Ninebot by segway max. Cons

Segway Ninebot Max Review

The Max is propelled by a 350 watt motor, with 700 watts of peak power. This is 40% more power than the 250 watt motor from the original M365 and similar scooters in the midrange commuter class.

In our acceleration tests, the Max reached 15 mph in 6.0 seconds, which is faster than the original M365. The Max also has better acceleration than its little brother, the Max G30LP, as well as the Gotrax G4, which has a higher 20.0 mph top speed.

As with some other scooters in the budget and midrange classes, the Ninebot Max does not have a zero start mode. Zero start means the motor engages as soon as you activate the throttle.

The Max is a kick-to-start scooter, which means that you must kickstart it to about 2 mph before the throttle will engage the motor. Kick-to-start mode is a common safety feature that you’ll find standard on shared scooters, as it keeps the scooter from running away if you accidentally hit the throttle while powered on but at full stop.

Although kick-to-start is great for beginners, it’s a somewhat annoying feature when trying to power forward to get up to speed from a stoplight or kick your way uphill. If you’ve ridden a zero start scooter, you’ll expect that instant burst of power when pressing the throttle and won’t get it.

Hill Climb

The Ninebot Max completed our hill climb test (200 feet, 10% grade, 165 lb rider) in 17.0 seconds at an average speed of 8 mph. The Max climbs about as well as the M365 Pro and is significantly faster than the M365, which maintained an average speed of 8 mph.

Because you need to kick the scooter up to speed, it may be a challenge to go uphill quickly without some practice. On a somewhat steep hill, it took us multiple tries before we could create enough speed to engage the throttle. Going uphill might be especially difficult for smaller (shorter) riders, as you’ll have to kick, push, get onto the deck, and press the throttle before you can tell if you’ve gotten it fast enough to power the throttle.

Overall, the Ninebot Max has good hill-climbing ability. We were able to maintain about 7 mph on some impressive hills and were only halted by the steepest ones.

Top Speed

The Ninebot Max has a 18.4 mph tested top speed, which is fast enough for most riders traveling at safe speeds with traffic. Although the Max doesn’t have exceptional top speed, it is still faster than the average shared scooter, which travels at around 15 mph. In the United States, 15 mph is a good average speed for legal travel with other drivers, generally in the bicycle lane.- but regulations for electric scooters vary, region by region and state to state.

The Ninebot Max G30LP, has a slightly faster top speed of 18 mph, likely due to its second generation motor and possibly its lighter weight (its around 3 lbs lighter and does not have a built-in DC converter).

Range

The Ninebot Max has a whopping manufacturer claimed range of 40 miles. The Max has exceptional range for its class, but that’s a tested 21.6 Mi of range, which is not quite what Segway claims (40 miles). The Max’s tested range is still among the best given its price and weight.

In our real-world testing, we simulate real-world conditions with a 165 lb rider, making frequent stops, going uphill, and riding the scooter as fast as is safe in its highest mode until the battery is depleted.

Actual range will depend on the rider’s size and riding style.

Learn more about our rigorous performance tests.

Braking

During our 15 mph braking test, the Ninebot Max performed well, but not as well as its lighter weight brother the Max G30LP in more recent testing. When we re-tested, we found the Ninebot Max has strong braking with a short distance of 11.3 feet. For context, braking distances under 12 feet are excellent.

The Max has one brake lever which controls the front drum brake and rear electronic brake. Together, they provide a redundant braking system should one of the brakes fail. One thing we really like about drum brakes is that they are zero maintenance. The braking mechanism is completed encased within the wheel — protecting it from the environment and incidental damage.

Because the brake cable is short and routed relatively straight from the wheel up to the lever, there’s zero drag. Braking feels smooth and doesn’t require much effort on the rider’s part. On the model we received, we adjusted a tensioning screw on the front drum brake to set the brake where we preferred. Overall, the Ninebot Max’s brakes provide abundant stopping power even when braking with maximum force, and have required minimal maintenance over time.

Ninebot Max Features

Portability

At 43.4 lbs, the scooter is a bit heavy, although still manageable. Based on our experience, 45 lbs is the absolute highest weight for a scooter to be considered portable. It’s not something we’d want to carry for more than a city block or few flights of stairs. It folds down easily, with the stem latching to the rear fender.

The Ninebot Max has folded dimensions of 46 in long by 19 in wide by 21 in tall. The Max is on the longer, taller side when it comes to scooter dimensions, and it may take some angling to get it into your trunk. We tested it in the trunk of a Honda Accord, which has a large trunk, and it fit pretty easily.

The Max has a folding stem with a latch that holds a lever, keeping the stem upright and making the stem rock solid. It has a safety collar that rotates to lock the folding lever into place. This folding mechanism is ultra solid, and the same mechanism is used on the Max G30LP.

Compared to the Max G30LP, it has 2.5 in shorter handlebars that latch onto the deck that’s 2.5 in shorter, and with the 3.4 lb weight difference, both Maxes are pretty portable.

Cockpit

The Ninebot Max has a great cockpit with a bright LED display that shows all the basic information you need, including speed, battery power, and riding mode. The centered display is bright enough to read in sunlight and automatically dims at night (when front lights are on). A single button below the display controls the lights, mode, and power, but you could also download the mobile app to control these features.

