My Inmotion V14 Adventure Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs

[Marty Backe]

5 hours ago, dimos15 said:

 Nice review! Do you know if the batteries are potted? Also you should get some motorcycle boots, check Dainese Torque 3 Out

I do not. And yes, I'm looking into more boots to replace my existing motorcycle boots.

[Marty Backe]

I Dodged A Bullet

Went to grab the V14 to ride to Overheat Hill for my test, and the wheel wouldn't balance. A warning symbol in the display and beeping told me that there was an issue. The app diagnostics confirmed that one of the hall sensors failed.

I assume the failure occurred yesterday as I was riding the wheel around town, doing various curb drops as I was testing different shock settings. If so, a big win for Inmotion redundancy, otherwise maybe I'd be treating another broken foot 

I uploaded the diagnostics to Inmotion, but it looks like I'll be down until @Jason McNeil can get me a new motor. At least now I can see how difficult it is to change a tire/motor with the quick disconnect battery cables 
 

 

[meepmeepmayer]

@Marty Backe Your post above was posted in the Lynx thread accidentally. I moved it here. Just fyi

[Robse]

35 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

@Marty Backe Your post above was posted in the Lynx thread accidentally. I moved it here. Just fyi

thanku, was not able to find it

[novazeus]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

I Dodged A Bullet

Went to grab the V14 to ride to Overheat Hill for my test, and the wheel wouldn't balance. A warning symbol in the display and beeping told me that there was an issue. The app diagnostics confirmed that one of the hall sensors failed.

I assume the failure occurred yesterday as I was riding the wheel around town, doing various curb drops as I was testing different shock settings. If so, a big win for Inmotion redundancy, otherwise maybe I'd be treating another broken foot 

I uploaded the diagnostics to Inmotion, but it looks like I'll be down until @Jason McNeil can get me a new motor. At least now I can see how difficult it is to change a tire/motor with the quick disconnect battery cables 
 

 

did u try turning the wheel off then connecting the charger to the wheel, then plug the charger into the wall. without the app on, and see what the display says. then connect the app to the wheel with it energized just with the charger, then unplug from the wall, then the wheel, and then see if it will power on normally. 

[Marty Backe]

38 minutes ago, novazeus said:

did u try turning the wheel off then connecting the charger to the wheel, then plug the charger into the wall. without the app on, and see what the display says. then connect the app to the wheel with it energized just with the charger, then unplug from the wall, then the wheel, and then see if it will power on normally. 

Why would I do all that  The wheel is giving me diagnostics.

And besides, the control board just blew up. So no, it's not a firmware quirk 

[Marty Backe]

46 minutes ago, Robse said:

thanku, was not able to find it

Ooops 

Thanks 

[novazeus]

37 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Why would I do all that  The wheel is giving me diagnostics.

And besides, the control board just blew up. So no, it's not a firmware quirk 

because, my v13 gave me diagnostics as well two days in a row and i was able to clear the faults. two different error messages btw, i didn't screen shot the other one. 

ur just bad luck for wheel manufacturers. first the a2 now this.

this will put a damper on v14 sales. 

and yeah, i tried to upload and got zip.

Edited November 5, 2023 by novazeus

[novazeus]

34 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

And besides, the control board just blew up.

would u mind expounding on this?

how do u detect a control board blowing up? was there smoke?

[Marty Backe]

 

[novazeus]

13 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

 

haha, wonder how many deposits are gonna be returned by jason now? wasn't interested in a small, slow wheel, but this failure is a blemish on inmotion's quality, big time. u would think they'd make damn sure a reviewer's wheel was bulletproof. but first the a2, expected from gotway, now the v14 with quality control issues, not good. 

[Marty Backe]

16 minutes ago, novazeus said:

haha, wonder how many deposits are gonna be returned by jason now? wasn't interested in a small, slow wheel, but this failure is a blemish on inmotion's quality, big time. u would think they'd make damn sure a reviewer's wheel was bulletproof. but first the a2, expected from gotway, now the v14 with quality control issues, not good. 

