Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Battery suggestions

I got stranded while out today due to a dead battery.
It was dead yesterday so I charged her up overnight. And yes, I did check the battery terminals yesterday, they were tight.

Bike started up an ran fine today until I was getting some fuel. That's when the battery went.

I've got a 110VAC trickle charger mounted under my seat, so I rolled her to a nearby spot where I could borrow and extension cord and put her on charge. After 20-25 minutes, she started up. I thanked the guys for their help and started on my way. The bike stalled maybe 150 feet away (I should have used a little choke). So I rolled on back and plugged in again.

After about an hour, she still was not turning over. At that point I was starting to think of options. I tried calling some people for advice.

I finally asked my sister to go see my neighbor, who's an ace mechanic (but rides Harley!).

While that happened, we spotted a guy on a well used Honda Shadow getting fuel. So I asked him if he could come over and give me a jump start. He said he didn't know where his battery was but came over anyway after filling up. It turns out that his battery was hidden behind some cover, held on by some bolts, down near his exhaust pipe.

At that point, my sister called to tell me that my neighbor was on his way. I thanked the Honda Shadow dude and sent him on his way.

My neighbor shows up in his Dodge Durango. I thought he'd come on one of his Harley's, since I seem to recall reading several posts here about not jumping a bike from a car. he assured me that with his engine off, it will be no problem.
I trust the guy so we hooked up the jumpers and got my bike to finally fire up.

So I'm finally home. My neighbor came by and we talked some more, he still says that jumping from an operating car should be no problem. I wasn't going to argue, I'm not an EE, like my son.

So anyway, I'm assuming the battery is the original stock battery, which makes her at least 6 years old. I think it's time to swap out batteries. I was looking in the tech vault and couldn't find anything on batteries.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an alternative or should I just go to the dealer ? I'm also thinking of getting a gel battery, if available.

I'm also looking at the jumper cables Fast Eddy sells. And maybe the Kuryakyn LED Battery gauge gizmo.

Any suggestions ?
Thanks in advance.