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My KS18XL Trials, Tribulations, and Failures


Marty Backe

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@Seba consider you lucky that boar didn't charge you. 

I like that text you wrote on that polish site why you use a handheld torchlight. 

I have had my headlight as handheld at first but found I would like to have my hands free as I use them a lot to indicate in traffic where to go and to reward people how show consideration for other especially cars giving room for me to pass. So now I mounted both lamp on my helmet. 20181227_191519.thumb.jpg.f2541415bb198dd93a77246951142252.jpg

The black orange band hold motion point in place. Mounting point is a tube that the lamp unit is fixed on by a rubber band. So I can change tilt once I have the helmet on.

Both lamps can be controlled by a short range bt remote or app.

One thing I found out, by using headlight handheld, is that I find it is easier to estimate pot holes shape and depth if the are lid up more from above than parallel to the surface. This is main reason I am going to test the helmet mounting lighting. Plus it minimize risk of sending 1600 lumen straight in to eyes on others in traffic.

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2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I need to do some extended night riding with the XL, but my impression is that I would feel comfortable going fairly fast using only the XL light. It's very well done. [...] I rarely ride for long at night and in those situations I carry a 1000-lumen light strapped to my wrist. But sometimes a ride will run long and I have to ride for a little while in the dark. The XL light is perfectly fine by itself in those situations.

Thanks for the info! Will definitely follow this thread to stay updated on your impressions, when you do more night-riding :)

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Like others have said, you can never have too much light.

I agree. As @Seba pointed out, there are certain limitations with EUC headlights, particularly when going uphill (I have read your previous comments on the subject, @Seba, and entirely agree. Also...glad you didn't hit that hog!)

Am looking for for an additional light for when my 18XL arrives (I apologize for going off-topic here, @Marty Backe), and am not sure what to go for. I'd rather have both hands free, so it needs to be either helmet or wheel-mounted. I've tried mounting the 900 lx light I'm currently using on the V8 onto my helmet, but because of the visor's slightly inverted V-shape, I can't center it and it ends up at an odd angle that doesn't work out too well. For a wheel-mounted option, I was thinking of something like a Lezyne with a swiveling mount that I can attach to the trolley handle and adjust horizontally, to compensate for the handle's diagonal angle, and vertically, to adjust the height of the beam. If I were to mount something to the front of the wheel (glued go-pro mount), which isn't an idea I'm too fond of, it would have to be fairly compact, but with plenty of power. Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. :D

[End of off-topic query] :efeec46606:
 

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34 minutes ago, travsformation said:

Thanks for the info! Will definitely follow this thread to stay updated on your impressions, when you do more night-riding :)

I agree. As @Seba pointed out, there are certain limitations with EUC headlights, particularly when going uphill (I have read your previous comments on the subject, @Seba, and entirely agree. Also...glad you didn't hit that hog!)

Am looking for for an additional light for when my 18XL arrives (I apologize for going off-topic here, @Marty Backe), and am not sure what to go for. I'd rather have both hands free, so it needs to be either helmet or wheel-mounted. I've tried mounting the 900 lx light I'm currently using on the V8 onto my helmet, but because of the visor's slightly inverted V-shape, I can't center it and it ends up at an odd angle that doesn't work out too well. For a wheel-mounted option, I was thinking of something like a Lezyne with a swiveling mount that I can attach to the trolley handle and adjust horizontally, to compensate for the handle's diagonal angle, and vertically, to adjust the height of the beam. If I were to mount something to the front of the wheel (glued go-pro mount), which isn't an idea I'm too fond of, it would have to be fairly compact, but with plenty of power. Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. :D

[End of off-topic query] :efeec46606:
 

Have you ever actually tried riding with the light strapped to your wrist/hand? It's extremely effective. Both of your hands are still free yet it's very easy to direct the light without your head turning into a bobblehead.

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2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Have you ever actually tried riding with the light strapped to your wrist/hand? It's extremely effective. Both of your hands are still free yet it's very easy to direct the light without your head turning into a bobblehead.

No, I haven't. Will give it a shot tomorrow! ☺ 

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@Lutalo, I've never seen a coyote on the park trail.  Very cool.  One night I did nearly run over a copperhead that was stretched out across the warm asphalt.  I did one of those quick pothole avoidance maneuvers and fortunately missed running over the snake and/or dumping the wheel.  The adrenalin was still pumping when (and this is no lie) I came upon another and even larger snake.  This time I was on high alert so I had enough time to consciously navigate around it, but still!

