Inmotion V10F – Test and review of the Inmotion flagship unicycle

First, a short thank you to Hammer International and Inmotion (see www.inmotionworld.com), who sent me the electric unicycle for testing. I have to admit that I have always flirted with getting the model, because, after I bought the Inmotion V8 as my first unicycle, I quickly became enthusiastic about the manufacturer’s technology. A small report on the V8 is still outstanding, which will certainly come shortly, but so that you have a small comparison of the two EUC models, I will explain here what has changed from the V8 to the V10.

Technical data of the Inmotion V10/V10F

Attentive readers have probably already noticed that Inmotion is launching two versions of the V10. One is available under the name “V10” and the other under the name “V10F”. Essentially, both models are based on the same technology and also have the same appearance. An important difference, however, is the built-in battery pack. The V10 has just 650 Wh (8.8 Ah), while the battery in the V10F has a good 960 Wh (12.8 Ah), almost 50% more power reserves. Of course, this is also reflected in the range, which the manufacturer states to be up to 100 km for the V10F. In comparison, the V10 has about 70 km – according to the manufacturer.

In reality, however, you have to reckon with other values when calculating the range, because the manufacturer’s specifications can only be achieved in theory.  For this you need to have a bodyweight of 60 kilograms, be riding without headwind on a straight stretch at a not too high speed. (This applies,  by the way, to all unicycle manufacturers range specifications!)  Additionally, it should be a beautiful 25 degrees in the shade, so that also the batteries are at an optimum operating temperature so they can deliver the maximum electrical energy quantity. In practice, the V10 is more likely to be at 35 km, while the V10F can already break the 50 km mark.

Optics and haptics of the electric unicycle

As with the Inmotion V8, it’s really quite impressive. The EUC (electric unicycle) is very well made and seems to be as robust as the V8. What “accidents” I already had with the V8 (without me falling off) are indescribable. Partly the unicycle did somersaults because it drove over a curb without me. Once it even landed head-on on a lantern – at  15 km/h hard impact. But nevertheless, the unicycle purrs like on the first day. By the way, I always remained without injuries.

The Inmotion V10F has taken over the basic look of it’ predecessor, but the side cushions and the trolley handle make it a little bit more upbeat. The side LED lighting is a bit of a sensation, of course, as it really looks pretty cool when you’re driving. But since I usually drive with the protective cover and am more out to attract less attention, I don’t really use the LED effects.

Overall, the Inmotion V10F looks really good. It looks nice, compact, classy and high quality – which indeed it is.

Improvements to the Inmotion V8

Compared to its predecessor, the Inmotion V8, some things have changed that I would like to check off quickly here in the list:

• the pedals have a rubber coating (instead of grip tape) and are slightly bigger
• the trolley handle is no longer extendable, but folds over the unicycle (thus there is more space inside for batteries!)
• the construction has become taller overall
• the tires are wider (16 x 2.5 inches instead of 16 x 2.125 inches) and the tread pattern is stronger (suitable for off-road and asphalt)
• the center of gravity is a bit higher, because the batteries are installed further up
• Front and rear speakers (controlled via Bluetooth)
• Padding for the legs in the upper area
• Taillight with brake light function
• The front light is much brighter
• The motherboard has changed, according to other reports, and the cooling has been improved
• The handle button (to switch off the wheel when carrying) is still present

Range of the Inmotion V10F

As already mentioned, the V10F is the model with the larger battery. The range it gives you is over 40-50 kilometers, even in “bad” conditions. With bad conditions I mean for example low ambient temperature, a heavy driver (with me approx. 90 kg), several altitude meters on the distance, uneven terrain and strongly varying speeds.

I didn’t test the V10F to the end of the battery, but there are some unicyclists on Youtube who have done long distance tests with it and who have values between 40 km and 70 km. The 40 kilometres came about in a test at temperatures around freezing. The test was done over forest roads and the test driver was about in my weight class. In addition, the unicycle had just been unpacked and charged for the first time, which of course is not the best time to fully load the batteries.

A test driver (see Youtube video by Anna Veverkova) with a weight of just under 50 kg, on the other hand, covered 66 kilometres and still had over 30% battery power. She had a sunny outside temperature of 29 degrees and it was only on asphalt roads. These are much better conditions for the technology.

My longest ride with the Inmotion V10F was about 3:20 hours on dirt and forest roads. It was about 30 kilometers, but it went up and down over height 500 meters. Most of the time the ground was very bumpy, which is why I didn’t manage more than 9 km/h average speed. When I arrived back at the car, I could hardly stand on the unicycle, but the Inmotion V10F had 55% battery left. I have to admit: before the Inmotion V10F runs out of power, my legs give up. :-)

Even if you don’t always drive 40 or 50 kilometers, it’s just a comforting feeling to have such a long range. You always have to keep in mind that the electric unicycles of all manufacturers switch to a “power saving mode” at 20-30% battery, in which you can no longer drive the maximum speed. Anyone who has experienced this knows how boring it is to ride at 5 km/h on an electric unicycle.

