My 2006 SG's battery is 5 years old and is showing the early signs of needing to be replaced, that is there is a sight delay between activating the ignition and when the motor actually turns over. This does not happen very often, but it is starting to happen once in a while. I was told this was an early sign the battery was getting old.

I've got over a month's worth or riding left before I store the bike for winter. I was planing making the change in spring (new season-new battery) figuring the battery would just be newer and therefore would last a season longer five years from now. Is this correct thinking how long a new battery will last? Or should I replace it now and save myself the worry of it not starting when I'm 50 miles from home.

Has anyone actually had a battery fail on them? What were the signs that it was on its last legs?
Thanks

 

I'm in the exact same boat with my '06 and I also get that slight hesitation when I fire it up. I'm just going to wait till spring and order a new Deka(they make the HD batteries) battery then.

 

No problem with my battery. Do use a battery tender tho. I've read here some folks say if not riding, battery tender is hooked up. Hope my tender will extend battery life but I don't hook up daily. H-D shop has one @$30. Even has the beloved H-D logo on face of the dial.

 

If you do not already, I would recommend using a Battery Tender on the battery to keep it fully charged when not in use.

Check all battery connections. Some of my "hard" starts were due to a loose negative battery connection. Check both.

You can take the battery to a Batteries Plus or an Autozone and have them check the battery for you.

Your battery is in the range (read anywhere from 4 - 7 years) to potentially be replaced. I would do the other things first, before looking at getting a new battery.

I had a battery (Batteries Plus - 2nd one, never buy again) fail on me in BFE on my way home. I had some surging and the speedo lights kind of flickered.

It has been suggested to get the Harley replacement battery, which is made by Deka.

http://www.dekabatteries.com

GO BADGERS!

 

I keep a batter tender on all ymy bikes. The only time I ever replace a battery is when it dies. Maybe I'm lucky, and I've never had one go dead at a stop on a ride. If the bike cranks, it's not going to stop because of a dead battery, but 6 years old is sort of a long battery life, but if your riding season is just about over I believe I'd wait until March to put a new one in. JMOO

 

+1 and don't forget to replace the batteries in the smoke detector and set the clocks ahead one hour for more riding time.

 

First thing to check is the cable connections and both ends, a loose connection or a little corrosion will cause that.
I'd wait until spring to replace the battery just like you said, possibly get an extra season out of it.

 

The only time I use a battery charger or tender is when the battery is out of the bike, car, truck, quads, etc.(ie. stored for winter) I read about a lot of people hooking up the tender whenever they aren't riding. What's up with that? Do you hook your car or truck battery up to a tender whenever you park it? Makes no sense to me. The battery should be fully charged whenever you park if you have been driving/riding for any length of time as long as you do proper maintenance on the battery and terminals on a regular basis.
JMHO.

 

Your new battery would have sat on the shelf over winter so IMO it wouldn't make a difference when you change it.

 

My near five year old battery is fixing to give up on me. The starter doesn't seem to hit as hard and start as fast as it was, and with a meter on the battery it drops down to roughly 8 to 9 volts upon hitting the starter button. It does jump back up to a normal 13.7-14.1 when running because of the alternator. With the meter on the battery and the key on, it takes about thirty seconds for it to drop down to 12.1 volts running head and passing lamps.
After searching all day, I have come to the conclusion that http://www.bohannonbattery.com/ has the overall best price, with free shipping. I'm ordering mine today, as I ride every day, all year long, weather permitting, and I don't need to find out the hard way just how long mine will last. Probably not more than a couple of days at this rate.
My $0.02

aka Bob