Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Dead battery, should I replace it?

I foolishly let my bike sit for over a year without starting it or charging the battery. I went to start it this morning and it won't start at all. I put a meter on the battery and it says 4 volts. That seems very low to me. Did I damage the battery? Should I just replace it? The battery itself is about 18 months old. I've got it charging right now on a Battery Tender.
Thanks for any help.

Charge it up and see where it stays, then you can make a decision to keep or swap it out. I switched over to lithium, not sorry yet. Half the size of your current battery and so light in weight you won't believe it. I went with the Battery Tender brand because they come with four terminals. I built a specific battery holder for it and it hangs hidden upside down. I should write Battery Tender and complain though, it was advertised as "anti-gravity" but I couldn't get it to fly or even do a basic float in mid-air, obviously misleading advertising.I should have added that unless your current battery comes back to a minimum, of 13 volts, you should replace it, you don't state what year your bike is, but running a marginal battery can damage your engine case in the earlier models. If you have a FI model, if your bike will even start, change it out unless your battery comes all the way up. I consider 13.2 volts the minimum acceptable level for any car or or bike. A weak battery drags your starter and unnecessarily taxes your charge circuit.

I was using the Battery Tender Jr.
I checked the voltage after hours of charging and it was still at 4 volts. I decided I was done waiting and went out and bought a new battery. An hour later, I was cruising the highways on the bike. =)