Inmotion L8F review

[Gustesta]

First of all, this is my first e-scooter so I can't compare with anything in the market.  Actually, I bought a Swagtron Swagger 5 scooter and returned it due to a motor overheat problem, what caused it to be unusable.  So, don't go for the Swagtron if you're a tall and heavy guy.... 

I'm an EUC rider... got lots of wheels before, sold them and I currently own a MCM5 and Tesla, that I like a lot! 

But I was surprised to see how fun those e-scooters are!  I bought one thinking of my wife and friends could ride along with me, because riding an EUC is too hard for them (the learning curve).  BTW, I think most of us (EUC riders) should try those e-scooters.  I'm almost sure most of us will love them.  They're very comfortable, safe etc.

Now my opinion about the L8F.  Note I'm 6.2 feet and 205 pounds.

L8F pros:

Superb styling and finish - I think that's an Inmotion standard - very very good quality;

Superb lights: the scooter is beautiful, specially at night when you can check its lights.  The inmotion android and IOS app is one of the best on the market also.  You can control the lights (colors) etc.;

Very good handling: as I wrote, I can't write a lot about this because I haven't had any other scooters to compare.  But I really like the handling of it.  Brakes are excellent (it's a regenerative brake and there's also an emergency brake in the back rear) and acceleration is good (not as fast as my EUCs tho);

Very good cruising and top speed: I'm 205 pounds and I can cruise between 15 and 18.5 mph.  That's very good!  Cruising speed seems perfect to me.  

L8f cons:

Since its front wheel is a solid rubber tire, if you're riding on the side walk, you'll feel the bumps being transferred to your body.  I tried to deflate the rear wheel a little, and that helped also a little.  But If you're riding on the road, you won't notice it.

 

Regarding going up hills, I haven't had a chance to test is so far.  I've been riding mostly on flat places.  But at my driveway, it does well going up...  Also, at a park I ride often, there's a low grade inclination hill where it does fine.

I bought this scooter from @Jason McNeil on ewheels.

Let me know if I can help you with any other questions and sorry for not having enough experience to give you all the answers.

 

 

[novazeus]

i got one too. pretty darn convenient.

primarily i thought this would be a nice intro to electric personal transportation and after they learn to ride this, which only takes moments, they’d wanna try a wheel.

[yourtoys7]

It does appear to be very good scooter, on the smaller side, descent rang and good price.

[Gustesta]

1 hour ago, yourtoys7 said:

It does appear to be very good scooter, on the smaller side, descent rang and good price.

Yes, it's an outstanding scooter with excellent build quality.  I'm buying a speedway 4 which is stronger.  I'm planning on selling the L8F for 500.  I wonder if I can use the classifieds regular section. 

[yourtoys7]

2 hours ago, Gustesta said:

Yes, it's an outstanding scooter with excellent build quality.  I'm buying a speedway 4 which is stronger.  I'm planning on selling the L8F for 500.  I wonder if I can use the classifieds regular section. 

Should be able to, don’t see why you can’t.

Reading about few of them, I went straight for Dualtron 2 ex :))

[Gustesta]

42 minutes ago, yourtoys7 said:

Should be able to, don’t see why you can’t.

Reading about few of them, I went straight for Dualtron 2 ex :))

That's a smart option! 

[ED209]

On 6/24/2018 at 10:41 PM, Gustesta said:

Yes, it's an outstanding scooter with excellent build quality

Just wondering, is the L8F still holding up well? how long have you owned your L8F for? Have you experienced any flat tires? Roughly  how many miles have you completed on it? Any problems? 

I have ordered one. This will be my 1st e-scooter. 

[Gustesta]

23 minutes ago, Edddeus said:

Just wondering, is the L8F still holding up well? how long have you owned your L8F for? Have you experienced any flat tires? Roughly  how many miles have you completed on it? Any problems? 

I have ordered one. This will be my 1st e-scooter. 

Hello Edddeus, I've sold it to buy a bigger scooter (I'm a heavy guy, but the L8F could manage my weight well and go strong).  I didn't ride it much and I had absolutely zero problems.  Quality is superb.  I guess you won't have any problems.  Zero flat tires.  As far as I can remember one of the wheels was solid rubber.  It's an excellent scooter.  I'm sure you'll like it! 

[ED209]

 I am roughly your size and weight. I will use it just for work in the city as it looks discreet and not too obvious. Believe me, I too will also be looking for a dual motor e scooter some time in the near future.

