Review of Ninebot Kickscooter Max

Recently, the Ninebot Kickscooter Max Electric Scooter topic began to come to life on the forum, which was created back in May 2019, when this model was just announced. The fact is that in September 2019, the first buyers began to unpack the long-awaited new product. And soon after that, representatives of the girobay.ru store suggested that I take a test sample for review. I have long been waiting for this model and therefore immediately agreed. Despite the fact that at least two technical and thirty advertising reviews were published, in which the scooter was dismantled in cogs, I still really wanted to draw up my own, purely consumer opinion, take Max for a test drive and understand where the small electric transport industry is heading :)

The main advantage of the new flagship (out of 3 and a half models in different versions :) in the Xiaomi-Ninebot line is the battery capacity and the declared mileage. Therefore, after a little reflection and checking the weather forecast, I decided to go get my test sample under my own power, so as to rush straight from the store to the side of the house through Moscow and a half. From metro station Airport to southern Butovo with a check-in to the office and a breakdown of the trip for 2 days.

But this is for the seed. Whether I arrived or not, I’ll write at the end, but for now there’s a bit of history and tedious information for those who are only immersed in the topic and who care about every detail.

Concept

Ninebot Max was the result of accumulated experience of sharing companies transferred to the manufacturer. In just a couple of years, the electric scooter sharing market has grown so much that companies such as Ninebot can no longer ignore its needs and continue to provide distributors with standard models with minor modifications. Rental requires much more:

1. Maximum safety, protection against vandalism and careless handling (failure of the brakes or the steering suddenly caught in the hands without communication with the deck can lead to litigation with the distributor). Ideally, a rental scooter should be like an ATM.

2. Maximum mileage on one charge (so that scooters work more, spend less time on charging)

3. Solving the problem of charging electric scooters. More on this below.

There is a whole business in the USA: specially trained (no) people collect abandoned scooters around the city, take them home, charge them, then put them in their places. And get paid for it. But for this, each of them has to buy a certain number of chargers and this number limits the number of scooters, which they can pick up at a time. Built-in charging solves this problem, making such a business more attractive due to less investment and an increase in the number of devices charged at a time. For sharings, this solves the problem of discharged electric scooters lying on the road, at the cost of one built-in charge, which they pay for when buying a scooter. Brilliant, simple, effective.

So, Maxim’s elder brother, whom Ninebot presented at CES 2019, was designed for all these tasks. He didn’t even manage the steering, because rolling scooters do not really need it, but +100 to protection (item 1 from the list higher).

Performance characteristics

Equipment

In the same box with the scooter, the buyer is waiting for instructions, a hexagon and a hose for pump access to the recessed nipple of the motor-wheel. And also a power cable with a three-wire Mikkimaus connector. When I took the scooter out of habit, I wanted to ask for charging for it, but then I remembered that it was built-in. Unusual pleasant trifle, however. The backpack will be easier :)

Scooter inspection

Outwardly, Max is very similar to Xiaomi Mijia M365. So much so that people unfamiliar with electric scooters do not immediately understand what the catch of the double price tag is, and those who have long been in the topic will not be able to inspect the new product without comparing it with the legendary Xiaomi. I am in the second group, so when examined, I played the game "find 10 differences".

The first thing that catches your eye is the yellow strips of the big 10 "wheels, which are often installed by the owners of the M365 as an upgrade. At the same time, it should be noted that Max uses tubeless tires (again + 10 to protection). Without a doubt, ride comfort increases with the diameter of the wheels, but the scooter becomes less compact. Apparently, Ninebot engineers do not see the difference in compactness with the extra 1.5 inches in tires, like most experienced scooters, so they equipped the new model with large wheels directly into the stock . And it is good :)

We take a closer look at the wheels. The motor wheel is now located at the rear, and a mechanical brake (drum) is located at the front. Everything is logical here. If you have "under the hood" more than 250 watts, most likely (depending on your weight and controller settings) the front-wheel drive on an electric scooter will often grind the asphalt at the starts. There is only back or full. But the drum brake, which is most effective in any weather, performs its work better on the front wheel. Maybe even exceeded.

True, the implementation of the brake itself seems strange. The brake cable on the wheel is located in an upright position and its tip is a couple of centimeters from the ground. It seems that he will collect everything that can be collected on the road. Looking ahead, I want to say that I did not collect anything. But the further fate of this unit will be revealed by the owners as the scooter is used in different conditions.

