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Positive terminal on SSB battery broke off

  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Hey all, well as I ride my Sporty every chance I get & I did 140k ride Wednesday  was running sweet!!
    well got her out yesterday ( Friday ) for a ride down coast to help a mate, turned it on to start & nothing, no power from battery at all. very strange as I had it plugged into battery tender and the 450cca SSB has been a beauty firing her up quick normally. so was puzzled. but I got into action pulled seat off  pulled side cover off that's behind battery, took battery cover off, went to pull battery out a bit to undo the lead & the positive terminal just came away sill with lead firmly attached. well that's a new one for me!! riding Harleys since late 1970's I have stuffed many many batteries. & once on the old Kick start stroker Shovel I had a battery blow up while I was riding ( but I did not know till I stopped bike was still going hard ) but I have never had a terminal break off.
    hope I can post pic's


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    ka5SWmDkS3yZz8bqb6SjIA.jpg
    pWs75eYtToaxu542BzdbNA.jpg
    SFsfwuglQue3S6%88tIfXA.jpg
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    4 years ago
    Wow thats a first.  I wonder if SSB would be interested in a swap out to research what failed?
  • Ken in Cairns
    Ken in Cairns
    4 years ago
    Wow that's bad luck mate, how old is the battery ?
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ken in Cairns on 14 Sep 2019 02:48 AM

    Wow that's bad luck mate, how old is the battery ?

    Ken it is only six months old, but I still have faith in SSB it cranks my motor over quick & not one problem till this, so I ordered a new one from a local dirt bike shop they race in the dirt & use SSB too.
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting tussuck on 14 Sep 2019 02:30 AM

    Wow thats a first.  I wonder if SSB would be interested in a swap out to research what failed?

    if they want to they are welcome, I've ordered a new one should have it tomorrow or Tuesday .it cranks over so much stronger than the HD battery. my sporty has very high cranking pressure, the stock HD battery sounded like it would have a hernia, it was ok when I first started riding with new motor but as soon as a few miles up ... put in the SSB 450 cca battery and one touch of the button, instant start. I'm not worried but if it happens again, I'll tell them. as possible battery could have been dropped or something before I got it.
  • speedzter
    speedzter
    4 years ago
    Krash, when you fit the new one, take note if the terminal sits flush with the battery case or recessed slightly.
    When I fitted an SSB , I noticed i needed to space out the battery lead slightly so it cleared the battery case.
    The original HD battery has the terminal flush with the case, which prevents any stress on the battery
    terminal when you tighten it up.


    hd batt.JPG
  • Wideglider
    Wideglider
    4 years ago
    Quoting speedzter on 15 Sep 2019 12:33 AM

    Krash, when you fit the new one, take note if the terminal sits flush with the battery case or recessed slightly.
    When I fitted an SSB , I noticed i needed to space out the battery lead slightly so it cleared the battery case.
    The original HD battery has the terminal flush with the case, which prevents any stress on the battery
    terminal when you tighten it up.


    hd batt.JPG
    Good point. 
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    4 years ago
    The Negative looks flush though.  I get your point as I have had to use a washer (old copper brake line one) in the past to space it all out.
  • Ken in Cairns
    Ken in Cairns
    4 years ago
    Should be under warranty if only 6 months old.
    Send an email and photo to them, see how you get on. Tell em you preferr their batteries and have bought a replacement etc.
    Can't hurt.
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    4 years ago
    Good idea... I like their batteries too. Will be interested to see how they stand behind the product.
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting speedzter on 15 Sep 2019 12:33 AM

    Krash, when you fit the new one, take note if the terminal sits flush with the battery case or recessed slightly.
    When I fitted an SSB , I noticed i needed to space out the battery lead slightly so it cleared the battery case.
    The original HD battery has the terminal flush with the case, which prevents any stress on the battery
    terminal when you tighten it up.


    hd batt.JPG
    thanks Speedster I'll check that out
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    4 years ago
    Bit of a bugga Krash, lucky it was pre ride and not mid ride atop some god forsaken mountain with no phone reception :)
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting Grease Monkey on 15 Sep 2019 08:45 AMedited: 15 Sep 2019 08:46 AM

    Bit of a bugga Krash, lucky it was pre ride and not mid ride atop some god forsaken mountain with no phone reception :)

    I was thinking the Same Hilly, most of my riding is country roads, not in the city were it's easy if this happens.
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ken in Cairns on 15 Sep 2019 06:24 AM

    Should be under warranty if only 6 months old.

    Send an email and photo to them, see how you get on. Tell em you preferr their batteries and have bought a replacement etc.
    Can't hurt.

    good Idea Ken. thank's.
  • allde
    allde
    4 years ago
    Kens on the right track, I had to replace mine recently, and it came with a 12 month warranty.
  • Amberwhiskey
    Amberwhiskey
    4 years ago
    Not good news, bought & fitted one of these today after reading the crappy reviews of an OEM battery.
    Krash, do you think you were heavy handed when you tightened up the terminals?

    Good to hear these outperform the standard battery although my original is nearly four years old.
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting Amberwhiskey on 07 Dec 2019 07:08 AM

    Not good news, bought & fitted one of these today after reading the crappy reviews of an OEM battery.

    Krash, do you think you were heavy handed when you tightened up the terminals?

    Good to hear these outperform the standard battery although my original is nearly four years old.

    AW well been fitting them same way, on a lot of different Harleys ( but was my first SSB )
    Did a lot of k's before it went, defiantly was not from heat, as I have been checking the new one to see if positive terminal hot after a few hundred k on a hot day. but feels normal.
    I only made one change with the new SSB I fitted, from first one that broke. I did like Speedster suggested & spaced it out with a small washer. going perfect. I would not worry too much . Unless it does it again. my advice carry gorilla tape!! might get you home if it happened. I love they way the SSB 450cca performs on start up!!
  • Amberwhiskey
    Amberwhiskey
    4 years ago
    I just noticed yours is a HVT-1, mine's a HVT-3, I just bought the equivalent.
    Perhaps your bike has a bigger space for the battery.

    Still the new is rated at 300 CCA versus 220 CCA for the OEM battery, starting now back to normal.
    I noticed the digital display on the speedo on mine was defaulting back to the odometer on most 
    starts.  It now stays on whatever function was previously selected.  It's a 2016 model, my first Harley.
  • Krash Kinkade
    Krash Kinkade
    4 years ago
    Quoting Amberwhiskey on 08 Dec 2019 07:40 AM

    I just noticed yours is a HVT-1, mine's a HVT-3, I just bought the equivalent.

    Perhaps your bike has a bigger space for the battery.

    Still the new is rated at 300 CCA versus 220 CCA for the OEM battery, starting now back to normal.
    I noticed the digital display on the speedo on mine was defaulting back to the odometer on most 
    starts.  It now stays on whatever function was previously selected.  It's a 2016 model, my first Harley.

    the space does not look big to me, only spaced it to see, the 300cca would not crank my sporty over, it's not stock, I had a 370cca that was on bike when I got it. bike was all stock. after I upgraded, motor . the 370cca could barely turn it over. so I got the SSB as was 450cca, one touch of the button it fires up. love it.
  • Lushy
    Lushy
    4 years ago
    Krash, how old was the battery BEFORE you bought it? A couple of years back I had a run of this same thing happening with maybe 3 or 4 batteries and did get two back on guarantee. Some of the earlier batteries had a fault.
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