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Inmotion v8 first 50km review


Bram

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As some of you might know I recently started my EUC adventure. After some consultation with you guys I ended up purchasing the Inmotion v8 because it combines an 800w engine (I'm a 90-95kg guy) with a decent battery pack (480wh) and still relatively light (14-15 kg) at a good price point. 

Short version (2 main lessons and conclusion):

  1. Respect low battery, really take it easy when battery drops below 20%
  2. Don't try to show off to friends by speeding away

Awesome wheel that also works for EUC starters.

Long version:

So keep in mind this is my first wheel ever. After packing it in the sleeve and adding some extra protective padding I started learning inside my house for about 10 minutes going backwards and forwards trying to get the balance on the wheel. After that I moved outside with some more room but still have something to grab on to to stabilize myself. Within an hour of practicing like this I managed to keep driving slow rounds on the machine and feel confident enough to take it for a small spin on the bicycle path. Here I noticed that when I was going faster the wheel started wobbling from left  (\) to right (/), as it turns out this was mostly due to inexperience. After gliding like 50km it's already noticeably less and I'm quite confident that with time it'll disappear completely.

The next day I took the wheel into the city center and some grocery shopping totaling another hour and a half of driving. Still some wobbling but already getting better. Everything went very smooth and I'm quite content with the way the wheel was handling the urban obstacles like speed bumps, cracks in the road and (slight) bridge inclines. I don't have a frame of reference for other wheels but the acceleration is still great for a guy my weight. I must admit that after these rides my calves were telling me to take it easy, probably because I'm not used to EUC yet but I also think the hard plastic pads on the v8 are partly to blame. I actually added some extra padding here to make it a bit more comfortable to ride, and even though it helps a bit the jury is still out on whether or not I'll be comfortable on long rides. 

During the weekend (total distance ~25km) took my wheel out for a small spin, when I left it still had 23% battery, so I thought I'd drain it a little bit more before charging. As it turns out this was not the best idea ever. After driving for 1,5 km I started getting warning sounds from the machine, so I decided to turn around and head back home, stood still to check the battery and it was still at 19%. I didn't get my cellphone out to check the battery % when actually driving (stupid me) so I figured I would still be fine to get home. But apparently the v8 thought that I was leaning foward too much and decided to do aggressive tiltback to force me to stop. Still inexperienced as I was I slowed down but because of the aggressive tiltback I actually steered a bit right at the end cause my wheel to leave the asfalt and fall of a 10-15 distance to the grass but not before getting scratches on the pedal on one side. The protection I put on the machine did not prevent this, so yeah first scratches are the hardest, so better to get them in fast, right;)? Basically shouldn't have pushed the machine so much on the empty battery because I managed to drive back the 1,5km without any problems whilst going 15 km/h. Learning curve, when it starts warning you on low battery really take it easy :).

During the weekdays I took out the wheel for a number of testdrives, it turns out I can actually get to the trainstation in less than 7 minutes, which by bike takes at least nearly ten minutes without actually putten the bike away. Very promising for my commute starting next January. Yesterday I took the wheel over to some of my friends since I was so enthusiastic about it. And I couldn't help myself showing off the awesome acceleration of this wheel. So even though I should've known better I leaned forwards more than I usually do ending in.... as you experience guys probably know.... a cutout of the machine (without warning). I was really happy to be wearing wrist protection and very unhappy that I thought I wouldn't need knee protection (as they are now pretty banged up. So especially to the starting drivers a note that showing off your wheel to your friends is cool, but nearly faceplanting definitely isn't (is cause for a good laugh though). 

Overall I'm really happy with this unit, the learning curve, top speed and stability for a guy my weight is awesome. One thing I haven't mentioned is the amount of attention people are giving me, EUC are not that common in the Netherlands but a lot of people turn their heads to see what's going on, ask what I'm doing, make sounds of general approving the awesomeness of driving this wheel. So be warned, driving this unit might get you attention ;).  I also just received my charge doctor, so I'll be showing you some stats from the chargecycle and mileage soon. I'll also keep you guys posted on how the next 100-150km goes and how it works out in my commute from January.

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1 hour ago, Bram said:

I must admit that after these rides my calves were telling me to take it easy, probably because I'm not used to EUC yet but I also think the hard plastic pads on the v8 are partly to blame. I actually added some extra padding here to make it a bit more comfortable to ride, and even though it helps a bit the jury is still out on whether or not I'll be comfortable on long rides. 

