I hope you all find this information helpful! I sure did not know what I was getting into after buying a lithium motorcycle battery.

I've had my lithium battery for 3 years now, and i love them. Those harley davidson batteries are garbage.

Very informative video, thank you. Was pondering getting one to save some weight, but hardly seems worth the trouble with all you mentioned.

Your absolutely right! I made the same mistake. I’m back to my heavy lead battery

Ran across your video and definitely great info. You did a great job explaining about the bms in batteries. I've sold many chargers at a place I worked and always had to explain this same scenario you explained. Sold many of the Optimate 4s models over Noco brand due to price. Noco price is $99 over Optimate 4s is $75.00 and also some have said the Noco Genius 10 does not have the bms feature and some say it does but I am having a hard time finding if it does have the bms feature. The 4s models and the Pro-1 offer this feature. For motorcycles, the 4s 0.8a is perfect.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Usually these Lithium BMS just needs to be disconnected and then rebooted again. I am building my own LIFE04 Battery and charging system for my Harley and will be running a 60Amp DC to DC adjustable Converter that will take all of the load from the Bikes charging system when the BMS shuts down. I will also be building in a reset/isolator button or switch that can be accessed from outside the battery case so that if there is a problem, My System will have variable Input and output voltage and current. This way I can isolate the BMS directly from the Life Battery completely and then reconnect it without putting the battery case apart. I will also have all independent voltages of each of the 8 cells displayed on the top (set in resin) so that at a glance, you can see if a cell is on its way out. I am building this battery so that I can get 10 years out of it at least. This will not need a special charger as it will all be built in. Just 2 more parts to come in and the project will be done. Cheers Westy.

My used Yamaha XSR 900 came with an Antigravity Lithium battery with "restart" feature. Bike sat 2 months in Texas garage over winter and would not start. All my kids ATV's and dirt bikes have either standard factory or cheap Walmart batteries and they all started right up. Only shows 2.8 volts and the "restart" feature is a button on the side of the battery that claims once you hit it, the battery auto saves enough power to get you started. Well, I hit the restart and it only powered the dash, but did not have enough cranking amps to turn over the engine. Put on trickle charger, but will not charge. I'm new to Lithium batteries, but my personal experience is save your $200 and buy a $50 traditional battery. I had no idea you needed a special charger, all of it seems like a BS marketing scheme to me. Appreciate you taking the time to explain all the details.

Appreciate that information, I definitely don't want that headache. I'll stick to the old-fashioned acid battery and buy as powerful one as I can to operate my stereo upgrade.

Thanks for the Lithium specific maintenance info. My 2003 Low Rider was purchased kinda new, 699 miles, in 2003, it was a dealership owners bike. The HD battery it came with was the original HD factory battery from when it rolled out new. I put a quick 7500 miles on that bike and it sat a lot too. I use Deltran trickle chargers, the 800 waterproof ones, that battery lasted just over 10yrs in both hot and cold environments. I just purchased a replacement Noco 20 battery for my 2008 Yamaha Big Bear, 5yr warranty. I topped it off with a Noco Genius Trickle charger that had previously purchased, similar size and cost as the Deltran 800. It took longer than I thought to top it off, 3-4hrs. Installed it in -3 degree weather into a quad that was sitting in the woods for over 24hrs at those temps. Windchill was probably colder, cable were frozen and had to be worked prior to functioning. Carb was sticky and fuel didn’t want to flow. Battery started strong while turning over for well over 8-10min with multiple attempts working choke, throttle and tapping on carb bowl. Fired up strong. Left outside when I got it home and fired up next day assisting with pulling down 100” tall tree. Temps still not above 15 degrees as a high, windchill less, says feels like -6 degrees, quad still outside, starts strong, LED headlights and two NiLight spotlights much stronger steadier beams then when the Yusa Lead Acid or Deka batteries were in the quad. Those were my previous favorite brands for recreational vehicles along with Interstate. I went with Noco because I purchased a Jumper Pack made by them a few years ago and have been impressed with its ability, look, size and price. Only been a few days with the Noco Lithiium 20 battery, $179 at AutoZone, but it’s been tortured tested right out of the gates and my original fear of Lithium not functioning in the cold has been dismissed, the 5yr exchange right at any AutoZone also helps with the $179 price tag but most AGM batteries are at a cost within $50-90 of that and come with a 60 day or 6mo warranty. It’s ridiculously light if that matters to your application?? I’ll most likely be putting these in my dual sport Motos when the next AGM needs replaced, my Harley as well. Thanks again for researching the specifics, I’m not a big fan of reading and my fingers are too frozen to turn pages currently anyway 👍🏾

