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KS18s shell cracked where it connects to the wheel


Hatchet

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Posted

Some may find this interesting.

My KS18s was making a grindy noise when starting & stopping, especially while you have one foot on, pushing off or dismounting.

I also had a few incidences where the wheel began to shudder back & forth violently while braking slowly, especially when going down an incline. I get to a certain slow speed braking and the wheel begins to stutter a bit. One time it went crazy-violent back and forward movements until I had to shut it off as I couldn't even hang onto it after jumping off.

I've put 3k+ on the wheel since last October, so it has been ridden a lot with no issues till now.

So, I took it apart, looking for a loose control board, loose axle nuts, anything really to explain the problem as the wheel is unsafe IMO to ride.

Here are a few pics what I found - the plastic shell is cracked where it attaches to the pedal posts with the six allen key-type screws. The "triangle" we form between the wheel and our foot/knee when pushing off would force the wheel inward at my foot and the top of the tire against the shell creating the groove I found inside. Disappointed in this design, the plastic is really thin.

161211344_crackedks18s.jpg.2f4de7857d7fb3d9fbddb586533d23fe.jpg1138309187_crackedks18s2.jpg.037fe2cfef75341b8110207c8a143816.jpg380181844_crackedks18s3.jpg.09426936781dd8fa8c4d70ff9f1e7cb3.jpg

On my dominant right foot side the crack is on either side of the allen key part, as well as on the edge (pic 1). There is also a groove cut into the shell on the inside from the tire (which was the grindy noise I heard) which is quite deep, though the tire edge is fine.

I have applied two coats of plastic cement good for 3600psi so far and I'll do a third in the morning, but I don't know if the integrity of the shell will hold, fingers crossed. I'm hoping this super strength poly will do the trick, but I've written Jason to ask about buying a new shell if possible.

 

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

As an update, the only shells ewheels had were black, so I used plastic cement rated for 3600psi, temps etc, (only $10) and put three coats on over a day or so and she is holding up well so far. Also, it was the motor rubbing on the inside of the case, not the tire. So far so good.✌️

Posted
On 8/5/2018 at 2:37 AM, Hatchet said:

also had a few incidences where the wheel began to shudder back & forth violently while braking slowly, especially when going down an incline. I get to a certain slow speed braking and the wheel begins to stutter a bit. One time it went crazy-violent back and forward movements until I had to shut it off as I couldn't even hang onto it after jumping off.

given that....and your now cracked shell....please, please inspect/maintenance the pedal arms on the axle!

I have had 3 Ks18 ridden in the past 2,5 years with about 6k...when such a crack happens (and such stuttering) this normally is from a loose axle/pedal connection given the pedals to much room to move, so that the shell needs to absorb some of this moving power.

Normally the ks18s/a/ay shell is the most stable from all Ks wheels....

So If perhaps really axle/pedal connection is loose that might even go to worse faults than an cracked shell!

Posted

Sadly, the shell is cracked again, it's gotten worse actually, once the poly I applied broke, the cracks got worse, so the wheel is out of commision.

Kind of pissed off actually. i spent around $2,300+ for this wheel and it didn't even last a year ffs! I drive like an old lady to, no off road, no curbs, nothing rough at all. Far as I know Gotway don't have shells with weak structural integrity at least.

Waste of money to spend over 2 grand and have it crack & die in less than a year. How much is a shell? @Jason McNeil you said you had one in black in an email, can you let me know how much is a new shell? I may buy one, even if you only have black, plus a new tire. Does a shell come with screws, leg pads etc?

 

Posted
14 minutes ago, Hatchet said:

Sadly, the shell is cracked again, it's gotten worse actually, once the poly I applied broke, the cracks got worse, so the wheel is out of commision.

Kind of pissed off actually. i spent around $2,300+ for this wheel and it didn't even last a year ffs! I drive like an old lady to, no off road, no curbs, nothing rough at all. Far as I know Gotway don't have shells with weak structural integrity at least.

Waste of money to spend over 2 grand and have it crack & die in less than a year. How much is a shell? @Jason McNeil you said you had one in black in an email, can you let me know how much is a new shell? I may buy one, even if you only have black, plus a new tire. Does a shell come with screws, leg pads etc?

 

I really hope there's a reasonably cost-effective solution for you.  I can well imagine the frustration you're feeling.  I've encountered relatively minor problems with my wheels and the fact wheels are so uncommon makes fixing them feel very intimidating.  It's why I didn't want to chance a Gotway being that I'm not technically inclined.  As cool as our wheels are, there is a fairly high cost of being an early adopter because of the lack of support if something goes wrong, which is why someone like Jason has a good business model.  

Sucks to buy a King Song specifically to avoid problems like this and end up having one come up.  

Posted

Yeah I'm annoyed. I'm not wealthy by any means so I don't have a bunch of backup wheels, just my V5f+, with a flat tire, since a replacement tube would be $100 with shipping (insane!). I can't find a bent-stem tube required for the V5f in Canada.

I think I'm priced out of the game, and spending that kind of cash for less than a year of wheeling is simply not sensible. As I said, this is a wheel that has had zero curb drops, crashes, off roading etc. I'll have to see what ewheels charges for a shell and decide, meanwhile I'm on foot:unsure:

Posted
3 minutes ago, Hatchet said:

Yeah I'm annoyed. I'm not wealthy by any means so I don't have a bunch of backup wheels, just my V5f+, with a flat tire, since a replacement tube would be $100 with shipping (insane!). I can't find a bent-stem tube required for the V5f in Canada.

