When is the best time to buy a new 2017 RT battery?

[dolittle]

Hi. Dolittle here, my first post. I have a 2017 RT with 27580 miles and no troubes, but when is the best time to buy a new battery, fall or spring??

Thank you.

Great forum

[Tourer]

Welcome to the forum from North Carolina. Glad you decided to join us.

Don’t think time of year dictates when to replace battery. Age and condition are the decisive factors. Pull it out and have it load tested at the auto parts stores. They do it for free. Go to two or three stores. Have had one store tell me it’s bad and two others say it’s okay.
If you need a new one buy a quality AGM battery that you install the acid and perform the activation charge. No telling how long the ones with the acid installed have been sitting on the shelves at the manufacturer and the retail store.
If it’s the original battery, then it is around five years old. Since I ride very rural country back roads, that is the age where I start to get a little nervous and usually replace the battery. Have always looked at batteries as a maintenance item.
Ride Safely.

[Navydad]

I guess if you are in an area where winter hits hard and the bike won't be used over the winter you could wait until spring. Some will say you need a battery to start and warm the bike occasionally over the winter, but if you are not going to ride it then starting it is not the thing you want to do. You are doing more harm than good. If you have weather like here in southern Ohio where we get some decent riding days over the winter then get a battery and keep it on a good tender. Batteries are getting more and more expensive so a good tender is really cheap insurance and really does prolong the life of the battery.

[Bensonoid]

You can get a "toaster type" load tester for $20 to $30.00 and test your battery yourself for peace of mind. You could carry a jump start battery pack in case of battery failure on the road, and you could buy a battery now that is dry and leave it on the shelf until you need it. As mentioned a battery tender is also a must

[ulflyer]

Dolitle, I put one like this in mine two years or more ago as the OEM was getting weak. Double check the size as I'm not 100% this is the exact one I have. If mine goes tomorrow, I'd get this brand again.

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Max-Ba...ef_=ast_sto_dp

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Dolitle, I put one like this in mine two years or more ago as the OEM was getting weak. Double check the size as I'm not 100% this is the exact one I have. If mine goes tomorrow, I'd get this brand again.

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Max-Ba...ef_=ast_sto_dp

IMHO and experience there are 100's of thousands of good batteries in landfills ..... I'm not an ECO freak, but this seems senseless. When my 14 RT started showing signs of " starting " issues ( in 2020 ) I bought a small Lithium Battery jumper, to carry in Frunk. ...... I used it for others but not myself ...... Finally changed the battery last year ..... good luck ..... Mike

[trikermutha]

Once the battery is gone the battery pack is useless.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Once the battery is gone the battery pack is useless.

... and once your buried - you will never eat breakfast again !!!! .... JMHO ..... Mike

[dolittle]

... and once your buried - you will never eat breakfast again !!!! .... JMHO ..... Mike

Thanks Blueknight and everyone else, I did buy a small jump pack and I use a tender. The longest I ever got out of a battery was 7 years and I was lucky, when it went my old mom came and got me.

Dolittle

[happyspyder2039]

Not true! You can still jump the bike to get somewhere. Just don’t shut off once started as all the battery does is run headlights for the most part. Also buy a 4 stage charger/maintainer and not just a trickle charger to keep battery on

[trikermutha]

Not if the battery is toast. It will not stay running. You can jump start it till you never eat breakfast again.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Not if the battery is toast. It will not stay running. You can jump start it till you never eat breakfast again.

" TOAST " .....as in SHORTED internally or just Old and Not 100 % ........ Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day I had been running test on a 12v car battery ..... and one of the Battery cables came loose ( ie no connection ) the car continued to run ...... WHY ???????? .................. Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Not true! You can still jump the bike to get somewhere. Just don’t shut off once started as all the battery dose is run headlights for the most part. Also buy a 4 stage charger/maintainer and not just a trickle charger to keep battery on

..... if battery is shorted it won't, and most batteries don't die this way ..... JMHO ..... Mike

[trikermutha]

" TOAST " .....as in SHORTED internally or just Old and Not 100 % ........ Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day I had been running test on a 12v car battery ..... and one of the Battery cables came loose ( ie no connection ) the car continued to run ...... WHY ???????? .................. Mike

Your right carry on!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Your right carry on!

