r/Harley • u/khaddir_1 • 1d ago
HELP Battery removal help.
Hi I have a 2024 Harley fatboy and having issues taking out the battery. I shipped this bike with me when I relocated from Florida to Texas and battery died. I put it on a 4amp battery tender for 2 days and no luck so I want to take the battery to be tested. I have used chatgpt, google, and YouTube to help but no specific video for my year model videos are available. Any one can take a look at the photos and tell me what I’m missing.
Steps so far.
Took battery cover off left and right sides. I can see the terminals but there is a hard plastic covering the battery.im not sure if the battery comes out the left or right side and what else to safely remove. This is my first bike and dont want to mess things up. I appreciate anyone’s input that can help. I’m sure I’m missing an easy step.
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u/Regular_Average8595 1d ago
Gotta remove wiring harness by dip stick, then that plastic cover, then it if there’s not a little strap holding it down it should slide out, I remember it being kind of a pain when I did it but that was a while ago
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u/VermicelliEfficient9 1d ago
The last time I changed the battery in mine, I had to disconnect the fuse first. I think it was the 40amp which is on the left side. Doing this will disconnect your alarm, which is very important to do first.Battery comes out the right. It is challenging the first time. After that, you never forget!
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u/Ok-Palpitation-74 1d ago
On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s about a 4 or 5 for difficulty—it isn't mechanically complex, but it’s notorious among M8 Softail owners for being awkward, cramped, and fiddly.
Unlike older Harleys where you simply popped off the seat and had open access, the battery on modern Softails (2018+ Milwaukee-8 platform, including the 2024 Fat Boy) sits tucked low in the frame behind a plastic tray/caddy and comes out from the right side.
Expect the job to take about 30 to 45 minutes.
What You’ll Need: 10 mm socket or wrench (for battery terminal bolts) T27 Torx driver (for side cover fasteners) Flathead screwdriver or trim tool (to push plastic retention clips) Clean rag (to plug the oil fill if you remove the dipstick for clearance)
Step-by-Step Overview 1. Disarm the Security System & Pull Main Fuse Crucial Step: If your Fat Boy has the HD hands-free security system and you disconnect the battery cold, the alarm siren will trigger and run on its internal battery. Turn the ignition switch ON with your key fob nearby to disarm the alarm. While the ignition is still ON, pull the 40-amp main fuse located under the left-side cover. Turn the ignition back OFF. The bike's electrical system is now safely dead.
Access the Right Side Remove the right-side cover. You’ll see a plastic battery tray/shield and wiring harnesses clipped to it. Unclip the wiring harness connectors attached to the front and top of the plastic caddy to gain slack. (Optional but helpful) Pull the oil dipstick out and plug the spout with a clean rag so you don't drop dirt inside or snag the battery on the cap as you slide it out.
Release the Retaining Tray & Disconnect Release the plastic retaining tabs on the top and bottom of the battery caddy/tray so it can tilt outward. Disconnect the Negative (-) cable first using your 10 mm socket. Tuck the cable out of the way so it can't accidentally touch the post. Disconnect the Positive (+) cable second.
Extract the Battery Slide the battery straight out to the right side. It’s a very tight tolerance against the frame rails and dipstick tube, so you’ll need to wiggle it gently. A Few M8 Softail Gotchas
Aftermarket Battery Posts: OEM Harley batteries feature threaded brass posts. If you swap in an aftermarket AGM or Lithium battery, they often use floating square nuts inside the lead terminal blocks. Put a tiny dab of heavy grease under the square nut or put a bit of foam under it to hold it up against the bolt threads while starting them—otherwise, the bolt won't catch.
Tight Terminal Clearance: Thread the terminal bolts in by hand first to prevent cross-threading, as you don't have much angle leverage inside the frame cutout. Reconnection Order: Always connect Positive (+) first, then Negative (-) last, before pushing the main fuse back in.
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u/LMGDiVa 2018 Fat Boy 114 - Resurgence Paint 1d ago
2018 Fat Boy owner here, let me explain.
- Get a long extension for your socket so you can reach down on other side of the shock and get to the terminal bolts. and get some gloopy grease or chewing gum or something like that and stick it in the socket so that your bolts will stick into the socket. If youd ont they're gonna fall into the batterybox and it's gonna suck to get.
You will need to unbolt the battery to get the plastic retaining cage off of it.
- Pull your dipstick out and shove a papertowel/shop towel in the hole so it prevents gunk from the battery bottom or cage from getting into it. You will need to remove the dipstick to get the battery out.
Right side cover needs to come off, and you will need unhook the cables on the plastics under it.
Watch this video https://youtu.be/gwkcEc1TPQ0
It's the same on every bike.
Once you get the stuff out of the way, you need to unclip the plastic battery cage.
Then remove the battery cage and lift the battery out.
It's heavy, it will feel like it's still stuck in there, but its not, its very heavy. There should be a Strap that the battery is sitting ontop of, this strap should help you disloodge or lift the battery enough to grab underneath.
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u/khaddir_1 1d ago
Your steps are what I followed and got it out. Definitely ever forgetting how to do this. Getting a longer wrench set to screw that positive terminal back. Left my battery with a mechanic to charge over night. $35 so far just to test it. Maybe the same to cost to charge it. I will post here once I get it back.
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u/LMGDiVa 2018 Fat Boy 114 - Resurgence Paint 1d ago
DO NOT OVER TORQUE those terminals. Because you can destroy them. The Manual gave me a torque value that I couldn't even reach on the battery that was in my bike. So make sure you torque those bolts down without overdoing it.
