I guess my years in the Marines taking the photos of the F18's at Yuma,Az. doesn't count heh? We got around base on Military Desert Rats and 3 wheelers that always started with the key. I can dig up some pics for ya. And yea we used to ride the desert with them too, and you know what happens out there if you don't start. I have no idea?

Now we are talking 1981 I think battery's would have come a long way since then. So his bike should start and his battery should last 3 years anyhow.

Now I ask.
Why is a battery tested Cold?
"Battery power rating is measured by two standards. The more popular of these, cold cranking power, determines the amount of current (amps) a battery delivers for 30 seconds at zero degrees Fahrenheit while maintaining a minimum terminal voltage of 7.2 volts. The higher the number, the stronger the battery. Think of those old Die hard commercials, with all those non-Sears batteries giving up the ghost in the cold and snow, and this will perhaps give you a visual image." Found here.
http://tinyurl.com/Cold-Batterys
(The second standard has nothing to do with heat by the way.)

So according to the standards by which a battery is rated, It's cold that is more harsh on a battery not heat. Never seen a commercial where the start a car at 120 degrees and say buy this battery!

Here is something to consider.

"If you keep having electrical problems (battery dies, car won't start, power is intermittent or weak), it's not necessarily the battery. It could be in the charging system, normally either a bad alternator or voltage regulator. A mechanic can test the system to isolate the problem."

So maybe your rectifier is bad or for some reason maybe a connection, and your battery is being discharged while riding and then won't start? Or back to bad connections, Clean every connection from the battery to the starter. Light coat of dielectric (Bulb Grease) is good.

I have a pretty advanced Battery charger, You hook it up and it can do diagnostics, tell charging, volts, and even if it has a bad ground or dead cell. Maybe time to get one? I think its by Vector.


Now, the Morning I started this after sitting in Cleveland with single digit lows that night, THATS a battery test! Then I rode it 50 some miles home.