Testing New Lithium-Ion Battery For Harley? Too Expensive? $$$$$$ 

Thanks Ryan! Great info! Your videos are very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to make them!

Great info as usual, officer! For many years now, I’ve made it a matter of a routine to simply plug in the tender on the bike when I return. Each of three bikes have their own spots in the garage and I simply roll up to the corresponding cable on the floor for easy plug-in every time. That method has made even dinosaur batteries last at least eight years per. Also, the one thing I’d like to add to the conversation is that in regards to cost, some of us ~ the older we get the more we value time. The time it takes to re-research X item and then to R&R/install X unit = time. From Southern California - Ride Forever!

Watching the video and was surprised to see a pro connecting the battery negative cable first, then positive cable. The opposite what you learn day one.

Sold my 2013 Streed Glide with a Shorei Li battery of 6 years and still working well. Had a 3 year warrenty .

I have a 2014 TriGlide with the original battery. I use a tender and check the water level several times a year. I also live in cold country.

Been running a lithium-ion battery in my Softail for many years. Only thing I don't like about it is cold weather performance. Sometimes takes 5 minutes or so to warm up the battery by turning the lights on before its ready to start depending on how cold the temps are. Living in a cold weather climate like wisconsin this can be a pain.

This was a topic I’ve been really curious about. Now I’m sold! Thanks for covering, and as always you leave no stone unturned. Keep up the great work and stay safe. 👍

Ryan, I have a 2019 FLHXS, just had an 800 watt amp and 6 speakers installed, with bike running and stereo on volts are above 13, kill the motor and it drops to 12.1 and as low as 11.9. Is that normal? would lithium do the same?? or would it be an improvement?

Thanks for the valuable info! Got to get a new battery this week.

I have a 2017 dyna low rider s with a stock battery and would like to switch over. What is the part number of that battery? I wanna make sure I get the right one. Thanks.

I know this is an older vid, but i just picked up a lithium batt for my 08 fxdf....any concern with the batterie affecting my charging system? Stator/regulator...? Many thanks

Thanks for the heads up.. 👍... Just replaced a 2 year old battery in the Road King like 3 weeks ago... Believe next time around it will get switched over....

I have a 2011 road king would love to run a smaller case battery have a ton of modules on top of the battery ciro 3d lighting box would be nice to have the extra room under the seat what do you think

Thanks for the video. I decided to pass on a lithium battery at this time. Not running to much additional upgrades that need the extra kick. Question why when connecting the battery you went negative first, then positive? Just asking.

Thanks Ryan that's good to know, you answered my question, I'm going lithium next battery swap on the Dyna.

My battery is dead. There are 2 brake line fittings in the way just enough that I CAN'T remove dead batt. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks..

Needed to use a trickle charger for the lead acid and AGM batteries especially over winter here in Connecticut. This year I had a lithium ion and didn't use the charger and after 4 months and she fired right up. Trickle chargers are no longer a necessity. I store my bike outside under bike covers. 10 lb weight savings, better battery specs and mine is the Antigravity Restart which means it won't discharge completely. Love it.

Out of the lithium battery brands you have tried so far, which one would you recommend for a 2014 Dyna? which has the same fitment as the FXDLS. Thanks for the awesome videos

Have an 04 sportster I bought new. Original battery lasted 9 years. I replaced it with another regular Harley battery. Going to be replacing that one this week with another HD battery for $122.13. I keep it on a tender over winter here in New England.

found some bikemaster lithium batterys on amazon for 65$, just installed. Time will tell i suppose, so far so good. I purchased the bikemaster lithium charger to go with it because price was good and seem to be very effective for tending or charging.

that was a good video, I also get two years on the Ultra, I was able to get 5 years on a sporster. probably the CCA drops to the point that you can't start a bigger engine

If you can and if possible can you review the Mechanical Reverse transmissions

I finally went with the lithium from the HD shop. You are correct two years even if you buy a high end lead acid battery. They said before I install it or use it to put it on the charger to ensure that it is fully charged.🤷‍♂️ I just did what they said. This is the first year with it so far in my 13 road glide no slow, cranking issues, when hot or cold. And it’s great how much lighter it is. I figured if I get three years out of it it’s the same cost.