Thanks for the information much appreciated and have learnt a few extra things about lithium batteries. I was only aware of the need of a special charger for them and that they have poor performance in colder temperatures. On a side note as a new subscriber I notice you reply to each and every comment. You should be commended for this as it appears a lot of KZfaq people that produce videos and information do not. It’s pretty frustrating when you comment and dont get an answer or at least appreciation for your input. So I say again - thank you! Cheers from “ down under” Australia 🇦🇺 😊

Yes I knew all of what you talked about before I made my purchase. I also knew harleys problems with their lithium batteries. My battery research led me to the 2X power sport lithium ion battery from batteries + bulbs. I always hook my bike up to the tender after ride even if I know I will ride again the next day. This is a good video and hopefully will help others make an informed decision.

Excellent Info. Thank you.

I bought three NOCO batteries for my three bikes, when they came out last year. I've had two trickle chargers from this company, very good products. The chargers have these three options: Lithium, AGM, and conventional. They batteries are good so far. They hold a charge, much better than the stock Deka battery that came in my Harley Road Glide. Also, went from 15 lbs down to 5 lbs. I don't believe they start the bikes any better than stock AGM batteries, even though they claim more power. Can't talk to the cold though. I live in Florida, we had our three day winter, didn't test them at that time.🥶

I thought I needed a new battery last spring, when I started experiencing charging issues (turns out it was simply a broken battery connector on the pigtail, and the battery was OK). When I asked about a lithium battery at my Harley dealership (Doc's in St. Louis), they said that they'd stopped selling them, because of a number of issues, some of which you've mentioned here. One that you missed is that apparently if they drain completely down in cold weather, you can't recharge them (at least the Harley branded ones) - they' discovered this the first winter after Harley started selling them. I saw that H-D has a new version for sale, but I think that I'll stick with an AGM battery when I need to replace it in a couple of months.

Thank you so much for making this video. I sell Harley parts and you have confirmed every suspicion as to why I do not like these batteries.

I replaced my 12V lead acid battery with a LiFe-PO4 battery 18 months ago and I'm very happy with this change. First off it never gets below 40F where I live. The battery came with a low current, voltage limited wall wart charger which has performed faultlessly (I've only needed to use it twice though). The battery has a built in BMS (surely any 12V Li-ion battery intended for motorcycle use would have its own built in BMS). The battery turns my 650cc RE motorcycle engine over with no hesitation or pronounced voltage drop, the engine starts easier than it did with the original lead acid battery plus the bike is that much lighter (my main concern has always been weight with this bike, the battery change like all the other mods I've made to this bike was weight motivated). Sounds to me like the problems you have been having are all down to Harley Davidson, they really need to own them and do right by their customers.

I've been buying firepower since 2017 and they are pretty good. When needed to change I have used a regular 1.5Amp charger and in 15 minutes it's good to go. 2015 softail slim sir. My respect for you and your audience.. 🙏🏼

Thanks for the information...