You will see that with more experience, you will even not need to touch the wheel on it's side anymore!

 

1 hour ago, Bram said:

And I couldn't help myself showing off the awesome acceleration of this wheel. So even though I should've known better I leaned forwards more than I usually do ending in.... as you experience guys probably know.... a cutout of the machine (without warning). I was really happy to be wearing wrist protection and very unhappy that I thought I wouldn't need knee protection (as they are now pretty banged up. So especially to the starting drivers a note that showing off your wheel to your friends is cool, but nearly faceplanting definitely isn't (is cause for a good laugh though). 

I say it like this: My worst falls i have made because of overconfidence, showing what a great hero i am with  my wheel....This ended up in a 33kmh Crash!

 

Another Thing: If the machine cuts out completly...was it on low battery? or on a really high Speed? or very cold?

 i am asking because it is a bit unusual that the machine cutouts because of aggressive acceleration!

 

Yip...you can "overlean" a 800Watt wheel...but it should not result in a complete cutout...just should result in a  fall as the wheel can not come with you so fast...with you dropping "over".

Even not with your weight a cutout is ok...with clothes i am 105kg and i never had a cutout on my wheels!!! KS14 800 Watt, KS16 800 Watt and some stronger models....

I would only say this behavior is "normal"...or "acceptable" if the battery was very, very low or you were over the max Speed! 

I have to say i have not driven an V8...but as i heard a lot good things..i found this a bit "scary" when it is not like this...

 

 

Nice Report!!!

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The good thing about making your own mistakes is that it allows you recognise them when you make them again. ?

Well done with starting. Sounds like you learn fast.

 Try to wear all your protection all the time, if you don't want banged up knees, elbows, wrists, heads, yes both ?

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30 minutes ago, KingSong69 said:

You will see that with more experience, you will even not need to touch the wheel on it's side anymore!

Nice thing to look forward to :) 

30 minutes ago, KingSong69 said:

Another Thing: If the machine cuts out completly...was it on low battery? or on a really high Speed? or very cold?

 i am asking because it is a bit unusual that the machine cutouts because of aggressive acceleration

Yip...you can "overlean" a 800Watt wheel...but it should not result in a complete cutout...just should result in a  fall as the wheel can not come with you so fast...with you dropping "over".

Even not with your weight a cutout is ok...with clothes i am 105kg and i never had a cutout on my wheels!!! KS14 800 Watt, KS16 800 Watt and some stronger models....

I would only say this behavior is "normal"...or "acceptable" if the battery was very, very low or you were over the max Speed! 

I have to say i have not driven an V8...but as i heard a lot good things..i found this a bit "scary" when it is not like this...

Now that you mention it I cannot be 100% sure that the machine cutout. Weirdly enough I can't tell you for sure what happened in the split second I fell :P. I think the overleaning with hitting the max speed situation is more likely than a cutout, but like I said it happened so fast I can't be sure either way. Even though the fall scratched me up I'm not scared at all to get on this machine, it's been really dutiful so far and I really feel like it's my mistake rather than the wheels' fault. As long as you don't show off more than you can handle this wheel's great imo :D.

30 minutes ago, KingSong69 said:

Nice Report!!!

Thanks!

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34 minutes ago, Smoother said:

The good thing about making your own mistakes is that it allows you recognise them when you make them again. ?

Well done with starting. Sounds like you learn fast.

 Try to wear all your protection all the time, if you don't want banged up knees, elbows, wrists, heads, yes both ?

Yeah I guess that even though I read about speeding and the dangers on this forum I had to experience it for myself :P and thanks for the compliment. As for protection ... I'm going to get some more (at least knees) ;) 

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1 hour ago, Bram said:

Now that you mention it I cannot be 100% sure that the machine cutout. Weirdly enough I can't tell you for sure what happened in the split second I fell :P. I think the overleaning with hitting the max speed situation is more likely than a cutout, but like I said it happened so fast I can't be sure either way

Ok...then everything seams fine! Just an over confidence beginner overlean ;-)

Roll on :-)

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Nice beginner review~

4 hours ago, Bram said:

During the weekend (total distance ~25km) took my wheel out for a small spin, when I left it still had 23% battery, so I thought I'd drain it a little bit more before charging.

