My 05 FLHRCI battery failed this weekend at 38 months. It has always been on charger/desulphator when not being ridden. I had hoped fpr longer life. Went to Sears for a replacement, they did'nt stock and couldn't order it. Went to local HD Dealer 150.00 plus tax. Wound up with an Interstate at 119.00 including tax. What the heck is so great about a HD battery to warrant that kind of pricing. Bought a Die Hard Deep Cyclye RV/Marine for my RV at 81.00 in July. I don't get it!

 

H-D always charges more than the product is worth. That's just the way it is. People keep paying the price so the Mo-Co keeps raking it in......

 

Demand for HD size battery is low compared to others would be my guess...

 

They charge more for one reason only. Because they can. And folks will pay it!

 

Nothing like Monopoly. The battery on my Honda was five years old when I sold the bike and it was never on a tender. It still worked great. This battery on my Ultra is 4 years old and has been on a tender. It works great too. I do assume I will need to replace in a year or so, but that is the norm. At least now I know how far to bend over when I need to pruchase.

spiz

 

There is a difference in batteries...I'm not sure who makes HD batteries, but they are better than any Wal-Mart, or other discount store battery. I believe someone here mentioned an online source for the same size battery from the same manufacturer, but with a different brand name.

I don't push battery life anymore. A little over a year ago, when I was riding my 02 Dyna (5 year old battery) the wife and I went out for a ride, got about 25 miles out of town and it just died....couldn't push start the bike or anything. Called a good friend who said he would come out with a trailer to pick us up. The Bike was sitting on the edge of the highway (not much of a shoulder), so the wife and I were in the ditch a little distance away (didn't want to stand next to the bike in case a camper coming down the highway hit it). Anyway a freak gust of wind came up and blew the bike over on the right side and it slid a couple feet down into the ditch. A guy in a car stopped and helped me pick it up....the right mirror and hand grip were broken, quick connect windshield was scratched up and the right saddlebag was all scuffed up.

Got the bike into the shop and found that the stator was gone....don't know if the battery caused the stator to go, or if it was the other way around, but it ended up that my $99 new (HD) battery cost me nearly $1500 by the time the bike was ready to ride.

I know a lot of guys who replace their battery every 3 years whether they are showing signs of going out or not....I may start doing that myself, not just because of that bad experience, but after talking to HD mechanics and other owners a weak battery can cause other problems that can make the money saved by running a battery a year or 2 longer a drop in the bucket compared to the things that can happen when the battery goes out. More often than not when a bike battery goes it gone completely, won't hold a charge, so it can't be jumped.

 

had 7 years no problems on 1 and replaced my last 1 at 5 years no problems just didn't want to push my luck.

 

If it says "H-D" or "marine use" on it, you're gonna pay more.

 

I don't need a battery and hope I won't for a few more years. I keep my bike on a tender during the fall and winter.

I was wondering if anyone knows about an improved battery for touring bikes. Maybe something with a better connection. I was thinking that bolts with locknuts would be better than the stock bolts into lead.

I have so damn many wires on my battery right now it's ridiculous. What with stereo amp, heated gear, air horn, Zumo, etc. etc.

Steve

 

STEALERship...nuff said