My ACM2 Triumphs, Tribulations, and Failures

[Marty Backe]

3 hours ago, Scott Henley said:

@Marty Backe, the 67v topped out about 25mph. Hoping this will take me to 30 or more ...any experience with top end speed ?

~25-mph is my comfortable top-end speed. I can say that the ACM2 will go 25-mph with very little effort. Just pay strict attention to the 3rd alarm if you're going to push it to the extremes.

[Rehab1]

8 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

I suppose you have a large cupboard and a "baby head" mask too?

Did @Rehab1 ship you the mask with the control board?

The baby mask remained with me. I’m sure it will be used frequently when my wife finds out my intentions.  

[Scott Henley]

7 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

~25-mph is my comfortable top-end speed. I can say that the ACM2 will go 25-mph with very little effort. Just pay strict attention to the 3rd alarm if you're going to push it to the extremes.

I will certainly use caution . This small town of mine has one major advantage ...low traffic and smooth pavement and awesome police  . I had a cop stop me the other day on my ACM . I was doing about 22 just cruising down the street . He pulls over and goes “hey I saw you earlier today but from my vantage point I couldn’t see your legs ...just your upper body flying down the street . I was so confused . Wow that’s awesome be safe and have fun “ ?

[Scott Henley]

Well. Made up my mind . Skipped the ACM2 and just ordered the same msuper that @Charles McLean got . Tesla motor version . So excited. 

[yourtoys7]

@Marty Backe how did you get that colour? or both available from Jason?

Im still debating what to upgrade to this summer, ha ha. Z10, Tesla or maybe acm v2 (this was my 1st high performance wheel, lots of good memories).

[Charles McLean]

49 minutes ago, yourtoys7 said:

@Marty Backe how did you get that colour? or both available from Jason?

Im still debating what to upgrade to this summer, ha ha. Z10, Tesla or maybe acm v2 (this was my 1st high performance wheel, lots of good memories).

The Z10 looks really interesting.  I'm very curious about the 18" diameter wheel with 4" width and how well it handles rough terrain.  Even more so, I'm very interested in the internals of the Z10, the shell looks very well put together and the wiring looks like it might have some redundancy in terms of electronics.  The only thing I am not a fan of so far is the small battery size, like the Tesla.

[yourtoys7]

2 hours ago, Charles McLean said:

The Z10 looks really interesting.  I'm very curious about the 18" diameter wheel with 4" width and how well it handles rough terrain.  Even more so, I'm very interested in the internals of the Z10, the shell looks very well put together and the wiring looks like it might have some redundancy in terms of electronics.  The only thing I am not a fan of so far is the small battery size, like the Tesla.

Agree on most points, battery is ok, I have 1300 on my Msuper and I always have 40-60% left. If im gonna take longer trips I'll just carry my fast charger and it could always be topped up. BUT mostly Im looking forward to see Safety changes compare to other wheels. 4" tire will act as suspension :))

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, yourtoys7 said:

Agree on most points, battery is ok, I have 1300 on my Msuper and I always have 40-60% left. If im gonna take longer trips I'll just carry my fast charger and it could always be topped up. BUT mostly Im looking forward to see Safety changes compare to other wheels. 4" tire will act as suspension :))

 

3 hours ago, Charles McLean said:

The Z10 looks really interesting.  I'm very curious about the 18" diameter wheel with 4" width and how well it handles rough terrain.  Even more so, I'm very interested in the internals of the Z10, the shell looks very well put together and the wiring looks like it might have some redundancy in terms of electronics.  The only thing I am not a fan of so far is the small battery size, like the Tesla.

 

4 hours ago, yourtoys7 said:

@Marty Backe how did you get that colour? or both available from Jason?

Im still debating what to upgrade to this summer, ha ha. Z10, Tesla or maybe acm v2 (this was my 1st high performance wheel, lots of good memories).

Jason put a special order in for me. He mentioned that he's thinking about getting some blue shells in from Gotway for anyone who wants to upgrade the shell from the black ones that he is now selling. I really like the blue.

The reason that I've decided to buy the Z10 vs the other new wheels that are coming out is its uniqueness. The Inmotion and 18L aren't that much different then my existing 16 and 18 inch wheels. The Z10 looks to offer a much more unique riding experience.

[electricpen]

I haven't had the time to give the ACM2 a proper run down but I have put about 18 miles on it running daily errands and one long sprint up a hill and back just to test it. These are my first impressions. At first, I felt like I was getting speed wobbles and I did lose 11 psi in 4 days so I will be monitoring the tire pressure regularly to see if that is a trend. I have not yet slimed the tire.

