FIRST RIDE on the GOTWAY NIKOLA!!

[Kuji Rolls]

Hey guys, 

Another shameless promotion of my first ride with the 17" Gotway Nikola prototype! 

 

[eddiemoy]

So they also think you are crazy?  Have to give you kudos for being so fearless and risking your body to find the limits of these devices.  Keeps your videos entertaining.  Keep it up!

[LanghamP]

Make the pedals higher. I've hit pedals exactly like you have done near the end of the video, whereby you're actually leaning to the inside / hanging off, and still hit those pedals at a modest lean angle.

For God's sake raise the pedals! Not angle them but raise them. Why is this so hard for manufacturers to do? Higher pedals are safer pedals, there is no downsides. You touch pedals against anything and almost without exception you're going down.

This is the best video I've seen so far about the Gotway Nikola. This is the type of video one can base their purchasing decision on. In contrast, so many EUC videos have a person holding a selfie camera droning in a straight line for 20 minutes. We call those ambient porn videos.

[Lutalo]

Cool video. Interesting to see to who this wheel will appeal. This design attempt from GW, while admirable still falls short of KS wheels in terms of refinement and versatility. Things that struck me where: The handle on the top is too fat when not using the ponytail; KS has the best design. Not sure why they copied Inmotion instead of KS on this. It looks very big and heavy for a 16" wheel; bigger than the V10F and even the 18L.

It also struck me as sort of gaudy. don't see them winning over KS 16S, 18XL or MSX fans; especially, in light of the new 16X on the horizon. It will be interesting to see who they draw besides hoarders/collectors. Possibly, current owners of the Tesla?

[Kuji Rolls]

I thought about the reasons why Gotway would design the Nikola and ive come to admire them even though it is not designed for riders like me. Gotway now has the: 

1. Smallest decent wheel (10" mten3)
2. Largest wheel (22" monster)
3. Every other god damn size wheel
4. [and now] the brightest and loudest wheel 

[LanghamP]

The good news is that every new wheel I see is a wheel I want to get. I feel each new wheel is a significant improvement over the previous newly released wheel. While I suspect all new wheels use essentially the same motor with the same batteries, the interpretation of each manufacturer differs significantly. For a while back there, about two years, we had wheels that looked like they were converging on a single form factor, but recently with the figure 8 KS18xl, the motorcycle Z10, the outside handle V10, the Ceylon MCM5, and now the pinball Nikola, we are seeing radically different interpretations of EUCs.

One is tempted not to buy any new wheels until development has settled down.

[Hatchet]

Huh. That wheel really says "Hello world look at me!" It would be excellent for night riding shots in a city with a few people all lit up like an xmas tree. If you could light that up in a nice pure white lighting at night it might look amazing. As to the rest, 2000w motor, 1600wh batt, standard issue these days. The flip up handle is ok, if it's made to last.

 

[Meelosh123]

11 hours ago, KujiRolls said:

I thought about the reasons why Gotway would design the Nikola and ive come to admire them even though it is not designed for riders like me. Gotway now has the: 

1. Smallest decent wheel (10" mten3)
2. Largest wheel (22" monster)
3. Every other god damn size wheel
4. [and now] the brightest and loudest wheel 

What's with the handle?  With the trolley/scorpion tail up, is it actually two little handles?  It does not look ergonomic at all.  The whole shell just looks bulky, dated and, maybe coincidentally, simple and cheap to produce.  Throw a ton of lights on there to make up for it.  Is there some huge group of 12 year old kids they are trying to appeal to?  It has less heavy-duty electronic components too?  And now they've tacked a Gotway emblem on the back,  two more on the sides, plus the two by the pedals, and then one under each pedal?  Jesus.

 

Your sentiment begs the question:  What kind of rider are you?  Who are they designing this for?

[Heyzeus]

On 2/3/2019 at 1:32 PM, Lutalo said:

Cool video. Interesting to see to who this wheel will appeal. This design attempt from GW, while admirable still falls short of KS wheels in terms of refinement and versatility

When I saw a video of the Nikola being dissassembled, the amount of time and the amount of screws that had to be removed and everything else JUST to get access to the tire tube had me going "wtf, why do you design it so complicated".

