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V10F review before the Firmware Snafu! Wonderful!


Stan Onymous

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Inmotion V10

Playing their own cover songs again

 

In 2005 I saw sir Paul McCartney with my father and two brothers at an auditorium concert in St Louis. After Sir Paul finished with his new CD songs, he played some Beatles covers in honor of John Lennons birthday. He even broke out the old Gibson bass he used to play. He was a bit stunned when he heard boos for the Detroit red wings Logo on the guitar body in St Louis Blues territory, but he more than made up for it by singing the reliably loved Beatles songs. The sound from his new band was amazing, as was his voice and piano playing. It was updated Beatles and the crowd loved it. This is the same feeling you will get from the new V10 if you are an Inmotion or briefly a Solowheel fan. You will fall in love all over again. Its like the new Moxie; improved with all the good flavors you remember and none of that bitterness because they added a ton of sugar. 

It is dependably fun which is what Inmotion’s app and website have always stood for. Now that Inmotion and Solowheel are merely a synergy rather than a corporate structure it is good to have just one Company, Inmotion, taking the credit for this model. I will go more into this during the description of the vehicle in the video review, but it really is a retro design from the V5f. Inmotion prides itself on being a company of “song” and enjoyment. Its app is always congratulating me in melting pot english by welcoming me to the world of Song.? This of course furls my brow and brings a smile to my face, because I immediately get the feeling they are trying to convey without really understanding it. You have to admit it is less condescending and more encouraging than the phrase “are we having fun yet?” Yes, is the answer to that. So much so that this review has been delayed for a week and two paragraphs due to me finding yet another reason to hop on it and go for a spin.

The V10 is Inmotions newest model to hit the trails since the V8 in 2016. A lot has changed in the world of EUCling since then. The V10 gets an upgraded 2kw motor and a wider 2.5” tire to use all of that torque to grip the road. The pedals are wider and a bit longer with a rubber tread pad replacing the sandpaper treads. The handle pops up like an angry rooster’s head feathers and easily snaps into place. The led dot lights on the sides have been updated to led dashes. There are two bluetooth speakers for sound now, and a taillight that flashes when you stop. The headlight is new and Audi aftermarket bright. The battery is upgraded to a choice of 740wh or 960wh in the V10+. All of this on that familiar 16” wheel sitting high above the ground weighing in at 45lbs. You can have it in white which with its handle up looks like a spermatozoa, or in black which looks like a quotation mark, close quotes.

If you are not used to the higher pedals and the higher center of gravity the first couple of tight turns will surprise you, but you will get the hang of it without fear soon enough. If you are used to the V8 or V5, this will feel like joy. Absolute unadulterated joy. Does the V10 fight you because its 50% heavier? No, the motor takes all the worry away as soon as it begins to move in any direction. The V8 and V5 both felt like a one wheel roller skate and that is a benefit as far as portability and self dependent excitement goes. In the world of uneven concrete and 20+ mph speeds you want something that’s more stable and wont get bounced away over that terrain. You want something that has your back, and roller skates dont really have the muscle for that. Xanadu showed us that in the 80’s.

The V10 easily handles hills, any hills, all hills, what hills?. It has the climbing power of the KS18s and since it is lighter, it is easier to maneuver going straight up hills that are only slightly less steep than a wall. The speed feels stable at every speed and in spite of this I still slow down when the speed warning sounds at 24.67 mph. This is a bit of a puzzling speed limit for such a capable beast of a machine. Then again, the other day I hit a root bump and depression in the road that would’ve thrown the V8 across the street leaving me running off at 15 mph. The V10 gave the olde thymie warning off the hook phone sound, and kept on chugging ahead as dependable as ever. It walks softly and carries a loud, strong stick. That was a little thrill of joy that the V10 had my back in tough potholes, but still I wish I had a 27.80mph ceiling so I could cruise at 25mph without the warnings on smooth pavement not on the street. The V8 got a speed boost after a while, so maybe that will be in the works for the V10 after the launch excitement wears down. 24 mph is more than enough for 95% of the time on my rides, but and I say this to Inmotion with all due respect- sometimes in traffic it is safer when you can speed up to avoid certain impatient drivers for short periods of time. Fortunately this beast is more than maneuverable enough to bounce onto sidewalks to avoid busses and awful drivers as well.

With all of that bouncing, how do the pedals perform? They grip your feet like flattened Orangutan hands. The cushion of the rubber absorbs some of the force of the bumps and the four finger sized dashed treads do a fantastic job of wedging your feet to the pedals. Do your feet slip off? Not nearly as much as on the V8, and those sandpaper treads made it very difficult to just slide your foot back into position without lifting your foot or over sliding. The rubber pads make repositioning very easy. I have not tried it in wet conditions, but have stepped onto the pedals with wet shoes and found the footing to be just as stable. Sandpaper has a release force otherwise it would never drag across things. Bouncing while riding is exactly what can get it to release. The rubber absorbs a lot of this force and the dash segments give enough wedge force to give your shoes great grip. It is what’s on the two wheel segways and most hover boards pedal boards, so it is tried and tested even if not fully by yours truly.