For me, it feels like it wants to lean slightly to the left but I'm not sure if that's the wheel or some kind of compensation habit I developed from riding a KS-16s for a few weeks with a bent rim on one side... I'm going to give it a bit more time. I feel like it goes about as fast as I'd ever want to but it also feels a little slower to accelerate and decelerate than the KS-16s. Kind of like more power but slightly longer ramp-up. I used to decelerate so hard on the KS-16s that I would hit the 3rd alarm warning beep when trying to stop sometimes. It may be that as I get more comfortable on it and can start pushing it more aggressively it could equal or exceed the KS in this regard - I've been pretty slow and cautious with it for the most part since the first 100 miles or so is probably the most dangerous time for a Gotway wheel. I've scraped the pedal only when testing the smallest 360 circle radius I could make. It seems fine although possibly it scrapes slightly earlier than a KS-16s does. If so it isn't enough of a difference to change how you ride it in any way, it feels just as maneuverable in heavy pedestrian traffic as the KS-16s was.

The trolly installed by Jason is pretty solidly attached and seems high quality. This is my first time using one of these rear mounted pusher-style trollys. It takes a bit of getting used to. Its does work but it isn't as intuitive as the middle mounted ones on the KS 16 and 14. The other thing is I used to pick up my KS16 by the trolly when fully extended to hop it up a curb or whatever but I don't think you can do that with this style of trolly. It has been harder to learn how to maneuver it properly than it has to ride it (assuming you are already an experienced rider). The two times it got the closest to going out of control and hitting the pavement were both when pushing it and having it almost run away from me. I'm getting used to it though.

Anyways I'm satisfied with my purchase, I think this wheel will be able to fill all of my transportation needs for now and has what feels like limitless range compared to the KS-16s.

[Smoother]

13 minutes ago, electricpen said:

The trolly installed by Jason is pretty solidly attached and seems high quality. This is my first time using one of these rear mounted pusher-style trollys. It takes a bit of getting used to. Its does work but it isn't as intuitive as the middle mounted ones on the KS 16 and 14. The other thing is I used to pick up my KS16 by the trolly when fully extended to hop it up a curb or whatever but I don't think you can do that with this style of trolly.

2

Have you tried turning it around when you want to trolley it and pull it like a castor wheel. Good point about picking it up by the trolley, I pick my ks16 up with the extended handle for steps too.  I think you might break a rear mounted trolley if you tried that.  Have you tried it?

[Scott Henley]

44 minutes ago, electricpen said:

 

. This is my first time using one of these rear mounted pusher-style trollys. It takes a bit of getting used to. Its does work but it isn't as intuitive as the middle mounted ones on the KS 16 and 14. The other thing is I used to pick up my KS16 by the trolly when fully extended to hop it up a curb or whatever but I don't think you can do that with this style of trolly. 

This is my worry with the new wheel I bought too. I’m used to the king song style trolley . The msuper I bought Is a bit different than the ACM in that it’s actually inside the wheel but still at the back end . 

Really thinking that trying to lift it by the trolley is a poor decision .

[electricpen]

1 hour ago, Smoother said:

Have you tried turning it around when you want to trolley it and pull it like a castor wheel. Good point about picking it up by the trolley, I pick my ks16 up with the extended handle for steps too.  I think you might break a rear mounted trolley if you tried that.  Have you tried it?

I haven't tried it but It just isn't stable enough since you are picking it up not in the center it is going to be hard to keep it from tilting which will have the wheel start spinning out of control. The trouble with turning it around and pulling it is that I think it would be harder to keep it balanced side to side that way and the two times I mentioned it almost spun out of control is when I let it lean a little too far to one side and it started going into the Gotway dance of death. It's more like driving it than walking it which was a bit of a learning curve.

[Smoother]

1 hour ago, electricpen said:

The trouble with turning it around and pulling it is that I think it would be harder to keep it balanced side to side that way

Wow, it's a shame there's no way of testing this.

[Marty Backe]

19 hours ago, electricpen said:

I haven't had the time to give the ACM2 a proper run down but I have put about 18 miles on it running daily errands and one long sprint up a hill and back just to test it. These are my first impressions. At first, I felt like I was getting speed wobbles and I did lose 11 psi in 4 days so I will be monitoring the tire pressure regularly to see if that is a trend. I have not yet slimed the tire.

For me, it feels like it wants to lean slightly to the left but I'm not sure if that's the wheel or some kind of compensation habit I developed from riding a KS-16s for a few weeks with a bent rim on one side... I'm going to give it a bit more time. I feel like it goes about as fast as I'd ever want to but it also feels a little slower to accelerate and decelerate than the KS-16s. Kind of like more power but slightly longer ramp-up. I used to decelerate so hard on the KS-16s that I would hit the 3rd alarm warning beep when trying to stop sometimes. It may be that as I get more comfortable on it and can start pushing it more aggressively it could equal or exceed the KS in this regard - I've been pretty slow and cautious with it for the most part since the first 100 miles or so is probably the most dangerous time for a Gotway wheel. I've scraped the pedal only when testing the smallest 360 circle radius I could make. It seems fine although possibly it scrapes slightly earlier than a KS-16s does. If so it isn't enough of a difference to change how you ride it in any way, it feels just as maneuverable in heavy pedestrian traffic as the KS-16s was.

