GTÜ tests 15 chargers for motorcycles from 24 to 120 euros

Helps the battery

19.12.2018

Graphic: Kröner/GTÜ After a dreamy summer, many motorcyclists have sent their bikes into the deserved hibernation. For motorcycle batteries, however, the long break can have fatal consequences. Next spring, the first ride will fall into the water when the battery strikes and the bike does not want to start. However, if you maintain the voltage with a good charger over the winter, you will not only ensure a trouble-free start at any time, but also reduce the cost of spare parts. Because well-maintained batteries simply last longer than often deep-discharged and correspondingly stressed batteries.

Together with MOTORRAD, Europe's largest motorcycle magazine, the GTÜ Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung has tested 15 battery chargers, which are particularly suitable for motorcycle batteries. This includes, in particular, the ability to adapt to batteries with fewer ampere hours (Ah) than usual with the car, in order to ensure charging as gently as possible.

The test winner with the title "highly recommended" was the CTEK CT5 Power Sport, which earned the GTÜ award in a convincing way. With more than 450 counters, it received more than 90 percent of the 500 possible rating points. Four other highly recommended Chargers cracked at least the 400-point mark. In the ranking of their ranking were the Gysflash 6.12, Bosch C3, Kooroom TKB7 and Dino 12V/5A. The GTÜ testers rated seven chargers as "recommended": Optimate 4, APA Microprocessor 6V/12V 5A, Pro Charger 4000, AEG LD 5.0, hi-Q TOOLS Charger 900, Black & Decker BDVO90 6V/12V and SHIDO DC3. The EUFAB EAL 6V/12V, Einhell CC-BC 6 M and Excelvan 6V/12V 5A proved to be only "conditionally recommended". These three devices lost valuable points, among other things, because, for example, there had been sparks during the on-loaded and disconnected, or because the battery had been discharged shortly when the charger was disconnected from the mains but still connected to the battery.

A total of more than 20 individual assessments in six major chapters had to be completed by the test candidates. The GTÜ experts subjected the battery chargers to complex electrical and qualitative tests. Visual inspection, the evaluation of the operation and the range of functions as well as the prices completed the comprehensive performance comparison (see table).

The most important single criterion: the quality of the loading and loading maintenance process. Among other things, it is a matter of charging the batteries as gently as possible up to the charging voltage, starting a recharging phase and then switching to a maintenance mode that always keeps the battery at optimum performance. In this context, technicians speak of the IUoU charging process. Only CTEK and Dino scored the maximum. Only the highly recommended battery chargers from CTEK, Gysflash, Bosch and Dino also mastered the adaptation of the charging characteristic to common battery types such as wet, gel and AGM batteries to perfection and were also suitable for the complete charging of AGM batteries with their optionally increased charging voltage of 14.7 volts.

CTEK and Dino go one step further with their special regeneration function, which may help already damaged batteries to achieve new power. The battery is quickly brought to gas via a time-limited voltage increase of a maximum of 15.8 volts. In this way, a possible acid layering can be removed and thus the capacity can be increased again.

The adaptation of the charging power to different battery sizes and thus also the suitability in principle for motorcycle batteries proved all tested chargers. Almost all test equipment was also able to supply new charge with batteries that were down to three volts. Only hi-Q and Dino had these limits slightly higher, namely 4.5 and 6 volts.

As the final test, the GTÜ testers subjected all candidates to the destructive drop test from a metre high on concrete. Only if there was no damage and the device worked unrestrictedly afterwards, there was a full score. At least eight devices survived this test without any restrictions. Only two, namely AEG and SHIDO, were no longer usable after that.