what to expect on a new spill proof battery from dealership?
- Thread starter ron1978
- Start date
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Me thinks we are seeing the end of batteries we can add water to and use our hydrometers on, hoping these sealed batteries will meet the challenge, as H D batteries are top notch IMO
Hoople
Account Removed
100% True story..
Like I said,, I think it has something to do with myself & Interstate. Several years back I swore off using Interstate batteries any more. I would complain about them & would never use them again. Two months ago, I drag out my Yammy cycle and start to prepare it for when my brother flies down for BikeWeek. The battery in the bike is shot because I always just put the bike away without a tender after he leaves town.
A very close friend of mine has a repair station and he sells Interstate batteries every day. He thinks he owes me a favor for fixing his garden tractor and offers me a Brand New Interstate battery for the Yammy cycle in "payment". (He actually owed me nothing but he insisted to return the gesture)
THREE DAYS after I get the battery, it left me stranded at the 7/11 right down the street from me. OPEN CELL. Battery had like 10.2 volts across it after charging. This was just 6-8 weeks ago. Yes I got a new battery but it's just a pain to deal with it.
It's something about me and interstate that is not meant to be.
Like I said,, I think it has something to do with myself & Interstate. Several years back I swore off using Interstate batteries any more. I would complain about them & would never use them again. Two months ago, I drag out my Yammy cycle and start to prepare it for when my brother flies down for BikeWeek. The battery in the bike is shot because I always just put the bike away without a tender after he leaves town.
A very close friend of mine has a repair station and he sells Interstate batteries every day. He thinks he owes me a favor for fixing his garden tractor and offers me a Brand New Interstate battery for the Yammy cycle in "payment". (He actually owed me nothing but he insisted to return the gesture)
THREE DAYS after I get the battery, it left me stranded at the 7/11 right down the street from me. OPEN CELL. Battery had like 10.2 volts across it after charging. This was just 6-8 weeks ago. Yes I got a new battery but it's just a pain to deal with it.
It's something about me and interstate that is not meant to be.
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Hoop,its not just you, there is poor quality control @ J C now days, The Interstate used to be a very good battery, in fact in the 80s the Die Hard and Interstate were for all purposes the same battery with different colors on the cases. Sears got greedy and forced JC into a corner, selling them and trying to re negotiate a better deal, Well u know how that went sideways
trike lady
Junior Member
I had the Interstate battery on my trike for almost 3 years, but I recently purchased a package deal with a high output alternator and new battery, so everything is fresh. I've used Deka Powersports batteries and they've been very good too. I've used them on the Dressers and then got one for the trike, when the old wet cell (Fill & Spill Battery) went bad. I've been told to stay away from Diehard Batteries, as they cannot be jumped. I must have gotten a good one then, especially to get almost 3 years out of it.
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Die Hard sport Batteries are junk, I refer all my customers to OEM instead, I dont trust them, The Dekas are new to us @ sears we will see and I will post on them, Capital Jack
charleyhorse
Member
Just changed mind last week. The bat was 1yr old. I checked everything I knew. The bat would charge up to 13v and would barely crank the bike the next morning. It would only have 12.35v the next morning before cranking.In 2 days of not starting it would not start. I took it to dealer for peace of mind, and they went through all the checks and come up with bad battery 205 bucks later. If the bat is 4yrs old change it because you are going to have to anyway soon. Then you will find out if there is some else wrong. I also checked my charging system and it put out 14+vs, so I knew it was good.
Hoople
Account Removed
Isn't there a pro-rate cost for an HD battery? Normally within 12 months there is no pro-rate and is exchanged @ 100%. Why the $200 fee?
Even if the battery was not an HD there should have been some compensation.
biscuit
Junior Member
Fitted a new "Deka" battery to my 2008 Deluxe last week.Apparently made by the same company that makes Harley batteries.Cost me $190 AUD;about $180 U.S.The battery i replaced was hooked to a ctek charger via a permanent plug-in connector(with flashing red,yellow and green L.E.D.'s to indicate battery state)on a daily basis.
The bike spent the previous week at a shop getting new Cams fitted and so wasn't on a charger.Got it home and despite prolonged and successfully indicated charging,it refused to go over 12.5v and would lose whatever charge it had very quickly.Hence new battery.
BUT;and there's always one!My Dealer ostensibly fitted a NEW battery to my bike at the very end of May 2009 to replace my then 13 month old original unit.At that time my bike had 800 odd miles on it and the original battery would, and then would not hold charge.I was told the original battery was faulty and they would put a new one in.Then i was told they couldn't fault my original battery,but they put a new one in and would keep my now 'ok' battery as a workshop one.Follow so far?:34:
When i took the dead battery with me to verify correct fitment,the guy in the battery shop pointed out it had an '08 STICKER on it!-K8 with APR.removed!So what i thought was a 16 month old battery was actually a faulty 30 months old one,kept alive by continual hook-up to my charger.And a week without being 'fed' hastened it's demise.I will admit to 'wondering' about my battery's state;i was having to pull the Headlight fuse to prevent excessive discharge when loading or playing with my Thundermax.But i thought maybe "they all do it?"
I have tested my charging system and it's ok.In a way,i'm glad it was a battery issue and not the Stator/Voltage Regulator one.However,that dosen't lessen the sour taste in my mouth.
As already mentioned by a person of good standing-100% true story;albeit a long one.Still got the K8 battery in my garage.
The bike spent the previous week at a shop getting new Cams fitted and so wasn't on a charger.Got it home and despite prolonged and successfully indicated charging,it refused to go over 12.5v and would lose whatever charge it had very quickly.Hence new battery.
BUT;and there's always one!My Dealer ostensibly fitted a NEW battery to my bike at the very end of May 2009 to replace my then 13 month old original unit.At that time my bike had 800 odd miles on it and the original battery would, and then would not hold charge.I was told the original battery was faulty and they would put a new one in.Then i was told they couldn't fault my original battery,but they put a new one in and would keep my now 'ok' battery as a workshop one.Follow so far?:34:
When i took the dead battery with me to verify correct fitment,the guy in the battery shop pointed out it had an '08 STICKER on it!-K8 with APR.removed!So what i thought was a 16 month old battery was actually a faulty 30 months old one,kept alive by continual hook-up to my charger.And a week without being 'fed' hastened it's demise.I will admit to 'wondering' about my battery's state;i was having to pull the Headlight fuse to prevent excessive discharge when loading or playing with my Thundermax.But i thought maybe "they all do it?"
I have tested my charging system and it's ok.In a way,i'm glad it was a battery issue and not the Stator/Voltage Regulator one.However,that dosen't lessen the sour taste in my mouth.
As already mentioned by a person of good standing-100% true story;albeit a long one.Still got the K8 battery in my garage.
charleyhorse
Member
They charged me .60 hrs for checking the bike and said the bat only had a 6 mo. free replace and 1 yr pro-rate on it and it was up.
By the way this was Savannah Harley which I am not that empressed with at the time, but that is who the bike was bought from and the closest dealer to med.