| Author | Message | ||
     Signguy |
Just went to a local dealer to get a new OEM battery for my XB9. Last time I bought one at the same dealer I thought I paid about $60-70. Have they really gone up that much? | ||
| No_rice |
harley just raised the prices on batteries a bit ago. for example our touring bike batteries went from $108 retail to $149 (as long as i remember correctly) they warned us in advance. just like they said the price of oil is going up about a buck a quart sometime soon. from what i understand and from what im sure most know the cost of metal has been going up also. so the lead in the batteries isnt cheap. harley says they have been sucking up the cost increase for awhile, but decided it was finally time to increase the price. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'll second No_rice. HD just nailed everyone on battery pricing. All the more reason to get (and USE) a battery tender, even during "the season". 2 years vs 5 years battery lifespan... | ||
| Signguy |
thanks guys. i do use the battery tender jr religiously and still get 3 years max from this battery. | ||
| Expatriate |
Why use an OEM battery? A battery from any reputable maker of comparable size is fine! I'm an electronics technician and last I checked...12 volts is 12 volts!!!! | ||
| Darthane |
Voltage may be voltage, but not all batteries are created equal by any means. Why do you think Duracell and Energizer are still around when there are much, much cheaper alternatives? | ||
| Spike |
Many other batteries are fine, but the truth is that the HD AGM batteries are actually quite good. My '04 Firebolt still has it's original battery (nearly 5 years old). There are other good batteries out there and some that are even better than the OEM battery, but I don't know that any are both less expensive *and* better than the OEM battery. Of course, all that was before the price increase on the OEM batteries. The aftermarket may offer some better battery options right now. | ||
| Darthane |
Eh...6 years out of the Firebolt battery, 7 years and counting out of the Blast's battery, and I don't use a tender. As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick with the OEMs as they've proven to be excellent (to me). A few extra bucks that might save me a lot of frustration (and more money) down the road. | ||
| Sweatmark |
As mentioned, lead cost increases are crazy, as with other commodity materials. My 2003 XB9S battery is still in service, battery tender has helped. I've used Odyssey AGM batteries in other bikes with good result, but have very high opinion of the OE Buell/H-D battery in the XB, and will stay with same. | ||
| Expatriate |
"Of course, all that was before the price increase on the OEM batteries. The aftermarket may offer some better battery options right now." Thats EXACTLY my point! Your mileage and results may vary! My OEM battery lasted 5 yrs, ok I can live with 5yrs. But why drive 30 miles out of my way, get the bastard step-child attitude from a the HD-B dealer for a part I'll likely have to wait a week on, spend money on gas that I don't have to, and spend more for a battery I can get at WALMART or AutoZone for half the price? HMMMM? It's a battery for crimony sake any REPUTABLE battery will do! DieHARD, Interstate, as long as its not Joe's Battery Barn's no name generic. 12 volts is 12 volts | ||
| Sloppy |
Whoah! If you think all you need is 12 volts then why don't you just buy a box of C size batteries! 12 volts is 12 volts, right? With an HD battery you're buying an AGM vs. a conventional battery. Which 12v storage device would you rather tip over on its side... which one would you rather deal with to check electrolyte levels (remember we're talking about an air cooled motor that's blowing heat all over). HD AGM batteries are among the best value out there. My Wally World battery lasted 4 months! Yuasa and Kragens lasted 2 years. HD - 5+ years... yea, I don't mind spending an extra $30 over 5 years to save from being stranded on the road. Performance costs money -- just what kind of performance do you want? For me, I want the best value and it's hard to beat HD on that one. BTW, it's not HD that's raising prices, it's the world market on metal... it's happening everywhere. | ||
| Expatriate |
Point well taken, touche' | ||
| Starter |
In all honesty it would be hard to beat the performance of the H-D battery. I recently bought a replacement for my ailing 4 year old example thinking it was stuffed as the cranking was getting slow. My wife took the old one to her work to dospose of with their medical battery supplier and just out of interest he load tested it. Came up fine so he charged it and gave it back to her with a small bottle of some blue stuff to put on the terminals. Its back in there and going great so far this winter. new one is back in the pantry. Out of interest for the equivalent quality in the medical industry you are looking at AUD$400-500. The $120 I paid is chicken feed. | ||
| Spike |
That's just it, in the past the stuff at walmart for half the price of an OEM battery wasn't nearly as good as the OEM battery. It may work fine, but it certainly won't work as well. Finding a good quality AGM battery required more leg work and would cost nearly as much as the OEM battery. Why would I go through the extra trouble shopping for something that merely equals the quality and price of something my local dealer (who has always been friendly, even when they weren't pro-Buell) has in stock, charged up and ready to go? It's also worth mentioning that I can checkout at my local HD/Buell dealer way faster than I can at my local super-mega-wal-mart. I stopped by wally world on my lunch break today to pick up oil and wiper blades for my wife's car. I was in the "express" check-out lane for over 10 minutes. Also worth mentioning- 12 volts is a dead battery.  |
