After 4 years the Fatboy needed a new one. So I got one and filled it with the acid and let it sit for an hour or so then put the plugs in. Now I know there is always a new way to do things, but the battery looked dry to me even after all that acid that I put in it. The instructions said to not add more acid or water and that it wouldn't ever need more so I didn't, but it was still very strange hooking up a charger to it and it looking dry. Is this normal for batteries nowadays? It's the first motorcycle battery I've bought in about 6 years so maybe I got left behind a little.

 

Why did you have to put the acid in it? I have never in my life had to put acid in the battery myself. In my younger days when you had to add water every so often to a battery, they were always supposed to be full to the top with fluid.

 

My last battery swap was just that a swap. pull the old battery off put the new battery in. Only thing i and to be sure to do is "never leave the -neg connector connected by itself" Meaning pull the - off first then the +. then put the + on first then the -.

 

+1, all the battery's I've installed for yrs now have sealed,
What kind of battery did U buy.?

 

Are you sure you put enough acid in the first time?
Is it clear so you can see the level, or can you only see the level from the filler, making it hard to tell? I would make sure it is full before you charge it up. You might have to stick something in the hole to use as a "dip stick"
to make sure it is full.
It's common for batteries to be shipped empty, like the ones you buy from a battery supplier, unless they are sealed units.

 

The last battery I bought for a previous bike required that I fill it and allow it to soak at least an hour to allow all the plates to hydrate before sealing the openings and then charging it. Once the caps were in place, it was essentially a sealed battery. I do not know what the type of battery this one was called, but that's the instructions that came with it. I think it was just called a low maintenance battery. The battery I bought had a separate container of solution for each cell if I remember correctly.

I do not remember if the level of the fluid increased after charging or not.

I think AGM type batteries come sealed in the box. Old wet cell type batteries required the addition of acid but were not sealed.

Yuasa makes a number of different types of batteries and I'm guessing other battery manufacturers do also. See the link below for several battery types.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...ary&orgid=4509

So, I've had a battery like the one the original poster had.

 

Acid?

You should have gotten an AGM battery.
I just bought one from batterymart.com. An East Penn "big crank" for $97 shipped to my door, charged and ready to go.
Or you could have gone to your local HD dealer and got the same AGM battery for $170 that had a little bar and shield molded into the case.

 

Yes like the one Morris9982 has. Seperate containers of acid for each cell and it says it is unspillable and that the mat soaks the acid. Just looked strange to me. I'm going to check it in awhile, it should be charged by now.

 

I've never bought a motorcycle battery that didn't require filling with acid. It always came in a plastic container. And I've bought probably 10 over the years.

 

Everstart