It's not like it can't be made simpler, the video on Jason's site showing a tire change on the kingsong 16s shows it can be much simpler and even watching that video I could think of several ways that it could be improved, I expect the ks16x will be similar if not better since it appears kingsong thinks about these things, but being able to remove a handful of screws, undo a couple wire connections and slip off the whole she'll as one piece without having to intrude into the controller board bay or split the shells is a much superior method imo, especially if you ever want to have these wheels ip water resistance rated and be able to maintain that water resistance after minor maintenance.

I wish gotway would put a bit more thought into ease of minor maintenance tasks like king song clearly has done.

[Lutalo]

1 minute ago, Heyzeus said:

When I saw a video of the Nikola being dissassembled, the amount of time and the amount of screws that had to be removed and everything else JUST to get access to the tire tube had me going "wtf, why do you design it so complicated".

It's not like it can't be made simpler, the video on Jason's site showing a tire change on the kingsong 16s shows it can be much simpler and even watching that video I could think of several ways that it could be improved, I expect the ks16x will be similar if not better since it appears kingsong thinks about these things, but being able to remove a handful of screws, undo a couple wire connections and slip off the whole she'll as one piece without having to intrude into the controller board bay or split the shells is a much superior method imo, especially if you ever want to have these wheels ip water resistance rated and be able to maintain that water resistance after minor maintenance.

I wish gotway would put a bit more thought into ease of minor maintenance tasks like king song clearly has done.

Attempting to design a sexy wheel is a new adventure for adventure for GW. If the Nicola is an MSX/Tesla cross, it is only because it fails at being a suitable KS18L/V10F cross; GW ain't ready for that yet.

It is great that they are pushing themselves in this direction; to make a better all-arounder. Hopefully, it's part of an overall plan to push themselves to be better. We will see. Niki won't be winning any beauty contests, but they got the all the bling contests on lock 

Whuzzup with that wide-assed pass-through handle at the top though; baffling. Like, for whose friggin hands were they made; Shaquile O'Neal? Yao Ming? 

[LanghamP]

Would chicks be more likely to own such a wheel?

Right now, in the US, it feels like 99% is 35+ years old males.

[Lutalo]

12 hours ago, LanghamP said:

Would chicks be more likely to own such a wheel?

Right now, in the US, it feels like 99% is 35+ years old males.

Only cuz gurls be gittin skayurd 2 eezee.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Lutalo

[ShadowWheelin']

14 hours ago, LanghamP said:

Would chicks be more likely to own such a wheel?

Right now, in the US, it feels like 99% is 35+ years old males.

Hmmm.... personally, not so much my taste.  I perfer the matte black of my KS-18XL.  I find dark/reflective plastics show scratches and damage more easilily, though they look really great when brand new.  

I do like the digital voltage display, and would welcome more information displayed such as error codes, tire pressure, and remaining battery power.  In app parameters is fine, but an onboard display is convenient.

Thanks for the great video KujiRolls.  Grad you didn't get hurt on that tumble.

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by ShadowWheelin'

[U-Stride]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:46 AM, Meelosh123 said:

What's with the handle?  With the trolley/scorpion tail up, is it actually two little handles?  It does not look ergonomic at all.  The whole shell just looks bulky, dated and, maybe coincidentally, simple and cheap to produce.  Throw a ton of lights on there to make up for it.  Is there some huge group of 12 year old kids they are trying to appeal to?  It has less heavy-duty electronic components too?  And now they've tacked a Gotway emblem on the back,  two more on the sides, plus the two by the pedals, and then one under each pedal?  Jesus.

 

Your sentiment begs the question:  What kind of rider are you?  Who are they designing this for?

You know I was thinking the same thing about the handle, but if you look in the video one of the riders was actually sitting on it. So maybe they intend for it to have a seat cushion. Maybe??

[Duf]

It definitely is a, hey look at me, type of wheel which is appealing to a lot of people.  I know tons of EUC riders whether they admit it or not like the look at me, reaction EUC riding generates in many situations, including myself.

[Smoother]

1 minute ago, Duf said:

It definitely is a, hey look at me, type of wheel which is appealing to a lot of people.  I know tons of EUC riders whether they admit it or not like the look at me, reaction EUC riding generates in many situations, including myself.

