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Getting a new GW Nik+. Suggestions after unboxing...


Guy

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Hi all from Maine. I have finally chosen and should receive, my next wheel after my now 2500+ mile V8. Its been a very long and slow selection process. Prioritizing performance aspects was the most difficult. I chose range as my top priority followed by speed and weight. Range and weight kind of go hand in hand. A range wheel will be quite heavy yet batteries weigh! I ordered a Gotway Nikola+ 100v 2660wh a few weeks ago through Aliexpress. I think I should open the wheel for a QC check and to familiarize myself with its internals before I ride. I'm going to get a RollNZ cover for the Nik, as the cover on the V8 has been worth its use. I will also want to install a seat as Marty did on his Nik+ for those long rides of exploration. I expect to receive this wheel sometime next month if all goes well. Anyway, thanks for any and all suggestions, opinions, etc. Peace...Guy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Congras on your purchase !! Can't wait to get some pics or video from you to share the experience.

Yeah, when you ride it for the range, a seat is a must have. 2660wh ! That's like 8 hours+ of riding. Must be exhausted by the end of the day!

No suggestions. Just wondering if Maine has long enough bike lane for you to ride. :)

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Hi Philip. I should get the Nik this Thursday. I'll open the wheel first, before charging and/or riding, to check the quality control as this is a modded Gotway wheel. Some purchasers have had problems with QC from Ali purchases. From what I've seen, it will be up to me to fix or repair this wheel as customer support will probably be minimal. A risk I did decide to take. I'll be receiving my Nik RollNZ cover tomorrow. The Inmotion cover, for my V8, has been very good at "softening" the drops and crashes. I will be looking to do a seat mod. I like Marty's bicycle seat mod, video on his YouTube channel, for the Nik as it mounts the the trolly handle and yet still allows for the use of the handle. Not a lot of bike lanes here. Lots of sidewalk riding next to busy streets. Luckily, I'm good at riding very slow when around/with peds, however, when its too crowded, its the street and/or go somewhere else. Lots of times I'm in the street with the cars. It can be quite unnerving out in the country where the traffic is much faster on narrower roads. With in range this wheel should have, I could, at least theoretically, ride from here to Boston. I think though, I would be worn out and hurting far before the wheel needs a charge. Anyway, I'll let you know. Peace...Guy

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11 minutes ago, Guy said:

I'll open the wheel first, before charging and/or riding, to check the quality control as this is a modded Gotway wheel.

As i just searched this vid of an teardown of such a modded battery pack (?monster, wheel rider store?) here something to watch on how battery packs should not be at all:

Other points to checks should be pinched cables, "motor cable managment", tight axles, tight screws. Proper (manual) soldering of components.

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Yes! Absolutely! The only thing that will be not as easy to inspect is the battery packs themselves without tearing the shrink off. If I find that the voltage appears lower per cell pack, I will open the shrink of that pack and inspect. I can reshrink using boat winter shrink rap, I have a lot of that from winter liveaboarding. Only rapped once though. If the rap shrinks at a "cool" enough temp as to not harm the batteries or wires, I will use it. I am concerned with the single cell battery lead attachments. If welded or soldered. The quality of the weld/solder connection, etc. Also poor plug and pin crimp and security. Wire routing. Hardware attachment. A lot to do!.......

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On 8/25/2020 at 4:04 PM, Guy said:

True! That's what I did when I received my V8!

Hi, I'm also looking into the same wheel from wheel rider. What do you think of the 2660wh nikola+? How is the QC of the wheel? Hope to hear your opinion of it.

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This is from another post I made last night:

Hey! Got my Nik+ today. Opened it up for inspaection. I was quite impressed at the quantity control level of the wheel. The only additions I made were some zip tying to better anchor some groups of wires and add a little more sealant around the motor wire boundle where it emerges into the shell from the axle. There are quite a few separate ciruit boards within the wheel. I think I counted around six separate circuit boards. Four on or close to the main board, with two of those attached to the heat sink, and one, in a box where the speakers were. The other on the opposite side of the wheel across from the speaker box. I didn't see speakers. Tomorrow I will try sound out on the wheel. The main board is in two pieces. Nicely, the mosfet heat sink appears through the shell, exposed to the cooling air in the wheel well. The fan is much quieter and located right above the axle not below the main board. I took many pictures of the inspection and wheel. All plugs, solder joints, etc. are well done. Good heat shrink on wire ends. All looked very good. Then I rode! 10 miles of almost perfection. What a quiet smooth fast wheel. I rode past sunset into the dark. The headlight was pretty good. One thing, this wheel is heavy! Yet not too heavy for me. The V8 is like something you wear on your feet. Quick reacting. The 65# Nik is like an extention of one's body. One really feels its mass. Too bad we have rain all day tomorrow. Anyway, I'll try to get some of the pictures up tomorrow. Peace all from Maine...Guy

IMG_4547.JPG

Edited by Guy
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The new Nik, with its RollNZ cover on, next to its older brother my very faithful V8, year old wheel with 2700+ miles....

