ACM 820Wh First Impressions

[Chris Westland]

I just received a Gotway ACM 820Wh (posted on this site) that I purchased from Ram Singh in New York, and wanted to relay my first impressions.  I plan to post a video once I get around to it.  There is so much discussion on this board about Gotways, and I when the opportunity came up to buy this one, I took advantage.   I've been riding my Inmotion V8 almost exclusively, and the ACM is a distinct contrast.  

First thing, I Slimed the wheel, filled to 3 bar,  and capped it with a Gozens Tire Pressure Monitor Valve Cap (44psi).  The tire valve is not readily accessible, so I value the security that the Slime and pressure cap provide.  I had a chance to put about 20 miles on the ACM today; most of the time benchmarking against my V8.

The V8 I'd liken to a Honda Civic Si vs. the ACM which I'd liken to an Oldsmobile Rocket 88.  The Honda / V8's handling is crisp; it doesn't go too fast, it's not too powerful, but it's fun, responsive and reliable.  The Olds / ACM is a gentle beast; it's easy to ride, serene, a bit slow and (ahem!) "stodgy."   It's easy to find yourself hitting 25mph on the wheel because it is so soft and gentle in its acceleration.  In fact this last part nearly got me in trouble at the start ... with the V8, I tend to lean into turns and then push my inside foot to accelerate out of them ... I tried that with the ACM, and nearly fell over, since acceleration takes about a second to kick in.  

It's pretty heavy, but not so much more than the V8.  The ACM is fat, and the pads are lower down the shin, so a different part of the leg seems to grip the wheel.   All told the ACM design makes for a very comfortable ride which picks up potholes and bumps with aplomb.  

I still haven't gotten the Gotway app to work; it requires a login to communicate with the wheel (I will never figure this out; Inmotion requires this as well).  I instead turned on my trusty DarnessBot app, which linked right up with my new ACM.  I really wish all of the manufacturers would just contract out to @Ilya Shkolnik to have him do their apps; or alternately, I wish Ilya would offer (for a fee) to provide the control function for lights, speed settings, etc. on his app.  He does a better job on the software than any of the manufacturers (at least IPS, Inmotion and Gotway).

More to come as I spend a few days with the ACM ...

 

[Marty Backe]

Very nice report. I'm glad that you're not disappointed with your choice. At least I don't think you're disappointed 

I like your analogies. I do think the ACM has good loooong acceleration, but I agree it takes a bit to really kick in. The speed can be addicting 

The two wheels will be a good compliment to each other. It's nice to have choices based on how you feel that day 

[electricpen]

Nice report. I was very close to pulling the trigger on an ACM but I think I am going to wait for the next 18" wheels from gotway to see what they have in store since I already have a kingsong 16s. I feel like I can justify having more wheels if they are more distinctly different from each other in purpose and I like how you highlighted the differences that definitely paint a picture of very different ideal use cases for these two wheels.

[Chris Westland]

42 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

The two wheels will be a good compliment to each other. It's nice to have choices based on how you feel that day 

This is how I feel; they are entirely different philosophies on building an EUC, and I can definitely see the advantage of the ACM for the sort of trail riding that you do @Marty Backe.    Ram also included the ACM handle ... I'm still not sure whether I'll install it, but it is a solid handle.  I need, though, to take the shell off and drill and attach the appropriate bolts.  It would be nice to have a handle, as the unit is pretty heavy. 

[meepmeepmayer]

@Chris Westland Nice report!

Production date? The first 6 numbers of the serial number, which is on the sticker on the box, below the bar code.

3 hours ago, electricpen said:

Nice report. I was very close to pulling the trigger on an ACM but I think I am going to wait for the next 18" wheels from gotway to see what they have in store since I already have a kingsong 16s. I feel like I can justify having more wheels if they are more distinctly different from each other in purpose and I like how you highlighted the differences that definitely paint a picture of very different ideal use cases for these two wheels.

You're doing it right. Ordered a wheel, ordered another wheel while the first was underway, and thinking of the third wheel before you even got any of your first two. Looks like you have a bright EUC future ahead

[electricpen]

1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said:

You're doing it right. Ordered a wheel, ordered another wheel while the first was underway, and thinking of the third wheel before you even got any of your first two. Looks like you have a bright EUC future ahead

 

Haha, well I was considering getting the ACM as my second wheel before I pulled the trigger on the ninebot. I decided the ACM and the KS16s overlap a bit too much so I ended up going with the ninebot. Plus I'm a newb so having a slow wheel for learning seemed like a good idea. Once I'm comfortable I can maybe grab an msuper v4 when they make a new one 

[mrelwood]

6 hours ago, electricpen said:

I can maybe grab an msuper v4 when they make a new one 

Be careful, I heard the v4 prototypes exploded when a group of engineers was riding up a tiny curb resulting in a fire that burned down the Gotway prototype plant...

