Excitement about KS16S Sport?

[Marty Backe]

57 minutes ago, esaj said:

Oh no, never... especially with a new wheel in the next room, didn't affect my concentration at all, of course... 

 

You probably won't be as jealous after you see this:

Tadah!   Ain't she a thing of beauty?   My own awesome handiwork!  I think I might have some sort of "reverse Midas-touch", instead of turning things into gold, they turn into ... well, I'll call it "temporary" padding & reflectors, and when they're still there a year or two from now... I'll still call them "temporary". Although since I used the crappiest two-sided tape (in the hopes that I can get it off later on), it might not hold that long.

Now that I'm pretty much ready to set off... it looks like it's starting to rain  

That's hilarious. It looks like a cat attacked your wheel 

[esaj]

1 hour ago, kasenutty said:

Wait, what? Don't you know how to ride one of those? 

No, of course not... what's an electric unicycle? Never heard of those...

Well, I had to cut my first ride pretty short, as it indeed began to rain. Maybe about 10km roundtrip, have to see if I can make another ride later in the night. Plus I forgot that the King Songs have the 20km/h code-locked speed limiter by default, so I got very intimate with the friendly male voice telling me to "Please decelerate" all the time, including uphills  

Couple of first impressions, although probably nothing new, especially to previous King Song -owners: The tiltback's subtle, didn't have that on the Firewheel, but it's not sudden or aggressive, yet easily noticeable. Might be more aggressive with faster accelerations. The ride-feel is pretty similar to Firewheel, at least in the stiffest mode ("Player mode", I think), the response's fast and accurate. I didn't really push it yet at any point (ie. no really fast accelerations or decelerations), but I did climb some pretty steep hills. Easily accelerating up those, like it's nothing, of course I'm really light weight compared to most riders (maybe around 60kg / 130lbs in full gear).

In general, riding wheels seems like with the bicycle, once you've learned, it doesn't "go away". Well, at least not in the... 9 months since I last rode for a bit with my friends' KS (and about 1.5 years since I last really pushed with the Firewheel). I was mostly worried I might fumble with the mounting, but no problem there. Maybe one day I'll learn properly the "skate-kick" -start, I usually just hop on and get going from almost standstill, as weird as it may seem to some, it's actually much easier for me...

[HermanTheGerman]

6 hours ago, esaj said:

Look what the cat dragged in  

<<<< foto of strange object cut out >>>>

Well, back to work...

What is this ?

A bird in a white plastic cage or something ???

[HermanTheGerman]

7 hours ago, dpong said:

@esaj I'm completely jealous, ...

Yeah, me too.   (Not about the strange white plastic thing, but about his cat).

 

6 hours ago, Adel said:

One question I have about the ks16s is about the range comparison to the regular ks16.

This would be of interest for some of us, I think, me included. :-)

 

3 hours ago, esaj said:

You probably won't be as jealous after you see this:

Tadah!   Ain't she a thing of beauty?

By God, man, what have you done ?!

A wheel without scratches is like a face without eyebrows !

The only reason I can imagine to do the same with a new wheel is, when I want to colorspray a part of it.

 

3 hours ago, Tilmann said:

Better than that: He even knows how to fly with them ???

But hopefully not into a wet gully, when it rains.  I had such an experience last autumn.

However, congratulations !  

And let us know if it can really seriously go 35 km/h over a longer time.

[esaj]

17 minutes ago, HermanTheGerman said:

By God, man, what have you done ?!

A wheel without scratches is like a face without eyebrows !

The only reason I can imagine to do the same with a new wheel is, when I want to colorspray a part of it.

Well, I was in a bit of a rush, didn't want to ding it straight out of the bat (although it's likely going to happen sooner or later ) and had only a roll of the (not-so-)white -bumper strip... Maybe I'll redo it more properly later on, something akin to what I did with the Firewheel a couple years back:

 

 

17 minutes ago, HermanTheGerman said:

But hopefully not into a wet gully, when it rains.  I had such an experience last autumn.

However, congratulations !  

And let us know if it can really seriously go 35 km/h over a longer time.