I just had to replace my battery and after learning it would cost about 140 more between the battery and tender the choice was easy but thanks for the info that makes me even happier for my choice

I purchased a used bike a few months ago and the previous owner told me he upgraded the battery to a lithium. I thought one less thing to do. I had the same starting issues you have , but had no clue about the difference in protocol compared to LAcid and AGM. I did run into some info a bit at a time but your information just confirms what I was discovering. I think as you pointed out I don’t want to kill my starter. Going back to AGM problem solved. I also assume my rectifier was not playing nice with the lithium battery either. Thanks fir the info

Looking for a lithium charger led me to this video, a day after an online purchase of Harley’s newer 8ah Lithium. Watched, read comments, called Harley to cancel. Said order was in progress, and could send RMA as soon as was shipped. I got 10 years out of my 03 Fatboy battery, 2 years 13 Road Glide, and going on third battery on my 16 Road Glide Ultra. Batteries are a gamble. You get good ones, you get bad ones. In the end, the Lithium cost me $78 more than what I could purchase the Harley AGM, with only the 1 yr warranty. Since I live in a warm climate, got a $40 Harley promo card, and a 5 year warranty, think I’ll keep it and learn the hard way. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. 👍🏻

I live in Chicago and I love my lithium battery, with anything you have to do your homework there are cheaper ones and there are expensive ones you also have to know how you are using them, with that being said Harley just put there name on a cheap product to make money I’ve had my lithium for 6 years and it starts in very cold weather because here in Chicago you have to start your bike at least once a week or every other week. You can do as you want but agms don’t last here in this cold weather a lot of people have switched to lithium, and most of them come with there own chargers because each one takes different amps to charge them that’s why they go bad because people just put the wrong charger on them you can’t do that you have to go to a battery store to learn more about batteries, and I have 2 cvo road glides

Does not the “Reset” feature on your Lithium charger need to design for your Specific HD ?

Thanks for the info, I was looking at getting one when I need a new battery but not anymore as I live in Ontario and don't need those headaches

I have had a lithium HD battery for 5 years now.... Still starts every time...... What can I say, I like it........... BTW for cold temps around freezing or below... just turn on the bike and wait 1 minute then start ....

Well done video !!☑ I was doing research when I saw yours and you covered the part about battery warmup as did other knowlegble content I was ASE certified in 95 and this lithim ion battery info is new to me. Looks like your problem can be attibuted to Harley and the dealer not puttng thier customers first.

That's too long for me to wait to get the engine started. I have not bought one, thought they were way too expensive. I knew they needed different chargers and had to be warmed or wakened up. I felt that if you needed a different type of charger/tender then the charging system of a vehicle that was made with a lead acid battery probably wouldn't be right for the lithium battery. Thanks for the info CJ.

i was think to buy a Life battery for my xl1200ns. I gave up after I saw your video . I'm gonna to buy the traditional one. It seems the Harley is learning about this new kind of battery. Maybe in the future it could be possible change the battery to Life without this troubles. thanks for your video.

Thank You. My Harley Davidson Dealer, Use To Be Nice, And Helpful, Now They Turned Into Jerks. I Just Replaced My Battery, In My 2016 TRI Glide Ultra. I Went To My Loco Auto Part's Store, And I Was Going To Buy A Lithium Battery. The Parts Lady, Said No. Not For My Motorcycle. I Known Her, For Over 20+ Years, And, I Did Not Question Her About It. So Bought, The Battery, She Recommended. Thank's To You, Now I Know Why. Be Safe, And Stay Healthy.

I bought the Antigravity ATX12-HD for a 2014 Sportster 48. The website recommended a CTEK Lithium charger and recommended fully charging before the first use. My first start was in 43 degree weather and it started better than it ever has started even without warming it up (which I have yet to do). So far so good. This battery has smart start technology where if the the voltage gets below a certain point it will shutdown. Then all you have to do is hit the restart button and it should start the bike.

Great info CJ. I'm riding an older model and have never considered using a lithium battery. After watching this video I doubt that I will. I'm not sure how that all makes any kind of sense. It's way more complicated and for no good reason that I can see. One would think that Harley would at least provide some detailed instruction.

