J&P Community

After eight years, the battery in my FLSTF gave up the ghost and died on the first cold weather snap of the season.

I noticed that the prices have gone up in eight years from the last time I popped for one so, what brand is considered top shelf currently?

 Nowhere, I've been waiting for this post, just so I could stick my two-cents in about my "Battery experience" .... After rebuilding my TC88 to 106, I started having cranking issues ( even though I have S&S electric compression releases installed ) so, I checked MY battery and it failed the load test ( A MaxxStart battery from WalMart ... Hey, it worked in a pinch but only lasted a year ). So, I began looking for the highest CCA battery that I could find to fit. I was told about Odyssey batteries and their claim of 565 CCA / 5 seconds. WOW ! Thats like double the next highest rated battery that I could find so, I bought one ... $145 at BatteriesPlus. I installed it and after about 6 months, I started having cranking issues again and, since a fuel injectted bike WILL NOT start if the ECM sees any less than 9 volts, left me stranded on more than one occaision -- You want to talk about MAD !? I took the battery back to BatteriesPlus and they assured me that the battery was ok and the battery did provide 565 CCA / 5 seconds. I went to Odyssey batteries website  to get the specs from the manufacturer and found that the battery IS listed as providing 545 CCA / 5 seconds but the battery is SOLD as a 180 CCA battery. To top that, when you look under "Charging" on Odyssey's website, it mentions that a special charger is needed to maintain the battery ( which seems to be available only through Odyssey ) and, advises that the stock, 32 amp charging system on American V-Twins will not sufficiently maintain the Odyssey battery and should be updated to a 3-Phase, 40 amp charging system.. Well, I'd never heard of such a thing so, I looked for it. Yep, CompuFire makes one and it's $450 ...  So lets see, $150 for a battery that even the manufacturer can't decide if its 545 or 180 CCA, another $125 for the charger that you need to maintain it properly and $450 for a charging system to be able to ride your bike without being stranded ... Thats a $725 battery ( if you weren't counting ) !

I pulled the battery out of my bike and it is sitting on the shelf in my basement, I haven't even been able to GIVE it away.

After calling several people I know and researching batteries available and their CCA ratings, teh BEST bank for the buck that I have found is the stock MOCO battery ... I paid $120 for the battery, 285 CCA and have not had a minutes trouble out of it. If you ( or anyone reading this ) think that they want to try the Odyssey battery, let me know. You can have it .

I believe that Yuasa makes batteries for Harley. I've had real good luck with Yuasa over the years, purchaced under brand name at a local battery distributer. Now, their AGM (absorbed glass matt) battery, is performing even better than the old style liquid acid batteries, No maintanance, no leaks. There are only a handfull of battery manufactures. Three of the more popular being Delco, Interstate, and Yuasa. Most after market, and auto/motorcycle manufacturers batteries are made by those companies, with their name on them.

 was this the factory battery?  if so and it lasted this long i believe i would go back with factory,

just my 2 cents. i own a 95 F-150 and still has factory battery and still going strong. after saying

this it will probably fail next time i go in it   ha ha ha

A very good question.

It's been so long that I forgot what i purchased.

The battery is made by "Interstate".

These guys advertise all over the NASCAR circuit.

Sooo, guess what battery I am going to replace it with?

Yup, Interstate.....

Thanks for waking me up..

If it worked great before, why change to something else.

Eight years per battery is something I can live with.

 well guess ill put my 2cents in here.ive had very good luck with interstate also. way above average than most

cheapies like wal mart and the such. i really think a battery lasts much longer with the 'battery-tender'  also.

makes a world of difference.

I've got an Interstate battery I just put in my bike a week ago........glad to hear good things about them. Actually it's the 2nd Interstate I've had in the last year......but the first one failed because I didn't keep any eye on my cable connections and the negative terminal got real lose and arked..........yea..........melted the terminal..............Live and learn. Everytime you do maintance check those terminals and make sure they are good and tight.

Yup, my one continuous maintenance act is once a month tightening down the terminals.

Since I put in the 127, they have to be watched all the time.  What I've done to reduce the loosing issue is this;

1. I put a layer of foam rubber in the bottom and sides of the oil bag that contact the battery.

2. I secured the ground cable with the rubber hold down band to the battery so that any battery movement is matched by the cable.  If they both move together, the should stay tighter.

This 127, even though it is balanced fairly well, can stir things up when you start getting the "happy wrist" syndrome after a watering hole stop or two..

 Yup... What FX said. I have the AGM batt too. Been on there for 4 or so years... Starts up religiously!!! Interstate's are great batts too. Replaced the OEM batt in my Jeep Wrangler in 2001... Still cranking...

After doing some study, it looks like most manufacturers are using AGM for their motorcycle battery production now.

 Good Evening Nowwhereman,

Do yourself a favor... spend the bucks and go back with a Harley (MoCo) battery,   they work like they are supposed to and don't give

you any problems.   TRY THIS ... get an "Interstate" battery... then get a factory "Harley" battery... pick them up side by

side and you will see what I mean... the factory battery is considerably heavier... a few pounds.   Try it you will like it.

Now I'm not picking on any ones choice of batteries.... at all.... just telling ya what I found out.  Like the post says.. try it.

Later

Canyonman

Not doing anything at the moment.

Put the 8 year old Interstate on deep cycle recharge and it's crankin like she was new again.

I'll check again tomorrow AM when I ride to work.  If it's still cranking good, I'll let her be.

If she fails, I'll get another Interstate cause you cannot argue with a solid eight years of good service.

 If you're not already I would suggest to you (and everyone else) to keep their bikes hooked up to a battery tender when not riding (even if it's just overnight). This will make your battery last much longer!!!!

If everyone did that when the bike was down for extended periods or the temp dropped down in the 40's, they would double the battery life at least.

Then the battery guys would have to raise their prices just like the syn oil guys..... (Nomex underware on)

Yep, I agree..They cost too much now..

So:  I use battery tenders on all my stuff..

Currently hooked up are my truck, tractor & my softail..