Thanks for the info Ryan. I am unlucky with my batteries, every year buying a new one for my roadking" have it on charge the whole winter. Living in France and maybe choosing the wrong battery every year.

I installed a lithium ion in my 2003 Ultra Classic. I loved it in warm weather. I soon found out that it would not start my bike if it was below 35 degrees. Being that I ride year round it did not wprk out for me.

Enjoyed the video its always good to hear someone that rides, teach us how to save a dollar I know i have bought many battery's over the year. Now i will try lithium battery because sounds like it doubles the life. Thanks

The thing I did on my Dyna when I rebuilt it was to use a solid engine sprocket - when you try to crank the engine, especially when hot as the piston rings have seated and that creates more drag, the starter is fighting the spring in the compensating sprocket to enable it to turn the engine over. I also use S&S easy start cams as my static comp. ratio is 11.5 :1 but the batteries didn't last long with S&S easy start cams (and only 10.5 :1 ratio) when I first used them as the compensating sprocket still eats batteries. It helps a lot as well. if you remove the security system and then the constant drain on the battery is no more. My aftermarket battery is three years old and still holds a 12.9 volt charge after a month of sitting without a tender.

Sorry I missed your “live” broadcast, but appreciate the info none the less! Going to have to replace my OEM battery on my ‘15 Street Glide Special soon (been lucky so far!) and going to lithium based on your testing and recommendations! Anxious for those higher cranking amps as well! 👍

Do you need new voltage regulator when changing over to lithium

IS the new battery made to take the vibration of the HD?

Hello bro, i suggest that installing battery terminal positive terminal first, then negative terminal to avoid sparks. Have you tried banshee battery

JMT LiFePo4 batteries can be a good deal less cost. I have a YTX14H-BH on a BMW 1200cc twin. It "only" gives 240 CCA, but flings the engine over just fine. The OEM battery is about the same CCA. All lithiums struggle in cold weather but one or two "failed" start attempts will warm the battery and off it goes just fine. The internal resistance goes up when cold. If you must use a battery tender, then use a Lithium specific battery tender. DO NOT use lead acid battery tender as many give a high voltage boost which will kill a lithium. I do not use one and have no problems leaving the bike for weeks. When I did (stupidly) allow mine to go flat, the battery's internal protection saved it from excessive discharge and it topped up nicely on a standard 12V car charger. Again - DO NOT use a lead acid recovery charger as the high volts kick will kill the lithium.

I tried a lithium battery on my 2013 Tri Glide. It worked fantastically for starting, but I couldn’t use the reverse motor. It tripped the battery internal breaker every time I tried to back up. I contacted the dealer and he was clueless. I went back to a lead-acid type and have been happy since.

I had one in my 2005 classic for 2 years. It finally just stop taking a charge. I think one of the problem is that in the instructions it told me not to use a battery tender.

On my 2nd Li-ion in my 99 Fatboy. I burnt the first one up at 1-1/2 years cause of motor issues. Fixed motor and got another Li-Ion. Love 'em. Light and powerful.

I'm using nothing but Antigravity LiFePo4 batteries. Their ATX20-HD is freaking bulletproof when it comes to big V-twins. Great for cars too, even modded V8s! When using Lithium on older bikes (80s and older) with mechanical voltage regulators, MAKE SURE to upgrade to a solid state regulator (14 to 14.4 volt is perfect). And always get a Lithium battery with over-discharge protection! Those last the longest because they protect from cell damage.

Out standing video as usually. I'm a retired LEO who also rides. Keep up the videos.

Ryan, do you have a dual battery system for your work MC (one in the bike and one in tour box) to operate your emergency lights, 2 way radio and MCT? If so are they both l lithium ion?

Use a $3.00 timer from Wal Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, to extend your battery life. Plug your timer in to the tender. Just set the timer up for one hour a day. More than enough to keep the battery charged. Older battery tenders over charge your battery. Never stops charging. Just because the light turns green doesn't mean the tender turns off. Try it! You will see that it will extend the battery life.