For this reason, you never want to embarrassed yourself and ride the unicycle down to 0% battery. One should always plan in such a way that one arrives at the final destination with 20-30% battery.

Battery warning and speed limits on the Inmotion V10/V10F

As I just mentioned, when the battery is low, there are changes to the riding behavior – and this affects all unicycles as far as I know. With the Inmotion V10/V10F there is the first limitation when you reach the 40% battery level. Then the maximum speed is lowered from 40 km/h to 35 km/h. The maximum speed of the Inmotion V10/V10F is also lowered. Most people won’t notice this, because 35 km/h feels already pretty fast. I have never had the need to drive 40 km/h before.

At 20% you are slowed down again (I think to 5 or 10 km/h) and at 10% the unicycle finally puts the pedals slowly but relentlessly on a very sloping position and asks the rider over the loudspeaker to dismount. With the 10% the bike keeps the balance, so you can push it home, but riding is no longer possible at this point.

When stating the percentage, you should bear in mind that a 20% battery can quickly turn into 0% at moderate acceleration. So you shouldn’t expect much range when the battery level falls below 30% without loading.

But a small ray of hope is still there, even when the battery is almost empty because when driving downhill, the electric unicycle recharges its batteries when braking. This “recuperation brake” may already be familiar to some people from an electric car. This allows the unicycle to achieve a range of several kilometers.

Riding feel and maneuverability of the Inmotion V10F

The Inmotion V10F feels very comfortable to ride. It looks like an 18-inch wheel due to its high construction but is “only” a 16-incher (like the Inmotion V8). With the new tires, it is now perfect for outdoor terrain, as it has more grip than the V8 and its barely profiled tire, which is more designed for city driving.

Of course you notice that a 16-inch tyre of the Inmotion V10F is more susceptible to stones, holes or similar things on its way than the 18-inch tire of my Kingsong KS 18L, but you would have to ride both wheels in direct comparison. What you will notice even without a direct comparison: The 16-inch wheel is much more maneuverable and thus easier to steer around problem areas on the way. The Inmotion V10F is also more responsive than the KS 18L when practicing tricks like swinging back and forth on the spot.

For longer rides, the padding on the sides of the unicycle provides more comfort. Especially for beginners, the wheel “wobbles” a lot between the legs and often hits the lower leg, which causes unpleasant pressure points after only a short time. The pads help to make it easier to hold the bike between the legs. For very bumpy places or when practicing jumps over potholes, this possibility is helpful even for experienced riders.

Engine power compared to the Inmotion V8

I’ve been using the Inmotion V8 for over a year now and I’ve been riding the same forest paths pretty much, so I have a good comparison between the V8 and the V10F. The Inmotion V10F has more than twice the power of the Inmotion V8 (800 watts) with its 2000 watts of engine power. At first, I thought it gave the V10F crazy acceleration, but though it’s stronger than the V8, it’s not so strong that you feel like you can’t control the bike.

But where the more powerful engine scores much higher, is where there are steeper gradients and heavier riders (*ahem*). I have a lovely forest road here, which certainly has a 15 to 20% gradient. The Inmotion V8 has always managed hauling me up the path, but you can really hear the engine struggling hard in order to drive me those 100 to 150 meters higher. On the Inmotion V10F you don’t notice any effort of the bike. On the contrary: If the way wasn’t so “unwieldy” because of roots and stones, I could certainly accelerate while I ride up.

More engine power = less risk of accidents

Speaking of accelerating during power-up: I just read an old forum post in which someone described that his Inmotion V8 had a “cutoff” at 25km/h on a steep mountain. This means that the engine switches off and you inevitably flip over the front – not a nice feeling. Such cutoffs happen when the unicycle’s engine can’t build up enough torque to balance itself and the rider. Normally the electronics “notice” that the engine is reaching its technical limits and give an audio warning. But if you have unfavorable circumstances, a cutoff happens without warning. The higher engine power of the Inmotion V10F significantly reduces the risk of such an emergency shutdown, as the engine does not reach its limits so quickly.

In addition to this safety aspect, the V10F’s additional power compared to the V8 simply makes driving more fun. You can drive steeper roads, brake faster and accelerate faster – and you have more than twice the range with the huge battery pack.