The V10 weighs in at 45lbs, heavier than the 30lb V8, but so well balanced that it feels like 40lbs. Carrying it up and down stairs, using the gyro disengagement button under the handle is still a comfortable option even with my injured elbow. The additional weight must be all motor and batteries. With twice the batteries comes twice the range, or nearly twice the range. The V10+ takes me 12 miles with 70% power remaining with extreme use, and 22 miles with 44% power left over dirt trails, hills, and full speed road travel. This beast gulps power. At 44% power the speed limit drops to 22.28 mph, which interestingly is a KS16s.

The bluetooth speakers have received more use than I would have thought. They are moderately loud and only get distortion if you use a third party amplifier app for your phone. The headlight is an upgrade from the last one, and it can practically make solar panels activate its so bright. The flashing taillight is a welcome addition, but just like the V5f, the trolly handle obscures the light to vehicles following behind. On the V5f there were tail lights that ran along the sides of the rear fender. Why didn’t the V10 copy that too? This brings me to another useful observation, that the V10 is the V5 all grown up. From the trolly handle to the taillight, to the built in leg pads, and the little indent under the vehicle handle that is now grown large enough to fit a decent size chain lock or large bike lock under it to lock it up. This is the V5 x 2. Thankfully the V5 inspired trolley handle works perfectly and is easily raised without getting stuck. A little tip - turn the V10 backwards for more stable trolleying.

The app is probably one of the most useful and interesting apps on the market for any EUC being sold now. There is a mileage contest that seems rigged, but is still fun. There are social message boards integrated as well as a mapping function and new metrics for almost every parameter on the vehicle except inner-tube air pressure and when I need to use the toilet. It is hands down the most useful app around bundled with or without a company. It does make my Blackberry priv a bit hot, but thats small potatoes compared with the wh/mile measurements or average watt usage, maximum watts used, top speed, average speed, and so on. There is a screen that graphs out your speed, power consumption, and various other metrics measuring different types of electricity. I am once again enjoying their app after taking a break for other once more functional apps.

To sum it up, this is the most considerate EUC on the road now. It really seems that Inmotion has listened to its riders in order to improve it. A word of caution as this tactic didn't work for the Studebaker, which wound up giving drivers what they already had in previous years, not knowing what the engineers were capable of in other manufacturers. We shall see how other vehicle riders will respond. However the V10 is an improvement using current technology which will soon be replaced by newer technology. Such is the relentless path of technology. The V5 came out in 2015 with a 550watt motor. The V10 which is its larger twin is almost four times as powerful with a 2000watt motor, and nearly 2 1/2 times the range, with almost twice the speed and all the safety of the V5. The bluetooth speakers are bright and also help you hear that important call while riding in traffic. All the same anachronistic warning sounds are still there and although they can be personalized with your own sounds, these are the sounds I have grown fond of, kind of like Beatles songs. This combined with the ride, which is Inmotion fantastic, makes it a must upgrade for the V8 and V5 fans. For those worrying about the speed limit of 25 mph, remember that one, Inmotion does listen to their riders’ concerns, and two, the vehicle is ripe for un-governing with a 2kw motor powering it. Apparently, Inmotion is supremely considerate of their riders, and want their riders alive. They have become the antithesis of the ‘don’t let the concrete hit your ass on the way out of the lot’ Gotway mission statement. In other words, if you like pretending you are a test pilot breaking the sound barrier, this vehicle is probably not for you, and even the kids in the minivan passing your gotway know this. It is however, like a considerate robot taking you to your destinations with speed, safety, and ease. It even says ‘be careful’ encouragingly if you lay it on its side. The V10 is the equivalent of Paul McCartney covering his own songs now with all the experience of his life adding to the thrill.  You will smile while riding this as wide as you would listening to your favorite songs, and the bluetooth speakers will bring that out if the ride doesn’t first.  

So in conclusion, also like Sir Paul, Inmotion is equally animal friendly. For instance, it even has a function to integrate your camera into the app’s read out screen allowing you to also view the road infront of you so you wont run over any bunnies. Because you see- “Dead bunnies ruin the Song of joy. Close quotes.’’

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1 hour ago, Stan Onymous said:

 

With all of that bouncing, how do the pedals perform? They grip your feet like flattened Orangutan hands. 

 

I don’t believe I have ever read a more insightful, yet imaginative description in my entire life!!!!

Most fun I have ever had reading a review!

Stan is da Man

????????

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21 minutes ago, Master Blaster said:

I don’t believe I have ever read a more insightful, yet imaginative description in my entire life!!!!

Most fun I have ever had reading a review!

Stan is da Man

????????

If I recall his 18S review was also as entertaining.

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