Thanks, I was planning on doing a much longer ride tonight, as the rain was supposed to go past the city farther north, but nope, forecast dice got it wrong... Had a bad flashback of the 2015 summer, which was dubbed "coldest summer in over 50 years" up until late August (a small heatwave pushed the average up enough so it was "only" the coldest summer of a couple of decades or so ), and also it rained all the time (still managed to clock in 1500km on the Firewheel, 10-20km at a time). But, there's the weekend and hopefully a much warmer and less rainy summer ahead of me.

Sooner or later I'll probably try the high speeds, on a long, usually totally empty bikelane that's in a pretty good condition. But it's not exactly the first thing on my list, and I prefer to ride at a more like "bicycle pace" normally. Need to install a bike computer for measuring anyway, I don't trust the wheel to report it correctly...

[HermanTheGerman]

2 minutes ago, esaj said:

Well, I was in a bit of a rush, didn't want to ding it straight out of the bat (although it's likely going to happen sooner or later ) and had only a roll of the (not-so-)white -bumper strip... Maybe I'll redo it more properly later on, something akin to what I did with the Firewheel a couple years back:

I was just kidding, don't take me to serious.

 

4 minutes ago, esaj said:

 Need to install a bike computer for measuring anyway, I don't trust the wheel to report it correctly...

You are right, speed and distance are very wrong, especially the distance. If I feel that I want to know more accurate values, I measure it with runtastic via GPS.

But a well configured bike computer is of course a lot more accurate than GPS based measurements.

Whatever you can tell us about the wheel in the future is of big help.  I'm also thinking about replacing my KS16B with the KS16S, but this time I don't want to be at the (b)leading edge (I'm thinking not only because of the higher speed, but also because of the bigger batteries, I have the 640 version).

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

8 hours ago, esaj said:

Look what the cat dragged in  

Sweet bajeebers!   THAT is a nice carpet!  Oh, the KS16 is okay too, but it's no Ninebot.    Okay you are officially back in the EUC Club!!!    !

I think though you might have gone a little bat crazy with the baby bumper foam , but it's all good.  Stealth mode is always a wise choice.    You can never be too over-protected.  Although I do hear that wearing three condoms at the same time is overkill, but you never know right???  

Congrats on the new wheel!  

Time to pad up and get rolling once that rain stops!  

 

 

[esaj]

20 minutes ago, HermanTheGerman said:

I was just kidding, don't take me to serious.

I know, but I admit it's an eyesore, even to me, who (at least supposedly) don't care so much for looks... "Wait, this isn't actually white... oh well, let's see... this could go here... no, it won't bend that much... how about if I cut it around that... no... what parts are most likely to hit... fuck it, just cover all the corners fastest way possible and be done with it"  Had I known that I might almost as well spent the entire evening doing it "right" from the get-go

 

Quote

You are right, speed and distance are very wrong, especially the distance. If I feel that I want to know more accurate values, I measure it with runtastic via GPS.

But a well configured bike computer is of course a lot more accurate than GPS based measurements.

Whatever you can tell us about the wheel in the future is of big help.  I'm also thinking about replacing my KS16B with the KS16S, but this time I don't want to be at the (b)leading edge (I'm thinking not only because of the higher speed, but also because of the bigger batteries, I have the 640 version).

I knew there was a risk with S, since it's still a very new model, and no-one actually knows if and what issues there might still be lurking... even the firmware is still at 1.0 (didn't check if there's a new one available, I don't want to be the test pilot ). As for comparing it to the B, I did have a few rides with a friends' 840Wh B last summer, but I didn't ride it a lot and it's been so long in between that I cannot really tell what's different. However, I might have an opportunity to test 680Wh B and the S side-by-side for a much longer period starting probably next week...   You can't have a bleeding-edge wheel without a spare, right?

I'll try to keep some notes and update people on things I find out over time (assuming the mainboard won't blow up or anything ). Still, it's likely going take at least a month or two before I feel I can really "review" the wheel itself (and I mean more like a "proper" review, like I did with the Firewheel:  Firewheel review )

 

 

[Tilmann]

10 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Sweet bajeebers!   THAT is a nice carpet!  Oh, the KS16 is okay too, but it's no Ninebot.    Okay you are officially back in the EUC Club!!!    !