There are too many people willing to change wheel orders based on a single failure. Things happen which isn't necessarily indicative of the entire product line.

My test V11 control board also failed before a test yet the V11 was a popular wheel.

[novazeus]

no excuse sending out a defective demo wheel, especially in this screwy type of business where people like me only get to see the wheels they buy and have delivered. lots of us don't have the big group of riders to compare wheels, and being a builder myself, i think they do a terrible job marketing the wheels, if jason wasn't around, they'd really be hurting. 

first, that a2 shuts off, the cost to repair ur leg is probably $50k, because somebody was asleep at the switch. now, inmotion sends out a defective wheel? i mean, what are the odds. i think i've owned 12 wheels now over the years, and never replaced a component. 

my theory on wheels is this, if u get one that does the job for u, take care of it, and don't beat it up for fun. i'm not a daredevil. idk why everybody thinks they need to raise evel knievel from the dead. but if that's ur sport/hobby, and u have great health insurance and a sedentary job, sure, break a leg or two. not me, the shit never heals right. 

but hey marty, next time ur in a group, and somebody has a new v13, with the cast spikes instead of the screw in type, please try it out. idk what inmotion did, but this new one i got is perfect. i can't imagine a better road suspension wheel, and pretty damn amazing in the pasture although i have extensively tested out there. 

not to be a conspiracy theorist, but if inmotion made improvements, i doubt they'd tell 1st batch owners. don't get me wrong, i absolutely love both of my v13's, and the first one is almost there, but this new one is plush. i swear i think they both have more torque now too. there have been software updates. btw, i think my error codes were caused by condensation on the cooling fins dripping on the rear panel. 

Edited November 5, 2023 by novazeus

[Marty Backe]

35 minutes ago, novazeus said:

no excuse sending out a defective demo wheel, especially in this screwy type of business where people like me only get to see the wheels they buy and have delivered. lots of us don't have the big group of riders to compare wheels, and being a builder myself, i think they do a terrible job marketing the wheels, if jason wasn't around, they'd really be hurting. 

first, that a2 shuts off, the cost to repair ur leg is probably $50k, because somebody was asleep at the switch. now, inmotion sends out a defective wheel? i mean, what are the odds. i think i've owned 12 wheels now over the years, and never replaced a component. 

my theory on wheels is this, if u get one that does the job for u, take care of it, and don't beat it up for fun. i'm not a daredevil. idk why everybody thinks they need to raise evel knievel from the dead. but if that's ur sport/hobby, and u have great health insurance and a sedentary job, sure, break a leg or two. not me, the shit never heals right. 

but hey marty, next time ur in a group, and somebody has a new v13, with the cast spikes instead of the screw in type, please try it out. idk what inmotion did, but this new one i got is perfect. i can't imagine a better road suspension wheel, and pretty damn amazing in the pasture although i have extensively tested out there. 

not to be a conspiracy theorist, but if inmotion made improvements, i doubt they'd tell 1st batch owners. don't get me wrong, i absolutely love both of my v13's, and the first one is almost there, but this new one is plush. i swear i think they both have more torque now too. there have been software updates. btw, i think my error codes were caused by condensation on the cooling fins dripping on the rear panel. 

