Battery life and some battery Q's

[Michael Dutch]

In September I purchased my 1st SG. 2012 w/ only 4600 miles in it. I have other older bikes (79,two 74's,71,67 & 63 Ironheads). All bikes I've built.
I ride year round even in minus digits. Yesterday morning while getting ready to leave work on my SG I got two very week cranks and it fired on the second crank. Which got me concerned. Bike is always plugged in soon as it is parked in garage.
I'm concerned that bike is only 2 yrs old and the battery is already weak. It was 29* this morning. Sat outside all night at work. All my other bikes go under same circumstances and my old irons would always fire strong on the 2nd spin.
I called dealership today and was old battery warranty expired in April of this year.
How is a 2 yr old bike have a weak battery?
I leave my MP3 player 1/8" cord plugged into dash all the time. Could this be prematurely killing my battery?
Dealership said to bring battery in and they will do an hour long cycle test on it for free. Ok cool.
What do I need I know a far as disconnecting battery then later replacing?
How will this action effect the computer ad what not?
Totally new to newer bike electronics here.
If I go to replace battery. What do I need to know for this bike?
Theirs no way in paying the dealer $170 for a new battery. The company I work for gives employee discount at Batteries Plus here where I live so I'll be looking to them as I've always had good relations w them for my other bikes and vehicles.
Ty in advance for any and all input.

 

[Spazz]

Not sure if you have something killing the battery or not... MP3 should not draw any power of the 3.5mm port or AUX/12v port since it should be wired to be hot with ignition on ( check that out to be sure... could have been modified )

As far as removing the battery, turn the bike to the ON position and pull the 50amp main fuse under the left side panel. Then turn your bike OFF. Remove your battery and replace it... then install the 50 amp fuse back in place. You make only lose presets in your head unit and your ECM will be fine.

 

[Mojo]

Michael- For what it's worth, I've had car batteries die within a few months. One in particular, my Acura. It had a Panasonic car battery!
There are some really good MC batteries on the market now besides Harley's, leveraging your discount might just be the way to go. All Battery prices have skyrocketed in the past few years.

 

[Sday73]

Also with it being a used bike the previous owner could have left the battery in during the winters without a trickle charger on. If the bike was bought new in the fall of 2011 it has gone thru a couple winters now. Cold winters are killers of batteries.

 

[airhead]

Morning Dutch, there are a lotta if's. I would make sure that the charging system is working. have the dealer do a load test.if you end up replacing the battery just make sure that it is a maintenance free, that way you do not have to worry about acid boiling over and getting all over things. Just hitting a hard bump can cause a cell to go bad. Does the bike have an alarm system? that will put a small drain on the battery. you said you hook it up to a trickle charge when not being ridden? How heavy is your oil? the newer bikes use a 20-50w or lighter for temps below 50 deg. check out the owners manual for better information on oil. There is a lot of information on this site, just ask and someone will help.

 

[somtron]

Spazz just wondering why you would turn the bike to the on position before pulling out the 50 amp fuse? I would think you wouldn't want any load on the circuit before removing fuses.

 

[Michael Dutch]

Thanks for the input guys.
Sday73...good point. Previous owner,buddy of mine,i can almost guarantee didn't slow charge this bike during winter month,or probably at all. Never considered that. That was probably the killer.
I came out from work this morning (34*) and fired right up on 2nd good crank.
Charging system tested fine and volt gauge is reading a tad above 14.
Bike has stock stereo and was never modified and I run the manual recommended synthetic 20/50 oil.
Im off work next few days and 'Im gonna continue to monitor cold morning starts while looking into new ,maint fee battery.
Spazz...would also like to know why you would turn ignition on before removing fuse? Like I said,Im new at the newer bike electronics,but that alsmost doesn't seem right...or does it?

 

[Spazz]

Spazz just wondering why you would turn the bike to the on position before pulling out the 50 amp fuse? I would think you wouldn't want any load on the circuit before removing fuses.

If you have the full blown security system, once you turn the bike to the ON position, you essentially disable or un-arm the security system, allowing you to pull the fuse with no sirens or disabling features being activated thinking a potential theft is occurring.

If you pull the fuse with the bike OFF you could set off the alarm. I always pull the fuse this way.

Read page 122 of the owners manual...

Sorry for the blurry pic...

1. Verify FOB is present
2. Turn ignition switch to IGNITION
3. Pull the main fuse OR disconnect the battery

 

[Michael Dutch]

Thank you spazz. I tend to not think of owners manual.
Thank you for your help!

 

[Mojo]

Michael- Another good part to purchase; The service manual. It's helped me beyond measure!!

 

[Michael Dutch]

Yes. I am looking to purchase the service manual as I plan on keeping
This bike for a long time. Do you know of where I can purchase a manual besides the dealership? I'm sure it's for sale online somewhere.

 

[Spazz]

best dealer to get the manual is probably Kutter online. I don't know if the manuals can be bought from an outside source.

 

[Michael Dutch]

Cool. Thanks.
Had battery out and to dealer today and they said battery was in excellent condition. When I explained my concern over a two weak crank start. Service tech.did say that it could've been the result of where engine stopped when I shut it off. Meaning it could've been on compression stroke when I went to start up,plus being below freezing out. Did make sense.
On a side note I must say that that battery weighs as much as my truck battery and a royal pain to get back in. Had to temporarily zip tie battery cables out of the way and use pull out strap to lower it in.
So as of now,all is back to normal. Woot!

 

[Spazz]

Good... glad nothing major was found....

 

[somtron]

Thanks Spazz I have a manual but didn't reseach that.

If you have the full blown security system, once you turn the bike to the ON position, you essentially disable or un-arm the security system, allowing you to pull the fuse with no sirens or disabling features being activated thinking a potential theft is occurring.

If you pull the fuse with the bike OFF you could set off the alarm. I always pull the fuse this way.

Read page 122 of the owners manual...

Sorry for the blurry pic...

1. Verify FOB is present
2. Turn ignition switch to IGNITION
3. Pull the main fuse OR disconnect the battery

 

[JimLCWV]

I just found the owner's manual online at the HD website. Bought my shop manual off ebay

 

[JimLCWV]

I bought a 2 year old SG with low miles in August. My local mechanic (Independent, but HD certified) told me it is week and I should replace it. It has connection for a trickle charger, but
he thinks the previous owner may not have used it all the time.

 

[JimLCWV]

Do any of you have any brand battery recommendations? I have the daymaker headlight, I am wondering if I should get a heavy duty battery in case I leave the ignition on. I use the kill switch to shut it off and have been known to forget to turn off the switch.

 

[paul65k]

I bought a 2 year old SG with low miles in August. My local mechanic (Independent, but HD certified) told me it is week and I should replace it. It has connection for a trickle charger, but
he thinks the previous owner may not have used it all the time.

Try using a desulfation charger/reconditioner for a few days and see if this makes a difference........most will work on an AGM battery but an AGM specific charger may just bring it back to life.

I've had good luck with these guys; http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/12-volt/0-4amps/bm2012.html

Plugs right into the Harley cable and I use them on both bikes as well as my boat batteries........I got 8 years out of my last RK battery and typically get 4 years out of each of the boat batteries (my hard maintenance replacement point).