I think though you might have gone a little bat crazy with the baby bumper foam , but it's all good.  Stealth mode is always a wise choice.    You can never be too over-protected.  Although I do hear that wearing thee condoms at the same time is overkill, but you never know right???  

 

 

Dear Hunka, you just don't grasp Finnish camouflage tactics in all their sophistication, do you? EUCextreme turns his GotWays into cooler boxes, so that he can fake a picknick when approached by hostile forces. Now esaj made his KingSong look like a camping cushion, so he can slam it flat on the ground and sit next to him. ??

[JAL_GRANADA]

Fist of all, congrats. I'm looking forward your to read your review about KS16S.

There was someone who posted a photo protecting KS with InMotion cover. It looks nice and well protected.

[esaj]

18 minutes ago, Tilmann said:

Dear Hunka, you just don't grasp Finnish camouflage tactics in all their sophistication, do you? EUCextreme turns his GotWays into cooler boxes, so that he can fake a picknick when approached by hostile forces. Now esaj made his KingSong look like a camping cushion, so he can slam it flat on the ground and sit next to him. ??

Speaking of camouflage, I forgot to put reflector tape over the motor numbers...   Remember, if anyone asks: this is a 1000W wheel capable of 25km/h max, period. Especially if the asker wears some kind of uniform...  Actually, since it doesn't even have the "Sports"-print on the pads like some of the images of S's show, this is an 800W KS16B 

[Christoph Zens]

6 hours ago, Adel said:

The more powerful engine consumes more battery power so the range I expect will be less than the ks16.

That's not necessarily the case. The amount of power required to maintain a certain speed changes with factors like wind, terrain, or weight. It's independent of engine rating or even engine type. I'm talking about required mechanical power output at the wheel. Let's assume an average mechanical power output of maybe 500W would be required to keep moving at a certain speed. For an electrical engine, this will translate into some higher amount of electrical input power required, depending on the efficiency of the motor at this operating point. Brushless DC motors typically reach up to 80% efficiency, but actual efficiency at any given operating point can vary a lot. I have no reliable data on efficiency of the motors used by KS, maybe someone else can fill in, but usually efficiency is way down at low power, then rises quickly to a maximum and slowly goes back down as power output increases. I saw many curves where efficiency was down to 50% at the point of maximum power output (where torque times RPM yields the highest power value).

Sure, the bigger engine may add 2kg of additional weight, but that's nothing in relation to total weight, so should not be noticeable. On the other hand, a motor rated for 800W, delivering the 500W mechanical output, will be at a very different operating point (closer to its max output), compared to a 1200W motor delivering the same 500W output. This may actually result in the 1200W motor running at a much higher efficiency than the smaller 800W motor and thereofre consume less battery instead of more.

For some numbers, let's assume the 1200W engine is running at the sweet spot (efficiency wise), actually reaching 80%. It will draw 625W from the battery to provide 500W of mechanical output at the wheel. Now let's assume the smaller 800W engine, which runs under higher load (relatively speaking), is only able to reach 60% efficiency due to much higher eddy and hysteresis losses as well as ohmic losses (higher winding resistance). This motor will draw 830W from the battery (running at maximum continuous output already just to deliver the 500W mechanical power).

The actual % values in this example may be way off, since I don't have actual data, but you get the idea. It really depends on the efficiency curves of the two motors and the operating point at which the two are compared against each other. So, it may very well depend a lot on the riding style, if you get more or less mileage out of the bigger motor. Someone who happens to ride the wheel such that he hits the sweet spot of an 800W engine may experience better mileage on the KS16B (1.2kW motor still below its sweet spot and thus less efficient), while some other guy who pushes the wheel harder sees an improved mileage on the KS16S, because he was operating the 16B way above its sweet spot and now gets better efficiency on the bigger engine.

That said, I think both wheels provide really good range with their 840Wh batteries.

[Diana@szkingsong.com]

On 2017-5-4 at 9:15 AM, dpong said:

Hi All,

I have been awaiting the KS16S to appear in the US.  I have been excited for its arrival.  

I'm trying to gauge whether there are others eagerly awaiting this Sport version?  

(If excited, why?  If not excited, why not?)

Is anyone excited by this one, or is it just me?   Or are all the cool kids buying Gotways? 

