I think I've overcome my worries about checking the oil. Thank you, all of you, for the guidance and advice. Also, I've been avoiding the electric start. I think I've got the hang of all the cold engine, pre-start routine.
I thought I'd roll through bike night this evening for a few minutes to show off to all the Harley riders parked there. Maybe even shut down, and then kick-start before leaving.
So, I thought I'd start up, and check the oil. Went through the routine, and then one serious kick, and it fired up. After a minute I eased off on the choke, gave a little light throttle, and everything was good. Idled for 3 or 4 minutes, shut down, and then checked the oil. All good.
I took 10 or 15 minutes to do some minor yard work, and then tried to restart. Nothing. Not even one sputter. Kept at it. After a while, I got a towel to wipe the sweat splatter off the tank.
So, I tried the electric start just to see what would happen. All I got was a weaker version of that sound you get when your car battery is just about dead. No click-click-click, but a weak hum. By the way, it's always on the Battery Tender when its in the shed. I thought I'd remove the spark plug for sniff, and found that it was only finger tight. Fixed that.
I opened the battery cover not really knowing what to look for. It's been long time. I got a pair of pliers, and pulled off the six little plugs. Couldn't really see anything, but lacking any better ideas, I thought, "maybe i should add water." I have a tiny funnel from HF, so I poured in some water from my bottle. It was then that I realized the front of the battery is somewhat translucent. So, I brought the water level up from near the bottom in all the cells, closed every thing back up, reattached the Battery Tender, and came inside. I'll let it sit for a while, or maybe until tomorrow, and then try again.
If I need a new battery, do I have to go through Hitchcock, or will something from any old motorcycle shop do? Or Amazon? And do people just use maintenance-free batteries, now?