Popular Post Dzlchef Posted July 8, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) I feel like after 600 miles that I can give insight on the Nikola, and what I like and dislike regarding the wheel. I think the whole MOSFET debacle derailed the launch of the Nikola and I wanted to give a review of the wheel based on its merits. I started off a Kingsong fan and a Gotway skeptic, mostly from my positive experience with my KS16S, but also from some of the bashing that GW takes on the forum. I've tried to be as impartial as possible but this is my opinion after all so if you don't like it, my apologies. I've tried hard to change the negative things about this wheel and make them positive. I couldn't be happier with my Nikola after the changes have been implemented but I've listed my positives/negatives based on the configuration out of the box. Positives: - The ride is amazingly smooth and the 3" tire mutes cracks and imperfections in the road that nearly jarred my teeth out on the KS16S. I've have had the wheel over 30mph, and regularly ride 25mph+ and amazed how easy and smooth it reaches and maintains high speeds. Super stable. (getting correct tire pressure for your weight and riding preference is critical) - The tire, even given the width, responds like a 16" wheel and is easy to maneuver and carve, but it does want to come back to center although not to the degree that you're fighting the wheel. The wheel is comfortable and capable in any environment. I find that I can dive much deeper into turns/carves as the sides of the tread grip really well, even on loose ground. - The trolley handle on the Kingsong is brilliant and I was somewhat dreading the scorpion style but it does work quite well. I gave the handle about a year's worth of abuse bouncing over rocks for hours when I had to trolley down the mountain trail a couple days ago. It did loosen up some but a little locktite and everything is back solid and hopefully stays that way. - The pedal size and angle works very well and I've had no discomfort or issue when riding. - The LED lights are nice and dense but limited on the programming. The wheel looks great at night and the headlight does reasonably well although I rely on a hand torch for evening rides. - The stereo is loud and powerful - The cut off switch under the handle works very well, but the wheel is heavy. Strangely the wide handle works well if you're able to pick it up with one hand, the wheel tilts away from you which keeps the tire from rubbing against your leg. Negatives: - The white stripes with the black shell makes the wheel look blocky and huge. - The stereo while very loud sounds like a hot mess! I did a speaker swap which entirely changed my view of the stereo. It can now go in the positive category but is a definite negative without the change. The start up chimes are very loud and disturbing but muted some with the speaker swap which is also a negative turned positive. - The side pads are definitely not working for me. It feels like my legs are being pushed out too much and my feet are on the outside of the pedals. I changed the pads for motorcycle tank pads and couldn't be more happy. The pads are soft and thin with somewhat of a cushion and very grippy. It makes a world of difference and puts me in a perfect position to be comfortable and able to totally control the wheel. If you are used to this OG style set-up, then ignore my fix. - Grip tape on the pedals is good dry, but absolutely slick as grease when wet. Again, an easy fix by replacing with a good grip tape from a skate shop, etc. - The Nikola seems to consume a bit more energy compared to other 1600Wh wheels. I haven't done any definitive tests but I'm not getting the distance that I expected. I do run the wheel very liberally and it seems to have power spikes greater than some other GW wheels so that may all play into the mix? - MOSFETS! I haven't had an issue with my board and I've put the wheel through some extreme conditions. Glad that the error in assembly has been identified and a fix in play. - Gotway app sucks, but that pretty much goes for all brands. Overall, I absolutely love riding my Nikola! Most of my negatives have simple fixes that transform the problem into a wonderful solution. I couldn't be happier with my choice at the moment and highly recommend the wheel to all. It's probably the best all around wheel on the market today IMO. If you have a Nikola, please add your thoughts so we can give good information to prospective purchasers. Edited July 10, 2019 by Dzlchef 7 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who_the Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Thanks @Dzlchef very similar impressions to yours after 1 week and 186 miles. Pads don't bother me though I'm sure they will deteriorate and I will be swapping out for some V5 pads at some point. Have already vinyled the white bits and swapped out the grip tape. Acceleration is very impressive and the best I've felt. Agree with you that finding the proper tire pressure (for you) is important. Felt twitchy at first coming from an MSX but it's very easy to adapt to. Have touched 34 mph and 30+ all the time. Have really tried to push it with extreme