Thankyou for responding. I am currently out of likes for the day ?. Will do later ?

[Gustesta]

7 hours ago, Edddeus said:

 I am roughly your size and weight. I will use it just for work in the city as it looks discreet and not too obvious. Believe me, I too will also be looking for a dual motor e scooter some time in the near future.

Thankyou for responding. I am currently out of likes for the day ?. Will do later ?

Great!  Your weight won't be a problem and you got the right scooter for work.  It's very light and discreet!

[plurp]

Any other people have any more insight on the Gen II L8F?  I'm still debating which escooter to get.  I've narrowed my choices (in order of price) to: Glion Dolly, InMotion L8F and Speedway Mini 4 Pro.  It's more of a novelty item for me just to have some fun.

Also, are there any big differences between scooters that are driven by the front wheel vs rear wheel?

Edited August 24, 2018 by audiohs

[Esper]

2 hours ago, audiohs said:

Any other people have any more insight on the Gen II L8F?  I'm still debating which escooter to get.  I've narrowed my choices (in order of price) to: Glion Dolly, InMotion L8F and Speedway Mini 4 Pro.  It's more of a novelty item for me just to have some fun.

Also, are there any big differences between scooters that are driven by the front wheel vs rear wheel?

To clarify, you are asking for a scooter that is for 'fun,' correct?
What type of use would you have in mind? Group rides? Trips down trails? Quick errands to the store? Walking your dogs?

The L8F has 'looks' going for it. It is quite an attractive looking scooter while also being a decent ride. For range I'd go SW3, on a low end budget. For durability I'd do the SW Mini 4 (compared to the L8f). There is also a new Speedway 4 coming out that has built in shocks if you plan on going offroad. 

I am not sure how to answer that second question as I've never heard a scooter being front wheel only. Scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, electric skateboards, vespas, these all use the back wheel as the acceleration. Or both. If you want to know why they use the back wheel, it is most likely because of the physics behind it. The biggest difference being the action of pulling vs pushing. 

Edited August 24, 2018 by Esper

[RayRay]

6 hours ago, audiohs said:

I've narrowed my choices (in order of price) to: Glion Dolly, InMotion L8F and Speedway Mini 4 Pro.  It's more of a novelty item for me just to have some fun.

For the novelty of it, you might be okay with the Glion Dolly, but the ride will probably be better on the L8F (which doesn't cost a lot more, but seems more refined). However, if you are considering the pricier but much more powerful Mini4 Pro, I would think the older Glion (with no suspension and weaker brakes) would be out of the running... The Speedway has more of a price premium, but is fairly top-of-the-line for an 8" wheel scooter (and still somewhat portable IMO).

Anything heavier and you're in territory dominated by Minimotors (who make both Speedways and Dualtrons). These can get so large that they compete with regular mopeds. Obviously, most people here prefer to buy from ewheels and are biased towards the bigger, premium models...

Edited August 25, 2018 by RayRay

[plurp]

4 hours ago, Esper said:

To clarify, you are asking for a scooter that is for 'fun,' correct?
What type of use would you have in mind? Group rides? Trips down trails? Quick errands to the store? Walking your dogs?

The L8F has 'looks' going for it. It is quite an attractive looking scooter while also being a decent ride. For range I'd go SW3, on a low end budget. For durability I'd do the SW Mini 4 (compared to the L8f). There is also a new Speedway 4 coming out that has built in shocks if you plan on going offroad. 

I am not sure how to answer that second question as I've never heard a scooter being front wheel only. Scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, electric skateboards, vespas, these all use the back wheel as the acceleration. Or both. If you want to know why they use the back wheel, it is most likely because of the physics behind it. The biggest difference being the action of pulling vs pushing. 

I don't have anything in particular in mind for the scooter.  I could see myself using it for whatever occasion arises.  I rode a friend's scooter and thought it was really cool and fun.  That is why I don't want to get anything too crazy but I want something decent.

As for FWD vs RWD, the L8F's motor drives the front wheel (like the Xioami M365) while the Dolly and Mini4 Pro drives the rear wheels.  So I was curious as to whether it makes much difference in terms of driveability, acceleration, handling, etc.  Similar to cars that are FWD and RWD.  Perhaps it makes no difference in a scooter but thought I'd ask anyway.