..........Mike

[troop]

IMHO and experience there are 100's of thousands of good batteries in landfills ..... I'm not an ECO freak, but this seems senseless. When my 14 RT started showing signs of " starting " issues ( in 2020 ) I bought a small Lithium Battery jumper, to carry in Frunk. ...... I used it for others but not myself ...... Finally changed the battery last year ..... good luck ..... Mike

I think it's pretty safe to say that they don't make batteries like they used to

[troop]

Hi. Dolittle here, my first post. I have a 2017 RT with 27580 miles and no troubes, but when is the best time to buy a new battery, fall or spring??

Thank you.

Great forum

If you store your Spyder during winter months, throw the current battery on a Battery Tender and wait till spring. You'll likely get a fresher battery.

[BajaRon]

The best time to buy a battery is just before you need one. But there-in lies the quandary.

It's like trying to time the stock market. It's one of those 'Luck beats Skill Every Time' situations. And why BlueKnight's lament about good batteries being thrown into the landfills is probably accurate. We all have our own Battery Replacement methods. Some work better than others.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Once the battery is gone the battery pack is useless.

I don't agree. We have a generator at the home farm that has a deader than door nail battery which we use a jump start battery to start. Works just fine. Also, the Yuasa battery in my ATV decided to take a dump. After an hour charge at 10 amps it was still totally 100% dead, but started just fine while the charger was connected.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Not if the battery is toast. It will not stay running. You can jump start it till you never eat breakfast again.

My ATV did, and the generator runs as long as needed.

[trikermutha]

My ATV did, and the generator runs as long as needed.

Ok. Now try it on a Spyder with the battery that is bad. We are not comparing it to a generator right now. If the battery on a Spyder goes bad it will not run or start. Jump pack may turn it over but will not get you home.

[trikermutha]

I don't agree. We have a generator at the home farm that has a deader than door nail battery which we use a jump start battery to start. Works just fine. Also, the Yuasa battery in my ATV decided to take a dump. After an hour charge at 10 amps it was still totally 100% dead, but started just fine while the charger was connected.

You don't have to agree. Atv is not a Spyder.

[Little Blue]

...The Question is 'When is the best time to buy a New Battery'.
Of course the answer is 'when it fails/dead and you are 200 miles from home.

I have pondered this battery life issue for a long time. There are no simple answers. Just good, better and better.
Today's battery life for the Spyder is about 4 to 6 years.

The way you treat your Spyder/Battery makes for a longer life. Several good Tips have been Posted on the Spyder Forum. You will have to decide what you want to do.

What would I do? What have I done in the past?
What is your choice? How is your luck?

Stay Healthy and Enjoy your Ryde Time. ....



PS: I have a New Battery in my garage. I will probably install it very soon.

PSS: I went with the OEM Battery. .......

[Bensonoid]

I have a friend with an RT and in the middle of a ride it started running badly then conked out. I used my jump pack and it started but wouldn't stay running. I went home, got my trailer and was able to get it running with the jump pack long enough to get it on the trailer. Another friend left an accessory on at home and ran his battery down so his F3 wouldn't turn over. He jump started it, we rode all day and he still has the same battery 2 yrs later. In both cases a jump pack saved the day.

[fetermel]

Ok. Now try it on a Spyder with the battery that is bad. We are not comparing it to a generator right now. If the battery on a Spyder goes bad it will not run or start. Jump pack may turn it over but will not get you home.

Not true, at least in my case. My wife and I went for a ride last Sunday [both have 2013 STS] both started right up in the garage, stopped and put gas on, started fine again. About an hour ride to our destination and when we going to leave hers was completely dead. I tried my jump pack, wouldn't even turn it over. Long story short, I ended up taking my month old battery out of my spyder and putting in hers to start it and then I took it out and reinstalled the dead one, While it was running. Wasn't sure if this was going to work but it did, ran just fine until we got back home. Put my load tester on it when we got home and as soon I hit the load button it killed the motor instantly. Putting in a new one Today.