idling, accel & braking to test the board, temperature barely budges from 36 C. Really, really impressive wheel so far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Alexander Oliver Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 so after having ridden my nikola for 464 miles so far I feel safe to say that it’s an amazing PEV so smooth , so responsive. I absolutely love riding it. Can’t get enough even riding 20+ miles a day as my daily commuter vehicle I still ride for fun as much as possible and it’s not enough. Lol. I changed the pedal grip to some 3m safetread that Marty recommended and that helped the control so much. I don’t feel like my feet are slipping at all even when wet. I also covered the white strips with some carbon fiber molding strips that I got off amazon I think it looks pretty awesome . So all in all I’m very glad. I chose to get the nikola. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray rokni Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 im looking to buy an upgrade to my nb s1. so i suppose anything would be an upgrade. i will be buying by september. been looking at ks 16x, ks18xl and now the nikola 84v. i weigh 165lb and 5’10” what psi do you guys suggest running? thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Thanks for all your various feedback. I’m not so keen on the looks, but it seems everyone agrees it is a pleasant wheel to ride. What kind of range are you getting with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 11 hours ago, ray rokni said: what psi do you guys suggest running? Close to the max pressure, as stated on the tire. You can reduce it a bit for comfort, though the Nikola tire should be bouncy enough on its own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 11 hours ago, ray rokni said: im looking to buy an upgrade to my nb s1. so i suppose anything would be an upgrade. i will be buying by september. been looking at ks 16x, ks18xl and now the nikola 84v. i weigh 165lb and 5’10” what psi do you guys suggest running? thx The tire recommends 35-45psi but I’ve heard folks running 20-45psi. I prefer 35psi which is slightly soft for me at 195lbs but might be a good starting place for your weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 59 minutes ago, Mimolette said: Thanks for all your various feedback. I’m not so keen on the looks, but it seems everyone agrees it is a pleasant wheel to ride. What kind of range are you getting with it? I’m tipping over 200lbs with gear and traveling 25+mph, I get 30-35 miles. If I reduce to 15mph then I’m closer to 45-50 miles in theory, never rode it all the way out at that speed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 Since the initial review, I have gone up and down a couple mountains on the Nikola, with parts that were not easily passable, and I love the wheel now even more! The torque and wide wheel allowed me to easily start on inclines, walk up large rocks, cruise through deep sand, and continue down paths that had already derailed other wheels. Simply marvelous! I was chasing up the mountain briskly for awhile and the wheel did overheat briefly and kicked me off, ever so gently, at 65 degrees Celsius. The temperature is lower than other GW wheels but at least the MOSFETs held! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kens Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, Dzlchef said: Since the initial review, I have gone up and down a couple mountains on the Nikola, with parts that were not easily passable, and I love the wheel now even more! The torque and wide wheel allowed me to easily start on inclines, walk up large rocks, cruise through deep sand, and continue down paths that had already derailed other wheels. Simply marvelous! Yesterday on Mt Wilson Ride.. Me: "Derailed by deep sand trap" Also me: WATCH OUT!! DEEP SAND!!!! Dzlchef: "gliding through like nothing happen" Me: 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave U Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 7 minutes ago, Kens said: Yesterday on Mt Wilson Ride.. Me: "Derailed by deep sand trap" Also me: WATCH OUT!! DEEP SAND!!!! Dzlchef: "gliding through like nothing happen" Me: 8 minutes ago, Kens said: 19 minutes ago, Dzlchef said: Since the initial review, I have gone up and down a couple mountains on the Nikola, with parts that were not easily passable, and I love the wheel now even more! The torque and wide wheel allowed me to easily start on inclines, walk up large rocks, cruise through deep sand, and continue down paths that had already derailed other wheels. Simply marvelous! Yesterday on Mt Wilson Ride.. Me: "Derailed by deep sand trap" Also me: WATCH OUT!! DEEP SAND!!!! Dzlchef: "gliding through like nothing happen" Me: We seen 1 wheel get trapped in the sand and stand straight up when the rider jumped off his wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray rokni Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 2 hours ago, Dzlchef said: The tire recommends 35-45psi but I’ve heard folks running 20-45psi. I prefer 35psi which is slightly soft for me at 195lbs but might be a good starting place for your weight. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 8 hours ago, Dzlchef said: I’m tipping over 200lbs with gear and traveling 25+mph, I get 30-35 miles. If I reduce to 15mph then I’m closer to 45-50 miles in theory, never rode it all the way out at that speed. Good to know, building up a sort of mental profile of the range : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer" Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 9 hours ago, Dzlchef said: I was chasing up the mountain briskly for awhile and the wheel did overheat briefly and kicked me off, ever so gently, at 65 degrees Celsius. The temperature is lower than other GW wheels but at least the MOSFETs held! After my experience yesterday, I'm beginning to think that heat stress on the mosfets may be cumulative,weakening them over time leading to eventual failure.I may very well have @Jason McNeil send me an extra board to keep in the back pack on these mountain excursions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Nils Posted July 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 23, 2019 On 7/8/2019 at 2:30 AM, Dzlchef said: Overall, I absolutely love riding my Nikola! Most of my negatives have simple fixes that transform the problem into a wonderful solution. I couldn't be happier with my choice at the moment and highly recommend the wheel to all. It's probably the best all around wheel on the market today IMO. If you have a Nikola, please add your thoughts so we can give good information to prospective purchasers. Great points, and all ones I agree with. Side pads as shipped are a definite no-go for me, I thinned mine out and now they're great but otherwise some other kind of side padding is advised if you have issues with them (some do and some don't). Speaker is loud but without bass. I'd also really like for the trolley handle to lock while raised. Like you, I've found that the tire pressure can make a huge difference in riding comfort for me, much more so than for my previous wheels, so I'd advise everyone to experiment a little bit with it when getting their Nikola to find their sweet spot. All things considered though, best wheel I've ridden Even with the first gen issues and having to open the wheel up I'm super happy with my purchase. I've had mine for close to three months now, and it's never let me down; always stable, smooth and powerful, regardless of whether I'm going up or down, on pavement, gravel or rocks.. Only possible issue is that it's so smooth I find myself going faster than before which perhaps isn't desirable I'll end with the perhaps overly pedantic note that the first gen issues, as far as we know so far, really haven't been because of the MOSFETs themselves per se but rather because of assembly issues. Bigger MOSFETs to begin with would have added some additional tolerance but nothing will save you with enough glue applied in the wrong place. The fact that the newer boards come with bigger MOSFETs are nice, but the big error and hopefully subsequent important lesson here for Gotway has to do with the assembly. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blank Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 How do you like the trolley handle compared to the Kingsong ones? Exploring my options for a future wheel as I currently have a 16S and was considering the Nikola Plus or 16X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 7 hours ago, Blank said: How do you like the trolley handle compared to the Kingsong ones? Exploring my options for a future wheel as I currently have a 16S and was considering the Nikola Plus or 16X. I also have a 16S and love the ease of the trolley, and thought that I wasn’t going to like the Nikola’s scorpion style. In practice the Nikola trolley has performed beautifully. While I still prefer the KS style, there are advantages to being able to quickly lift up or drop the handle opposed to pushing a button and telescoping. But does that out way the benefits of a locking handle??? Personally I’m good with either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Martin Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 @Dzlchef do you have a link to the side pads you are using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Jim Martin said: @Dzlchef do you have a link to the side pads you are using? https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/techspec-xline-universal-sheet-old It comes with 2 sheets and I was able to fab the 4 pads from 1 sheet. I have a spare when they wear out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Martin Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 10 minutes ago, Dzlchef said: https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/techspec-xline-universal-sheet-old It comes with 2 sheets and I was able to fab the 4 pads from 1 sheet. I have a spare when they wear out. Thanks! Any pictures of them on your wheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzlchef Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 12 hours ago, Jim Martin said: Thanks! Any pictures of them on your wheel? The photo thread has a bunch, start at the third post down on 158, to the top of 164 shows about 800 miles with those pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.