I would plan to buy that kind of battery, but i am curious since I had bought my Harley my battery were used is YUASA but no worked longer.

I bought a shorai lithium battery over 10 years ago and had worked flawlessly until today. In the beginning I had issues with it discharging while on the shorai brand battery tender. It would shut off then drain the battery. Opposite of what a battery maintainer should do. So I bought a $20 battery tender brand lithium battery maintainer and it's worked perfect since. If a lithium battery discharges too low you can use a standard battery charger to bring the voltage up then the lithium charger will take over. Easy as pie

I found out the hard way that it’s also wrong to replace a lead acid battery with an AGM type battery ..... You are right.....few people seem to know different battery types are not always interchangeable especially with an older vehicle...Newer does not always mean better. I like your channel Cycletron. You speak of important issues folks need to be aware of. Thank you.

I had the same experience with the lithium ion battery. Dealer did not have an appropriate charger. Bought a NOCO charger and was still unable to revive the battery.

Never had issues with lithium battery had them in my sportster 2004 softail 2011 onwards replaced every 3 year's use Harley Davidson top up charger and optimate. Never had issues with those batteries riding in the UK. Before lithium had the led acid batteries and terrible always issues. Britain is mostly cold and damp those lithium batteries are a God send over here for our motorcycles.

Built in Battery Management System ? when was the industry going to tell us this ? Already knew these batteries are not compatible with "some " charging systems on bikes , but I guess I'm just repeating what you found out the hard way . Very informative video !

Great content👍 I bought a Fire Power Featherweight Lithium Battery HJTX20HQ-FP For a total of $200.20 with tax in PA from RevZilla and it is 6 months old and I don't like it, I don't trust it. My Victory Vision starts slower even though battery is supposed to be more powerful. It seems to discharge easier sitting at idle with accessories on including heated gear and seems to over charge when driving for long time non stop. I replaced the regulator because I thought it was the problem but after hearing from others, I think this lithium battery is not suitable for my cycle and only thing it has going for it is it IS VERY light and easy to handle but that is all. I am going back to the best AGM sealed lead acid maintenance free battery like the Duracell Ultra 20HL-BS 12V 310CCA AGM Battery The Advanced AGM design provides superior vibration resistance and temperature tolerance and will be better suited for my 2013 Victory motorcycle as this is battery bike was designed to use. Screw the new unreliable lithium batteries. They might be good for new bikes but not mine. ✌️ 🇺🇸

today is july 2023 and i bought from local hd dealer since march 2019 and still works !!!

Try double hitting the start button. When you first try and it acts dead immediately hit the start button again. This has worked for me

I have had my hd lithium battery for almost 3 years and it works great. I also purchased the dual charger for it as well. Completely different experience than you.

I have to replace my battery with something smaller, as I have had to relocate the battery in my build. They are the perfect size for what I need. I am curious what you think would be a decent alternative, that gives me that size. My bike is stored inside all winter, and doesn't go out in inclement weather. Also, the video is titled dont buy a lithium battery, but you seem to just be not happy with the HD branded one. Can you clarify? Thanks.

I only buy gel lead acid batteries since the acid won't leak out in the event of damaged. Do you know who manufactured the battery for Harley? Shorai, Antigravity, and Full Spectrum appear to have good reputations. I can see the advantage in weight savings for sport bikes and off road bikes or long term storage is an issue but generally a gel battery works fine. Is this a case of Harley buying cheap off brand batteries and selling them at top dollar? I'm really surprised the Harley dealer didn't provide instructions and Harley gave you a hard time with the warranty.