Can't disagree with much of what you wrote. And you got the cost of the new ankle pretty close 

[novazeus]

36 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Can't disagree with much of what you wrote. And you got the cost of the new ankle pretty close 

it's sad. the weather is finally getting beautiful down here, rode about 30 miles on my road on the 2 v13's, nice and peaceful, a little cat stevens on pandora, nice.

but like ur very good advice, and why i won't recommend riding a wheel to anybody, i'm afraid what happened to u, been doing it longer than anybody, yet, out of commission, no fault of ur own. even without mechanical/electronic failures, they are extremely dangerous. i went down today when a 3' long black snake thought he had the right of way and slithered out in front of me, and then froze like a deer in headlights. my evasive maneuver to one of my 2x4's rails didn't work because the 2x4 broke, so me and the v13 went down in the grass, but the wheel spun around like i imagine they do when they break ankles. i have no pads and actually the grizzla tape is more adhesive than the new spikes, they are nothing. nbd, because i've finally convinced myself to sit down and enjoy getting all padded up. 

i'm gonna stick with the v13's. eevees is selling them for $3299 now. same price as the v14. 

i can't wait to hear ur comments on the build quality of the lynx. if that one craps out on u, time to switch to scooters.

and i want to add, i do have about the easiest road to ride on, i couldn't/wouldn't even attempt the rides in mountainous terrain. beautiful, but my gig requires me not to get hurt or animals will suffer. even retrieving amazon deliveries is tricky. it was gusty today too. i was thinking how great some aerodynamic one piece motorcycle suit would be, then i though, yeah, probably cost more than the wheel.

Edited November 5, 2023 by novazeus

[Robse]

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

 

Nah - sjiit happens , and as you say yourself, you didn't get off the wrong way, so this is actually a fantastic lucky event, and i still think it will be a fine wheel - at least as fine as an eX Treme, and even if both of these wheels in my view are some of the ugliest things that has ever been produced, with the exception of S9, but it is not a wheel, just a sphere without balls....    you have to remember not looking down, but forward when enjoying the ride.     And this year is not quite over yet, so I wonder if it will end up being just as exciting as 2022,  when Begode probably launches 3 new wheels soon, and EB follows suit, as a counterpart to the Lynx, which is a counterpart to Ex tReme or whatever     Let there be wheels !

[DavidB]

Saw your YT video on the V14 fault and thought Marty's dodged a bullet then came on here and see you had the same thought. It will be interesting to see what the issue turns out to be. It worked when you last road it but now doesn't start. My PC running Linux decided not to boot 2 days ago dropping into a Busybox Initramfs error on startup. Googling found it to be not uncommon and  gave a fix which worked for most but unfortunately not me as attempts to fix or bypass the error fail.

Annoying with a PC but with an EUC I don't mind that. If something is not 100% right I would want to know. I don't think I'd be comfortable getting it going through the complicated process proposed by Novazeus and knowing something is not right.

Edited November 5, 2023 by DavidB

[Robse]

12 minutes ago, DavidB said:

Saw your YT video on the V14 fault and thought Marty's dodged a bullet then came on here and see you had the same thought. It will be interesting to see what the issue turns out to be. It worked when you last road it but now doesn't start. My PC running Linux decided not to boot 2 days ago dropping into a Busybox Instaramfs error on startup. Googling found it to be not uncommon and  gave a fix which worked for most but unfortunately not me.

To me it sounds like the control board on startup found something not as it should be and shut down just it case even though it may work if you went through the complicated process proposed by Novazeus.

But there is resistance when trying to turn the wheel, from what I know a typical symptom of blown board ?

[woke rider]

Just because the board blew out doesn't mean that it was the board that was faulty. I wonder, if @Marty Backe had actually purchased his wheel, would he have the option to send it back to China to repair it?

[woke rider]

Or, could the customer send their wheel back to ewheels for a complete repair and inspction?

[novazeus]

9 hours ago, DavidB said:

Saw your YT video on the V14 fault and thought Marty's dodged a bullet then came on here and see you had the same thought. It will be interesting to see what the issue turns out to be. It worked when you last road it but now doesn't start. My PC running Linux decided not to boot 2 days ago dropping into a Busybox Initramfs error on startup. Googling found it to be not uncommon and  gave a fix which worked for most but unfortunately not me as attempts to fix or bypass the error fail.