1 hour ago, RayRay said:

For the novelty of it, you might be okay with the Glion Dolly, but the ride will probably be better on the L8F (which doesn't cost a lot more, but seems more refined). However, if you are considering the pricier but much more powerful Mini4 Pro, I would think the older Glion (with no suspension and weaker brakes) would be out of the running... The Speedway has more of a price premium, but is fairly top-of-the-line for an 8" wheel scooter (and still somewhat portable IMO).

Anything heavier and you're in territory dominated by Minimotors (who make both Speedways and Dualtrons). These can get so large that they compete with regular mopeds. Obviously, most people here prefer to buy from ewheels and are biased towards the bigger, premium models...

Ya, the price difference of the L8F and Dolly is negligible.  I like the "cool" factor of the L8F with the lights, display, etc.  But there doesn't seem to be many reviews on the Gen2 L8F.  The Dolly seems to have a pretty good track record so far.  Do I go with the tried and tested Dolly?  How is InMotion's reliability on their other products?  What got me considering the L8F is eWheel's write up about the improvements in the Gen2.  The reviews for the Gen 1 are not very good it seems.

The Mini4 Pro is so tempting but is it worth the extra money for something that's really going to be a "toy" for me?  I really don't want to spend $1000+ on a scooter.

Edited August 25, 2018 by plurp

[Gustesta]

8 hours ago, plurp said:

Any other people have any more insight on the Gen II L8F?  I'm still debating which escooter to get.  I've narrowed my choices (in order of price) to: Glion Dolly, InMotion L8F and Speedway Mini 4 Pro.  It's more of a novelty item for me just to have some fun.

Also, are there any big differences between scooters that are driven by the front wheel vs rear wheel?

Summarizing:

L8F gen II: superb quality, very good handle, good speed, very light

Glion Dolly: never rode it

Speedway Mini 4 Pro: much more power than the L8F gen II (good acceleration), very good top speed, heavier than the L8F, more expensive, L8F looks much better.  

 

[Mrd777]

We have the scooter. It’s perfect for errands in nyc, however it really takes its time to get up to speed, basically you are full throttle the whole time. There’s no thrill of acceleration what so ever. The lovely part about this scoot is that it’s very light and easy to carry and fold up, it does get the job done getting from point a to b, but the quick factor isn’t there for me. My wife uses it for easy transportation in the city.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Mrd777

[BarrettJ]

@Mrd777 have you tried an M365 - is the acceleration comparable to that or worse still?  I've only ever tried the bird scooters and I'm was hoping it'd be a little step up

[RayRay]

4 hours ago, BarrettJ said:

@Mrd777 have you tried an M365 - is the acceleration comparable to that or worse still?  I've only ever tried the bird scooters and I'm was hoping it'd be a little step up

You were probably riding the same thing or very comparable... (Not sure what you are trying to compare).

Bird has a large contract with Xiaomi to rebrand their scooters. Xiaomi is one of the companies that backed Ninebot's merger/takeover of Segway. However, Xiaomi makes smartphones while Nienebot makes rideables. Many dockless scooter companies buy in bulk from Xiaomi because they are the cheapest.

The Xiaomi Mijia M365 is closely related to the Ninebot ES series. The Xiaomi uses a higher voltage to achieve the same power output (in Watts) as the ES1/3. However,  ES 2/4 motor is slightly more powerful and includes front and rear shocks (front only on ES1/3). There are other differences, like battery sizes, but these can be customized if you buy in bulk from Xioami (varies by model for Ninebot). The M365 is a slightly older design that has been mass produced at the lowest cost possible.

The InMotion L8F is comparable to these as well, but (Gen2) has a wide air-tire in the back and falls closer to the ES4 in range and performance.

Edited August 26, 2018 by RayRay
Minimotors are a whole new level...

[BarrettJ]

@RayRay sorry, I worded that poorly - @Mrd777 had said the L8F has poor acceleration and I was intending to ask how it compared to the M365 (which is, I'm 100% certain, the bird scooter I rode)

[plurp]

On 8/25/2018 at 11:29 PM, Mrd777 said:

We have the scooter. It’s perfect for errands in nyc, however it really takes its time to get up to speed, basically you are full throttle the whole time. There’s no thrill of acceleration what so ever. The lovely part about this scoot is that it’s very light and easy to carry and fold up, it does get the job done getting from point a to b, but the quick factor isn’t there for me. My wife uses it for easy transportation in the city.

Interesting...never thought to compare acceleration of scooters.  When you say it's slow to get up to top speed, how slow is slow?  i.e. do you feel that you rarely can get up to speed? Not that I have anything to compare to really since the only time I've ridden one was when a friend of mine had his with him one time.  I rode it and thought it was so much fun that I want to get one myself, hence me asking questions in this thread. 

