on a good note , id check the connection , maybe once a month , other than that ya cant let it worry ya. just make sure ya have insurance ,all will be ok , besides i wonder what the odds are , bikes out there , 1 in 50,000 odds maybe? be like winning the lotto?

 

I'm with Garett, wonder how you make this happen.


Just kidding Sheriff!

 

I recall the earlier thread on this. First thing I did was cover the battery terminal ends with duct tape to help prevent possible contact issues. But then I recall reading that the problem was further down, like the bottom inside edges of the oil tank rubbing the battery cables down there until the wire was exposed and then they shorted. So it was something hidden and the top of the battery, where you would assume such a thing might occur, was actually the safe spot.

I think I'm going to pull the battery and see how the cables are run down there and if there is a chance they are chafing against the oil tank. Then I am calling my insurance company and lowering my deductible.

 

I pulled my battery and looked where the positive lead fits between the battery tray and the oil tank. There's no sharp welds there and the wire is cased in a plastic wire sleeve so little chance of chafing. What is somewhat alarming is the lack of a rubber boot cover on the positive terminal. I've got one on my sporty's. Why not the twin? Anyway, my short term fix was to take a plastic blister pack (like the small bolt packs at Lowe's or Home Depot) and cut it to fit over the terminal and along the sides. I taped it in place on the battery. That should prevent any metal to terminal contact.

The ground wire didn't seem to have any areas that would chafe either.

 

When I first heard about it (here BTW) I went right out to the garage and pulled the seat off.
Didn't see anything wrong, but when I tried to pull out the battery it proved to be a Royal PITA.
You can't get a good grip on it and they put it in with a rubber piece, for vibration I guess, that rolled up and jammed it into position. It also located in the middle so it can allow the battery to rotate a little letting the positive cable move forward a little.

After I did get it out I checked and sure enough there is a rough welded seam edge under the frame rail where the inner oil tank wall meets the top. It could be "fixed" but it would entail pulling the tank, grinding the edge down and probably having the tank repainted or rechromed.

Not liking those alternatives very much I went to plan "B" and put the battery back in with some rubber stick on "feet" I had laying around. Figured that would at least let me ride it safely till I found a better solution.

Then a few weeks ago I was wandering through a very large True Value Hardware store where I saw some of the 1/2" thick closed cell foam they use to cover or insulate cement floors.
Thestuff is like $5 a foot, so I got a 4"piece,3' wide for $1.50.

Its a tough industural floor cusioning and insulating material that can handle a wide veriety oftempratures, and isimpervious tomost chemicals (like oil and gas), as well as being an electrical insulator.

So for the time being the rubber feetarekeeping the "teeth" at bay. But the next timeI'm in thereI AM going toreplace the factory battery cushion with the flooring material. For $1.50 I have more than enough material tohold the battery and cable away from the tank edge on a couple of Softails.

Too bad I only have one bike, maybe I'll get lucky and hit the lottery.
No forget that, I just remembered thatyou have to buy tickets from the state for that.

I would rather spend my money on [sm=bling.gif]and other goodies.


bensonjv,
The ground wire isn't a problem. If you cut into it and grounded it out nothing would happen. Its the positive lead and terminal that's the trouble. If it gets to contact the tank the juice will try to go to ground, and unfortunatly because the oil tank is rubber mounted its insolated for the rest of the bike. EXCEPT through the braided steeloil lines.
So the entire battery output (a very respectable amount of amperage) trys to go through them and cooks things.
Funny thing is that if they had used cheap rubber lines instead, it might still cut the cable but with no electrial path to ground it wouldn't short out or start fires.

 

I was the one who posted that thread a couple of months ago. If you guys can find it, there will be pics from myself and another who had it happen to him. This happened to me while the bike was in motion, luckily close to home. I did have a small fire. The dealer repaired it, right after they change their shorts. They insulated the sh@! out of my positive.

This happened to me three or so weeks into ownership of my 07 Train. I don't want to add to the SCARE but it is something people should be aware of.

That said, I would not trade my 07 for nuthin, This is my third harley just came from an 05 deluxe (totaled) O7's problems or not are the perfect ride!

Everything posted so far is accurate as to how this happens.

 

https://www.hdforums.com/m_887550/mp.../tm.htm#913111

 

By cutting some old radiator hose and placing infront of the battery will prevent any contact with positive connection.

 

rino,

Did you get any pics of the "fix" the dealer did to the battery on your bike?
If not, can you get a couple and post them for us?

ROADTRAIN,

I love simple (cheap but effective) fix's for things, that's just about what I plan to use the flooring I found for.

 

Yeah shouldn't be a problem, They insulated the positive wire twice. Once with the plastic tubing stuff and again with rubber tubing on top. I also took some high density rubber foam stuff and strategically placed itaround thebattery to keep it centered and off the oil tank. I'll see about posting some pics tomorrow.