Annoying with a PC but with an EUC I don't mind that. If something is not 100% right I would want to know. I don't think I'd be comfortable getting it going through the complicated process proposed by Novazeus and knowing something is not right.

i agree with u 100%.

there is no bigger chicken than me riding these wheels. 

if i hadn't deduced logically, because the wheels are stored in a non climatically controlled storage box, and we had just had our first cooler evenings, and having observed first hand a wheel stored inside with me last winter, would accumulate condensation on it's exterior overnight. florida's humidity is amazing. if u live in florida, and i am a state certified residential contractor and former owner of an air conditioning company, it's rare that u should ever open ur windows in florida. 

anyway, last year i put garbage bags over them and that solved the problem of condensation. 

i'm no electronics whiz, but for some reason, hooking the charger up seems to clear the fault. and logically, if u look at the way the v13 sits on it's kickstand, that makes a perfect storm. 

but back to ur point, ya, i just wanna ride, i don't want a hobby. 

u could easily die riding one of these at 5mph. atgatt. even then didn't help marty or many others.

ride no faster than u want to hit the pavement. that's about inline speed skating speed for me. 20mph. 

but, haha, whose word are u gonna take that the wheel is safe. marty just got two duds from the manufacturers, haha, their best work.

we're in trouble!

[woke rider]

46 minutes ago, novazeus said:

but, haha, whose word are u gonna take that the wheel is safe. marty just got two duds from the manufacturers, haha, their best work.

I know, I fear for Marty's well being. I hate to see such an honest man as Marty keep on getting hurt. Maybe the wheel he is breaking in and working on could be sold over retail and Marty could get a royalty or something.

Edited November 5, 2023 by earthtwin
onemorething

[novazeus]

i'd like to add, my new v13 came with a bad charger, ie the fan never kicked on, and that caused the charger to stop charging, and it also threw an error code on the old v13 that i couldn't clear until i hooked up the old charger that works. 

kudos to inmotion because they have already sent me the tracking number for the replacement charger.

but marty's leg must be really bothering him if he thinks plugging in a charger is too much work.

i just bag them in winter. just inspected them and no moisture.

 

[Unventor]

Sorry to hear you had issues with the test unit @Marty Backe.

I guess that in a way it is good that the wheels do startup diagnostic. Annoying as it is these warni gs should not be ignored. 

It reminds me that despite being bad for some riders I still see why Kingsong had that speed unlock after a ride distance setting on new units. 

However I wish any rider should never have problems these things do still happen. Not just in EUC market. 

That is also kinfa why I am glad it launches out of riding season in my area. It gives me some time to consider if This is a good option to change into from my V11. 

[UPONIT]

On 11/4/2023 at 7:35 PM, novazeus said:

haha, wonder how many deposits are gonna be returned by jason now? wasn't interested in a small, slow wheel, but this failure is a blemish on inmotion's quality, big time. u would think they'd make damn sure a reviewer's wheel was bulletproof. but first the a2, expected from gotway, now the v14 with quality control issues, not good. 

The conclusions you draw here aren't logical. Making "damn sure a reviwer's wheel was bulletproof" would defeat the purpose of test units. The point is to test the product that is coming off the line so that flaws can be corrected. Doing something special to a unit to be tested makes it unrepresentative and prevents the company from uncovering errors that need addressing. 

I feel like a broken record here... fried board aside, wasn't the Hall sensor failure kind of a vindication of the redundancy built in to the wheel? He completed his ride on the redundant sensor and then the failed sensor kept the wheel from being used again until it is fixed. Right?

Yes, it would be nice if things were perfect. But this is reality. There is a difference between a negligent, widespread flaw and an occasional failed part. If you want your opinions to be based on reality as much as possible, remember that one bad incident in a YouTube video is not in any way representative of reality. You can't draw conclusions based on it, or predict outcomes. It is statistically meaningless.

Yes, it is almost always good to have information. Marty's testing and informing is welcome and appreciated. But what you do with that information matters.