Purchased a NOCO Lith batt for my 2016 rdkg 3 months ago. Also got a lith trcklchg. Rated at 700 cca 5 yr warranty for $167. So far it works great. My alarm system use to run acid batt down if i didn't put it on chrg in a week. My pan america AGM batt fail after 5 months with agm chrg. Only has 225 cca. At this point harley corporate has not done anything. Apparently they are aware of this issue and do not have a replacement available at the moment. No one makes a lithium that will fit. It's only been 2 weeks! Hopefully they will come up with a solution soon. They have a recall on this starting issue when temps drop below 32 degrees the infotainment fails. I live in florida and temps rarely get there. They did for few days when i started having a starting issue.🏍😑✌

What temperature cold do u need to wearGloves

I just put one of the new Life Harley batteries on my 2011 Electra Glide. Best battery I've ever seen. Super fast cranking with no problems so far. I can't compare it to the old Harley lithium because I never had one. Just my opinion, but I love it so far.

I've used Odyssey batteries for 20+ years on my bigger bikes. Most of these batteries have lasted much longer than lead acid. But now I'm overseas and have a Royal Enfield Himalayan, for which I bought a lithium. Aside from the special charger, I did not know about the other problems associated. As the place I live gets 115ºF in the shade by mid-morning, I thought the lithium would last longer. I bought the Bikemaster lithium charger and the battery was an Ampxell. I can remember when the Army started issuing lithium sulfide batteries back in the mid80s for our radios; they were nice because they were half the size/weight of the old magnesium batteries, we got full voltage, and they delivered in low temperatures. Maybe those memories made me try a lithium for the bike. We'll see how this battery does here.

I purchased a lithium battery for my Indian scout about a year ago. I have started the bike a few times around the freezing mark, and I have had zero problems with the battery.

Lithium batteries are great for laptops, phones and other applications where the battery is used as a primary power source but on a vehicle that has a constant charging system, AGMs or SLAs are better. Also I ride in sub-freezing temps which renders lithiums more trouble than they're worth. The weight savings is also a foolish concern since fuel weighs ~6lbs per gallon and people don't seem to get bent out of shape about the extra weight when they fill up at a gas station.

I bought the orange lithium battery in 2022 had no problems for a year. I bought the dual charger from Costco. In august the middle of summer and not on a charger in month. The battery shorted and caused a fire.

Noco chargers and some others have a 12v "force mode" which I have used to "wake up" lifepo batteries with no issue. "bms reset" is a feature I have never actually seen but a clean 12v will indeed "wake up" a lofepo bms in an off the shelf "OR" a DIY battery made from 4x 3.2v cells configured for 12v (parallel). The lifepo mode on the charger will not do it because it doesn't see the correct voltage. You can also use a bench power supply set to 14.6v at around 10-15amps to charge a lifepo manually. Reason I found this is in the market for a new hatley battery for my dad and know nothing about harleys- whereas i know a metric shit-ton about lifepo batteries. I also read that the hot oil and engine can trigger auto shut off when the battery gets too hot- Considering a heat shield and perhaps some kind of low voltage heater for the battery box because you DO NOT want to try and charge one if the ambient temps are near freezing- the cells cannot expand with the charge because they are too cold and you can kill the battery. These are the reasons lithium titanate batteries will be THE lithium solution for starting batteries based on lothium chemistry. There are a handful available for cars and trucks but I have not looked for a motorcycle battery that is lithium titanate yet.

I have ten trouble free years with my Klr 650/shorai

Remember a good BMS will have a low temperature sensor, not letting the battery charge in lower temps, due to it being harmful to the cells. Some batteries actually have heaters built into them for this.

The concept of having a charger at home and periodic recharging of motorcycle batteries is quite alien to me (and most of us in India).. On the occasions where my motorcycle wouldn’t start, I’d get the battery examined by a mechanic who’d either recharge it or replace it with a new one.. I don’t even know whether these batteries are Lead acid or Lithium ion ones.. On the other hand, I’ve experience with both the types of rechargeable batteries on Electric cars.. I had an EV running on Lead Acid battery in 2010 - It had a poor mileage, longer charging time and the requirement of Alkaline water to be filled periodically.. I couldn’t ‘upgrade’ only the battery to Lithium ion, so I had to upgrade the car itself in 2016.. This var with a Lithium ion battery has a better mileage, shorter charge time and no need to fill Alkaline water periodically..