The trolly installed by Jason is pretty solidly attached and seems high quality. This is my first time using one of these rear mounted pusher-style trollys. It takes a bit of getting used to. Its does work but it isn't as intuitive as the middle mounted ones on the KS 16 and 14. The other thing is I used to pick up my KS16 by the trolly when fully extended to hop it up a curb or whatever but I don't think you can do that with this style of trolly. It has been harder to learn how to maneuver it properly than it has to ride it (assuming you are already an experienced rider). The two times it got the closest to going out of control and hitting the pavement were both when pushing it and having it almost run away from me. I'm getting used to it though.

Anyways I'm satisfied with my purchase, I think this wheel will be able to fill all of my transportation needs for now and has what feels like limitless range compared to the KS-16s.

The ACM is certainly a heavier wheel than the KingSong. This will affect the acceleration characteristics as you describe. But I enjoy the heavier weight because it gives the wheel a more 'planted' feeling - that the wheel is sticking to the ground better was you ride. The ultimate affect is a sense of more stability.

Yeah, I would never attempt to pick up any wheel by the extended trolley handle, and none of the rear mounted trolley handles whether extended or not.

Glad you're enjoying the new wheel. It'll obviously feel better as you acclimate to it.

[Peter Q]

The ACM2 1600wh is Awesome, just finished a 42.33 miles rided from Pico Rivera to Seal Beach and return. It is so powerful and smooth, very easy go over 40km/h. It had 20% battery left when almost back to starting point, and then start 3 beeps when I over 25kmh. I think that was the low battery warning?? My riding weight is 210 lbs, I don't think I can reach 50 miles distance. But 40 miles of full speed riding was just FUN.

Peter Q

[Marty Backe]

27 minutes ago, Peter Q said:

The ACM2 1600wh is Awesome, just finished a 42.33 miles rided from Pico Rivera to Seal Beach and return. It is so powerful and smooth, very easy go over 40km/h. It had 20% battery left when almost back to starting point, and then start 3 beeps when I over 25kmh. I think that was the low battery warning?? My riding weight is 210 lbs, I don't think I can reach 50 miles distance. But 40 miles of full speed riding was just FUN.

Peter Q

For your riding weight that's great mileage. I'm sure you could get 50, but you'd have to ride a bit slower 

Under load, when the battery dips below 15% you'll get the beeps. Just slow down a bit to let the battery remain above 15%.

[Esash]

On 3/24/2018 at 1:41 PM, Marty Backe said:

The ACM is certainly a heavier wheel than the KingSong. This will affect the acceleration characteristics as you describe. But I enjoy the heavier weight because it gives the wheel a more 'planted' feeling - that the wheel is sticking to the ground better was you ride. The ultimate affect is a sense of more stability.

Yeah, I would never attempt to pick up any wheel by the extended trolley handle, and none of the rear mounted trolley handles whether extended or not.

Glad you're enjoying the new wheel. It'll obviously feel better as you acclimate to it.

I would guess that the KS-16s is also programmed more for torque and acceleration than top speed like the ACM seems to be. It would be nice to see a new ACM programmed through the firmware for an emphasis on torque/acceleration. I heard you can order directly from Gotway through money order and you can request firmware alterations.

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, Scouts Honor said:

I would guess that the KS-16s is also programmed more for torque and acceleration than top speed like the ACM seems to be. It would be nice to see a new ACM programmed through the firmware for an emphasis on torque/acceleration. I heard you can order directly from Gotway through money order and you can request firmware alterations.

That's interesting. Something I've never heard before. Do you have a source or is it just a rumor?

[US69]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

That's interesting. Something I've never heard before. Do you have a source or is it just a rumor?

That was about 1 to 1,5 years ago...

Yes, you could have a “harder” firmware when ordering from GW directly at this time. But i will guess this is now over, with Tesla firmware implemtented on all wheeltypes.

Also, a direct GW order is only possible if no exclusive sellers are in your country. With nowadays GWAmerica and ewheels, both big sellers, i would guess GW would send american clients to them

[who_the]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

That's interesting. Something I've never heard before. Do you have a source or is it just a rumor?

Can confirm this. We have a rider here who special ordered an "extra firm" MSuper about a year ago. Definitely rode differently.

[Esash]

electricpen said: "I feel like it goes about as fast as I'd ever want to but it also feels a little slower to accelerate and decelerate than the KS-16s. Kind of like more power but slightly longer ramp-up. I used to decelerate so hard on the KS-16s that I would hit the 3rd alarm warning beep when trying to stop sometimes."