I think I'm priced out of the game, and spending that kind of cash for less than a year of wheeling is simply not sensible. As I said, this is a wheel that has had zero curb drops, crashes, off roading etc. I'll have to see what ewheels charges for a shell and decide, meanwhile I'm on foot:unsure:

I can really relate to how you're feeling.  I couldn't use my 18S for a couple of weeks this month because I was having so many issues trying to get the app to work after unintentionally re-setting the wheel back to training mode.  I was fortunate to be able to still have my V8, which allowed me to put off trying to find an immediate solution and just ignore the problem, but my frustration continued to build unconsciously.  I didn't realize how much I've come to rely on the 18S.  

I've taken heat for commenting on some of the downsides of a really small forum for a niche technology like EUCs recently, but it comes from having recent frustration with trying to find solutions to these kinds of problems.  You don't even know whether anyone will have encountered the specific problem you're dealing with.  It's circular, too, because the KS app is so crappy because the market is small.  

As much as I love the 18" wheel with the big battery, if I was doing it all again, I'm not sure it's worth the investment because of exactly what you're experiencing.  It's okay if you're on the forums 24 hours a day and don't mind doing some repair work.  If you're younger and not mechanically inclined and are looking for practicality (which wheels can have!), then it's a different proposition.  

 

Posted
1 hour ago, Hatchet said:

Far as I know Gotway don't have shells with weak structural integrity at least.

Then you dont know the Monster...about a third of them are running with large metal bolts trough the case ;-)

 

Sorry for your crack....but have you taken some of my tipps from the last posts?

As allready said...i swear i know the KS18 shell as the most stable shell i ever get to know on all my 9 wheels. I have a trolley rod on the shell which is drilled through and on the shell...and i can pick the 18S up and „throw“ the 25kg heavy wheel around just holding the trolley wherever i want, without any damage to the shell.

I know this will not help you much now in your frustration...but:

Seams you have bend pedal arms drawing on your shell...and as long as this isnt fixed you can even get a new shell cracked.

Posted

Nope. The shell is cracked all the way up and around the pedal posts now. It was about to break completely. The pedal arms are fine, everything is but the shell. I can bend the shell inward almost an inch (taken apart) with just my thumb & fingers by squeezing it, it would normally be rigid. Trust me, it's the cracked shell. And the cracks follow the weak points in the design exactly, up and around the six allen bolts plastic joint to the pedal arm. Why would i even have bent pedal arms? they are thick metal, i think it obvious the plastic is the weak point here.

 

Posted

 

28 minutes ago, Hatchet said:

Why would i even have bent pedal arms? they are thick metal, i think it obvious the plastic is the weak point here.

Loose pedal arms allow the plastic to bend and break.  But you said the pedals are tight and straight.  So loose pedals are not the problem here.

Posted
1 hour ago, Hatchet said:

Yeah I'm annoyed. I'm not wealthy by any means so I don't have a bunch of backup wheels, just my V5f+, with a flat tire, since a replacement tube would be $100 with shipping (insane!). I can't find a bent-stem tube required for the V5f in Canada.

I think I'm priced out of the game, and spending that kind of cash for less than a year of wheeling is simply not sensible. As I said, this is a wheel that has had zero curb drops, crashes, off roading etc. I'll have to see what ewheels charges for a shell and decide, meanwhile I'm on foot:unsure:

If @Jason McNeil does not have your desired shell color you could contact Kingsong. I have received an invoice directly from them in the past for a replacement shell. I wanted it because my sons and me had destroyed the shell's finish due to the trials and errors of learning. At the time the manufacturer had black and white available; not sure what is the current situation though. 

I think @US69 has made a valuable suggestion. I have two KS18AYs. I have battered the crap out of them for the last couple of years and never experienced a cracked shell - as I have previously said, pretty much my entire family learned to ride on them (except my wife, she won't come near them). Since I have an irrational paranoia about the wheel suddenly falling off while I ride, I periodically check the tightness of the axle bolts. Without loctite or similar substance they will loosen - I know that the 6 bolts that affix the shell to the wheel and pedals have on my wheel have.

A cracked KS18AY/S shell is a somewhat unusual problem for the wheel. I suspect that some issue of which you may have been unaware is likely to have precipitated the fissure along the lines suggested by @US69

It is a machine. All machines, no matter how well made will fail due to time, or when the right set of circumstances converge upon it - the key is to find the cause because the most frustrating part of any problem is not knowing why it is happening - makes it impossible to address.

My quoted invoice price from the manufacturer was $120 for an outer KS18AY/S shell. As a dealer @Jason McNeil will probably charge more than the manufacturer, but you will receive it much sooner. So it might be worth the difference in quoted price to buy the shell from Jason. 

The 18S that you are riding was one of the coolest, and most powerful wheels available at the time of its introduction. So, I do hope that the feelings of frustration that you are currently experiencing with the wheel will quickly erode to vapor. 

I hope that you buy your new shell, jump back on your wheel and go back to being the guy with the coolest mobility tool in town ??

Posted
1 hour ago, Hatchet said:

Why would i even have bent pedal arms? they are thick metal, i think it obvious the plastic is the weak point here.

They are aluminium on the 18S...tend to flex more than previous pedal arms, and as it is the side of your „stronger foot“, with wath you start it is quite logic. And then its not the pedal arms that breaks, it is the shell, yes, on its weakest part, as on this part the shell is screwed onto the pedal arms...

I say it like this: IF the pedal arms would be on the right place...why should the shell brake there? THEN this would be the most stablest place of the shell, IF the pedalarms had not moved.

Just wanted to help.....When it is/was not by pedalarmmovement you really had bad luck here.

 

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