04 Road King starting issue, battery good.

[orange68]

Both ends of the ground and positive were already clean and looked good but I cleaned them anyway. All of this was done but still have issues.
In the morning, I plan on taking the battery to advance auto and have them load test it.

Hopple, sorry for the confussion. In addition to the 09 ultra I have a 04 Road King that my wife rides most of the time. And yes the battery in the road king was replaced last October with a new HD battery.

 

[orange68]

I know some folks here swear by the HD battery, but not sure I do any longer. I put a new HD battery in the 2004 Road king last October and it stays on a battery tender. Went out to crank the bike last week and it sould even spin over fast enough to start. Ater several checks of the ground, cables and I even had the battery checked at HD and Advance. Both HD and Advance stated the battery was good. Finally went and purchased a new Interstate battery and all is good now. The HD battery still has some warrenty but how do you get HD to make good on a battery they indicate is good? My vote is for Interstate Batteries !! When my Ultra needs a new battery , I will probably go Interstate .

 

[Hoople]

had the battery checked at HD and Advance. Both HD and Advance stated the battery was good.

By chance did you happen to see what the battery tester looked like at either place. Can you describe the procedure they performed to test the battery?

The testers you see at auto supply stores are usually made by "Bear". By chance did you happen to see a brand name on the tester?

I would like to get to the bottom of these Bad batteries testing Good. I hear it way too often.
SPX doesn't list a battery tester among the required tool ship to the dealerships. That must be a tester they get on their own. (?)

 

[TripleJ]

I am with you Hoople. Way to often we hear of batteries testing good when everything the poster tells us points to a bad battery. Makes me think either the person testing the battery is using an unloaded testing procedure (simply checking battery voltage) or using unreliable testers.

I have seen where you state that a carbon pile tester is the most reliable method and I totally agree. Some testers I have seen even state that you can check the battery even if it is not fully charged, etc. IMO shortcuts in electrical diagnostics usually end up with unfavorable results.

 

[Hoople]

TripleJ, I will tell you, I have been around car batteries all my life. I can not recall a single instance in over 40 years when a carbon pile load tester said a battery was Good, when it turned out to be really Bad. I can not remember a single time. Why do companies have to make such a big production about testing a Battery.

I think I bought this tester back in the mid '80s. It's gotta be 25 years old. It has no PC computer boards in it. So simple to use & it works.

Just crank the knob down till you see smoke and read the voltmeter!!

 

[Chopper]

Here's a pic of the tester that all HD dealers are required to have to warranty batteries and I have never seen a bad reading from one yet, unless you have a total fool using it, the tester even prints out the warranty code for Harley, however the tech has to enter the correct information for it to work right, the tool is only as good as the person using it. Sounds like the dealership dropped the ball here, just from talking to you the dealer should have known the battery was bad. No matter what brand you buy there can always be a bad one in the bunch. Harley batteries only have a 12 month warranty when sold over the counter and only have a 6 month full replacement, after that they are pro rated like tires for the rest of that year, not even worth the trip to the dealership for the couple buck discount they will give you but I still like Harley AGM batteries because in most cases they do last longer then all most any other brands unless your lucky enough to has a Odyssey Battery dealer near you, they will out last any battery on the market and come with a full two year full replacement warranty and the price is about the same as a Harley AGM battery or less. But glad you found the problem and you're back on the road.

 

[Hoople]

unless you have a total fool using it,

So there is a catch!

 

[Chopper]

So there is a catch!

LOL Hoople, there's always a catch!

 

[orange68]

Sorry but I did not get the name on the battery tester but I did have three different places (HD, Advance auto and another motorcycle shop) test the battery and all indicated it was good. I just know it will not start the bike and the new battery works just fine.

 

[Hoople]

Sorry but I did not get the name on the battery tester but I did have three different places (HD, Advance auto and another motorcycle shop) test the battery and all indicated it was good. I just know it will not start the bike and the new battery works just fine.

Wow I am surprised that even after going to 3 different places and ALL of them saying your battery was GOOD, you went ahead anyway and purchased a new Battery.
Do you really trust us that much?