[Baron58]

Just for my own curiosity,what brand battery is Polaris using on the Indians?

YUASA, which is a good brand. But when they sist and go dead, the brand is not much help.

 

[Skidmore111]

YUASA, which is a good brand. But when they sist and go dead, the brand is not much help.

Mine is a 2015 had it almost 3 years,not sure if the Yuasa thats in it is original or not,but when I rode it home it had less than 13000 miles on it.

 

[Baron58]

Indian has always used YUASA. The issue is battery sulfation is the biggest killer of batteries. Sulfation will always happen, but over time. The problem is sulfation is extremely accelerated when the battery is discharged for long periods of time or overcharged.

In many cases, these batteries sit at the dealer in a discharged state or sit in bikes on the showroom floor for months or longer without ever being charged.

You will notice some owners have no issues with batteries on new bikes vs others. Well that falls on the dealerships. Good dealerships will constantly maintain the batteries they have in stock and on bikes. And you will find most don't have battery issues.

Then there are the riders that do have battery issues. And they fall into several categories. Bad battery from dealership as listed before. Use too high of an amp rate charger, chargers not designed for AGM batteries. Using a hillbilly trickle charger which over charges the battery. Allowing the battery connections to come loose. Battery connections should be checked 2 times a riding season.

 

[TheRamblinMan]

So an update on this. I removed the battery, indeed dead. I bought a replacement locally and installed it. Went to start it...

I didn't mention there that I bought this bike used with 200 miles on it. Traded into a Harley dealer. 2022 Super Indian Chief Limited with 200 miles on it and saved about $2,500 overall. But....the owner's manual and no documentation has the master security code. I Planned to get the dealer to get me this in person when I go for the July 1st appointment (1.5 hours away). Now, because I replaced the battery, it apparently won't let me move forward without entering the code. I'm stuck...can't do anything unless there is a trick around it.

 

[HINK]

Yuasa. They buy their batteries in bulk (one member said 30,000) and they just sit (warehouse, dealership) until they‘re installed and sold. Reportedly that could be up to two years (so no wonder they are DOA). Julie’s went south after four months but it was dead when she bought the bike. Others have said they are covered by the two-year basic warranty on your bike, and have gotten em replaced during that time period. I did not know that and just bought a new one.

 

[HINK]

Your dealer should be able to retrieve your master code with the vin. Have em call the mothership.

 

[EvilMonkey]

Battery is toast.


Dealerships install the batteries. Dealerships have batteries sitting on shelfs for sometimes months to years. Once a AGM battery drops below 12 volts it starts to deteriorate. Then they simply do a quick charge to get the bike out the door. Some people including myself have had zero issues with batteries on these bikes. They are quality batteries, but because they sit uncharged at some dealerships, the go bad and you get stuck with them.

During riding season, I never put the battery on a tender. But I also make sure to ride no less than once a week.

The battery ships with the bike, not installed. The dealer should charge, then install the battery. But who know how long it sat at the factory, then once delivered, how long it sits installed at the dealer …

 

[EvilMonkey]

So an update on this. I removed the battery, indeed dead. I bought a replacement locally and installed it. Went to start it...

I didn't mention there that I bought this bike used with 200 miles on it. Traded into a Harley dealer. 2022 Super Indian Chief Limited with 200 miles on it and saved about $2,500 overall. But....the owner's manual and no documentation has the master security code. I Planned to get the dealer to get me this in person when I go for the July 1st appointment (1.5 hours away). Now, because I replaced the battery, it apparently won't let me move forward without entering the code. I'm stuck...can't do anything unless there is a trick around it.

Unless this is something new … you shouldn’t need to enter your code after a battery change. (I looked in the owners manual and didn’t see anything about entering the code after a battery change.) Did you reconnect the antenna wire? Maybe the bike is not reading the FOB…

 

[Baron58]

Unless this is something new … you shouldn’t need to enter your code after a battery change. (I looked in the owners manual and didn’t see anything about entering the code after a battery change.) Did you reconnect the antenna wire? Maybe the bike is not reading the FOB…

Good point, the FOB antenna may have become disconnected as it is in the battery compartment area under the seat

 

[Hijinx1812]

Thanks for the tip. So it turns out mine is on the left side of the bike when sitting on the bike. The cap was up exposing the battery charger so I didn't know what I was looking for exactly. But I did find it. Thank you.

😂 I feel like a chode - it’s on the left side of my bike too when sitting on it. I have my bike backed into my garage whereas I usually pull it straight in!

 

[TheRamblinMan]

Apologies that I did not update this thread last last night (well, early this morning) after progress. Evil Monkey was right. I slowly re-traced my steps on the battery installation and found the antenna was not properly seated. Felt like an idiot. Put it back and the bike started with no issues.

I have additional new info today. The Harley Dealer where I bought this previously-owned Indian wrote me back to say they would contact the previous owner to see if he may have the Master Pin on his own documents. He also said he will call the Indian Dealer but that they don't usually extend professional courtesies with info. I have a July 1 appt with the Indian dealer so I can get it from them.

But the main thing that is a concern...Harley dealer said as part of their prep they put a brand new battery in the bike the day before I bought it because I had let them know I planned to purchase it. He said that's standard procedure for them. He said the battery should have been fine and he wonders if the bike has a draw or other issue. He suggested I have Indian check it out under warranty.

I'm not sure I have a way to check the draw at this point with my new battery except just leaving it and see what transpires. I usually leave my bikes connected to a tender so that may be masking an issue. This original problem arose when I left the tender off for 48 hours.