Best Lithium Battery for Harley Davidson
Powersports
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
While many motorcyclists look to lithium batteries for their light weight when compared to lead-acid options, that's not typically the rationale used by Harley Davidson owners. Harley owners see lithium batteries as a powerful alternative that offers for more cycling capacity than a lead-acid battery (either flooded or AGM). Essentially, they want to install it and forget about it. So which lithium battery is best for a Harley-Davidson?
We've watched the lithium motorcycle battery market from the start and watched lithium brands come and go. We've heard about the issues some riders had with lithium batteries and we've studied the work our parent corporation has been doing with lithium batteries for OE automakers for years. One of the obvious lithium battery requirements that became apparent early on was the need for a quality battery management system (BMS) to monitor voltage and current coming into and out of the battery. Not every BMS is the same, so make sure the lithium battery you choose is backed by a solid company that has full-time engineers, whose only job is to work on developing, refining and improving batteries.
This may seem obvious, but we'd also recommend a lithium battery be at least IP67-rated against water and dust intrusion. Not many people plan to ride their bikes in the rain, but it can happen and if it does, the last thing you want is to get stranded somewhere in the rain, because your battery had water intrusion and stopped working.
Finally, we'd recommend avoiding brands with whom you are unfamiliar. The lithium battery space is really the wild West of the battery industry, with new brand names seemingly appearing overnight, offering low prices and long warranties and then some disappearing just as quickly. The horror stories of no customer service or warranty assistance soon follow. If you aren't familiar with a lot of battery brands, we'd recommend looking up the physical address for any battery brand you are considering on Google Earth street view.
One of the best indicators we've found of a solid battery brand, is a physical presence at a dedicated commercial building with the brand name on the outside. If barbershops, nail salons and tattoo parlors can all afford a commercial location with a sign out front, so can the people selling you lithium batteries. (You can see OPTIMA's physical locations here).
We say that, because we see more than a few lithium brands being sold and/or operating out of third party warehouses, rented mailboxes, side hustles out of other businesses and even residential addresses! The level of commitment those brands have to "being in the battery business" can be as little as the cost of buying a few batteries off Temu, re-labeling them and creating an online presence. A ten-year battery warranty may sound great, but if the brand selling it to you hasn't been around for ten years and may not be around ten months from now, what good is it?
If you purchase a lithium battery from a well-established retailer, like your local motorcycle dealership, they will likely make good on the battery's warranty, even if the brand behind the battery goes away, as most battery warranties are handled by the original retailer. OPTIMA has been in the battery business as both a brand and manufacturer for decades and we are completely committed to being here for the long run. All of our lithium motorcycle batteries come with a five-year, free replacement warranty with no hidden pro-ration fees. You can shop for OPTIMA lithium motorcycle batteries here.
We've watched the lithium motorcycle battery market from the start and watched lithium brands come and go. We've heard about the issues some riders had with lithium batteries and we've studied the work our parent corporation has been doing with lithium batteries for OE automakers for years. One of the obvious lithium battery requirements that became apparent early on was the need for a quality battery management system (BMS) to monitor voltage and current coming into and out of the battery. Not every BMS is the same, so make sure the lithium battery you choose is backed by a solid company that has full-time engineers, whose only job is to work on developing, refining and improving batteries.
This may seem obvious, but we'd also recommend a lithium battery be at least IP67-rated against water and dust intrusion. Not many people plan to ride their bikes in the rain, but it can happen and if it does, the last thing you want is to get stranded somewhere in the rain, because your battery had water intrusion and stopped working.
Finally, we'd recommend avoiding brands with whom you are unfamiliar. The lithium battery space is really the wild West of the battery industry, with new brand names seemingly appearing overnight, offering low prices and long warranties and then some disappearing just as quickly. The horror stories of no customer service or warranty assistance soon follow. If you aren't familiar with a lot of battery brands, we'd recommend looking up the physical address for any battery brand you are considering on Google Earth street view.
One of the best indicators we've found of a solid battery brand, is a physical presence at a dedicated commercial building with the brand name on the outside. If barbershops, nail salons and tattoo parlors can all afford a commercial location with a sign out front, so can the people selling you lithium batteries. (You can see OPTIMA's physical locations here).
We say that, because we see more than a few lithium brands being sold and/or operating out of third party warehouses, rented mailboxes, side hustles out of other businesses and even residential addresses! The level of commitment those brands have to "being in the battery business" can be as little as the cost of buying a few batteries off Temu, re-labeling them and creating an online presence. A ten-year battery warranty may sound great, but if the brand selling it to you hasn't been around for ten years and may not be around ten months from now, what good is it?
If you purchase a lithium battery from a well-established retailer, like your local motorcycle dealership, they will likely make good on the battery's warranty, even if the brand behind the battery goes away, as most battery warranties are handled by the original retailer. OPTIMA has been in the battery business as both a brand and manufacturer for decades and we are completely committed to being here for the long run. All of our lithium motorcycle batteries come with a five-year, free replacement warranty with no hidden pro-ration fees. You can shop for OPTIMA lithium motorcycle batteries here.