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

On 8/1/2017 at 8:11 PM, Chris Westland said:

I just received a Gotway ACM 820Wh (posted on this site) that I purchased from Ram Singh in New York, and wanted to relay my first impressions.  I plan to post a video once I get around to it.  There is so much discussion on this board about Gotways, and I when the opportunity came up to buy this one, I took advantage.   I've been riding my Inmotion V8 almost exclusively, and the ACM is a distinct contrast.  

First thing, I Slimed the wheel, filled to 3 bar,  and capped it with a Gozens Tire Pressure Monitor Valve Cap (44psi).  The tire valve is not readily accessible, so I value the security that the Slime and pressure cap provide.  I had a chance to put about 20 miles on the ACM today; most of the time benchmarking against my V8.

The V8 I'd liken to a Honda Civic Si vs. the ACM which I'd liken to an Oldsmobile Rocket 88.  The Honda / V8's handling is crisp; it doesn't go too fast, it's not too powerful, but it's fun, responsive and reliable.  The Olds / ACM is a gentle beast; it's easy to ride, serene, a bit slow and (ahem!) "stodgy."   It's easy to find yourself hitting 25mph on the wheel because it is so soft and gentle in its acceleration.  In fact this last part nearly got me in trouble at the start ... with the V8, I tend to lean into turns and then push my inside foot to accelerate out of them ... I tried that with the ACM, and nearly fell over, since acceleration takes about a second to kick in.  

It's pretty heavy, but not so much more than the V8.  The ACM is fat, and the pads are lower down the shin, so a different part of the leg seems to grip the wheel.   All told the ACM design makes for a very comfortable ride which picks up potholes and bumps with aplomb.  

I still haven't gotten the Gotway app to work; it requires a login to communicate with the wheel (I will never figure this out; Inmotion requires this as well).  I instead turned on my trusty DarnessBot app, which linked right up with my new ACM.  I really wish all of the manufacturers would just contract out to @Ilya Shkolnik to have him do their apps; or alternately, I wish Ilya would offer (for a fee) to provide the control function for lights, speed settings, etc. on his app.  He does a better job on the software than any of the manufacturers (at least IPS, Inmotion and Gotway).

More to come as I spend a few days with the ACM ...

 

Use the older Gotway app to connect to the ACM and you won't have to screw around with the new app that requires the stupid registration. @Marty Backe  posted a link to his file sharing site where he hosts the app.Then you can see if changing the ride setting will change the acceloration feel of the wheel.

[Chris Westland]

1 minute ago, JrKline "Wheel Whisperer said:

Use the older Gotway app to connect to the ACM and you won't have to screw around with the new app that requires the stupid registration. @Marty Backe  posted a link to his file sharing site where he hosts the app.Then you can see if changing the ride setting will change the acceloration feel of the wheel.

Thanks @JrKline "Wheel Whisperer... I use an iPhone, and the app at @Marty Backe's URL is for Android.  Fortunately Ram (the previous owner) sent me his credentials ... I haven't been able to make them work, but I'll try again today.

[Marty Backe]

3 hours ago, Chris Westland said:

Thanks @JrKline "Wheel Whisperer... I use an iPhone, and the app at @Marty Backe's URL is for Android.  Fortunately Ram (the previous owner) sent me his credentials ... I haven't been able to make them work, but I'll try again today.

I continue to recommend (just received positive feedback from another rider who took my advice) that people with iPhones go out and buy a $30 Android phone and use that for controlling and monitoring the wheel. The L3 K3 phone is known to work.

[Marty Backe]

3 hours ago, JrKline "Wheel Whisperer said:

Use the older Gotway app to connect to the ACM and you won't have to screw around with the new app that requires the stupid registration. @Marty Backe  posted a link to his file sharing site where he hosts the app.Then you can see if changing the ride setting will change the acceloration feel of the wheel.

Small update: I uploaded the app (and the WheelLog app) to the Downloads section of this Forum.

[Chris Westland]

Here is my unboxing video.  Perhaps @Henrik Olsen can tell me how to get this on to his "Mr. Unbox" channel...

 

[Chris Westland]

22 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I continue to recommend (just received positive feedback from another rider who took my advice) that people with iPhones go out and buy a $30 Android phone and use that for controlling and monitoring the wheel. The L3 K3 phone is known to work.