Once the inspection has begun from the very bottom, then we will consistently move upwards gradually opening our mouth in amazement stopping in detail at each node.

Deck

It is longer, taller and wider than the M365. And this is not so that the most cunning sharing customers could move together for the price of one, but to push a large battery and charger into it. The yellow logo of the manufacturer flaunts on the rubber mat.

The bottom cover is very similar to the M365, only the bolt caps this time are completely recessed, and the cover itself is heavier and thicker. +10 defense. And that's good too :)

Due to the increased height of the deck (the battery cells in it are now vertically positioned), the ride height of the scooter was reduced to 8 cm. Unfortunately, this is not enough even for some city ramps, where I hooked on the bottom when descending.

Charging socket

Under the tight-fitting lid are two sockets. Mikkimaus at 220V and standard at 42V. The lid closes tightly and has a plug for each socket; there is no doubt about tightness. But its location itself, as usual, is not very convenient. To charge the scooter, you will either have to turn it over, or bend over, or look for a 220V socket by touch :))

Folding unit

One of the most painful nodes M365 was thrown into the trash and designed from scratch. All nodes of the new mechanism are reinforced as much as possible in the framework of decency. The locking lever is now in front and when folded, presses the steering down, without using the well-known “tongue”. Then it is fixed with a latch (could not be formulated differently :). In fact, the solidity of the entire design makes an impression.

Display

Hurrah! Either the era of minimalism in the design of vehicles is gradually receding, or all the same homemade products that have already put displays for Xiaomi on the stream, made someone think, but Maxim received an informative display, as in the M365 Pro.

On the go, he can show speed, the measurement system (kilometers or miles), the current speed mode (there are three of them: ECO, Drive, Sport), the status of the headlight, the presence of a Bluetooth connection. Information about excess temperature or errors in the controller.

The remaining charge is displayed as 5 divisions during the ride and in percent during charging.

Still there is a pedestrian icon. This new feature called "Pedestrian mode" is enabled through the application and is needed so that the electric scooter helps the user roll himself next to the minimum effort. Such a peculiar Assistance by Ninebot-ovsky. The function itself is interesting, but why couldn’t it be turned on? It would be much more practical, I think.

Steering wheel

Everything is quite familiar here. On the right is gas, on the left is brake (both mechanical and regenerative in one bottle). The bracket for fixing in the folded state moved to the right and now it is a separate element, while on the syokate it is also a bell handle (there was a rather elegant solution, IMHO). And Max’s bell itself is round in the form of a handle, similar to which other manufacturers use gas as a handle. For example, Inokim Light. The reason for this decision by Ninebot engineers remains a mystery to me. Twist this thing to denote yourself on the road you need to get used to. I did not have time to do this and constantly searched for a familiar bicycle call with my finger :)

Headlight

Two words: WELL FINALLY !! Finally, the manufacturer installed the headlight on the scooter not to proudly declare its presence in the specification, but to illuminate the road and not interfere with passers-by. To show that this is already a really practical city transport, and not a toy for park entertainment, a lens was immediately installed in Max's headlight, giving a clear border of the light flux. The headlight itself moved under the steering wheel.

It was not possible to photograph the lens itself successfully, but it is there :))

It shines brightly enough and far enough to move along unlit sections of the road at a speed of 15-20 km / h.

Application

There is no separate application for Ninebot Kickscooter Max, which is quite expected. Like all other models of the Xiaomi-Ninebot family, Mi Home is used here. Through it, the user can find out the serial numbers, see additional information about the battery status, current and voltage, firmware version, select the recovery level at idle (it still cannot be turned off completely), check the odometer, find out the estimated remaining mileage and other useful and useless information .

You can lock the scooter using the lock icon in the center. In this state, when forced to move, Maxim begins to squeak and blink whatever he can, and the application receives a signal that you should leave the cart in the store and go to the parking lot, see who, where and why drags your transport.