Love ya work Brother cheers from Down Under

Great video thanks for sharing

Did you get an L ion rectifier?

Hey Ryan..my switchback did same thing. Dealership in Florida charged me 96.00 just check it out UNDER WARRANTY!!!!!!!;.. Get it started I went to Batteries Plus and got a new one.and the old battery had less than 1900 miles. On it. 2015 with a 103. It's always garaged. I hate when battery's go bad. Good job Ryan

I really like your videos, Class Act. Thanks.. So How Green are these new batteries? Question about when you swap out a lithium ion battery. What happens to the old one? How is it disposed? Are they recycled? I don't know how true the price is now. Prices are getting lower but still substantially higher then lead acid. The weight and longevity (if accurate) is a WIN/WIN. I love the idea of weight reduction but, $300+ for a battery and another $40.00 for the tender isn't in a lot of guys budgets. I got a 2017 Road Glide and a 2016 Street Bob. What about the charging system's on older bikes? If I thought it was overall cheaper due to longevity that may be a huge consideration. True it may last longer but, If I can't swap out my MC battery for under $200.00 then I might stick with Lead acid. Let's also see what is in store for the environment. Lot's to consider here. If the automotive industry were to drop lead acid entirely then maybe the price would be reduced. I got a WeeGo (jump start capable) for free when i got my bass boat that I carry around with me when I ride. It also has a lithium ion battery and it's great. I can charge it while I ride which insure's it's ready. It also holds a charge for months on end. Also it's just good wrenching to always disconnect the neg first and install it last.

Thanks for the info. I will us my free Chrome Cash and buy one at the Harley shop.

Im so glad i found your videos! I am hoping that u can help me out..I have called and been to 3 motorcycle shops and I am looking to replace a battery for a 2006 V-Twin 111/ AIH...Texas Chopper... Nobody can tell me which battery i need.. This is driving me crazy..J&P cycles told me to measure the battery compartment... My manual says 1820 cc...but this guy told me at a bike shop that i needed 400 cold cranking amps possibly...can u help me ???? I bought the bike and it did NOT have the original battery in it which i did not notice at the time..I want to buy this new Lithium Ion battery..do you know which size i need to buy? Please help....

Thanks Ryan another great review. Cheers from the UK. .......

I wish I would of went with a lithion ion I just changed my battery on my Street Glide Harley charged me $249 not a big difference in price

Ryan, Great video man. I got a 2016 Street Bob, the one you installed on your bike, is the same size?

I have been using Yuasa batteries for awhile. Lead Acid and AGM. I have gotten consistent 5-8 years. Last one lasted 10 years.

I ride everyday, so in summer time, I don't tender. In winter, I still ride everyday, but they colder temps overnight made an unhappy start in the morning. So I tender over winter everytime I get off the bike and have never had an issue, even my lead acid batts last a few years with no drama. I'll be converting to Lion with my next change though, far superior battery.

I ended up buying a banche battery thru Amazon it offers 500 cold crankin amps and it was only a $162 delivered. It also has a 3 year full replacement warranty and the 4th year 50% replacement. FYI

I tender my battery’s with CTEK Charger AGM lead acid and I haven’t purchase a battery since 2009 before I use (Battery Tender Plus) the Green charger and I was buying batteries every two years

Just bought a lithium from Harley, two weeks in my 2020 RGS with a 131, cranking it hot didnd crank right away , battery drop to 1 volt, after disconencting the battery it reset itself to 14volts!! I went back to lead battery. They tell me lithium has a chip inside that shut down under certain conditions!!??

Ryan, just bought a Lithium Ion battery to replace my failing LA boat anchor, what about excessive heat, lets say its a hot day and I am unfortunately having to do light to light and the jugs are getting hot I have 06 Springer battery very close to rear jug, will that effect a Lithium Ion shorten its life, cause starting or charging issues, overheating of Lithium Ion can cause explosions as seen in malfunctioning Laptop and Cell phone batteries,.?

