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Inmotion V8 - your thoughts and Impressions ... Now with extensive review included


HEC

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9 hours ago, steve454 said:

@HEC It's the shiniest.  If I get one, it will be the black one and I will wax it:lol:

I'd say it needs some anti-static coating as currently it's attracting the dust like crazy ...

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1 hour ago, HEC said:

I'd say it needs some anti-static coating as currently it's attracting the dust like crazy ...

You are currently doing all of the grunt work? Thanks! When mine arrives I will be ready to go! I owe you ?

I found this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Plexo-Anti-Static-Plastic-Cleaner/dp/B000LF7YJ4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

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1 hour ago, Rehab1 said:

You are currently doing all of the grunt work? Thanks! When mine arrives I will be ready to go! I owe you ?

I found this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Plexo-Anti-Static-Plastic-Cleaner/dp/B000LF7YJ4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I'd say some computer / TV screen anti-static cleaner will do as well ... as long as it's not scented ;) 

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On 9/26/2016 at 8:07 AM, HEC said:

I'd say some computer / TV screen anti-static cleaner will do as well ... as long as it's not scented ;) 

Toughen up big guy!

 

 

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2 hours ago, Greg Spalding said:

i did NOT give permission to have my picture used above.... :P

I am just sitting here in my office LMAO! This topic has evolved from 'Inmotion V8-Your Thoughts and Impressions' to this. OMG! I am sure the presidential debate tonight will be the same.... far off topic:blink:

 

News release!!!! Trump supports allowing EUCs on aircraft!

 

trump.gif

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6 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

I am just sitting here in my office LMAO! This topic has evolved from 'Inmotion V8-Your Thoughts and Impressions' to this. OMG! I am sure the presidential debate tonight will be the same.... far off topic:blink:

i'm not sure i can even stomach the debate

i was SO looking forward to it months ago.... now, the idea of EITHER of them, quite frankly, make me nauseous (not trying to elicit a political debate, of course)

 

oh.... and, glad i gave you a good chuckle... 

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Just a bit "side note" in regards V8. Yesterday I was poking around "removable" battery and external cover options (and also looking for a spot where to stash nicely GPS tracker) and frankly I must say this is so far the most disappointing "feature" of V8 :(:(

There is in total THIRTEEN tap in screws which needs to be removed to free the battery (2 holding the translucent side cover, 11 holding the battery itself)!! The cover have 12 fairly weak / easy to snap off tabs (as @Jason McNeil witnessed by taking his wheel apart) which require you to hold down the wheel while rotating the whole side panel anticlockwise by about 8 mm. Considering the smooth slippery surface of the wheel this is almost impossible task for one person even at comfort of your home or office as the "lid" sits really tight and has no way of gripping on it / applying the rotating force. I can't really imagine doing this outdoor on ground ... took me over an hour to open and then again close it on my own last night.

After Inmotion advertising this as one of the main features it's a big let down. All the tap in screws are fairly short and the plastic columns they're tapping in are thin so I can't see those lasting more than several removals and re-inserts before they become permanently loose. Half of the battery screws are also deep sank so it's pretty tricky to remove and re-insert those even with tweezers. The battery type on my V8 seems to be the "old" type - with 3 plugs - 2 + 2 pins for charging and discharging and 5 pin "auxiliary" plug.

So if you we're hoping (like me ) to be able to extend your range by swapping the batteries "in field" I can assure you that at it's current state it's a very tricky procedure so unless IM will change / improve on this point I'd avoid using this option regularly. Even as an "emergency" you'd still need to log around oddly shaped heavy battery pack, bunch of tools, something to place your wheel on outdoors to avoid scratching and most likely also a roll of duct tape after you'll kick the V8 to pieces in anger and frustration while trying to swap the battery ... :blink:

Originally (already aware of the tap in screws though not about such large count) I was hoping to replace screws with M1.6 or M2 screws and use the knurled nut inserts to make this more practical to remove and safe to keep mounted but so far I'm not  sure it's feasible with the current V8 shell. There are two parts of the issue - translucent cover removal (and re-insert) and the battery pack. Both are currently a major PITA and only thing I can think of right now is to get rid of all screws and all tabs and fit both cover as well as battery pack using Velcros only. That would though have negative impact on wheels IP55 rating / dust and water resistance so not really best solution. At the moment I don't want to poke around too much and end up with unusable wheel (I've clocked just under 100 Km on it so far) so I'll leave this as long as the weather will remain in favour of EUC riding.

Of course if you've never considered swapping battery as an option and about 32 Km range on full charge which can be squeezed out of V8 even with heavier rider and at higher speed range is well within your needs you might consider this as a minor (or non-existent) problem. It has no impact on the quality or safety of the ride apart of towards end of the battery capacity when wheel first slows you down and later on politely but firmly "kicks you" out.