 

We also just saw Scott Henley sell his older ACM because he was disappointed with the acceleration. 

 

Below is how Chooch Tech compared the older ACM to the KS-16S

chooch tech6 months ago

no its not too slow and i love riding fast, it seems about like the acm just a bit more smooth, I prefer the king song over acm personally. however the acm still is a great wheel

Reply 1  

 

 

Ultimateraptor6 months ago

you prefer because of the music and design or something more?

Reply  

 

 

chooch tech6 months ago

the overall feel of the unit, not the speakers or anything, its just like a rolls royce, and the gotway acm is like a modified honda civic.

 

[Marty Backe]

 

[MacPara]

Just in case you, yes, I mean YOU, the reader(!), are catching up on this thread and were in that mode of "Hm, what wheel could I get next?". Don't reject the ACM on the rumors about Gotway being unsafe, or being an older model or not having the latest "pretty boy" bells and whistles (this is a quote from @Marty Backe). The ACM2 is an awesome wheel! The wheel is as safe as the rider. If you push it beyond its limits, it will hurt you -  but at least it allows you to get close to these limits if you choose to do so.  Don't think of it as an older model. It's more a refined design with the latest upgrades like a 2kW motor and an updated firmware to provide for a very powerful ride. It's been around for that longer for a very good reason. The range with 1600Wh is just great and it weighs pretty much the same as other wheels that barely carry a 1000Wh. And about those bells and whistles..... think about it.... do you really need LED rings that blink and burn battery capacity just to be fancy? Do you need BT speakers to show everyone what taste in music you have? I honestly rather have a wheel that focuses on being a powerful performance wheel and does that job right. Speakers and blinky LEDs are decoration that doesn't provide anything substantial to doing the job as a wheel. A USB port to charge your phone during one of these 60 mile rides DOES! Sturdy pedals with strong griptape also provides an elemental job for a good wheel. Everything else is optional in my book.

I just thought I help you get through the jungle of marketing fluff and draw your attention to the important things in a wheel. I was all caught up in that new release cycle hype myself when I dug myself out of this BS and just gave that ACM a try. OMG, am I glad I did. So, if you are in a similar spot.... I hope this helped. 

[Marty Backe]

34 minutes ago, MacPara said:

Just in case you, yes, I mean YOU, the reader(!), are catching up on this thread and were in that mode of "Hm, what wheel could I get next?". Don't reject the ACM on the rumors about Gotway being unsafe, or being an older model or not having the latest "pretty boy" bells and whistles (this is a quote from @Marty Backe). The ACM2 is an awesome wheel! The wheel is as safe as the rider. If you push it beyond its limits, it will hurt you -  but at least it allows you to get close to these limits if you choose to do so.  Don't think of it as an older model. It's more a refined design with the latest upgrades like a 2kW motor and an updated firmware to provide for a very powerful ride. It's been around for that longer for a very good reason. The range with 1600Wh is just great and it weighs pretty much the same as other wheels that barely carry a 1000Wh. And about those bells and whistles..... think about it.... do you really need LED rings that blink and burn battery capacity just to be fancy? Do you need BT speakers to show everyone what taste in music you have? I honestly rather have a wheel that focuses on being a powerful performance wheel and does that job right. Speakers and blinky LEDs are decoration that doesn't provide anything substantial to doing the job as a wheel. A USB port to charge your phone during one of these 60 mile rides DOES! Sturdy pedals with strong griptape also provides an elemental job for a good wheel. Everything else is optional in my book.

I just thought I help you get through the jungle of marketing fluff and draw your attention to the important things in a wheel. I was all caught up in that new release cycle hype myself when I dug myself out of this BS and just gave that ACM a try. OMG, am I glad I did. So, if you are in a similar spot.... I hope this helped. 

We have a new fan in town 

Glad you gave it a chance and didn't let that noisy motor dissuade you 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

If you ever plan on riding near dusk those LED disco lights can be a real handy feature.  They also are pretty cool to look at when you see others riding with them on.  If they dropped them in favor of running, side marker, head and brake lights I'd be fine with that too.  We don't have flashy lights on motorcycles, mopeds, or cars afterall.  If done well like on the Ninebot One E+, King Song 16S, Inmotion, and some Gotways I think they add a little of that wow factor for kids looking at the wheel.

The customizable lights on my Ninebot One E+ were fun to adjust in the app.  If you've never ridden a wheel with that feature you likely don't miss it or want it.  If you've seen the looks on people's faces as you ride by with a cool custom colour pattern rolling on your wheel it just adds to that fun factor.  I can turn mine off if I want, but I usually leave them on.  It's nice to have options.