I'll admit it.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

  That’s a sweet looking wheel.  Can’t wait to see Marty’s review of it once he gets his!

[Kuji Rolls]

On 2/4/2019 at 11:46 PM, Meelosh123 said:

What's with the handle?  With the trolley/scorpion tail up, is it actually two little handles?  It does not look ergonomic at all.  The whole shell just looks bulky, dated and, maybe coincidentally, simple and cheap to produce.  Throw a ton of lights on there to make up for it.  Is there some huge group of 12 year old kids they are trying to appeal to?  It has less heavy-duty electronic components too?  And now they've tacked a Gotway emblem on the back,  two more on the sides, plus the two by the pedals, and then one under each pedal?  Jesus.

 

Your sentiment begs the question:  What kind of rider are you?  Who are they designing this for?

Well, id say that im an enthusiast/explorer who thinks everything is better with a unicycle. 

As for target user... im not sure. This wheel is heavy on eye and ear candy. Two things that are lower on my list than performance and convenience. It would probably perform well in group rides providing a light show with heavy beats. Maybe Gotway doesnt know who the target market is and is like "hey, were just gonna throw this out there and see what happens"

[Lucas Alexander Oliver]

I actually really like this wheel just from what I’ve seen.   I think it’s really nice to look at and I’m excited to see how powerfully and smooth it rolls and for how far.  I think the tire looks aggressive and think and ready to eat up any terrain I throw at it... I’ve ridden the msx and hate it’s design. I think it’s ugly.boxy. And not balanced well.  I have high hopes for a wheel with msx quality performance and  designed with the ergonomics and looks of a nice sleek round wheel .  I started out on an inmotion v8 and I love the design. So far it’s the easiest, most well controlled wheel I’ve ridden and I think the Nikola will be an awesome upgrade I’m super stoked . 

[Lucas Alexander Oliver]

I feel like everyone is only talking about the looks. What about the performance  doesn’t it have the same insides, motor, brain firmware as the msx with a smaller tire so more torque? ?  So won’t it be awesome to ride powerful with lots of torque but smooth and comfortable 

[eddiemoy]

11 hours ago, Lucas Alexander Oliver said:

I actually really like this wheel just from what I’ve seen.   I think it’s really nice to look at and I’m excited to see how powerfully and smooth it rolls and for how far.  I think the tire looks aggressive and think and ready to eat up any terrain I throw at it... I’ve ridden the msx and hate it’s design. I think it’s ugly.boxy. And not balanced well.  I have high hopes for a wheel with msx quality performance and  designed with the ergonomics and looks of a nice sleek round wheel .  I started out on an inmotion v8 and I love the design. So far it’s the easiest, most well controlled wheel I’ve ridden and I think the Nikola will be an awesome upgrade I’m super stoked . 

If you are used to the INMOTION thin wheels, this is not for you.  It is as wide as a monster.  Not really ergonomic.  And from my POV, it seems like a bad copy of the V10F design. 

[houseofjob]

34 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

If you are used to the INMOTION thin wheels, this is not for you.  It is as wide as a monster.  Not really ergonomic.  And from my POV, it seems like a bad copy of the V10F design. 

LOL, must be a long time since you tried the Monster. The Monster feels noticeably wider than the Nikola. Nowhere was I situated bowl-legged, as I have to do on the Monster.

 

11 hours ago, Lucas Alexander Oliver said:

I actually really like this wheel just from what I’ve seen.   I think it’s really nice to look at and I’m excited to see how powerfully and smooth it rolls and for how far.  I think the tire looks aggressive and think and ready to eat up any terrain I throw at it... I’ve ridden the msx and hate it’s design. I think it’s ugly.boxy. And not balanced well.  I have high hopes for a wheel with msx quality performance and  designed with the ergonomics and looks of a nice sleek round wheel .  I started out on an inmotion v8 and I love the design. So far it’s the easiest, most well controlled wheel I’ve ridden and I think the Nikola will be an awesome upgrade I’m super stoked . 

Although the design is closer to the V8, the riding feel is closer to the MSX, being a similar 3" wheel, albeit the shell / pedals situate your feet wide, but not Monster wide. Many seem to hate this, but IMHO this places your feet in an optimal position to minimize high-speed wobbling.

