battery question

[vincent]

I have a 2007 1600 with 9000 miles. It is garage kept and all I run is a f&s light bar. About when should I be looking for a new battery. I am planning on doing alot of riding this fall and I do not want to wind up stranded.

[redjay]

You should be fine, my OEM battery is 6 years old and still going strong.

[recumbentbob]

I bought a left over 2008 in March of 09. I always use a battery tender plus and my battery just crapped out. It has a dead cell.

[Top Cat]

Everyone is different. If you live in a climate where you have to store the bike in the winte( i can't tell as you didn't put it in your profile ::)) and don't use some sort of smart charger then you will need a battery sooner than a guy who rides year round.
walmatr sells a charger that will do anything a Battery Tender will do for a lot less money. It is called a Shumacker.
My 07 has original battery and the bike is stored from mid Nov. to mid Marh each year in an unheated garage. I leave the battery in the bike and just run the Shumacker.

[cactusjack]

I bought my 2007 Nomad brand new 3 years ago this week and 47000 miles later, the original battery is still strong. There's no hard and fast rule on battery life.

[cajun2wheels]

My Nomad battery lasted five years.I don't think the previous owner rode the bike that often and probably never used a battery tender.I keep a battery tender on winter and summer.Your battery will last a lot longer with a battery tender.My 2003 Honda Sabre 1100 had the original battery in it when I sold it a few months ago and it was still going strong.

[Cajunrider]

I purchased my leftover '07 in April of '08. 27,500 miles and the battery is still at 12.7v. Never had a tender or charger hooked to it.

[bobzinger]

My battery is 5 years old and fine so far.

[moloprintz]

My 06 is still on the original battery.
No tender or charger.

Mike

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I don't think it is the amount of miles on the bike and battery as much as the amount of time. I do use a battery tender when my bike is going to sit overnight. Keeps it at peak performance all the time.

[usranger74]

Many folks on this site will tell you to use this

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEoQ8wIwBA#

And keep it plugged in ALL THE TIME (while not ridding).

It comes with a pigtail that can attach to your battery thus making "hook up" very easy.

[Top Cat]

Yeah, that's the one I mentioned awhile back in my post

[billmac]

I just bought an 06 with 2,000 miles and I replaced the battery with a new gel battery. I did not want to get stranded with a bike you can't push to start. I may put the old battery in my riding mower. I like to get stranded on it so I can go watch TV instead of mowing.

[macmac]

Yup TC and usranger have it. I bought my 06 used in June 06, and it has the same battery and will for a good long time.

Hook up that auto float (turns on and off by itself) anti sulfation pulse (stops sulfation death common in small batterys like our bikes, lawn tractors, and ect ect, and you won't need another battery for a good long time, unless there is a defect.

I run a full time volt meter. It is on as I type and has been on every day and every night since Spring. So I know what my battery is and it is like new still.

How do I know? Every so often I get to lazy to plug it in, OR I am gone somewhere over a few nights, and that meter in the morning will read 12.84 dcv. You can't beat that.

TC it would be a better thing to drag tht battery in to some place around 50 degrees in winter with the vinals. The cold shrinks the vinals and pulls hard on the stitching.

My bike stays in a enclosed trailer all winter, but not the seats or battery.

To pull a 1600 battery is a Royal Pain, but I do it. This is a 2 part pain since the wires must be all un-done, then for the first time any way you must use 2 nylon ties thru the battery teminal opening and gently lift the battery out.

I added a dog collar (nylon with nylon fastex clips) and just leave it there.

The pain is being of Scot desent and wasting 2 nylon ties

[recumbentbob]

What brand are your factory batteries?

I pulled my battery yesterday (it's got a bad cell) and it is a Parts Unlimited, which surprised me since I bought the bike new and this is the battery that came in it, it's an 08 model.