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13 hours ago, ED209 said:

Kingsong 18XL Range Test, Gotway Tesla tries to keep up! 

By U-Stride

 

Great range test, cheers! Am looking forward to receiving my 18XL more every day, and with every new review and test ride that comes out! 

BTW, very interesting info your friend Mike provides on battery management (or lack thereof). I guess individual cell monitoring would push production AND retail prices up way too much... 

Edited by travsformation
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17 hours ago, radial said:

@Lutalo, I've never seen a coyote on the park trail.  Very cool.  One night I did nearly run over a copperhead that was stretched out across the warm asphalt.  I did one of those quick pothole avoidance maneuvers and fortunately missed running over the snake and/or dumping the wheel.  The adrenalin was still pumping when (and this is no lie) I came upon another and even larger snake.  This time I was on high alert so I had enough time to consciously navigate around it, but still!

Yeah, man. It's rare. Unforgettable. I had never seen one in person before which explains why I didn't initially recognize it.

I was talking to a DC rodent control guy who explained that Rock Creek Park being a natural park draws all manner of wildlife and provides them direct access to the city. Foxes were setting up dens in DC because of the small pet and rat smorgasbord the city readily offers. People started getting pissed when their little frou-frou mutts kept disappearing. The coyotes are drawn to the city via Rock Creek Park because. get this. They in turn hunt and eat the foxes; I didn't even know that foxes were part of the coyote diet plan. It's truly a 🐶 - eat -🐶 world :D.

A couple of years ago I remember reading an article about coyote sightings in the city. Last year DC released a fox safety pamphlet that talked about the dangers of encountering a rabid Fox and how to tell if they're rabid when you spot them. Haven't heard much this year. Maybe they chased them off or decided to avoid creating a panic by discussing it. 

I also spotted a rare blue heron twice on the RCT; a very elusive creature. Been a long time since I have been on the RCT and not seen a deer. I have seen a huge racoon that was at least as big as a fox. Speaking of foxes. I have seen those several times. Once when taking a stroll with my wife on the RCT at Dusk; it was frightening for her. 

Haven't yet seen a copperhead. That is also a rare on the RCT. I did see a huge Black Rat Snake crossing the trail one day while out riding my EUC. I hear that It's not venomous, but I ain't takin no chances :)

Why do I feel like I am showing off my tattoos? :D:D:D

Edited by Lutalo
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5 hours ago, travsformation said:

Great range test, cheers! Am looking forward to receiving my 18XL more every day, and with every new review and test ride that comes out! 

BTW, I'm very interesting info your friend Mike provides on battery management (or lack thereof). I guess individual cell monitoring would push production AND retail prices up way too much... 

I dig your excitement dude. That's very cool. I can assure you that when your XL arrives it will meet or exceed your expectations. I am loving mine more everyday. Sometimes I just look sit and admire it. It's a thing of beauty a work of art. I can hardly wait to wrap it. I think that it will look so fly. If it doesn't, the good thing is that I can tear off the vinyl wrap and go back to the basic white. :efee8319ab:👍

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Damn! I have matt black, I always wanted white, do you think I can still have mine wrapped? I am thinking of a plain glossy colour. 

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13 hours ago, Lutalo said:

I also spotted a rare blue heron twice on the RCT; a very elusive creature. 

Slight Correction. I didn't see Heron on the RCT. Each occurrence of the Heron that I witnessed was on the SCT (Sligo Creek Trail).

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3 hours ago, travsformation said:

Nice! Love the carbon look, @Neil (yanex) !!! 

as for the matte black it really didn't effect it when i remove the vinyl still look good, i wrap my EUC several times 1st i use different vinyl, then i remove it wrap with a carbon fiber, but i scratch the wrap so i remove it again and wrap for 3rd time but underneath that wrap the matte black is still in a good shape. i had my EUC since July.