Why would I when I get 8+ full years from a regular motorcycle battery for less than half the cost.

I bought a Walmart battery for 65.00 and it last all year but my last one lasted 30 days, they give me a new one no charge and the new one died in the winter so I will have to buy another but hay. 65.00 not that bad for a hot battery when I’m on my bike

It helps to cold start like this : Crank till it stalls the starter, turn off switch, wait 20-30 seconds, try again . Should turn over quickly.

Beautiful Bike !!

This is very disappointing for me because I had hoped that LifePO4 would be a much better battery for cold starting and leaving it out in the cold. I was tired of batteries dying every winter or every other winter (unfortunately I don't have a power outlet for a charger where I garage my ride), so I even went as far as to buy and fit on a disconnect for the battery so it would not have to sit in the cold and I could take it inside and use a trickle charger.

Thank you 🙏

I had a couple of different problems with mine. Firstly the battery comes with a charge indicator function. Press it and it showed fully charged. But it wasn't. So I installed it in the bike at the beginning of Winter in early Dec. After a few days it seemed to struggle with cold starts. I left it for two weeks and it was almost dead and refused to wake up. The charge indicator still said "fully charged". Anyway I put it on the special Optimate charger. The instructions say it requires a 6 min charge. Yes that's right 6 min!!!!! I'm thinking there's been a problem with the translation from the Chinese, because it took 3 hours on the Optimate to give me all the green lights. Hopefully its a mixture of slightly different technology within the batteries, but I think eventually we'll all get to know the ins and outs of them and then they'll become all of what they promised to be. 👍

Thanks for the information about lithium battery. I will stick to lead acid

Had the same problem with a new battery just went dead in 2019 harley replaced it free I've never had a problem with it starting when it's cold 30s 40s and the bike has set for a week or so I've always ran the charger I got at harley for about a hr or when it's ready and it starts right up I own a 17 flhrxs going on 4 yrs ,guess I'm lucky I have more of a concern of it blowing up in a fire ball with me on it you see that alot in china with there electric motor bikes but that's China alot of things are always blowing up there.

I have heard comments on either side. Some swear by them, some swear at them. The only lithium I've heard fairly consistent good reviews is Shorai. I got 5.5 years out of an AGM on my RT for the last battery. That's pretty good in AZ and the heat kills lead acid batteries in cars in 2-4 years. I think I'll stick with an AGM.

Thanks for the info. I'm very much a layman on this issue, but I've always heard lithium batteries aren't great for vehicles unless they're fully electric. The reason for lithium for electric cars and bikes is to make them lighter and charge faster. For ICE vehicles, there's really not a point. Is weird. It seems like HD innovates in weird ways. I love their bikes, but there are plenty of other ways to make the cruiser more modern.

My '20 KTM 1290 SAS purchased in 2/21. Hard starting / battery completely died, I coasted it home, one night. (The G/F lives a couple miles uphill from me.) It would not recharge, even with a dumb / manual charger. I went with a NOCO Li Battery with a mid range charger. It has a different connector than the SAE. So far, so good. I still haven't recharged it and the bike does sit while I ride others. I know about waiting a few seconds when it's cold. (They claim 500+ CCA vs 200.) It was about the same cost as Lead. If it fails, I'd have no way of knowing if NOCO is crap, or if Li is not right for my usage in AZ? You do know that more and more bikes are shipping from the factory with Li?

If motorcycle still had kickstarters you could kick start it with a low battery ever since they got rid of kickstarters you are dependent upon a battery and starters and starters for Harley-Davidsons range from $400 on up.

Another great video! One more thing to add. These batteries do not work well in high heat. I have had friends who are stuck in traffic and the batteries overheated and we're no longer good. That is why I only use AGM batteries now. None of these headaches. Thanks for all the hard work and creating these videos!

