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Author Topic: Battery not holding charge  (Read 9160 times)

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razar54

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Battery not holding charge
« on: November 21, 2009, 11:37:23 PM »

Just bought my bike and have to take it back to the dealer again!!! Battery won't stay up more than about 4 days.  Shouldn't I be able to put it in the garage without having to put the charger on it? I could leave my sporty in for all winter and it would start (slowly but it would start).  :nixweiss:
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DICKW

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2009, 05:30:20 AM »

Just bought my bike and have to take it back to the dealer again!!! Battery won't stay up more than about 4 days.  Shouldn't I be able to put it in the garage without having to put the charger on it? I could leave my sporty in for all winter and it would start (slowly but it would start).  :nixweiss:

Yes you should be able to leave the bike more then 4 days without a charger...ABSOLUTELY!

Something is definitely wrong, either with the battery itself or the charging system. If the bike is new or under warranty your covered. They may not cover the battery depending on the age of the bike and the relationship you have with your dealership.

If that bike is just a couple months old MAKE them cover everything!!

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2009 Screaming Eagle Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Hawg Wired, KW 10.5, 2" Pull Back Handlebars, Dakota Digital, V&H Power Dual w/ Monster Ovals (Black Tips),
SE Air Cleaner, Zippers 575 Cams, Zippers Adjustable Push-rods, Fueling Lifters,
Thunder-Max Auto Tune, SE Compensator, Legend Air Suspension.

ice6900

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2009, 06:46:01 AM »

the security system is good at draining the battery while the bike sit in the garage, do you have the security system enabled?
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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2009, 08:43:50 AM »

Yes the security is on. Only had the bike for two weeks. Haven't learned all the ins and outs,but thanks. :oops:
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grc

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2009, 10:35:57 AM »


Even with the security system, the battery should not be flat after sitting only four days.  I'm going to assume you just purchased a new bike that may have been sitting on the showroom floor for awhile (a very common occurrence in the motorcycle retail industry over the past year or two).  If the dealership didn't keep the battery fully charged, and just relied on a quick "boost" charge to get it started after you bought it (also a common occurrence in vehicle retailing), you may have never had a full charge to start with.  Have the dealer address this, since leaving a battery in a discharged state for any length of time tends to permanently decrease that battery's capacity.  The battery should be fully charged and then a capacity test performed.  If it doesn't test to new battery specs, they owe you a new battery.  If the battery checks OK, they should perform a current draw test to make sure you don't have an abnormal draw sucking the battery down prematurely.

Jerry
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Jerry - 2005 Cherry SEEG  -  Member # 1155

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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2009, 09:24:31 PM »

Took it to the dealer today. Only day I've had the time. No service people in but talked to sales person,almost but not quite had a temper tantrum. Actually thought I showed remarkable restraint.  :soapbox:   Will post pics as soon as I can get one small enough the server will accept. :nixweiss:
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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2009, 09:34:24 PM »

Oh yeah, the salesman told me he just put the tender on the day before. Said it was a little slow to start. Don't know how long they had the bike. I bought it two weeks ago.
This is the second time I've taken it back. Two weekends in a row.
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09S/E roadglide

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2009, 10:28:51 PM »

No questions....replace the  battery.
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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2009, 10:57:08 PM »

No questions....replace the  battery.

That is what I said.  But the service tech told me last sat. that if their tester did not show a bad battery then harley would not warranty it.
As of fri afternoon the battery was only showing 9 volts.
Oh well, as of noon today it is at the dealer.
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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2009, 11:07:55 PM »

Ohh, look what I learned to do!!!
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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2009, 11:13:47 PM »

And another.
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09S/E roadglide

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2009, 08:18:13 AM »

Ohh, look what I learned to do!!!

Is that pulling in the clutch ?? :nixweiss:
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DICKW

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #12 on: November 23, 2009, 08:23:44 AM »

That is what I said.  But the service tech told me last sat. that if their tester did not show a bad battery then harley would not warranty it.
As of fri afternoon the battery was only showing 9 volts.
Oh well, as of noon today it is at the dealer.

I fight with my dealership on occasions.....ok most times when I think I am right.

Sometimes as I stated before, it all depends on the relationship you have with them. They may be p..cks about it, I guess the question is......you've been there twice now and no results from the dealer. Is it worth the hassle ? Or should you dump the hundred bucks and be done.

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2009 Screaming Eagle Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Hawg Wired, KW 10.5, 2" Pull Back Handlebars, Dakota Digital, V&H Power Dual w/ Monster Ovals (Black Tips),
SE Air Cleaner, Zippers 575 Cams, Zippers Adjustable Push-rods, Fueling Lifters,
Thunder-Max Auto Tune, SE Compensator, Legend Air Suspension.

grc

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #13 on: November 23, 2009, 08:39:41 AM »

Oh yeah, the salesman told me he just put the tender on the day before. Said it was a little slow to start. Don't know how long they had the bike. I bought it two weeks ago.
This is the second time I've taken it back. Two weekends in a row.

You can get a good idea of how long the bike has been sitting by looking at the VIN label that I believe is applied to the left side of the steering head.  It should show the month and year of production, along with the VIN and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

The tech was correct when he said H-D won't honor their warranty claim unless the battery doesn't test within specs.  The problem with that is that they can make the battery pass the minimum spec by fully charging it right before applying the load test, but it won't be anywhere near as good as a brand new battery should be.  There's a big difference between minimum specs and typical brand new battery performance.  And it isn't H-D who should be responsible anyway, it is the dealer's responsibility to keep the batteries charged on bikes in inventory.

Depending on how long they let this battery sit discharged, you may get away with just getting it fully charged and then keeping it on a battery tender, but eventually the odds are you will wind up replacing the battery prematurely.  Typically that will occur after the warranty has expired, and the dealership will forget all about how they caused the problem when you ask them to pay for the new $100+ battery 2.5 years from now.  So if you want to make an issue about this, the time to do it is now.  If the salesman and service department don't give you satisfaction, go over their heads to the general manager or dealer.  If they can't spend less than $100 (their cost on a new battery) to keep a CVO customer happy, they don't deserve your business.

Jerry
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Jerry - 2005 Cherry SEEG  -  Member # 1155

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razar54

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Re: Battery not holding charge
« Reply #14 on: November 23, 2009, 07:37:07 PM »

Is that pulling in the clutch ?? :nixweiss:

That was good!!!! :huepfenlol2:
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