I wouldn't recommend "draining" the battery (except for the very first time or extremely occasional time you are trying to retrain the battery range memory). This puts unnecessary stress on the Lithium battery and reduces its longevity / cycle count.

I personally charge / top-off frequently, which is perfectly fine for Lithium battery tech. I do this partly because the EUC's performance at 30% is usually not the same as its performance at 75% or 100%, etc...

Also, keep in mind: 1.) like all Lithium battery tech, EUC battery levels and performance dip towards the extremes of cold / heat, even if actual capacity is more than being displayed (ala cell phones, etc), and 2.) EUC battery meters and percentages are not a completely accurate measure of battery level, just an approximation FWIW.

 

5 hours ago, Bram said:

So even though I should've known better I leaned forwards more than I usually do ending in.... as you experience guys probably know.... a cutout of the machine (without warning).

Ha!, we've all been there. (hope you're okay; most times, it's more an ego bruise than actually physical harm)

All EUCs have limitation in degree of acceleration and deceleration, so you must act and plan accordingly. Going past this threshold will result in overlean / overcurrent motor protection cutout (cutout, as in the wheel stops balancing, but remains on, as opposed to shutdown, where everything turns off). This also gets compounded on lower battery and / or towards the extremes of cold / heat (ie. reduced battery performance).  If too extreme and sudden, there is no time for the EUC to give you warning, unlike over-speed warnings where you must build speed from zero, giving the machine more time to sound the appropriate alarms.

Adopting good habits will prevent this. Make sure to lean from your hips / legs, not your whole upper torso / body, which will create more gradual accelerations.

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Congratulation for your wheel and your first experience.
The V8 is a great unit !
I rarely heard about cut-out on the V5 and V8. To me those are the safest on the market.
But as it has been stated on other posts please lean from your hips instead of your upper body and you won't experiment any overlean anymore.

Battery, I charged my 1st V5 and V8 to 100% (green light) before using them, 
but I didn't do it for my 2nd V8 and I found myself experimenting the gradual tiltback when the app where showing 65%. (very safe tiltback actually)
I finished pushing the wheel usingthe built-in trolley. I charged it to the green light when back home and never got that problem anymore so far.
 

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On 15/12/2016 at 1:06 PM, Bram said:

at a good price point.

would you be willing to share the details?

On 15/12/2016 at 6:50 PM, Pagsy said:

But as it has been stated on other posts please lean from your hips instead of your upper body and you won't experiment any overlean anymore.

I suggest to lean forward "from your knees", keeping all body parts above the knees in the very same vertical positioning. It works great, it is surprisingly effective (so be careful in the first trials), and it is most likely the safest way to accelerate, because in case of a imminent overlean one will automatically bent the knees even more (which is the right thing to do) and when losing the wheel it is easier to only move the lower leg forward to prevent a fall.

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13 minutes ago, Mono said:

would you be willing to share the details?

Sure, I paid a little under €800 to import the unit to the Netherlands from China. Ordered extra charger, sleeve, protective foam, spare outer tire and a charge doctor v2 for about another €100.

Quote

I suggest to lean forward "from your knees", keeping all body parts above the knees in the very same vertical positioning. It works great, it is surprisingly effective (so be careful in the first trials), and it is most likely the safest way to accelerate, because in case of a imminent overlean it is easier to move only the lower leg back forward to prevent a fall.

Yeah I usually accelerate with my lower body (like everyone is saying :)), not the full body lean like I did to "show off"<_<. Guess I had to learn the hard way :P 

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43 minutes ago, Bram said:

Sure, I paid a little under €800 to import the unit to the Netherlands from China.

Looks like an excellent price, which vendor did you get it from?

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The pedal support arms inside are shorter than on other wheels, this in combination with 21cm long pedals.. Imagine a virtual triangle between the front and back ends of the pedal and up to the wheel axle, you may understand what I mean. I have the V5F+ and have overleaned it myself, twice even! It's definitely easier than with other wheels, but still possible on most other wheels too.. With these Inmotion wheels you can more easily tilt down the pedals and go full power (or more) very quickly! We love the agressive response it can push out it's a great selling point in itself together with more agility and ground clearance too. But it's pretty natural to want to test more and more force.. until you find the limit. Like was said it's usually a beginners mistake :)

With a few wheels it's practically impossible to overaccelerate because the pedals hang much lower down from the wheel axle and/or the pedals are shorter. The virtual triangle that I mentioned looks very different, so your ability to tilt the wheel will be much weaker.. That can be better for stability but you can't have both max stability and max tilting ability at the same time as these counter each other.. Less tilt stability, but you gain control and acceleration!

