Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge I mean when it quits it quits! :)

I bought my bike new in July of 2006 and have had no major troubles that I couldn't account to my poor choices, bad judgment or skills.

I'm planning on making a quick run over to Dallas TX for an event my neice is involved with so I've been trying to catch up with some long overdue tinkering on my bike to get it ready for a trip.

The other night everything was oky-dokey but I noticed tonight when I started it up to bring inside to finish my work that the battery seemed to be dragging a bit. And wouldn't you know just one more startup to put it back in its stall when buzzzz tap tap the battery took it's last breath.

Better now than on my way to Texas! huh. That's not bad though for a 5 year old bike with over 40k on it with the original batt.

I can put it on the charge but I know from reading all your posts on battery issues that its just EOL, time to replace it.

Happy Trails!!!!

Well I still cant belive that I still have the original battery on my 2003 tba which I have never charged up. Even over the winter when I go out and start her up every 4/5 weeks it does with ease. Sods law It will pack up this year now I have said how good its been. atb geoff

My first battery lasted abouit 5 years, but thats not typical results. Good luck on the trip to Dallas. Watch the crazy traffic there. Them illegals will flat weed ya and keep going.

Thanks, I'll try and be careful. Plan on giving myself enough time to take my time.

Mine 04 original battery quit last winter, took it out, charged it and put it in my lawn mower,... still spinning it! Now if it doesn't want to start, I go for a ride!!

A few years back when I had my Vulcan 1500 I had it on a generic automatic trickle charger. It was a sealed battery. I dispensed with that trickle charger and got a Battery Tender when, after it had sat for 2 weeks in the winter, the battery promptly blew up when I turned the key to start it. Dry as a bone but filled with hydrogen gas. The bottom of the seat took all the impact.

Yous guys are killing me. I used to change perfectly good batteries every three years. The retired ones I tossed or let go to seed by shelving them. Why? I couldn't risk battery failure. Now? When they die I change them out. Lucky for me that one went flat right before the South West Triumph Fest this year. And the other one between last years Nor'East Rally and this years SWTF. Unlucky though that they went kaput within a month of each other. As did the chain kits and the tires...

Yous guys are killing me, because reading your post shows me all the coin I needlessly tossed over the last seven years on batteries.

But you never had a problem . .so wasn't needless ..I would rather buy a new battery every few years than wait untill I got left out in BFE

They usually don't go stone dead they just get too weak to crank the starter so you can still push start the bike.( wish they had a kick starter) This years trip to Niagara found Wendys bike with a dead battery. The bike started in the morning with no issue but once packed, nothing. Jumped it off the Suburban and off we went hoping the battery would charge up on the ride at least enough to start it until we got there to switch it out. No such luck, had to push start it twice on the trip. Much more to the story but my point is, we didn't get stuck anywhere and got 7 years out of that battery mine will be 8 years if it still works in the spring.