I just put a new battery in my bike and I was really tempted to get the lithium battery and after getting it in my softail I’m thinking maybe I should’ve opted for quite a bit of weight difference by far

Hey Ryan. You've convinced me. I have a 2014 Road King and I get 18 months out of an AGM battery and in Australia we pay around $300 - $340 for an AGM battery. So I'm going to get a HD Lithium Life battery tomorrow - $507.00 incl taxes but I figure if I get 5-8 years out of it I'm in front. Thanks for the video.

Hi Ryan, great video. How about Super Capacitor power banks?? did you test those? they should last forever

I need to ask. question this seems close enough area. Stators on Harley's I understand there is a better one out there so if more lights on the bike won't cause horn issues or heated gear can you tell me

I use a lot of lithuim bstteries for various purposes. They are great. Look for lifetime warranty. A lot of people don't keep bikes long enough to warrant buying one.

Hey Ryan. The 15 Street 750 had battery(Factory) Charging issues. 3 different Tenders would randomly Abort Charge due to a bad battery. Everytime it was tested(Conductance and Load) it passed. Replaced it with a Hard Drive Lithium. Never had another problem. Traded the 750 for a 18 XL1200C, Installed the battery(Lithium) in the new bike. Put the factory battery on a Tender. Never had a problem with the charger aborting. I am using a Schumacher SP6 on Lithium Mode on my Sportster. The Stock battery has a Schumacher 1.5 Tender/Maintainer on it.

Hey Ryan, great video. Do you have any links for LI batteries in the great white north. Since the border battles have begun, duties are getting ridiculous. Keep up the great work. As a second note, another poster asked about mechanical reverse. I too am interested as I already lost a reverse motor.....$2k Canuck cash just for the motor itself. No one is able to rebuild these in the land of the north. Thanks again.

Does the standard charging system need to be modified

Doesn’t the bike charges the lithium battery? Why would you need a charger?

Please post a link to the battery tender. Thanks.

I know this is a 2018 video, are you still using the Lithium-Ion for your touring bike? Thanks, Joe

Aren’t u suppose to fully charge battery before use to get most out of battery?

My experience has been both good and bad with Lithium batteries. I bought a Banshee 20HL-BS for my 2011 Dyna Wide Glide. It cranked the engine to the first compression stroke and would not power past that point no matter what I tried. This first battery became unintentionally drained below the 8V lower limit by the headlight being on with the bike not running. and swelled by 1/2 inch front to back. The replacement battery I was sent would not so much as light a brake light bulb as a load test after trying to turn my engine over with it. Yet the battery would take a charge according to my charger. Rather than waste my time and "reputation" with the company I got these from, I cut the lids off and discovered the control boards (reverse protection section?) were both fried. Literally. I removed the fried parts (8x 150A MOSFETs per control board), and bypassed them all with straight wire. One battery pack was reassembled and put back into my bike. It starts my bike almost effortlessly every time, whether it is warm or cold outside, and regardless of if the engine was already running. I have pictures of these batteries as I was disassembling them, showing the various parts etc. I took a video as proof of load testing that second battery. One deceptive thing I noted is the battery is labelled as 12V 18AH. Fair enough. But the battery pack inside is shrink wrapped and labelled as 12.67AH. That is only 2/3 of the labelled available power. As I said, I have many pictures of all I am describing for both batteries. Cheers!

do you need a special battery tender?....thanks

What is the approximate cost to run a Tender for a year?

As your talking I'm watching. Did I see you connect the negative cable first? I thought you connect positive first?

does the electrical system on a Harley Davidson charge the Lithium Battery?

Nice BUGSLIDE commercial ya got going on there Ryan 😜

Can these be used on a 2004 low rider

How long can you you keep it on charge?

I get 5 years or more out lead acid batteries on my bikes using a tender! Batteries cost me 50 80 bucks! FLSTC and FLH . Important, check acid levels yearly, only top off with distilled water !!!!

I talked to the dealership and they said if you run the lithium battery down completely it is ruin. I bought a nano gel instead has 660 cold cranking amps for about a hundred and thirty five dollars with two year warranty.

The older HD li battery will not work for extra draw, the new one is supposed to be better. The HD dealership in north west AZ is doing everything they can to not warranty anything. Don’t expect them to be in business much longer.