IMG_4643.JPG

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Thank you EUC forum for this data space. Those on here and YouTube for many hours of EUC study. I have many more pictures of the wheel opening if wanted. Peace from Maine USA...Guy

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Hi all. Just weighed the Nik: 65.6 pounds. Just an update of my rides so far: I rode yesterday for 28 miles. The Nik showed, via DacknessBot: 68% battery. I stopped because of sore feet and tiredness. I am about the same dimensions as Marty at: 175 pounds body weight and around 200 pounds with my loaded backpack. The big thing I notice the most is the wheel weight. Compared to my 30# V8, the Nik has to be really pushed to react. The Nik came with a peddle angle setting of -23 degrees. I rode the first ride with this setting without difficulty. After settling to around 0 degrees, I now get wheel wobble at speeds over 20 mph. I'll try different angles to see what works the best. Tire pressue I increased to 40 psi, yet as Mike says, the wheel bounces a lot of rough roads. That's OK with the lighter V8, yet not with the massive Nik. I'm going to try lower tire pressures to find a happy medium. So far its a wonderful wheel. Oh, the power and torque of the Nik seems like the V8. Probably due to the increased weight of the Nik. However, the Nik's power just keeps going! As speed increases, there is still good power. Of course, I have not gone faster than 25 mph. I need better familiarization and skills to ride responsibly faster. Anyway, I look forward to many excursions and explorations. Peace from Maine USA...Guy

IMG_4647.jpg

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7 hours ago, Guy said:

Hi all. Just weighed the Nik: 65.6 pounds. Just an update of my rides so far: I rode yesterday for 28 miles. The Nik showed, via DacknessBot: 68% battery. I stopped because of sore feet and tiredness. I am about the same dimensions as Marty at: 175 pounds body weight and around 200 pounds with my loaded backpack. The big thing I notice the most is the wheel weight. Compared to my 30# V8, the Nik has to be really pushed to react. The Nik came with a peddle angle setting of -23 degrees. I rode the first ride with this setting without difficulty. After settling to around 0 degrees, I now get wheel wobble at speeds over 20 mph. I'll try different angles to see what works the best. Tire pressue I increased to 40 psi, yet as Mike says, the wheel bounces a lot of rough roads. That's OK with the lighter V8, yet not with the massive Nik. I'm going to try lower tire pressures to find a happy medium. So far its a wonderful wheel. Oh, the power and torque of the Nik seems like the V8. Probably due to the increased weight of the Nik. However, the Nik's power just keeps going! As speed increases, there is still good power. Of course, I have not gone faster than 25 mph. I need better familiarization and skills to ride responsibly faster. Anyway, I look forward to many excursions and explorations. Peace from Maine USA...Guy

IMG_4647.jpg

Mine from 1Rad weighs about the same. 
Backwards tilt is a bit nasty. We configured Petra's pedals to -1 degree (backward tilt) because when holding the trolley handle the wheel would want to roll forward a bit.
At first we tried -2. Then she put it back to zero after a couple of days.
The soft mode is nice and flowy and helps to get the wheel moving. And turns nicely as well.
But going from a V8 to this... just wait until you get back on the V8 lol.

Your battery usage is consistent with mine when I don't ride like a complete A-hole.

You will definitely be able to explore like never before. This wheel is very hard to beat. Gotway could have done this themselves long ago. Why they haven't is a mystery to me.

May I suggest 30 PSI?

Happy riding!

 

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Thanks Mike! I did. Before my 28 miles ride today, I did drop the tire pressure to around 33-30 psi. Much smoother. Yesterday, I also did install the Gotway side pads located as Marty did in one of his videos, about one inch down from the handle hole. Yesterday's ride with the pads bruised my calves so this morning I removed them. With the RollNZ cover on the wheel, I don't need additional padding. At least for now, as my top speed so far is only 25 mph. With that speed, and possibly faster, I think I should seriously consider motorcycle, not skateboard, protective gear. Today I was riding at around 25 mph in a 3 foot wide "bike lane" with cars and trucks next to me going 30-45 mph. Along with poor side road asphalt, that portion of the ride was thrilling yet a bit unnerving. I'm thinking about Marty's Scorpion modular motorcycle helmet instead of the TSG Pass. I will have to try to find some other gear that will work hopefully well in this environment. This wheel loves going faster. So quiet and smooth. Different foot placement and pressures seem to help stop and avoid the speed and braking wobbles. Yes, Gotway should have! This wheel is a very nice balance of performance capabilities. After seeing the videos of riders touring in Tibet and Nepal, I thought there must be something about the Nik that made it a good choice for longer distance. And, of course, others here and on YouTube, praising their Niks. Perfect...No. But pretty damn good! Peace...Guy

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