But as you note (and I agree), the MSX is not balanced, true, as this was a recycled MSV3 shell with the pedals shifted up, but no shell height to compensate.... but the Nikola feels much more balanced, having adequate shell height support for your leg/ankle, not to mention that height and component placement balancing the weight distribution out better than the MSX. 

 

11 hours ago, Lucas Alexander Oliver said:

I feel like everyone is only talking about the looks. What about the performance  doesn’t it have the same insides, motor, brain firmware as the msx with a smaller tire so more torque? ?  So won’t it be awesome to ride powerful with lots of torque but smooth and comfortable 

Same Gotway performance? IMHO yes, albeit with less top speed.

More torque being a 16"? I can only speak on the experiences from our brief NYC demo (plus only from a flatland urban perspective), but the torque did not feel significantly greater than the same 3" width MSX.

From riding more and more different size wheels, I'm noticing that the high torque wheels tend to be the thinner ones, 2.125", not necessarily based on diameter. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this is based on the thinner tire surface having less rolling resistance.

Edited April 26, 2019 by houseofjob

[Lucas Alexander Oliver]

26 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

LOL, must be a long time since you tried the Monster. The Monster feels noticeably wider than the Nikola. Nowhere was I situated bowl-legged, as I have to do on the Monster.

 

Although the design is closer to the V8, the riding feel is closer to the MSX, being a similar 3" wheel, albeit the shell / pedals situate your feet wide, but not Monster wide. Many seem to hate this, but IMHO this places your feet in an optimal position to minimize high-speed wobbling.

But as you note (and I agree), the MSX is not balanced, true, as this was a recycled MSV3 shell with the pedals shifted up, but no shell height to compensate.... but the Nikola feels much more balanced, having adequate shell height support for your leg/ankle, not to mention that height and component placement balancing the weight distribution out better than the MSX. 

 

Same Gotway performance? IMHO yes, albeit with less top speed.

More torque being a 16"? I can only speak on the experiences from our brief NYC demo (plus only from a flatland urban perspective), but the torque did not feel significantly greater than the same 3" width MSX.

From riding more and more different size wheels, I'm noticing that the high torque wheels tend to be the thinner ones, 2.125", not necessarily based on diameter. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this is based on the thinner tire surface having less rolling resistance.

Thanks @houseofjob for you’re response.  You just solidified my decision especially from the outlook of someone who’s actually ridden it. . Lol even with the same torque of the msx and a little less speed I think the Nikola is still gonna be a blast .. can’t wait till they come in so I can get on it and feel the glide  

[houseofjob]

4 minutes ago, Lucas Alexander Oliver said:

Thanks @houseofjob for you’re response.  You just solidified my decision especially from the outlook of someone who’s actually ridden it. . Lol even with the same torque of the msx and a little less speed I think the Nikola is still gonna be a blast .. can’t wait till they come in so I can get on it and feel the glide  

LOL, @eddiemoy rode it too at the NYC demo, just that he prefers thinner body EUC's, whereas I don't particularly care.

If you don't mind, or *God forbid* , like the Nikola aesthetics (the Asian-ness in me does indeed!), and the specs/dimensions are acceptable, then the Nikola is a solid choice IMHO.

Edited April 26, 2019 by houseofjob

[Lucas Alexander Oliver]

8 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

9 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

LOL, @eddiemoy rode it too at the NYC demo, just that he prefers thinner body EUC's, whereas I don't particularly care.

If you don't mind, or *God forbid* , like the Nikola aesthetics (the Asian-ness in me does indeed!), and the specs/dimensions are acceptable, then the Nikola is a solid choice IMHO.

Ha ha.  I am one of the ones who loves the way the wheel looks.   I want to be seen. I’ve been hit because the taxi driver didn’t see me.   (Wasn’t fun) so the brighter and more awesome looking the better.  Lol. And I’m a big dude.  I always place my feet wide on the v8 so I am more stable ..    @eddiemoy everyone has different taste. I appreciate your opinion as well even though we may not agree    I will definitely let everybody know what I think as soon as I receive mine. Which will hopefully be soon...✌️❤️👍