I have a couple of friends that attended the motorcycle expo in Cincinnati last month. While at the expo they got into the discussion about batteries with a Yuasa Rep. They asked him about the issue with Deka battery life compared to Yuasa; why the newer Dekas did not have the life of the older ones. The Yuasa rep claimed that he'd worked at Deka back when change occurred and claimed that HD went to Deka to tell them to limit the life of the batteries because they were lasting too long. Deka complied and that is the reason why the current Dekas don't last as long as the older ones and don't have the CCA. Place a newer Deka on a charger, charge till full then let it sit a couple days and the voltage will very likely drop to where a load tester says it needs a recharge.
Now would one be suspect of negative comments on Deka batteries from a Yuasa rep? Maybe, in the past, Deka has been the "go to" brand for OEM battery replacement. However, do some research on the HD forums and will find many complaints that the Deka battery life isn't what it used to be However, I suspect that the MoCo, in a cost reducing effort, told Deka (Yes Deka, AKA East Penn Battery still makes the OEM HD batteries) that a battery that will last 7-8 years isn't necessary since the factory warranty is only two years. Think about it, if the MoCo can drop the cost of every battery by what, $20, that goes straight to the bottom line; they sure don't pass that savings on to the buyer.
I suspect that was behind the MoCo's move to reduce the cost of the HD branded Deka batteries instead of a request to reduce the quality of the battery.
IMHO, the best choice for OEM battery replacement are the Odyssey, YUASA GYZ batteries. Braille is the top of the line but pricey. Braille batteries weigh about half what the others weigh and will spin a high compression motor like the plugs are out but, like I said, about double the price.
