I used a non HD battery in a 2000 Ultra Classic, started having problems after a couple months, lost speedometer, then clock and other electric's, finally shut down. Dealer said battery caused electrical system to burn up, should be using a HD battery. Anyone heard of this?

 

Never heard that. You could have had a short in the battery, or maybe it's the wrong size, but it's not because it's a non HD battery ( they don't make their own). HD doesn't use a different voltage than everyone else.

 

Battery don't cause those issues. Maybe a failed regulator, that let high voltage through...but not a battery.

 

I had similar problems using an aftermarket battery. Bike would die, get a tow home, put it on the tender and it would start the next day.
Turned out the battery was bad. The vendor refunded my $. They didn't tell what was wrong. I suspect it had a intermittent short. It was a Mega Crank battery.

 

I am an electrical engineer and never heard of such BS without more detail. Sure you can buy a battery and have issues with it being the incorrect ampere hour rating or the battery being defective but I would like to know your dealer's interpretation/spin exactly on the throwaway comment "caused electrical system to burn up?" What exactly 'burnt up?' What are the exact faults, what is having to be replaced and how much is the repair bill?
In the normal course of any electrical failure the circuit breakers or fuses are supposed to protect anything from 'burning up!' Does your dealer wear a mask and carry a musket? He sounds like a highwayman and you are his intended victim? "Stand and Deliver!"

 

:i con_laugh:

 

Maybe it was an Indian battery

 

Dealer is FULL OF $HIT!!! I also had a Big Crank battery fail recently, wouldn't take a charge, less than a year old and has a "Made in China" sticker on it. Bit the bullet and just bought a Harley battery but at $200 a pop I will look into a different battery the next go around...

 

OP please get back and elaborate more on burned up electrical system. Could be that you got a bad battery, it happens. More info will help us help you better....

Trucky911

 

Possible the battery shorted or the installer made a bad connection causing to eventually short against something. (Left the positive side exposed). I hear sometimes people BS when they dont have an answer