Your experience mimics my own. I tried one in my seldom-used KTM 450 dirt bike. It worked normally for one summer. Then I let it sit over the winter and much to my chagrin it was completely dead in the Spring. Because it was so depleted, it would not take a charge again and I had to replace it with a normal lead-acid unit. Unfortunately if you let Lithium batteries completely discharge, they can be permanently destroyed. The weight savings is not worth the hassle, risk and cost if you don't have a specialized need like racing. Lead-acid has been around for almost 2 centuries now and remains mostly unchanged since the beginning. It's a very reliable and hassle-free technology. Maybe in another hundred years there will be a better technology but probably not in my lifetime. There are some valid uses for Lithium, but the average motorcycle is not designed for this and consequently performs very poorly.

The Amp ratings of Li batteries are NOT cold-cranking amps.

I’m running @3000-4000 watts rms sound system. I have a Braille and it’s already unable to get over 12.9v use to be at 14.3 14.4 no BMS in it.

1. To reset your bms, simply connect your lithium battery to a 12v power supply just for a couple of seconds 2. Or connect it in parallel with a working 12v battery. 3. You can also connect the lithium battery to the charger and jump start it using another 12v battery.

The only thing I can say is I was told every 30 days or so charge the lithium but been told now to keep it on a charger every night since I’m running @3000-4000 watts rms. And I do but it’s a 2amp trickle charge vs my 6amp and 200amp chargers.

IMO a lead acid battery used with a Battery Tender Jr. is the way to go. Also do everything you can to lessen the draw on the battery such as preplacing all your lights with LED's.

The only thing that made me consider paying so much for the Harley lithium battery is the 5 year warranty. Warranty seems to be worthless if there will be so many problems

Just had one of my lithium ion 36v lawnmower batteries fail 18650 cells 10 in each one of the cells became -4.21v so brought the battery voltage down to 27.5v very hard to take the battery apart. And £100 for a replacement. You just can't trust this stuff yet. And with a lithium motorbike battery costing up to 8x the price of lead acid.

Had One I got from BikeMaster , BMS Circuit Failed Battery went up!!! Fire,, Did not work in the Cold anyway Just a Summer Battery,,

Should have used LTO batteries i use them without bms. Can last 60 years and doenst catch fire but it does pop and leak and smell like garlic if you misuse them.

Bought a HD battery June 2020 it lasted 13 months, dealer said hed give me 20% off another battery. No batteries in stock ,probably on a ship from China. Why would I buy another HD battery knowing it's junk.

I have a 150cc scooter. I considered an ion batt for the weight diff. But the thought of a fire keeps me from getting one!

Most lithium iron sulphate batteries are far superior to a lead acid type and most quality Lithium batteries have a built-in BMS. True the charging is more critical in a very cold climate so you probably need to have your battery connected to the charger when not running the bike. Also, turning the ignition to the on position is not like activating something that draws low power from the battery like your lights. Thats why many times it is suggested that you turn your lights on and wait 30 before you start your bike. I suspect the HD battery you bought was a lower grade China made battery with no BMS. Companies like Shorai and Antigravity make lithium batteries here in the US and are made very well. Not all lithium batteries are created equal.

I am going for the LTO type (had them already in my electroscooter). Going to test them this summer for my motorscooter. No cold temperature problems with those ;-)

The Antigravity brand makes a good brand for lithium.

Something else that the "premium motorcycle company" sells at premium prices that is total junk. When ever ANYTHING needs to be replaced in my Harleys, I *NEVER* install a Harley part. Lightning Start batteries (lead acid) 600 CCA have given me excellent service recently. And the battery is always on a tender when parked in the garage.

I agree you really don’t need a lithium battery but if you want thats your choice, i think a quality agm led acid battery is good enough economically, and all you need in the winter months, or when not riding for a while, is a battery tender whis is very cheap under $20, lithium batteries could have problems in the northern parts of the us, also if you drain them by accident they could be damaged, and im not sure most older bikes charging system is good for lithium, so why bother, led acid agm are high quality tried and trure they will do the job perfectly, by the time they die, you by another one and still both cheaper than lithium.