 

 

Edited by Neil (yanex)
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@Marty Backe, on the subject of your recovery (so we can get your off-road stress-test as soon as possible! :)), I'd suggest doing some gentle shoulder stretching exercises (depending on the type of injury, and where exactly it hurts, maybe I can "prescribe" you some specific exercises: my partner is a physical therapist). Once you're fully recovered, to prevent further injuries, or minimize the harm (insomuch as possible, of course), shoulder strengthening is not a bad idea. There are actually some exercises for that in a post I wrote some time ago on EUC-specific warm-up and stretching exercises. I strongly believe that can go a long way in terms of preventing certain injuries.

After a knee-tendon injury that, according to my partner, probably could have been prevented if I'd warmed up my muscles, tendons and ligaments before riding, I've become a firm believer in warming up and stretching pre and post long rides (I can't say I stretch for 20' trips to the supermarket and back though :efee612b4b:). Our posture when riding involves a lot of  maintained static stress on certain muscles, tendons and ligaments, causing rigidity, which means that in case of bailing at speed, or falling, a contracture is much more likely.

From what I can see, it's a largely overlooked aspect of riding safety that most riders have never even considered, so maybe the post below will prove useful to other users too, particularly in terms of long and/or taxing rides (such as range and stress tests) ;)

 

( @Marty Backe You'l find the shoulder strengthening exercises at the end of the post, in the "Additional tips" section)

Hope you've all had a good start to 2019! Safe and happy riding to all!

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On 1/1/2019 at 12:58 AM, Marty Backe said:

IMG_1017-2

 

I call it a fake picture...when did you ever get clouds in you area of California 😉?

(Reminder to self: do not mention....how envy I am right now on you nice weather and ideal temperatures 😫)

I hope I can get a photo of my tomorrow test run, following black ops Marty aka Marty-wheel-man 😉

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4 hours ago, travsformation said:

@Marty Backe, on the subject of your recovery (so we can get your off-road stress-test as soon as possible! :)), I'd suggest doing some gentle shoulder stretching exercises (depending on the type of injury, and where exactly it hurts, maybe I can "prescribe" you some specific exercises: my partner is a physical therapist). Once you're fully recovered, to prevent further injuries, or minimize the harm (insomuch as possible, of course), shoulder strengthening is not a bad idea. There are actually some exercises for that in a post I wrote some time ago on EUC-specific warm-up and stretching exercises. I strongly believe that can go a long way in terms of preventing certain injuries.

After a knee-tendon injury that, according to my partner, probably could have been prevented if I'd warmed up my muscles, tendons and ligaments before riding, I've become a firm believer in warming up and stretching pre and post long rides (I can't say I stretch for 20' trips to the supermarket and back though :efee612b4b:). Our posture when riding involves a lot of  maintained static stress on certain muscles, tendons and ligaments, causing rigidity, which means that in case of bailing at speed, or falling, a contracture is much more likely.

From what I can see, it's a largely overlooked aspect of riding safety that most riders have never even considered, so maybe the post below will prove useful to other users too, particularly in terms of long and/or taxing rides (such as range and stress tests) ;)

( @Marty Backe You'l find the shoulder strengthening exercises at the end of the post, in the "Additional tips" section)

Hope you've all had a good start to 2019! Safe and happy riding to all!

Thank you for the suggestions.

I weight train in the gym three times per week and have been doing so for the last 35-years. For my build, I have muscular shoulders. I actually think that's why I survived the fall as well as I did.

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1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

Thank you for the suggestions.

I weight train in the gym three times per week and have been doing so for the last 35-years. For my build, I have muscular shoulders. I actually think that's why I survived the fall as well as I did.

Good to hear! If it hasn't been for that, maybe you'd have a dislocated shoulder otherwise. Those are "unpleasant" as hell (been there twice...) 

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Range Test Against the MSX

I took the KS18XL on a 57+ mile ride to see how it performs relative to the identical route ridden on the MSX. Some surprising results ...

 

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Loving this tour you do in the video. Again:wub:

The 18XL's longer range might be due to the ewheels-specific reverse diode in your MSX which stops the charging early.

Without it, not only could you get to "Gotway 100%" battery (4.1125V per cell), but also keep the charger in after green light and and go to 4.2V for like 10% extra range. Pretty significant.

Looking forward to you doing a ride until the 18XL beeps and tilts back. Then we'll see it's actual range. Maybe it really is more efficient, too.

Does anybody know which cell voltage KS considers as 100%?

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