Expected battery life

[Fill]

I have been stranded after my sealed battery gave up the ghost. Fortunately it was across the street from a chain auto parts store.

I have always (last few decades) changed out my battery at two years.
Last year I purchased a 2008 Goldwing with 20,600 miles on it, and immediately rode from S. Arizona home to N. Idaho. In the last year I have added an additional 20,000 to the odometer. Stock; only GPS + satellite radio, and the trailer.

What is a reasonable length of time for these sealed batteries?


Fill
’08 GL 1800
Pulling a ’80 Eagle 1 Trailer or ’12 Roll A Home (wide bed, brakes)
GWRRA / IBMC / TT / KOA

[GailForce]

I’m on my third year. We keep it on a Battery Tender all winter when not riding.

[Pooch2]

I have a 2010 Goldwing I bought brand new and just replaced the original battery about 3 weeks ago. Bike has 126,000 miles on it. YMMV

[dkurfiss]

I have a 2008 GW and I have replaced the battery once in 2015 before a long trip. I will most likely replace it again this year.

[naga viper]

Rule of Thumb is 7 years for automobiles. if never discharged to the point of not starting then subtract 50% life.
hope that helps.

[dkurfiss]

And thank you for posting this. I had forgotten to put the bikes on battery tender...duh?

[menhir]

My motorcycle batteries seem to die during their 5th year.
So regularly that I'm considering replacing my battery near the end of their 4th year from now on just to be on the safe side.

My experience is that they work fine until they suddenly don't, which leaves the probability of getting unexpectedly stranded pretty high unless it happens at home, in which case I can just take the car.

But once, it died the day before I was to leave on a long-planned camping trip with a friend. The departure time was very early the following morning and I had only a couple of hours to find a battery before I had to leave for work that afternoon, which meant that the stores would be closed by the time I got off work.

I found one, luckily. Whew. But I was pretty frazzled in the meantime.

[ImRubicon]

Had one last two , then one lasted five , the new gold wing is going on three years

[Bromano]

I am on about 4 years 5 months on my oldest battery. It's on a tender whenever were home. Buddy

[menhir]

I've never put my battery on a tender over the winter because I've always found sometime during the winter months to take her for a ride. A cold ride, yes, but a ride.
Now that I'm a little older and grumpier, those cold rides aren't as much fun as they used to be.

I have a tender, but since I park on the street (no choice) it means I would have to run an extension cord down across the porch, yard, and sidewalk to get to the bike.
I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't like tripping over it in the snow.

It looks like I'm going to have to prepare another place to park her for the winter. Somewhere with an outlet.