Oh, and 80% of accidents come from showing off, yeah I just made that statistic up but you get the point.. In my experience I only overtilted my V5F+ two times and both times I tried to show off how awesome the accel was! (would have been if I didn't run/fall off...)

Congrats on the V8 excellent choice!

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10 hours ago, Mono said:

Looks like an excellent price, which vendor did you get it from?

ali express i would guess..seller "rockwheel store" is very reputable...ask for a discount and there you are..about 800 bucks to your door....i ordered my KS18 and v3 there!

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15 hours ago, Mono said:

Looks like an excellent price, which vendor did you get it from?

Like KindSong69 guessed from aliexpress. The vendor I choose is Fineone, I actually payed through him through paypal because I was ordering the extra items. He send the package within 2 days of my order and it arrived on my doorstep 13 days later (7-15 days shipping indication). So I'm pretty happy with this vendor:D.

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I got 2 V8s from Aliexpress for less than $800 each ! ..  just don't be in a rush as the delivery took 3 weeks to a month :) 

Also one of them came with the european plug + an adapter + the manual in spanish !

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Just a quick question there do you think it would be possible to connect a  portable solar panel on my bagback while riding ? .... beetween  I don't have a wheel yet ... in looking to get the V8 as well as I'm 210 lbs  

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3 hours ago, PatLav said:

Just a quick question there do you think it would be possible to connect a  portable solar panel on my bagback while riding ? .... beetween  I don't have a wheel yet ... in looking to get the V8 as well as I'm 210 lbs  

INMOTION unicycles have 20S batteries (nominal voltage 72V, charger voltage 84V). A mobile solar panel usually outputs only 5V (USB-Connector). So this is much too low to charge a wheel. Sorry, but this doesn't fit. 

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3 hours ago, PatLav said:

Just a quick question there do you think it would be possible to connect a  portable solar panel on my bagback while riding ? .... beetween  I don't have a wheel yet ... in looking to get the V8 as well as I'm 210 lbs  

V8 (and I believe also V5) don't allow charging while the wheel is turned on / in use so you'll be only able to re-charge the wheel while not riding.

17 minutes ago, One said:

INMOTION unicycles have 20S batteries (nominal voltage 72V, charger voltage 84V). A mobile solar panel usually outputs only 5V (USB-Connector). So this is much too low to charge a wheel. Sorry, but this doesn't fit. 

You can get various "portable" solar panels with voltages up to 24V and then you'd need to use DC / DC convertor to be able  to charge the wheel. However unless you'll attach the trailer with several square meters of panels you'll be unable to really gain much power from those small portable ones. Those might give you a bit of extra range if you'd lets say drive at the morning to the remote location (like beach) where you'll stay for most of the day and  manage then charge the battery a bit to be able to return home.

I'm using this DC / DC converter with my 12V portable panel but the gain is really negligible unless you charge for several hours.

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4 hours ago, PatLav said:

Just a quick question there do you think it would be possible to connect a  portable solar panel on my bagback while riding ? .... beetween  I don't have a wheel yet ... in looking to get the V8 as well as I'm 210 lbs  

 My charger says it outputs67.2 v at 2 A dc.  I haven't done any specific research, but I suspect you would need a small trailer of solar panels to get the voltage up that high, and I don't know about the amps.  Plugged direct, you would have no protection circuitry, and converting to AC ( to put the charger in the circuit) you would need a suitable inverter, possibly pure sine wave too.

better to stop for a coffee somewhere where they will let you plug in for 45 min or so.

but I'm not electronics expert.  

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2 hours ago, Smoother said:

Plugged direct, you would have no protection circuitry, and converting to AC ( to put the charger in the circuit) you would need a suitable inverter, possibly pure sine wave too.

There is no point in converting the DC solar panel output voltage to high (110 / 220 - 240) DC voltage and then again down to DC 67.2 - 82V. It would require  two large converter and result in too much loses. Simply use direct DC / DC convertor instead.

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thx lots for the replys guys !! ... anyway I did ordered a V8  ill get it by february .. i dont mind waiting .. its winter time here and wont be able to use it anyway :) .... im noobie  with Uwheel im sure it will take me a while to control this machine heheh .. im very exited to try it :D

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