Yes I do use a tender.....that battery always seemed weak ever since I bought the bike. Any way it's all good now
Need a new Battery
- Thread starter coopernicus
- Start date
Mike Wessel
New Member
i have the original battery in my 06 ultra classic alway on a tendered in the winter, still good!
dolt
Well-Known Member
Lithium is the way to go these days; more CCA, less weight, the cost is coming down and most are now made to the proper dimension to fit HD battery boxes perfectly. I will never go back to a lead acid battery. Batteries Plus sells the "Battery Tender" unit and Twin Power is another source for reasonable priced units.
CRCKR
Active Member
What kind of life have you seen out of these? I haven't tried them but I kept my last 2 bikes on tenders almost every night and they lasted 5 and 6 years in Florida and Arizona heat. I do ride almost all year anyway so the cold never seemed to be a problem in life cycle.Lithium is the way to go these days; more CCA, less weight,
Is there a brand that you suggest? I just looked some up and they aren't super pricey like I thought they would be.
dolt
Well-Known Member
I can't comment on service life since this Twin Power (625CCA) is my first and I have only had it a year; IIRC, I paid about $240. Battery fits perfectly in the '02 FLTH battery box and terminals are exactly the same as the OEM battery.
The '02 FLHT is a high compression (yes, motor is equipped with manual compression releases) all bore 107" carbureted motor and lead acid batteries, even kept on a tender, start to fail after about 3 years, some haven't lasted 2 years. I live in south Texas, it has been 100* here for the last two weeks and heat does not help a lead acid battery. At the first sign of weakness, I replace them to avoid getting stranded somewhere. This battery spins the motor so much faster that the cold motor fires up almost as quick as my EFI '05 FXSTD. I do keep the lithium battery on a tender since I don't ride as much as I used to and the bike can sit for weeks between starts. If your bike never sits for more than a few days between rides, you may not even need a tender with a lithium battery.
IIRC, the Battery Tender and Twin Power were the two most reasonably priced sellers. I purchased via Amazon; as a Prime member, free shipping.
Only advice I can give is to do your research. If your bike is stock, a 500CCA rated battery should work fine, maybe even 450+. Remember that you cannot load test a lithium batter with the electronic testers used to test lead acid batteries and you cannot use a lead acid battery tender to maintain a lithium battery. I will never install a lead acid battery again and will eventually replace the lead acid batteries in my 4 wheel vehicles with lithium as well. Happy hunting.
Here's a good read, sounds like most auto charging systems aren't designed to fully charge lithium
batteries.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a18350/lithium-batteries-not-just-for-hybrids/
batteries.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a18350/lithium-batteries-not-just-for-hybrids/
dolt
Well-Known Member
FYI.The subject of the above referenced article is the lithium iron (Li-iron) phosphate battery, not the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery designed for motorcycle applications. Most Li-ion batteries have a built in mechanism that prohibits over-charging as do the tenders designed for maintaining Li-ion batteries. Li-ion batteries are lighter and less bulky than Li-iron batteries and also manage charge/recharge cycles better over an extended period of time. I don't know if there are Li-iron batteries made for motorcycle applications but even if there are, I would choose the LI-ion battery over the Li-iron.
FYI I was not speaking of motorcycle batteries nor did I reference them in my post but I posted the article because of talk about using in passenger vehicles.
Road & Track has been around for a long time and have a very reputable background and i'm sure they did their homework before they would publish an article.
Road & Track has been around for a long time and have a very reputable background and i'm sure they did their homework before they would publish an article.
dolt
Well-Known Member
My bad then; no need to get huffy.
I wrongly assumed that since the OP was about motorcycle batteries and that this is motorcycle forum that that your post was related to the OP. All of my comments have been in reference to lithium ion motorcycle batteries. Totally agree on Road and Track; quality auto rag.