So I noticed the volt meter shows charging between 14-15. Could this be caused by a weak battery? My battery shows from 10.9 -11.8 volts with a meter. Anything I should check? Have led head light and passing lamps. All the help I can get from you all I'm grateful.

 

sounds pretty normal , battery may be a bit weak. charging voltage should run around that. You could check voltage as you turn bike over and see what it reads , or have the battery load tested.

 

What should it read with volt meter when starting? I bought the bike with this battery no idea age but it is a battery that has to have the brass barrels on the connection to hook the terminals. Thanks for the quick post!

 

The bike should charge very close to 14.2V. It may vary some from idle to higher rpm. That's why it should be measured at 2000rpm.
10.9 to 11.8 volts indicate a pretty low state of charge on the battery. What you should do is fully charged the battery and have it load tested. Measuring voltage when starting can give an indication of battery condition but a load test is definitive.
Also, all voltage measurements should be done with a digital meter, do not rely on the meter on the bike.

 

I was checking the voltage at the battery with a digital meter. I'll check the voltage at the cables with the meter also.
Thanks

 

I'd almost bet it's a bad battery if it reads less than 11 volts static at the battery. I've read threads here and elsewhere that once they get that low they don't recover. My own went bad at higher displayed voltages that you indicate. This solved my problem. http://www.batterymart.com/p-Big-Cra...FWUaAu2t8P8HAQ

 

Thanks for the info and link to the battery! Is this what you got and I guess you're happy with it?
I was looking at this one 500CCA and flush mount.
http://www.easternperformance.com/tw...or-harley.html
Anyone have this one?

 

Sorry for the delayed response. I'm happy with mine, but 500CCA is good. I wouldn't worry too much about the spacers at the terminals, many replacement batteries have them and I see you mentioned that in your third post but more importantly the battery you linked to has a threaded brass insert. Good idea.

 

Charged the battery pulled it to do a load test. The battery is rated for 310CCA. Is this good enough for my bike?

 

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Whats the mfg & pt# on the battery?

Does the battery fit snug in battery case on the bike or is smaller fitting loose in stock battery case?

The 310cca rating is for the smaller ETX20HL type battery which if memory serves me correct is the wrong battery for your touring ultra classic HD.

I believe your older 2003 ultra classic should have the considerably more powerful 30 series battery that has OEM spec of 385cc's .

Deka's version ETX30L AGM battery for touring HD's is rated @ 400cca's & yuasa's hi perf GYZ32HL AGM version for touring HD's is rated @ 500cca's.

In the past i had a cruiser with a (LOW COMPRESSION/8:5) 1600cc v-twin with a 310cca battery that was marginal at best esp on restarts post fueling up on hot days and also in cooler temp cold starts too .

So if your older 2003 HD is in fact supposed to have a larger 30 series battery like Deka's ETX30L or Yuasa's GYZ32HL (which i am not 100% sure is the case or not) the smaller 310cca battery currently in your bike even when new is marginal at best in a lrg disp V-twin especially in an HD that should have higher compression thats harder to spin over too.

If you find you need a new battery here are the best batteries i found for touring HD's when it comes to quality/reliability/long srv'c life/powerful CCA rating @ great prices on my 1st choice which is Yusasa's GYZ32HL 500cca AGM battery online from phatperf for only $132 to your door (retail $200+) or my 2nd choice Dekas ETX30L /400cca AGM battery from high tech battery solutions online for approx $97.99 to your door.(Retail $140+)

Scott