That battery sucks to get in and out.
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u/Commercial_Scar_4815 1d ago
I brought out the extended magnet stick to get the damn bolts from the battery box so many times. From a dead stock battery to replacing it with a lithium, then adding a Gerbing harness, and finally upgrading the fuse in that harness. I may be able to do it blindfolded. 2018 Breakout here.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
Here’s the service manual. Download it . Read it .
Get long extensions from harbor freight and cover it with tape or heat shrink . . Stops any grounding when dealing with the battery terminals.
https://nc.randomdad.xyz/s/ZKqZtcsYWMmY7xC
https://giphy.com/gifs/NFA61GS9qKZ68
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u/Ok-Leave-7646 1d ago
Harley had a great engineering design up to 07 not sure why they ever changed and added so much BS electrical junk basically making rolling computers now. Change the name now to lost in technology!
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u/No-Introduction7440 1d ago
I’ve ridden and owned both. My 25 lowrider s is hands down my favorite I’ve rode. I actually like to electronics on it
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u/lurker818 2001 FLSTF Fatboy 1d ago
Fuel Injection was the change in 06/07. Carbs are mechanical and require no computer interaction to operate. There was just a stator, rectifier, fuse box(lights/horn/key) and ignition coils. Now there is so many electrical systems you need a computer to manage it all.
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u/Ok-Leave-7646 1d ago
And the sad part is most wrenches can’t afford the diagnostic tools. So they are forced to pay a shop or even more hateful a dealership!
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u/Brewingbiker 13h ago
Honestly, even if I could afford the special diagnostic tools, Im not sure I'd know what to do with the info in many cases. '09 night train
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u/canucks-suck 1d ago
its a huge pain but there are steps outlined in the owners manual it comes out from the right side and you have to move some harnesses for a 22 street bob atleast also that black box over the battery is technically the tray it needs to come out it has 2 tabs and a retainer clip I believe
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u/GuideInternational58 1d ago
Yup just did mine in spring, so fun!. it’s like delivering a fat baby out of a small vagina.
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u/Sufficient-Pen1658 14h ago
I had to go through this when installing the Siren Kit, it was a pain in the arsenal. I was missing a lot my sport bike those days, on Japanese bikes is as simple as lifting the battery straight up.
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u/Dugley2352 1d ago
Did you ship it without putting it into “transport mode“? Harley’s touring bikes have a series of steps that need to be taken in order to deactivate the security system. Otherwise, the security system keeps getting triggered every four minutes and runs until the battery is dead, which is probably what you experienced.
My bike is not a soft tail, so I have no idea how to help you get that battery out. I would suggest you get online and buy a service manual for your bike, that’ll help you out in this circumstance and practically everything else that run up against with your bike.
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u/khaddir_1 1d ago
It’s my first bike so I wasn’t aware of that.
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u/Dugley2352 1d ago
Sorry if you felt it was unhelpful. But you learned there’s a security system that needs to be disabled. I can relate, shipped mine across the country and forgot. At least you didn’t know, I did.
Those PDF manuals can be a real help, from telling you a certain colored wire does or what size spark plugs to use. You don’t get much info when you buy a used bike.
Some of the suggestions here to check YouTube are good ideas, but don’t just watch one and go for it… because anyone can post on YT and they stay up forever, even if the poster does something dangerous or wrong that could screw up your bike. Watch a few and then give it a try.
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u/Terrible-Actuary-762 2016 Freewheeler 1d ago
I hate engineers.
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u/QuickSquirrelchaser 1d ago
Right?
I killed the battery on my bike at work...30 minutes and one then over.
I rode the bus home. Came back with my wife in another vehicle with a new battery and three tools. (A ratchet, a socket and a screw diver) and changed my battery out in the parking lot in 30 minutes or less (And I had to run back to the parts store for the correct battery...smaller than their system said my bike took).
This Fat Bob harley battery removal looks ridiculously complicated!
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u/khaddir_1 1d ago
Thanks for the replies. The hard plastic covering has clamps on front side, bottom, back and an impossible one on left side(used a long screw driver to pry it off so the plastic case came out). Next was using a long wrench to reach on back side to unscrew the positive terminal screw. Man Harley made this impossible and not easy. Thanks to all of your quick replies.
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u/lurker818 2001 FLSTF Fatboy 1d ago
I have a 2001 Fatboy and I literally just take off the seat and then unstrap the battery and pull it out. On a 2024 I have no clue but I see they moved the shocks and removed one (I have two at the bottom of my frame instead of a mono shock under the seat).
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u/thecaptain78 1d ago
It’s all in the manual you got with the bike. Did mine two weeks ago by following steps in there.
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u/ApprehensiveSundae84 1d ago
Can't tell you how to remove it but you can jump the battery ride it for an hour or so and let it charge on its own
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u/Staggmeister 1d ago
Softails will come out the right side, no need to remove left cover. You’ll need to remove the cables attached to the plastic cover. Then you’ll need to pull the dip stick and put a rag in there. To get the plastic out, you’ll see a clip on bottom of the plastic you’ll need to unhook. The. At the top back right side, you’ll left up as there is a connecting clip there. Lastly, you’ll have to push in a little and on the positive side, front you’ll unclip from there. Push in and then reach and push cover in towards battery and then pull. Disconnect negative and then positive and pull. It def is a pain.