I don't post much , but can anyone tell me the life of a HD battery ? Reason I ask is my wife's 2012 Triglide is going in its 6 th year and last year she was having issues at times with reverse cutting in and out, so I changed batteries in the remotes during the mid summer riding season and it seem to take care of the reverse issue. Towards end of riding season she said he was having issues yet again with the reverse. I myself find it that the remote batteries need a replacing again with only a months. I know from years of auto repair and having my own shop until retirement that cage batteries usually start showing signs of age after the 5 year mark, but not familiar with motorcycle types. The tender is always on it and it turns over fine, but I feel sure the reverse puts on more of a load. I hope there is no issues with the reverse motor ? Any help from trikers as I'm not to familiar with trikes. I would like to be sure because of the costs of a new battery. Charging system seems to be fine as per the gauge and my voltage tester, Thanks in advance.

 

If you have 5+ years out of the battery it is most likely in need of a change. Most get anywhere from 3 to 5 years & then before trouble it gets changed.
Just good insurance.
Your remote shouldn't have anything to do with your reverse. So check all the connections. Grounds especially.

 

After 5 years I'd change it, getting stranded sucks. I normally swap batteries every 3 years, I have trust issues.

 

If you are at 5 years on any battery in any vehicle and you have any hint of repeated problems like a little grunt till firing helps it start turning over, do yourself a favor, get you a new battery.
Maintenance chargers are great but one problem with them is at the battery's end life, they will get you out the garage door and down the street but it's a bitch when you have to push it home.

 

I had to change the OEM battery in my 2013 Ultra in early 2016, so it only had about 3 years on it or less. I agree with MSOCKO3, change it before you get stranded.


Also, not sure how remotes would effect reverse. But on my 2016 I have replaced the battery on my remotes twice already. Not sure if something in my pocket next to them is discharging the batteries or I just had junk batteries each time.

 

Upon average I've noticed that the battery can last about 4 years give or take before they start giving problems. Best way to check them is taking it to an Autozone or similar place and have them check it on the machine. That should help by giving you an accurate number of the amps available. Slowly but surely the cranking amps are lost with time.

Now as for the remote batteries, thats a crapshoot. Unfortunately the shelf life and quality of the battery determines how long they will last. I've had some that last just months and others much longer. What I do is keep a couple of spares in my bag for those rainy days. You can always gift one also to a fellow rider if needed while on the road. I've done that twice already.

Be careful with some of those trickle chargers. Had a friend fry a battery because he used a cheap one. That battery was less that two years old. If you can find one that desulfates also, thats a plus. That will help extend the battery life.

 

I will change the trike battery every three years and the fob every January ....

 

.....ha....I have been riding cross country rides for thirty years as of this year.....I wont leave without changing battery if it is over two years old....I have another bike to ride...so I pass the battery down to the other one......I suppose if you stay close to home if is not much of an inconvenience to have one crap out.....BUT..generally I wont run one over three years.....I have only experienced battery failure at home !!!!!....

 

I have a rule:
All car/ruck batteries get changed after 5 years of service.
All motorcycle batteries get changed after 3 years of service.

I use battery tenders on all that are not driven daily.

I live in Michigan but folks who live in hotter climates may not get as much battery life as those who live in cooler climates.

As for the "fob" batteries, I used to change them at the beginning of every season but last year the "new" battery that I had installed in my fob dies only after three months. My bike not start but thankfully I had purchased extra batteries and had stored them in my tour pack.

 

I can tell you that the Rushmore bikes seem to go through batteries at the 2 yr mark . I went directly to Deaka and bought a battery. 118.00