I've thought about this.  I did finally login to the Gotway app ... the country had to be set to China (+86) and Ram's credentials worked.  

[steve454]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

I continue to recommend (just received positive feedback from another rider who took my advice) that people with iPhones go out and buy a $30 Android phone and use that for controlling and monitoring the wheel. The L3 K3 phone is known to work.

It's in stock at my local walmart and is on sale for $29.97

[electricpen]

If you adamantly don't want to get a phone and you are only going to use it for setup at home you could try to setup an android emulator on your computer... This could be a big headache and only works if 1) your computer has bluetooth and 2) the emulator is compatible with your computer's bluetooth device.

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, Chris Westland said:

I've thought about this.  I did finally login to the Gotway app ... the country had to be set to China (+86) and Ram's credentials worked.  

Be aware that apparently all of your settings will be erased whenever you connect your phone to the wheel. I think this is only a benefit when using an iPhone  Android users miss out on this feature 

[gotmotion2016]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Be aware that apparently all of your settings will be erased whenever you connect your phone to the wheel. I think this is only a benefit when using an iPhone  Android users miss out on this feature 

I had the benefit off this feature too, using the iphone app on my acm.

Bought like Marty recommend  now a cheap android phone, that was a good decision.

Now i'm happy to miss that special iphone feature.

 

[KalSeth]

On 08/03/2017 at 8:36 AM, Chris Westland said:

I've thought about this.  I did finally login to the Gotway app ... the country had to be set to China (+86) and Ram's credentials worked.  

It is the ride mode you want to look for, Powerful, Soft, and Medium?.  See if it is set to Powerful which is what most people, ok me but maybe others, ride on.

[meepmeepmayer]

I recommend the medium mode (standard mode). Easier to learn, and it's more relaxing than the hard one. ACM feels like it has suspension. Never switched to hard mode.

The soft mode is wobbly and outright dangerous because it's so instable.

[gotmotion2016]

About the mode it's is what you prefer i think.

Soft mode is very slow and boring to me.

Medium mode is not my mode eather.

I like the powerful mode the best, because the wheel react fast and accelerate quick.

Because i tried it out i now what is the best mode for me

[Chris Westland]

On 8/5/2017 at 0:03 AM, KalSeth said:

It is the ride mode you want to look for, Powerful, Soft, and Medium?.  See if it is set to Powerful which is what most people, ok me but maybe others, ride on.

I like the Power mode as well; the ACM seems to respond like a standard wheel, though by no means crisply,   I still detect the .5 second lag in responding to inputs, which for me is unsettling.  This might be due to a slower controller, or hysteresis in the scaled up power of 1500W motor windings.  I think the ACM is best for gliding along well-paved road.

[mrelwood]

On the KingSong KS-16S I have noticed that the hard mode consumes the battery noticeably faster. I'd say the range is 4-5km shorter than with the medium mode. I would expect similiar behavior from the ACM.

Though, I must say there is something magical about the hard mode. The way it feels like I was standing on train tracks, no matter if I go on flat or a very steep incline.

[dmethvin]

8 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

On the KingSong KS-16S I have noticed that the hard mode consumes the battery noticeably faster.

I have suspected this myself, maybe I will try some experiments on my KS-14C and see if I can report some hard numbers.

[CaptainKBLS]

I finally got to right the ACM16 1300W for about an hour.

#1:  My calves hurt like hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  After an hour, it hurts less but I'm in agony.  I hope the pain comes down faster.  I'll be riding in NYC this week.  The cushion seems soft when you touch with your finger but seems like steel against your calves.

#2: I did not get a chance to install the app and make any adjustment.  Whatever it's got it seems too slow (in reaction) for me.

#3: It's around 10lb heavier than the V8 but to me this feels like riding a water buffalo vs a horse.  My 6 doesn't like it.  She's happy with the V8.

#4: Jason didn't send the trolley handle I asked for so I'm going to be in pain on vacation for a week.  This is noticably heavier.  So the Monster must feel like mountain.  For now, I don't think I can handle anything heavier.

Questions:

1) I'm going to set to Powerful mode as suggested.  Any other recommendations?

[meepmeepmayer]

2 hours ago, CaptainKBLS said:

The cushion seems soft when you touch with your finger but seems like steel against your calves.

Perfect description. But once you're used to the wheel, your legs will barely touch the sides. Don't have your stance too far in. The pro of the (84V) ACM is how the wide stance allows for good control using only your feet on the pedals.