Riding

And so, a little push, and add gas. A pleasant murmur of the motor wheel went and Max confidently picked up speed to the level of 25km / h. At the first acceleration, the rudder and deck are solid, which remained until the very end and was especially clearly felt when you had to lift the scooter by the steering. 10-inch tires smooth out fine irregularities and do a good job with tiles. I try the brake. The drum emitted an unpleasant creak, but it worked perfectly. I jump on the curb through the steering wheel, I almost got on the goat out of habit :) Grips confidently sit in my hands, gas and brake respond as you expect. Anyway, in general, it creates a feeling of complete control over the electric scooter and some pleasant confidence that it will stretch where you do not expect from it. And he really pulls. Engine power is well felt on the rise. For example, in such ramps, Max confidently picks up speed:

The last thing I managed to detect was 19km / h (without a jerk at the start). Most likely, I would have scored more, but the length of the ramps themselves did not allow me to fix this.

However, the rear-wheel drive story makes it uncomfortable to climb rail ramps when the scooter has to be rolled nearby. The load on the rear axle is small, when you gas it, the wheel constantly goes to the south and tries to hammer you on the ankle. There was an idea to include "Pedestrian mode" in such situations, but was quickly rejected by the internal Time Manager when I found out that this was done only through the application. In the end, I decided to do it without pre-gasing, but I had to increase my own efforts.

The angles on such ramps also reminds of the low clearance of the scooter. I hit the bottom a couple of times, then I realized that in such places it needs to be lifted by the steering.

The stairs. There is an ambush. 19.2 kg., And even with the weight distributed back, makes carrying Maxim for the steering occupation from the category "so-so." If you need to overcome a long staircase with a straight face of the flagship owner, I recommend taking breaks. Get to the free site, put the scooter, get the phone and with a smart look check the mail. Hold the phone not in the hand in which the scooter was carried, otherwise a little trembling may give you :) So far your back is invisible to everyone, and owners of the 365th fly past like butterflies up and down and small children carry their Jack Hot's, remember: you'll still show them who the alpha is when it comes to steep climbs or the lack of a free outlet at Burger King. And gradually figure out a new route without long stairs. You may have to give a detour, but you can afford it, you have 15.3 Ah in your deck!

Both tracks of the trip I uploaded to the site.

The first day:

https://electro.club/map/9840

Second day. Before starting, I checked the application, it predicted me 41.6 km. run.

And this figure was overestimated somewhere by 70%, from the one that turned out in fact:

https://electro.club/map/9841

To prevent users from raising the temperature of the fifth point from such expectations / results, the application has a “Tip”:

In total, in two days I planted the Max battery from 100% to a complete shutdown, having traveled 39.84 km. (according to GPS) in S mode, not sparing the battery and motor where the traffic allowed. My weight with clothes and a backpack was about 88 kg. The temperature overboard is about 22-26 ° C. Coating quality: asphalt, tile. As a result, I did not reach the house literally 900 meters. Although at some point it seemed to me that I could not cross the MKAD. But we must pay tribute, the divisions were reduced fairly evenly and at the last Max did not give up until the end. Moreover, some tangible lethargy appeared only on the last kilometer. Prior to this, when 4 out of 5 divisions faded, he dropped the maximum speed somewhere to 20-22 km / h, which personally did not bother me at all. In the end, he turned off with a squeak, resolutely and definitively. Walking by the 900-meter handle did not convince him to try to turn on and ride for as long as he could. It did not give in to inclusion until connection to the socket.

Conclusions

Certainly, Ninebot engineers achieved the tasks set by the sharing companies. But what about the retail market? It's not so simple. I would give Max the first place in the nomination "The most stylish electric scooter with mileage ~ 40km.". And also, "The first electric scooter with a normal built-in headlight" :)) At the same time, it is very pleasant that it was not turned into a moped, keeping within 20 kg. (This figure is a limitation for electric scooters in some countries). But, nevertheless, it is precisely the weight that is Max's most important drawback compared to other models of this class. Therefore, before buying, I would carefully consider my daily route. If I use a scooter only on part of my route, like a jump, and often carry it in my hands, then I would look towards lighter models. If I can get from door to door and / or I rarely have to take the scooter off the ground, then the Ninebot Kickscooter Max is right for me. Its power reserve can take me to almost anywhere in the city, if you choose the right routes.

Once again I want to thank girobay.ru for the Ninebot Kickscooter Max review! Employees are registered on our website, they are always ready to communicate with the community and answer any questions :)