Battery removal unnecessarily difficult

[NHTundra]

Wanted to pull my battery and keep it indoors on a trickle charger for the winter. Even though it's right there under the cowl, the retaining mechanism requires a lot of disassembly just to access.
The shop manual section for removing the battery says "remove the battery". Real helpful.
This could be so simple but I suspect it was designed to be difficult to deter battery theft??:dontknow:

 

[Flamewinger]

Don't need to remove it, just plug it into the pigtail that either got installed by the dealer or came with the charger that you need connect to the terminals.

 

[NHTundra]

Thank you but as I mentioned I prefer to bring my batteries inside during the winter. I have 2 trickle chargers and 5 batteries to rotate through. I do the same in the summer with snowmobile batteries. Having them inside is so much more convenient to keep tabs on their status.
I was just pointing out that the Ryker battery mounting is the most difficult to access out of any vehicle I have encountered, and that the shop manual is of no help with this.

 

[gkamer]

Wanted to pull my battery and keep it indoors on a trickle charger for the winter. Even though it's right there under the cowl, the retaining mechanism requires a lot of disassembly just to access.
The shop manual section for removing the battery says "remove the battery". Real helpful.
This could be so simple but I suspect it was designed to be difficult to deter battery theft??:dontknow:

This guy makes it look pretty easy......

 

[NHTundra]

You're right in that he makes it look easy. Once you know the trick. Good find.
Both ends of the strap are completely hidden, and the manual is of no help whatsoever.

 

[sKiZo]

I was just pointing out that the Ryker battery mounting is the most difficult to access out of any vehicle I have encountered, and that the shop manual is of no help with this.

I'll see your Ryker ... and raise you one Ural ... ;-}

Those gawdsawful straps are kinda traditional for me - the Yamaha XS650s came with those and I used the same trick to get at the hooks. Easy once you learn the secret.

 

[cueman]

If the people who designed things had to actually work on things, there would be easier to work things! :yikes: cueman

 

[gkamer]

I'll see your Ryker ... and raise you one Ural ... ;-}

That's insane... I'll fold.

 

[canamryder]

I mentioned to my mechanic, a while back, how tough it is to unhook the front of the battery strap. He said to unhook the tabs at the upper rearward side of the front cowling. You don't have to loosen the 30 Torx at the bottom front. It works. I also trimmed down some electrical tape and wrapped it around the square battery posts, so the nuts won't be lost. I'll apply dielectric grease when I install the battery (it's still up on a bench in the basement getting trickled).

 

[SportsterDoc]

This guy makes it look pretty easy......

Yes, lineman pliers pulling the strap forward (minute 2)