Thanks for any response. 

dpong

KS-16S is one of our best selling models.It won't let you down

[Diana@szkingsong.com]

On 2017-5-4 at 3:12 PM, JAL_GRANADA said:

I was decided to buy KS14D when suddenly I read that the new KS16S it was about to appear. Now I'm looking forward to know more about it.

Gotway MCM 680Wh was my favorite too but I finally discarded it because it hasn't got trolley and it hasn't got lights (it has only got decorative lights)

Really I'd like KS14S but there aren't any new news about it.

I like KS-14S too. It will be available soon.

[Rehab1]

13 hours ago, esaj said:

Look what the cat dragged in  

That is so awesome! You devil..keeping this a secret from us for so long!

[Rehab1]

9 hours ago, esaj said:

Oh no, never... especially with a new wheel in the next room, didn't affect my concentration at all, of course... 

 

You probably won't be as jealous after you see this:

Tadah!   Ain't she a thing of beauty?   My own awesome handiwork!  I think I might have some sort of "reverse Midas-touch", instead of turning things into gold, they turn into ... well, I'll call it "temporary" padding & reflectors, and when they're still there a year or two from now... I'll still call them "temporary". Although since I used the crappiest two-sided tape (in the hopes that I can get it off later on), it might not hold that long.

Now that I'm pretty much ready to set off... it looks like it's starting to rain  

So funny! This is definitely NOT your work! Did you give it to a bunch of kindergarteners and promise to donate a penny to their school?

[JAL_GRANADA]

7 hours ago, Diana@szkingsong.com said:

I like KS-14S too. It will be available soon.

Do you know more or less when KS14S is going to be available?

[Diana@szkingsong.com]

14 hours ago, JAL_GRANADA said:

Do you know more or less when KS14S is going to be available?

It will be available at the beginning of June

[JAL_GRANADA]

10 hours ago, Diana@szkingsong.com said:

It will be available at the beginning of June

Really!!!! I'm excited about that.

I'll be waiting for it.

Thank you.

 

[MaxLinux]

On 5/18/2017 at 2:52 PM, esaj said:

I usually just hop on and get going from almost standstill, as weird as it may seem to some, it's actually much easier for me

That's how I start too!

[steve454]

On 5/18/2017 at 0:42 PM, kasenutty said:

Wait, what? Don't you know how to ride one of those? 

Strategically covered the battery size label  Never seen flesh colored bumper tape though  Also, when he removes it a year from now, it will still look like a brand new wheel and get higher resale value.

[steve454]

On 5/18/2017 at 5:03 PM, Tilmann said:

Dear Hunka, you just don't grasp Finnish camouflage tactics in all their sophistication, do you? EUCextreme turns his GotWays into cooler boxes, so that he can fake a picknick when approached by hostile forces. Now esaj made his KingSong look like a camping cushion, so he can slam it flat on the ground and sit next to him. ??

Yeah, you should see the tank they designed, it's pretty awesome.  Shell cases eject out the back, low profile chassis that is almost invisible in the trees, fantastic supension that raises and lowers the gun.  Nobody gonna sneak up on the Finns.  Oops, I don't know if Finns is considered bad in Finland or if it is the correct term, but it was meant to be respectful.  

[steve454]

1 hour ago, MaxLinux said:

That's how I start too!

Me too, but you just made me think of a new possibilty.  Some people do the skateboard start, right?  Then they are actually riding one legged for a short distance.  You just gave me an idea.  I've tried riding one legged before but just couldn't get it, but what if I tried it from zero speed like taking off from a standstill?  

Thanks @MaxLinux!  Can't wait till tomorrow to try it.

[steve454]

On 5/18/2017 at 5:18 PM, JAL_GRANADA said:

Fist of all, congrats. I'm looking forward your to read your review about KS16S.

There was someone who posted a photo protecting KS with InMotion cover. It looks nice and well protected.

You're right, that is good camo.

 

[steve454]

 

On 5/18/2017 at 9:36 AM, esaj said:

Looks like it's going to rain in the next couple of hours

Lucky!I wish it would rain here.!  Drought conditions are not funny, they are not fun.  I should move to Seattle, where the slogan is, we don't tan, we rust?