Maximum speed

I personally didn’t try out the 40 km/h maximum speed of the V10F because I feel uncomfortable at such high speeds when I haven’t put on complete motorcycle protective gear (which I don’t have). However, I drive around 35 km/h from time to time and the Inmotion V10F has no problems here either. There is no vibration or wobbling, as sometimes happens with other wheels (Ninebot Z10) at higher speeds.

Mature: The Inmotion App on the iPhone

Last year I tried out several apps from unicycle manufacturers and I have to say that the Inmotion app has always been the most intuitive to use. With the King Song app, I failed in the first few days to create an account because the app suddenly no longer had any controls to continue in the registration process. There are no such problems with Inmotion. Here you really notice the many years of experience that the team has already put into the unicycle and the app.

As a rule, you only need the app if you want to make settings on the unicycle. This means if you want to adjust the LED illumination or the maximum speed or if you want to calibrate the pedals. Otherwise, it records the data like engine power, distance and speed during the ride. The battery indicator is also displayed with a battery symbol on the wheel itself, so that you can check the battery condition at any time even without using an app.

[appbox appstore id1452771445]

My favorite app: DarknessBot

I don’t really understand why the Inmotion App only got one star as there was no text entered for the rating. I don’t have any problems with the app, but I mostly use the app DarknessBot to track the values of the unicycles. The app works with all electric unicycles and connects automatically. In addition, it gives significantly more values and settings than the apps supplied by the manufacturers.

[appbox appstore id1108403878]

The most important feature for most riders is that with DarknessBot you can change the speed limit of the unicycle. Many unicycles now require you to drive a certain number of kilometres before you can “unlock” the top speed. If you haven’t reached these kilometres, you will get a warning 10 km/h before the actual top speed that you should slow down.

This is how the manufacturers can “force” new unicycle owners to drive 250 kilometers and gain experience before they break through to the 40 km/h speed. If it is the first time that a new unicycle owner has ever done used a unicycle it is understandable. For people who have already ridden other unicycles and have experience (but not on the new unicycle), this is annoying. With DarknessBot you can remove this lock and release the top speed directly.

Conclusion: A great further development to the V8

If a newcomer has to pick an electric unicycle, I can still highly recommend the Inmotion V8 without hesitation. According to my research, it has been the lightest unicycle for years that can still score with a range of over 20 kilometers and a speed of up to 30 km/h.

However, there are some points where I would immediately recommend the Inmotion V10 or V10F as an entry-level model:

• the driver weighs over 85 kg
• one would like to go over 30 km/h
• you need a range of 25 to 30 kilometers
• Off-road trips are planned more frequently
• every now and then very steep mountains are ridden

For these applications, the V10F is simply a very good partner and definitely preferable to the V8.

Anyone who already has an Inmotion V8 and is considering whether the upgrade is worth it? Yes, I almost exclusively ride the Inmotion V10F and use the V8 only when I have visitors who would like to take a ride or when I practice “tricks” such as reversing or similar. With such tricks, the V8 is easier to control simply because of its lower weight. I bought the Inmotion V8 as my first unicycle (used) and still think that it is a good entry into the world of electric unicycles.

Of course, you can feel the upgrade from V8 to V10F while driving in many places. It’s a lot more fun to drive the V10F over country lanes because there’s just more power available to accelerate and brake – and you definitely don’t have to worry about whether you’ll be stuck in the woods after an hour or two of driving.

If you are interested in one of the three Inmotion models (V8, V10 or V10F), I have linked them here. If you’re still wondering if riding an electric unicycle is something for you, check out my article about my new hobby or the article about my winter trip with the unicycle. Both articles hopefully show how much fun it is!

And in case you have any questions, please feel free to write a comment. I try to answer everyone!

INMOTION Unisex-Adult V10F Elektrisches Gyroroue, schwarz, Einzigartige Größe

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Elektrisch Einrad Inmotion V10, Schwarz

• Motorleistung: 1800 W
• Akku: 8, 8 Ah/84 V/650 WH
• Laufzeit: bis zu 55 km

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Transparency notice

I pointed this out in the introduction above, but I would like to mention it again here: The Inmotion V10F was provided to me by Hammer International (the German distributor of Inmotion). The contribution was not paid and I could freely report and write about my experiences with the unicycle of Inmotion. The manufacturer did not have any influence on m yreport or set any conditions.

Jens Kleinholz( Gründer & Sir Apfelot )

Seit 2012 betreibe ich meinen Blog als Sir Apfelot und helfe meinen Lesern bei technischen Problemen. In meiner Freizeit flitze ich auf elektrischen Einrädern, fotografiere mit meinem iPhone, klettere in den hessischen Bergen oder wandere mit meiner Familie. Meine Artikel behandeln Apple-Produkte, Drohnen-News und Lösungen für aktuelle Bugs.

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