Hi there,
I paniced and bought a new battery, after I came back from Holiday (2.5 weeks) and my battery was dead. I activated the new Yuasa YTX14L-BS for my Harley Iron 883 with the acid given and trickle charged it.
In the mean time once I charged up my original battery and it actually lasts more then 3 days and starts again, I did notice that there was some rust on the negative lead which I sandpapered off, and I think it's charging better now.

My Question is now that I have a (let's say) battery that will last me another year, should I just throw it out anyway and install the newly activated one?
Or should I just maintain the new one by trickle charging it every 2 months (not a big deal to me) and then use it when the other one fails?

I'm thinking by only trickle charging the new one and not using all those CCA on it by putting into service until it's needed, that it will last longer but I could be wrong?
I don't mind if the new battery is only 95% good in a years time

Do battery physics operate this way

 

Hi, was that a stupid question? if so, just say it.

Should I maintain the newly activated battery for another year or just install the it now and throw out the old one that still holds a charge over 3 days idle.

I was thinking that by not putting the new one into service and trickle charging it every few months that it would be near perfect in another year? am I wrong?

 

You bought it. Might as well install it. Why in the world would you buy a lead acid battery nowadays?

 

Just leave it on the trickle charger. Use it if you have to later.

 

How old is the "old" battery?
If it's 3-4 years old and not holding a charge, put in the new one.
A good battery should hold a charge for longer than 2 weeks.
I buy a new battery every 4-5 years whether it's giving me problems or not.
Cheap insurance for not getting stuck somewhere far from home.

 

I'd be running the new one and save the old one on the trickle charger. IIRC, once you pour in the acid and charge, you really need to use a battery. Lead acids have memory and it will be toast in a couple years time by never draining and recharging using starter and alternator.

My last four bikes all came from MOCO with lead acid batteries. I'm wondering what you use, Jeffery? Curious

 

Hi Guys, Thanks for your replies, I rang Yuasa technical support(Harley batteries without the logo).
"wurk_truk" was correct, the technician said they are designed to be cycled with the bike Alternator.
"ElectraGlideSteve"my current battery is only 4 years old..which I thought was a little soon for the battery to die (looks like the negative lug came a little loose and corroded - warning tighten your battery lug every 2 years ;p)

He said if I left the battery over a year without the cycling, I'd only be ever getting 90% performance out of it, even using the float charger

He also said that I would get away with storage for 6 months no problem, if I used the float charger every month and kept the battery voltage above 12.5V

The Plan is to try and sell the battery within that period of 6 months and then buy one when I really need it.

Also in the last 2 years, I moved to within 10k of work, which leaves me with only a short ride to work...This is not good for the battery, because it doesn't get a chance to recharge properly after such a short trip (They recommend over 25K)

Thanks again