Another general question for others, what do you use to lock up the scooter if you take them to do errands?  Or do you just fold up the scooter and bring them inside the store or whatever with you?

Edited August 27, 2018 by plurp

[RayRay]

On 8/26/2018 at 12:52 PM, BarrettJ said:

@Mrd777 have you tried an M365 - is the acceleration comparable to that or worse still?  I've only ever tried the bird scooters and I'm was hoping it'd be a little step up

Yeah, I kind of realized that half way through my rant on how similar the Xiaomi and Ninebot products are. Motor characteristics for entry level scooters have kind of settled at a standard level of performance at this point. Acceleration around 250-350W doesn't seem to impress much, but anything more powerful generally requires more 'juice' from batteries which drives up costs quickly. (I doubt we could distinguish between any of these models in terms of acceleration....)

Edited August 27, 2018 by RayRay
M365 good baseline for standard performance

[BarrettJ]

4 minutes ago, RayRay said:

Motor characteristics for entry level scooters have kind of settled at a standard level of performance at this point. Acceleration around 250-350W doesn't seem to impress much, but anything more powerful generally requires more 'juice' from batteries which drives up costs quickly. (I doubt we could distinguish between any of these models in terms of acceleration....)

 

You seem pretty knowledgeable about the scooters - do you have any idea how the M365 or L8F would compare to something cheaper but still 250W like the gotrax glider (which with coupon code could be had for $220)?  Would it largely be quality of the physical components (wheels, shocks, build quality) and how quickly the batteries degrade but still provide similar speed/acceleration? 

I had initially stumbled on this forum in preparation to buy an e-kickscooter but now I'm really tempted to get a cheapo scooter like the gotrax and save up a little longer to get a EUC (I've unfortunately never seen a 'nice' e-kickscooter or any EUC ever come for sale on my local craigslist over the past several months - they simply don't appear to a thing around here, or at least I've never seen any one ride one).

[Esper]

I'm gonna be blunt here. The low end scooters are not all that great. They are mass produced products that are sold by the hundreds each day. The amount of problems that arise from them are much higher than you would actually want. They hide these problems behind the vast quantities of scooters they sell.

That being said. The low end scooters are good only for short distance rides where time is not an issue. Leisure riding is a good description. These are great modes of transportation, when transportation is not needed. If you actually need a device for everyday use that will hold up over months or even years, you need to consider spending more money and getting a higher end scooter.

I would not expect any of them to last more than 3 months and a few thousand miles.
Before you consider buying anything. Look up the reviews about them breaking or failing.

I myself have an E-Scooter worth $2000.00 and it has been very troublesome. I've had it for almost 2 months and had 9 flat tires. Another user had control board issues, and others have issues with the motors. Just take your expectations with a grain of salt.

[ED209]

What @Esper  & @RayRay say is 100% correct.  I purchased the L8F few weeks ago. I rode 11 miles and ended up selling it after a week. I experienced a flat tire, acceleration was only reasonable on flat surface only. Forget slight inclines, they're not powerful enough. The design concept of the L8F is nice, It looks amazing. If you weigh under 60 kilos you will enjoy it.

[BarrettJ]

@Esper @Edddeus would I be in the same boat with a similarly priced EUC (like the Glide 2)?  Is it something about scooter design vs EUC design?  Or should I just be going into this hobby in general with the expectation that I'll need to be learning (and spending?) more on repairs that I'd have initially thought?

I feel like my expectations aren't too high, but I'm in Wisconsin where there's snow or slush on the ground a good chunk of the year (in addition to temperatures where you don't want to be outdoors) so the timing of my purchases in this area are important (especially with something I'd need to practice on first, like an EUC) as if I wait too long, I'd probably be better off waiting until closer to spring.  

My desire is to be able to go the 1.25ish miles it is to work - I can take road (though it's sometimes not great road - Wisconsin winters aren't kind to roads...neither are county budgets) or sometimes sidewalk - there are hills, but not much and not too steep - possibly doing that back and forth up to four times (so there, home for lunch, back, and then home) - so like 5ish miles.  Sometimes I'll want to go a little bit farther than that to the grocery store to pick up an item or two.  Sometimes I'd just want to ride for fun which could be longer or on more varied terrain (though this would more be with the EUC than an e-kickscooter, that would be more for work/groceries/errands).

Thanks for any advice with this (and sorry to kinda hijack the thread)!