[lou8700]

Climate, climate, climate. Before retiring to Arizona, I lived in Reno, Nv. Don't remember even buying batteries, they lasted a LONG time. In Arizona, car/bike batteries last 2 years. If you get 2 yrs and 3 mos, you're lucky. I keep my VV on the tender when not riding. I charge car batteries every once in a while just to keep them "full". Doesn't matter here, as my good friend (computer and car guru) told me "heat kills everything electric, hence the need for fans and cooling fins etc., on electronic parts.

The garage heat in AZ during the hot months is so bad you can't spend much time in there. You just park and get in the house. Just my experience and $.02

I think if it were me I wouldn't use the battery tender under those conditions and figure out a way to get some ventilation in there to keep the temp down a bit.

 

[torotim]

My work car, an 04 Impala with 249k on the odometer just got it's third battery since new last summer. Even though I have a heated garage it sit's outside all winter because one stall of my garage always has a winter project taking it's place but it always starts without being plugged in. My 10 Avalanche with 129k just got the OEM replaced last month. My riding lawnmower had to get one on it's 12th birthday and sits in a cold shed all winter with no tender. My 10 CC has the original battery with 78k on it and it's gonna get replaced before riding season because the battery tender which is on it all winter just keeps flashing red telling me it's got a bad cell or something. Fire's right up but the tender doesn't seem to recognize it, so it's time.

My enviroment is not a battery friendly one, NW Minnesota with a balmy -13 this morning so I guess I'm just lucky.

 

[53canuck]

Extremes in environmental conditions will escalate the negative effects of use on just about anything from tires to electronics. There's not much we can do about the weather either hot or cold or sunny so we just have to put up with shortcoming caused by those factors.(I believe heat to be the worst)

I've always had over 5 years of good service on batteries no matter what vehicle they've been in. On the car, minus 30's in the winter with no garage hasn't been a problem we didn't deal with. And really, that may be the crux of it all. People living in the north where a bad battery in the winter can have serious consequences do tend to pay attention to that kind of thing. When I think about it, the battery probably gets more attention than any other part on a newer vehicle since points and carburetors bit the dust.

For a lot of years my bike was stored in a backyard garden shed during the winter so batteries and vinyl parts were put in the basement. Once a month the battery went on a regular battery charger for a day just to top it off. I've been using AGM since they came out initially because of potential spillage but these days it's hard to find anything else. By the way, I don't consider them maintenance free and they get a going over on my preseason checklist every year. The bike still has the original 2011 Yuasa in it.

Best advice I can give on this is to keep the power and ground connections clean, (battery, frame, starter, regulator) and to keep it properly charged. That means not always taking short trips. Get out and ride.

 

[poptop]

I got 7 years out of my 09 KP battery. I use a tender when any long cold snap is coming. I replaced it with another wet cell.

I to have a 09 KINGPIN a lock an 09 Vegas!
Both still have original batteries!
Both get used for about 6 plus minus months a year !they have mostly been parked in the winterbinside a heated shop but have wondered in unheated shop twice!
Both hikes get started every 2 months and run to temperature ,approx 200 degrees oil temp,then shut down!
I have never trickle charg3d either both have Always started without boost or and charging ,until last spring the Vegas that gets used less needed a jump but has since never had about her issue!!
So how long do they last ,these 9 years and counting!
We will see what the spring holds in store for us!
What do I think is normal life of a battery Probly 5 years if never frozen,that seems to really do damage to life expectancy!
I'm pretty lucky I figure with mine the pin has close to 90.000 and the Vegas about 30.000

 

[jjpilot]

Batteries are cheap in the grand scheme.

Having your bike not start while you try to "Just get one more season" is silly.

 

[WHITE_VIC]

I read the biggest battery killer (besides heat) is starting the engine or otherwise discharging the battery. Supposedly the more often the vehicle is started the sooner the battery life ends so those who ride daily will probably have to change their battery more often than those who are weekend riders.

if that were true, the batteries in my delivery van would have died a long time ago. I'm probably on my 60th start of the day and I'm not done yet. Let's figure a round number of a 100 starts a day. That's 500 a week, and that's week after week.

 

[BBob]

I think if it were me I wouldn't use the battery tender under those conditions and figure out a way to get some ventilation in there to keep the temp down a bit.

A lot of people don't ride when they live in those places during those months the same way people in cold weather country put their bikes away for the winter. Many will pull their batteries and put them in the house somewhere on a trickle charger for the summer. I don't think the cold hurts the longevity so pulling it isn't necessary in cold weather winters.