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all this above puzzles me, quite frankly and PERHAPS pushes me back to the KS-16 camp

not because of the battery swap, which we all now know is, for all intents and purposes, impossible.... but, because of the "OLD" type battery

what's with that?

at this point, the KS-16 is calling my name

but, Inmotion has such a great reputation... we've been waiting a long time for the V8, but now it seems as if it has been "rushed to market," nonetheless

hmmmmmm

 

as always..... the info above is CRITICAL and MUCH APPRECIATED

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57 minutes ago, HEC said:

There is in total THIRTEEN tap in screws which needs to be removed to free the battery (2 holding the translucent side cover, 11 holding the battery itself)!! The cover have 12 fairly weak / easy to snap off tabs (as @Jason McNeil witnessed by taking his wheel apart) which require you to hold down the wheel while rotating the whole side panel anticlockwise by about 8 mm

UGH!!! Again you are kindly doing all of the grunt work! I remember posting an Inmotion video a few weeks back showing 2 guys manhandling the V8 just to remove the covers. I will gladly follow your lead when it comes to any easy access modifications you develop!

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@HEC Thanks for this info.  Frustrating to hear, but important information to be aware of.  Makes making a decision even harder.  Do you go with the V8 with the latest innovation, great reliability but lacking in battery size and poor execution of battery swap or the heavier KS16 with possible QC problems down the road to have to deal with.  These are not cheap so researching and learning as much as you can is important but...What a roller coaster it has been.  Thanks again for your input.  I'm always eager to hear people's opinions on their purchases.

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2 hours ago, HEC said:

There is in total THIRTEEN tap in screws which needs to be removed to free the battery (2 holding the translucent side cover, 11 holding the battery itself)!! The cover have 12 fairly weak / easy to snap off tabs (as @Jason McNeil witnessed by taking his wheel apart) which require you to hold down the wheel while rotating the whole side panel anticlockwise by about 8 mm. Considering the smooth slippery surface of the wheel this is almost impossible task for one person even at comfort of your home or office as the "lid" sits really tight and has no way of gripping on it / applying the rotating force. I can't really imagine doing this outdoor on ground ... took me over an hour to open and then again close it on my own last night.

Trying to think ahead before my V8 arrives. I bought these 4 suction cups from Amazon to hopefully provide a better grip on the shells when attempting to rotate them off.

https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Vacuum-Suction-Handle-Puller/dp/B00TRCPUG6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1474912980&sr=8-4&keywords=mini++glass+suction+cups

71XhQyjKZuL._SL1500_.jpg

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2 hours ago, Greg Spalding said:

not because of the battery swap, which we all now know is, for all intents and purposes, impossible.... but, because of the "OLD" type battery

what's with that?

My "old" battery comment refers to the (not so old, just now "new" design") original V8 battery pack as per below post in this thread:

At another thread (can't find it now though) @Jason McNeil've posted a picture from IM showing "improved" battery pack to "simplify" the battery swap. But the whole improvement was that IM merged 2 pin charging plug and 5 pin AUX plug into one 7 pin plug on 7 wire flat ribbon cable which I personally found worse so I'm actually glad to receive the original "old" plug design (battery packs are otherwise exactly same). Also see my response there to this "improvement". So this would concern anyone only if they plan to actually remove battery pack or purchase the additional one and then to be sure to get the one with correct plugs configuration (though IM might have dropped the whole "improvement" idea completely from the final design).

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2 hours ago, HEC said:

There is in total THIRTEEN tap in screws which needs to be removed to free the battery (2 holding the translucent side cover, 11 holding the battery itself)!!

From the pre-production Wheel I have, these are not positive developments: in this Wheel (pre-production) there were no screws holding the battery in place, it fit snugly, with the external shell keeping it tightly in place. I need to have a talk with my IM contact to find out why the stuff that was promised in the 'Production' release hasn't been implement, grhh... 

I'm getting one of these 'Production' V8s from Cali, but it's still going to take a couple to reach here. @HEC in your opinion are the 11 battery screws even necessary? 

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7 minutes ago, Jason McNeil said:

@HEC in your opinion are the 11 battery screws even necessary?

Personally - I'd say it's beyond overkill - 3 or 4 max would do just fine IMO. Unless they've designed it that inner shell is "holding" onto the battery to improve it's strength rather than other way around I can't imagine any logical reason behind including so many screws. Zero would be the best number with snug fit, some thin rubber coating and Velcro to keep it all in place. I'd probably try to modify the bay and pack to achieve this but it still doesn't address the issue with external translucent shell :( 

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3 hours ago, Sketch said:

@HEC can you tell us level of sound while running compared to the ks16?  Is the V8 quieter?  Thanks

It's definitely much more quiet than KS-16 ... my first thought was "where has my jet engine sound gone?" :D The high pitch PWM noise ("tinnitus") is a brand sound for KS and GW wheels and needs some time to get used to it. And then ... when it's gone ... you'll miss it ... :rolleyes:

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