I knew about most of these issues, but the main reason is justification. I can't justify the cost for the 10lbs loss. The new charger added on is bad enough, but having to let the battery warm up, then letting the bike warm up really slows down the riding process. I have had great luck with my 7 bikes charging their battery once a month if not ridden much. Maybe in a couple years lithium batteries will be optimized for bikes, but until then I am going to keep my good ole lead acid batteries.

Wait a few minutes thats.junk Just like to hit button and go thank you for advice.

One of our guys replaced a lead acid battery with an AGM battery in a Tahoe. The Tahoe didn't like it. Nor did the alternator and computer. The charging Guage went nuts as the vehicle went down the road. Needless to say, out came the AGM and back to the lead acid battery. Not sure if motorcycle charging systems are like this, but it would appear to be...

I tried a company's battery and warmed them up to start, and went dead. First one blew out spot welds on caps. Second one was less copper plates on caps and blew out spot welds again. Went back to lead acid and much happier.

Same old story that a battery charger that is able to detect or have a setting for battery type is required to properly charge the battery meanwhile it’s the same old magneto or alternator charging it…..

Thanks was going to buy one, now I'm staying with an lead-acid battery.

Lithium batteries from Harley are garbage. I have a biker's choice lithium battery and love it I've had it for going on 9 years now in my fxr And come to think of it I've never even had to charge it So in my experience with them they're great you just have to buy the right one. Same old Harley Mo always late to the show.

I was standing in line waiting to pay for parts at H-D and they ring up the lady buying two tee-shirts for, she said grandsons 6 and 9. They rang up the two tees and said that will be $114.67, well I had to go change my pants! Talk about a shock and not from a battery.

You should be able to reset your BMS by jumping it with another battery.

I live in Michigan. So not sure that kind of battery will be good for me.

Why did you trailer your bike back? How hard was/is it to remove said battery for warranty? Yes, Lithium batteries are complicated , but they work when needed . Yes, they are pricey , but you can be the coolest biker in the pack if you own one.

I purchased one of the HD batteries mentioned here on surplus. I opened the battery and found the battery is half empty the cells occupied about half of the case. What is more interesting is the so called BMS is not a BMS, it’s a battery balancer The battery balancer will to charge each of the cells to a specific voltage, but it will not prevent over charging or over discharge. This could have been a good battery if the spent a few extra dollars on a real BMS. A true BMS will stop at over charging at around 14.6 volts and discharging below a specific voltage to prevent under voltage. A good BMS could have prevented this. Shame on Harley Davidson for releasing such a poor product at a super premium price. They should be embarrassed.

Couldn’t agree with you more.

To be honest I just think you had a bad battery, I used a lithium battery on my 700 for about 4 years no problem, then suddenly it died, but performance wise it was better than the lead acid battery while it lasted. The trouble is the quality of the battery seems to play a huge part, I bought a another lithium battery and it is pretty useless. Each one was made by a different company. As for jump starting, I had no problems with that, when ever I needed to jump start which was rare I hooked up the jump starter and away it would go. Also you have to a battery big enough to do the job, the way your battery performed it seemed more like it was too small not packing enough power to do the job reliably. So there can be advantages to a lithium battery, but the cost and the lasting power seems to be an issue, as I said it only lasted around 4 years, my lead acid battery lasted 11 years. I'm thinking next time it will be a lead acid gel battery AGM sure it's heavy but reliability seems that much higher long term.

I really can’t speak for the Harley Davidson line of lithium batteries. But it looks like anti-gravity has what you need. You’re supposed to upsize your battery if you live in extremely cold weather, specifically if you have a large V-twin you’re supposed to upsize the battery. Harley Davidson possibly dropped the ball by under sizing that battery. I have a lith in my BMW XR and I’ve never had a problem with it.