How come the lithium battery needs a special trickle charger, but the bike can charge it proper?

Worth it !

Ryan, buyer beware!!! I ordered the battery tender you recommended in the link above. I first ordered the 750mA Lead Acid by mistake. As soon as I placed the order, I realized I had ordered the wrong one & immediately cancelled that ordered and ordered the 800mA dual Lead Acid/Lithium Ion. After cancelling the first order I received a notice that the seller would let me know once the order was cancelled. 2 days later I received an email that my order had been shipped. When I checked the order I realized they had shipped the order I had cancelled. I tried calling Deltran but was unable to speak to anyone. I left several messages over several days but never got a call back. I tried calling again after the holidays and left more messages. I still have yet to receive a call back. I did receive my second order a few days later and I am going to return the first order. However, I no longer trust Deltran and have my doubts whether or not they will issue me a credit. I just thought your viewers might like to know about my experience with Deltran. Your videos are extremely informative. Keep up the great work.

Awesome

Lead acid batterys in 3 bikes.. 70 shovel. 1998 evo 2017 m8. Never tendered ever...They have averaged 6-8 years cost me 112-120... lithium-ion removed from a complete fleet of 570 vehicles so many failures...at a well know company...Didnt work in racing either.....think we will wait a bit more....

where's the followup review?

What’s the part number of the battery. Your links are not helpful. Thank you

I've seen horror stories of lithium ion batteries spontaneously catching on fire, I worry about the family jewels while riding with one of those batteries installed. Has there been any upgrades in the technology for these types of batteries to prevent thermo nuclear meltdown of my future lineage?

Been working in the battery world for years, the issue with batteries is they have a charge cycle maximum, lets say 2000 charge cycles, after which time they won't cycle to their max potential anymore and go down hill rapidly, but to remember don't let the battery ever become totally or close to totally discharged either because it's more difficult to get the full capacity and deep cycle out of the battery... Yes Lithium Ion is a great classic battery but is still subject to some of the same laws, it still has a maximum amount of charge cycles no one is ever talking about, so if you tender it on off constantly, it is classified as a charge cycle... A charge cycle is the process of charging a rechargeable battery and discharging it as required into a load. The term is typically used to specify a battery's expected life, as the number of charge cycles affects life more than the mere passage of time. Some good info: batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Ryan, sorry to sound ignorant, but what is a LEO job? Is it Law Enforcement Officer?

Ryan, are you gonna be in Paris, Texas next week?

Lithium is NOT worth the price. 2 year warranty means it won’t last more than 2 years period. Warranty’s are for a set period of time for a reason

Didn’t know that the Tender was good for Lithium. Thought the programming was different for lead. Lithium is the way to go. Great video, thanks

Bran new 03 fat boy kept it till 2016 ,hadn’t put 500 miles since 2014 my wife had a severe stroke so I sold it ,original battery always on a bat.keeper

For over $300 it should have a longer warranty. The charger is well worth the money.

Will sit back and see how they last before spending money

Rule#1 don’t buy batteries from HD dealership 😂 I like anti gravity batteries made in USA. About 250$ for a fxlr battery

I cringed a bit when you connected the batt. Be safe, connect the pos. first, neg. last. Disconnecting is the opposite.

Have you tried the Harley lithium battery? The orange one?

Beim abklemmen der pole zuerst minuspol und dann beim anklemmen pluspol zuerst. Das ist regel.....

Are you sure it had lead acid battery in it. You put the new one in sideways. My lead acid would leak if installed sideways

Additionally, just my piece on Lio batteries, there was news about the new aircraft, I want to say Boeing's Dreamliner that uses(d) them, and to my knowledge they get much hotter which was causing fires on the aircraft. Now, I'm not dumb, I know a motorcycle is not an aircraft for you smart a---s out there, but I'm only making a point about the fact that I think they get much hotter when charging and have the potential to cause fires, from what I have learned. I'm no expert by any means and do not claim to be. So, Ryan, have there been any studies or research done on these batteries when used in motorcycles? Thanks, bro.