old. :frown:
Just did the 15k on her, new Michelins, new tags (outrageous here)... not to mention just did the 30k on my car + new Michelins on it.
Back in the house, time for some whiskey... or to go knock over a c-store!
First Step in the diagnosis - I had an old Triumph that was cutting out after I did some carb work to it - Checked those shims and needles a million times, spark plug, etc etc and was going bonkers - Took the seat off to find one of the cables loose on the post.........never had an issue after that and felt like a fucking idiot
14 months isn't a long time on a motorcycle battery, but the 15,000 mile part could be. Get your battery tested. You are going to have to start there anyway if the battery no longer holds a charge.
What ever you do, do not buy a battery from the dealer and let them install it!!! I had this happen to me, recently. I did not know they had installed a new battery until it was all finished and done. Bike was in for another problem and they found the battery dead. Said it would not take a charge, even though it had been starting just fine before that. The cost almost dropped me.. Not a cheap fix at all. Go buy a battery and install it yourself. It is not hard. Had I known I could have changed the battery and saved myself a couple of hundred bucks.
HD batteries are made by Deka, used to be very good, but now lucky to get 2 years out them. I think Harley had Deka change them a/c all the reports of folks getting 5-7 + years out of them. Plus they have doubled in price in the last few years. Buy a Yuasa, less money great service. Standard Yuasa for a bagger is 400 CCA (stock is 380 IIRC), the heavy duty Yuasa for baggers is 500 CCA. I have the standard in my 110", spins it without breaking a sweat.
Well, checked the connections - good & tight, no corrosion.
I normally just go to the Batteries Plus on the corner & get one. Their Extreme AGM is $95 plus tax, so about $103 total.
I've seen folks recommend Battery Mart. Their Big Crank is $110, no tax, free shipping.
Extreme AGM is 310 CCA
Big Crank is 400 CCA
Both have 12-month warranty.
Getting the Extreme AGM means I can ride today.
Getting the Big Crank means 4-day delivery, so no riding until next weekend.
Extreme AGM is $7 less.
Big Crank is 26 Ah, no spec online for Extreme AGM.
For comparison, the H-D battery is $171, with no specs online.
So, I guess it's yard work this weekend... ordered up a Big Crank. I've seen positive reviews here & I always value the opinions here (well, most of 'em, anyway).
Nope. It is ridden every day; I only put it on a charger for extended times away... like vacations or business trips.
Maybe it could start after that, but I'd be worried about getting stranded somewhere remote.
The battery in my 13 was warrantied for two years, so my first replacement (at 10 months) was half price at the dealer. The next new one won't be from them. I think a lot of bikes toast the first battery pretty quick as I don't think dealers maintain them well on the showroom so some bikes can sit for a long time between charges.
When mine went i went through Advanced Auto. Found a nice online coupon. Ordered it online, then 20 minutes later drove to the nearest store to pick it up. Coupon plus core exchange saved me a good chunk of change. Had that in for 3 years and was still going strong when I traded the bike in last month.
I bought a Harley battery because other batteries are big and scary and the devil, according to the dealerships. Pretty sure my next one will be from anywhere but there. The more I ride a Harley, the more I feel like dealers are in business for Harley owners - not Harley riders.
I really like the odyssey battery I put in mine in 2014.It's made it through 2 winters with no tender or anything,just starts right up.Odyssey says not to use a tender on it.Here,we get enough cold and snow you really don't ride in January and February.
I got close to 3 years out of my oe battery on my 12. Replaced it with a Big Crank when it started cranking slow in the morning. When I traded my bike in they were actually going to dock me on trade value for not having a HD branded battery, saying that they would have to replace it with a new battery in order to put it on the floor. I actually went back before we did the deal and replace it with the original dying battery to appease them. Ended up giving the Big Crank to my father in law when his started to head south.
had to change out the battery in my 2011 earlier in the summer and saturday the wife's 2012 just went click.tenderized over night went on a long ride sunday shut it off and was lazy in starting so looking into new battery for that now. both HD original batteries lasted 4 seasons
^ was thinking the same thing... really? Not a h-d batery so we're going to hose you. Was it the delership in Madison? Only stopped in there a couple of times over the years. So no real experience in dealing with them.
No, Janesville. Battery incident aside they always treat me good. But yeah, that left me scratching my head a little bit.
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