 

[BBob]

if that were true, the batteries in my delivery van would have died a long time ago. I'm probably on my 60th start of the day and I'm not done yet. Let's figure a round number of a 100 starts a day. That's 500 a week, and that's week after week.

Can't speak to that. This is info anyone can find with a simple search engine.

 

[Borinquen Veteran]

Hopefully you guys can help with this question. My battery is the original one on my 2015 XCT. 4 days after charging 100% it measures 12.4 on my multimeter. Is it normal for the battery to lose some charge and hover around 12.4 or is that a sign of a weak battery that will need replacing soon?

 

[DAVEofSAC]

Hopefully you guys can help with this question. My battery is the original one on my 2015 XCT. 4 days after charging 100% it measures 12.4 on my multimeter. Is it normal for the battery to lose some charge and hover around 12.4 or is that a sign of a weak battery that will need replacing soon?

12.4 is okay.
12.0 is dangerously low (now a days).
11.8 is simply unacceptable!

 

[pella cholla]

My battery is original in a '16 CCT. Have it on a CTEK and well, it's no longer holding a charge. One day I pulled the bike off the charger and it started up. I let it run for 10-15 minutes before I turned it off. I pulled it out of the garage so I could rearrange the snowblower and lawn mower for the winter season. Bike was off the charger for about 45 minutes and it was in the 30's that day. Maybe more like the bike was off the charger for an hour or two. Anyhow, when I got on to restart there was definitely a hard start but she did start and the dash v meter was reading down 12V. Going to the IMS show today in Chicago. (Rosemont, actually). Going to try to get one there if they are priced right.

 

[jmstang302]

Bike was off the charger for about 45 minutes and it was in the 30's that day.

20W oil is hard to crank when it's colder.

 

[torotim]

My 10 CC has the original battery with 78k on it and it's gonna get replaced before riding season because the battery tender which is on it all winter just keeps flashing red telling me it's got a bad cell or something. Fire's right up but the tender doesn't seem to recognize it, so it's time.

Whoopsie... I installed a hard lower accessory power kit yesterday and while I was in the chin fairing I found my reason for the battery tender not recognizing the battery. Yeah, blown 15 amp fuse in the lead. It's sporting a nice green light this morning. Still gonna replace it though as it is eight years old.

 

[MagVic CCT]

Not sure about the cause, but I do get a lot more life from my motorcycle batteries than the autos. I believe the one in the bike is original and approaching 7 years. But, I have a new one on the shelf just awaiting the fluid and charge.

 

[BrotherWind]

Well my old battery, I thought needed replacing as earlier stated, has sat now for a week with no trickle, nothing. Temps fluctuating from near freezing to 70. So I've been checking voltage. Day, night just for kicks. Consistently holding 13.3v. At least I have a backup now. For the record if it wasn't such a PITA to change out these batteries I would have done that and would then seen it was not the original as PO had stated. I need to figure out a funny acronym for bike. Ya know like boat, break out another thousand or Fiat, fix it again Tony... Oy vey...

 

[Oldman47]

My 2013 Vision is still on the OEM battery. It has never been on a tender but I do ride almost every week even with the cold winters we get, thank you heated grips. Yesterday I got the chance to put on a few miles and the bike started right up at around 40ºF. That OEM Yuasa battery will hang with the best of them.

 

[Kingpin007]

I bought a used 2012 Vegas last year. I pulled the battery out yesterday to check it and wouldn't you know it's still the original battery!!! I think I'll change it out before it leaves me stranded somewhere. I changed the original battery out on my 2012 XC 2 seasons ago just before a big trip even though it was working fine as well. Must of been a good year for Yuasa batteries.

 

[jmstang302]

I bought a used 2012 Vegas last year. I pulled the battery out yesterday to check it and wouldn't you know it's still the original battery!!! I think I'll change it out before it leaves me stranded somewhere. I changed the original battery out on my 2012 XC 2 seasons ago just before a big trip even though it was working fine as well. Must of been a good year for Yuasa batteries.

They don't last like that now!

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

I typically change my mc battery every five years, just because. This has worked perfectly for me for decades of mc riding.

 

[NY mike]

I typically change my mc battery every five years, just because. This has worked perfectly for me for decades of mc riding.

Every 2 out here in the desert. Heat just eats them up quicker. But back in NYC and Chicago I’d change them every 3. Everyone would say way too early but ! I have to say I never had starter stator or voltage regulator issues but once. And unfortunately it was my Vic but they were known for it. Was the 3 yr battery the reason why I don’t really know that but maybe 🤷🏻‍♂️