israndy

There isn't a fuse that I saw (and I posted all the photos above). Pretty easy to take apart following the photos above. My problem is that I have just lost one of the footpegs. Just snapped off one morning. I am 260lbs, but the scooter is rated for 550lbs, so not sure how this happened. Still recovering from the fall, I think I busted my wrists. The footpegs are clipped in with c-rings like a rearview mirror, but the piece that broke is where that attaches to the bike, so I need a new cast piece to fix this. But going to the Kiwano.co website just shows a contact sheet if we wanna be updated when they release a new product. Grrr.

Looks like the guy who I met in Vegas isn't able to help. He was hoping to work for them, but didn't get the gig. Not that I need much, the scooter works great. But a new headlight and handlebar caps would be great. -Randy

Got to talk to Kiwano in their booth at CES. Seems like everyone who owns one of these so far got them as part of an early release program. What they learned from them is going into the new units, the K01+, the bike with red accents. They guys there were hardpressed to say what the differences were, claimed the software was better, but when I asked if the software on my bike could be upgraded to make it the same, they hedged. Perhaps they are abandoning the 2018 bikes already. They didn't have an ETA and the website is still pretending they haven't been announced. Perhaps when they do announce them someone will know what makes them better than the original one. -Randy

OK, took the bottom apart, similarly to how I took the handlebars apart, same tools, same clip to hold the pipe in place. I am out of upload space so I cannot show the images here, but quickly again, there are Torx screws that squeeze the clip against the inside of the pipe. First, take off the tail light and unclip the fixture. Those two screws that hold the light fixture on screw into a hole that has another Torx screw pressing against the clip at the back, loosen those two and then just above those are two more screws and undo those and the support pipe should be loose from the bottom. If you want to detach that piece from the wheel just pull it out, you'll see there are 3 pins that align the bottom to the support that will need to be lined up again to put it back together. There is also a single thick cable that contains all the control cables for the wheel that just pulls apart. When you go to reassemble the cable there are arrows you line up and just press it back together. The fix for my scooter and for anyone who needs to reboot your scooter is the yellow/orangish connectors in the photo below. That is the main power from the battery. Just tug and they disconnect, it's a lot of juice at a voltage you will feel if you get in the circuit so try not to touch the connectors. You will hear the bike re-energize when you plug it back in. Reassembled and my bike is back up and running. I may still have issues, water and electronics are deadly. Even people whose phones I helped to dry out I would always explain that it may be fine today, maybe even tomorrow, but someday that corrosion will get bad enough that it will stop working. That will be the day you need to replace your device, and remember today when we are drying it out was the cause of the failure. I didn't see ANY issues with the moisture that got in and it looks like the bike dried out fine, but the liquid definitely caused my issues. Just really glad to be back on the road for now. I still don't see any better small scooter on the market for adults needing to go small distances with ease. Just a shame the company is so flakey. -Randy all photos uploaded to https://www.flickr.com/photos/israndy/albums/72157703798335731/with/45845177704/

How to take apart the Kiwano K01 Remove the headlight: Remove the 5/32" Allen screws on the front and pry the plastic apart to unclip it from the tube Using the 5/64" Allen wrench remove the upper two headless screws under the headlight Using a Torx 10 driver remove the other two recessed headless screws, these four hold a brace against the back of the tube Raise the handlebars carefully now that they are free Remove the brace piece that was holding them in the tube Again with a 5/32" Allen wrench remove the screw and washer from the front and the back Pull the connectors up thru the hole in the attachment piece and leave it in the tube Cut the zip ties holding the connectors together, don't worry the cables are the same colors on both sides Again with the 5/32" wrench remove the two screws and washers holding the handlebars onto the display Use a normal Phillips head to remove the other half of the handlebars, stack parts back on the bike Finally, remove the tiny Phillips head screws to get inside the display Don't lose the parts you took off the Kiwano K01 -Randy

Ah, I did hear from them, they asked for my Order #, sadly they didn't send me one, just an email receipt that said what I had paid... I replied with my serial number for them to look up, but have not heard back... again. Of course, it's JUST over a year old, so perhaps my warranty is up. -Randy Edit: OK, a follow-up. Remember back in November when I got it working again? Yeah, not so much anymore. It's back to acting like it's dead, press the button and nothing happens. And it was working so well... Contacted Kiwano and eventually they responded to my used purchase:

Yeah, that could have gone better. Turns out I am 250 lbs and that's just too heavy to go up my driveway. The scooter gave up the ghost and we fell forward, but the scooter didn't know it and started accelerating lying flat on it's face, took off thru the woods, I thought it was headed for my neighbors windshield, but it stopped when it hit the cinder block it stopped. It was covered in dirt. I rode it down the hill just fine, but again when I tried to ride it up, it just stalls. It's a pretty steep drive, but I didn't think it was greater than 30%, perhaps it would have been fine for a kid, just not a big old guy. So I went to hose it off, as it's water resistant, and it started beeping like I was holding the on switch down. Finally it turned off but I haven't been able to get it on since. The display fogged up yesterday so I put it in the sun and by the fireplace last night. Today the fog is gone, but I think so is my beloved scooter. -Randy Edit: OK, a follow-up. After a day the display cleared. Before that everytime the scooter cooled the fog came back. After another two days the button finally came back to working, perhaps it was after plugging into power. Perhaps that reset the computer inside. But when I did touch the button it squealed JUST like when I had gotten water on it. Holding the button again and it turned off, unlike when the water got in. A couple of days later I had been struggling to figure out how to reset the scooter w/o a keyboard or really any other input. It occurred to me that perhaps I could reset it with the iPhone app. So I launched the app and then powered on the bike, THIS time it stood right up and self-balanced just like it used to. I still haven't heard back from the support staff at Kiwano and now the countdown to the release of the K01+ has reset to 64 days, grrr... But happy the bike is alive.

There are several of these on eBay. I found mine on CraigsList and the day I did there were 4 for sale. I got it from someone who purchased a couple of them when they just started shipping. He decided against having his employees ride the scooter between their two facilities as it takes a while to learn. Sold me mine for $800 new in box. I don't expect any warranty on this as the factory has a HORRIBLE track record, but I LOVE THIS BIKE! It seems to have all the power and capability I need, and it fits perfectly on the floor of my Tesla so I can go for a ride when my car is charging. Now I need a car charger for it. The footpegs were tough in my tennis shoes, now it's moving towards winter so I am wearing boots and the pegs are no issue. I am a heavy guy and this thing has no issues with me. I will take it up my driveway at the mountain cabin this weekend and let you know, but I don't think it will bat an eye. It took a week, but I am very comfortable riding it, and everyone who sees me with it has to stare, and why else buy a toy, really? Took it to the Apple store and put it in idle mode as it self-balanced in the store everyone was coming up to me asking where it came from. That's the nice thing about them being so rare still, while if I rolled in on one of those common battery unicycles I would have to bend over and turn it off and find a place to lay it on its side. Yuck! My collection of excellent vehicles -Randy

Only had it a day and already having kids chase me asking what I am riding. Gotten much less afraid of the unit, might almost call me comfortable, but it's like learning a bicycle, I'll get better with time. The Unobolt looks like it has an actual headlight, while the Kiwano just has a white light at the top of the handlebar. I like that it's high (the Unobolt has it in front of your toes) but it doesn't light the way in front of you. Hopefully, the Unobolt's does, but I don't have one to check out. The Unobolt may be lighter but it's half the power and I am an old fat man, I don't like the idea of riding something made of aluminum. I like the 500lbs weight capacity of the Kiwano, I could ride it with my wife on my back (if she'd let me). I agree with Milanie, this is a great last mile solution. It's as easy to stow in your car as an umbrella. With the idle mode (where it stands by itself) you can easily keep it next to you while you shop or ride transit. You don't have to hold it or carry it. I have been riding it for more than a day now and still have lots of battery left. I have seen people comment that they thought it only goes in straight lines, it took me no time to figure out turning, I can easily follow a sidewalk around the corner, though if I need to turn around I will just get off and get back on, it's not like a Segway, when you slow to a stop, it is a unicycle, you can't just stand there idling, or at least I don't have that skill, yet. Like Tom Hanks in The Man with One Red Shoe, amazing balance on a bicycle at a stop. Oh, and the handlebar catching you in the nuts has not been my experience, as I go down, so does the scooter, it feels much more in control, like Milanie said. This was not the cheapest solution, nor does the company act like they even exist, but out of the box it does everything I expected (though I thought it would follow me when I walked away) so I am happy even if I never have to speak to them. I have been learning to ride and discovered that it gets me more exercise than walking the same distance. May become part of my daily routine rather than live in the trunk of my car. Would be nice if it had a car charger to keep it topped up in the trunk. -Randy