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JE88

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Do we know if the stock Pan Am battery has any issues on the Harley branded NOCO genius 1 charger?

I bought a Noco genius 1 charger from the dealer when I brought my bike home in July 2023 and have never had an issue with it moving from a red to green status light relatively quickly. I also have the same smart charger in my 2000 wide glide and have had zero issue with that either.

Here’s my issue:
I last rode the bike for about 90 miles on New Year’s Day and then we had some snow following the next couple weeks so I didn’t ride anymore. On Jan 21st I broke my arm, so riding is out of the question for a while. That said, I did start it up in the garage to scratch the itch last Friday and the charger has YET to move off the red pulsing light, meaning the battery is either not taking a charge or maybe the charger is bad. I’d put my dyna’s charger on it, but they are two different plugs. I’ve tried reconnecting to the pigtail and trying a new outlet. I have not tried the “force charge” mode because ai don’t want to damage the battery if it’s fine.

I can’t work on anything at the moment with a broken arm, so it this a known simple problem, a possible glitch in the charger, or something I’m going to have to tackle when my arm gets usable again (could be months until I can ride again)?

Bike says it has 11.3V and I k ow I usually have 14. Charger just pulses red saying it is charging.

Thank you all!
 
With all the charging and electrical problems these bike have. I would talk to the dealer about it seeing the charger and bike are less than a year old, both the battery and charger are under warranty. I hope your arm heals up quickly in time for riding season.
 
Needs to be a 5 amp charger.

 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Needs to be a 5 amp charger.

Thanks. Is this a known thing that the pan am specifically needs the 5A? Can’t believe Harley would have sold me the 1A in that case. It’s always had zero problems charging and tending before.
 
Check your NOCO Harley charger, to see if it's for lithium only, batteries. I have the NOCO labeled chargers in the 2amp, 5 amp, and 10amp. I keep the 5amps on my Roadglide with lithium battery, set to lithium, on the charger. Also 5amp charger on my 22 PAS, on the 12V setting on the chargers. All my NOCO's have the options for Lead Acid, AGM and Lithium battery charging. Hope this helps.
 
I was also told by both the techs and parts people the HD 2amp was enough. But i still have my doubts. I ride 3-4 times a week unless its in the 30s. Im in SC. I always leave it on tge tender when not riding. Knock on wood, I have left it for a week on the tender when the temps were in the low 20s. It struggled but still cranks. It turned over on about 9 volts best i could tell. I know they were trying to perhaps save me money, but i still think they should have sold the 5 amp.
 
@JE88 The PA comes with a GEL battery, not a lithium battery. Since I've never had a lithium battery (don't even have a lithium battery charger yet), not going to comment on that. But since you didn't say that you replaced your OEM battery, I'm going to assume you still have the OEM battery in it.

A 1 amp charger is perfectly fine for your PA OEM battery. You don't need a 5 amp charger. In fact, it's better for your battery to charge it at a slower 1-amp rate, especially if you're not in a hurry to use it. I use a Battery Tender Jr charger for all my MC batteries that charges at 1 amp. I only plug it in 3-4 times throughout the winter (I live in MIchigan), and only long enough for the red light to turn green, to "top off" the charge, then I unplug the charger and put it away.

I know people swear by leaving their "tenders" plugged in constantly throughout the winter, and the "tenders" are designed to shut themselves off once the battery charge is topped off, but I just don't like the idea of the "tender" constantly cycling on and off all the time. The battery doesn't need that. I've averaged 7-8 years of life out of my "big twin" motorcycle batteries using that method. And I definitely don't waste time taking the batteries out of the bike during the off-season. I've even gotten several riders in my club to stop doing that and just do what I do. The only thing you need to remember is to "top off" the battery charge just prior to starting the engine for the first time at the begining of the riding season, as the cylinders are "dry" (the oil has dripped off of the inside of the cylinders and back into the oil pan) and the starter motor will draw alot of current to initially start a "dry" engine.

For 2024, Harley upgraded the PA charging system and the battery capacity/size (from 225 CCA to 315 CCA, along with the hardware to support it--battery tray/votage regulator bracket/battery cable), so they definitely knew they underdesigned it, and finally fixed it.
 
@JE88 So if you're charger was charging the battery for several days (or longer), and it never went "green", it likely isn't your charger. It is likely your battery. The same thing happened to me once with a brand new battery I was topping off just after installing it (and just prior to using it to start the bike). The battery ended up being bad. I returned it.

It could be your charger, but more likely, it's your battery. If it's still under warranty, have your dealer chekc it out.
 
I have the same issue with my NOCO built Harley 1 amp charger. Battery charges with a different lithium charger. But the Harley branded charger won't charge any battery. My Harley Lithium battery was also at 11.3 volts. You are close to the BMS shutting your battery off.
 
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