Battery Replacement

[flhtpi]

I went to go for a ride last Sat and the bike wouldn't start again. Only 1,300 miles on the stock battery but the bike was a left over 2007 so the battery is almost 3 years old. I have read many post here about how the stock battery sucks!! I really didn't want to mod the battery box and I wanted to ride the bike now not next week. I called the local Batteries Plus store and they had three batteries listed for the R3.

Item number: PC535-P Odyssey Drycell
Weight: 12.0000 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 14.8AH
CCA: 200

Item number: XT16-B Xtreme Battery Flooded Battery
Weight: 12.6500 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 19AH
CCA: 240

Item number: XTAX16-BS Xtreme Permaseal
Weight: 13.2500 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 14AH
CCA: 230

I purchased the Xtreme Permaseal battery and it was in stock and on sale. $72.00. Install was easy but it's not a plug and play battery. It's a little taller so the tool kit no longer fits. It's a little narrower and the battery post are on the forward top, stock battery post are aft top. I had to reroute the + & - cables forward but they fit without problems. So far so good the bike starts faster then it ever has. Lets see how it last now.

 

[rayjay]

Your right about the stock battery...it sucks..you would think that triumph would put a decent battery on a bike with an engine that big...how much more would it add to the cost of a new bike. Always keep mine on a tender...even if it's only for a couple of days it still goes on.

ray

 

[rocket31998]

I went to go for a ride last Sat and the bike wouldn't start again. Only 1,300 miles on the stock battery but the bike was a left over 2007 so the battery is almost 3 years old. I have read many post here about how the stock battery sucks!! I really didn't want to mod the battery box and I wanted to ride the bike now not next week. I called the local Batteries Plus store and they had three batteries listed for the R3.

Item number: PC535-P Odyssey Drycell
Weight: 12.0000 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 14.8AH
CCA: 200

Item number: XT16-B Xtreme Battery Flooded Battery
Weight: 12.6500 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 19AH
CCA: 240

Item number: XTAX16-BS Xtreme Permaseal
Weight: 13.2500 lbs
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 14AH
CCA: 230

I purchased the Xtreme Permaseal battery and it was in stock and on sale. $72.00. Install was easy but it's not a plug and play battery. It's a little taller so the tool kit no longer fits. It's a little narrower and the battery post are on the forward top, stock battery post are aft top. I had to reroute the + & - cables forward but they fit without problems. So far so good the bike starts faster then it ever has. Lets see how it last now.

Keep us posted. The standard replacement on here is the Odyssey 625. I Love mine for cold weather starts. Great as long as you have the Odyssey charger also.

 

[scot in exile]

My stock battery lasted just over three years and was still okay when I changed it just getting a wee bit old. Went to wally world and that one has been no problem for nearly two years.

 

[rocket31998]

Yeah, I guess you guys live in a different world where it rarely gets cold. Not as many uptions up here in the arctic!

 

[Sidecar Flip]

One thing you need to do is keep the terminals on the starter clean and tight, especially the lower one (with the rubber boot on it). I would suggest taking the boot off, removing the fixing nut and terminal lug, carefully cleaning it and the lug until it's bright and shiney (low resistance) and then applying some quality di-electric grease and then reattach the lug and replace the boot.

The grease will keep the contact point free from oxidation. The lower contact is right down in the road debris spray.

My R3 is an 06 and I still run the original battery. Battery Tender in the winter and summer (I sell 'em) and clean contacts both at the battery terminals and the starter.

The stock battery is well capable of delivering the necessary amperage to spin the motor over but the amps have to get to the starter motor. It's all about the path of least resistance.

 

[Lester532]

I just changed the factory original battery of my 05 Rocket last week,so I put the stock battery back in. Can't complain about a 5 year old battery that seems a little weak.

 

[HeR3tic]

Ive gone through several batteries over the three years. Possibly the stock batts don't have but a few hundred starts before they go tits up. And quite possibly Flipper has the right answer. Clean the starter terminals.

This year, the third battery I went with the Odessy 625. It performs no better wen cold soaked, with this year's winter temps, here in the Heart of Dixe. It must be the starter contact points. I have gotten a trickle charger from Flipmeister Specialty to keep the Odessy up to charge. Before I put it to task I was again having issues with the new battery.

 

[rayjay]

I never used a battery tender years ago..all my bikes have always been garaged, if not in the garage at the side of the house like now..then they would have been in a rented lock up or a garage belonging to a friend. Never left out overnight..except when travelling. And never had a problem starting any of them. My Valk for instance would start almost immediately after 5 or 6 weeks..i doubt if the rocket would..have never tried so i don't know. So what gives does the rockets three cylinders require more juice to start than the valkyries six. Or are batteries not as good as they used to be.
Just curious..what's the longest you guys a left the rocket and it's started.

Ray

 

[Gothlander]

Battery

"Cold CAN damage an uncharged battery. The freezing point of an uncharged battery is about the same as water, where charging it lowers it to a range most of us will never see.

If you want to USE the battery, cold is bad, since it slows down the chemical reaction, which greatly reduces battery capacity.

Cold or warm, keep the batteries charged and they will last longer is the bottom line."