Overall, all the adornments on the handlebars — the easy-to-read display, rubber-covered thumb throttle, brake lever, twist bell, and texturized handgrips appear thoughtfully constructed out of high quality materials.

The bell is loud enough to alert pedestrians but not deter cars. The thumb throttle has a grippy rubber pad on it, maintaining good contact with your trigger thumb. The brake lever is solid without any play or excess friction, activating both the electronic and drum brakes together.

Lights

The Ninebot Max has a high-mounted front LED light that’s on the opposite side of the LED display. This is an ideal location for a headlight, providing a wider projection of light for you to see where you’re going. It also has a small rear red LED brake light mounted on the rear fender.

The lights are sufficient for providing some visibility, but if you’re regularly riding at night, see our guide on additional lights to improve visibility.

Tires

The Ninebot Max has 10.0 inch tubeless pneumatic tires that function well at damping road vibrations.

Segway calls the tires self-healing, which means that the air-filled tires come pre-filled with tire slime. Tire slime makes the tires more resistant to flats, and we’e seen more scooters with pre-slimed tires for convenient comfort, especially in the budget and midrange commuter classes.

Manufacturers are trying to give riders a more convenient (read: flat-resistant) experience, providing a cushioned ride on pre-slimed air-filled tires often without adding suspension, resulting in fewer experiences with flats because the slime repairs punctures as they happen.

Deck

The Ninebot Max’s deck is great, with ample standing space and a grippy, raised rubber surface. The deck is 6.8 in wide and 19.8 in long. It’s spacious enough for a variety of comfortable riding positions, and most riders will be able to stand with both feet end to end (skateboard/snowboard style).

The deck has 3.0 in of ground clearance. The deck-to-handlebar height is 40.2 in.

Build Quality

Overall, the Ninebot Max is all about the build, as build quality is excellent. The scooter is a substantial contender in its class, and feels like a serious commuting machine because of its seriously sturdy construction.

It gives the appearance that it has been carved from a single piece of metal, with clean, rounded lines, cohesive design, and rock solid feeling, especially when you can feel secure that the scooter is solidly upright or folded given the zero-wobble safety collar folding mechanism. Everything just feels well made. The Ninebot Max that we’ve had has lasted well over time with minimal cosmetic damage after over a year in our care.

Along with the slip-proof rubberized deck, the Ninebot Max has an IPX5 water resistance rating, meaning that it can tolerate splashes but not full submersion.

Ninebot Max: Review Conclusions

The Ninebot Max sets itself apart from most other scooters with its brand name (e.g., ES1, ES2, ES4, G30LP), providing a truly solid longer ranged scooter for a reasonable price. It has excellent build quality, good hill climbing ability, and rider-friendly big 10.0 inch pneumatic tires that have been pre-slimed for maximum flat resistance (and low maintenance).

When it comes to defining a hardworking machine, the Ninebot Max comes to mind. It has such a durable build that you expect it to give you long lasting, consistent performance, ride to ride, and there are hundreds of riders out there that can confirm or deny that claim.

In our experience, it has done well in both dry and wet conditions, beating its smaller brother and keeping up with others in performance tests. The Max is a consistent, stalwart electric scooter worth its weight in gold (or USD).

The Max remains a great choice for riders willing to carry greater weight for a longer-ranged scooter, and is nicely designed for minimal maintenance and longevity. What it does well, it does really, really well. Let’s put it this way: the Max is not about max speed, but about max lifetime, and the Max is not going anywhere.

If the Ninebot Max doesn’t appeal to you, look at our alternative scooters. You can also check out our Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.

Overview of the Segway Ninebot Max G2

The Segway Ninebot Max G2

Let’s take a look at what we get with the G2:

SEGWAY MAX G2

MAX. RIDER WEIGHT

BATTERY VOLTAGE

CHARGE TIME

CLIMB ANGLE

Front and Rear 10-inch Self-Healing Pneumatic Tubeless

WATER RESISTANCE

Front Hydraulic Rear Double Spring (Adjustable)

Front Drum Brake Rear Electronic Brake

At a first glance, you could be fooled into thinking the G2 isn’t a huge departure from the G65. After all, they look almost identical. They are the same size and same shape. They have the same suspension. They have the same dark grey colour scheme with yellow trim. They even weigh the same. Side by side, they’d be difficult to tell apart if it weren’t for the indicators on the G2’s handlebars.

Yet that’s where the similarities end. With the G2 you get the latest and greatest of everything Segway, from a more powerful motor, better security, new tyres, and improved lighting setup to Segway’s new RideyLong™ technology.

Powerful Motor for Effortless Speed

The Segway Max G2’s motor has been improved by as much as 28% from the motor on the original Ninebot Max. Now, the G2 is powered by a strong 450W brushless motor that can push out up to a maximum of 900W. While the G65 had a motor power of 450W as well, its peak output was capped at 600W, so the G2 is a significant improvement on both models.

The rear wheel with the housed motor double piston suspension

With this extra power, acceleration is about 32% quicker than the original Ninebot Max. You can reach 24 kph on the G2 in just 4.1 seconds (roughly, 2 seconds faster than the previous record).

From there, the Max G2 is able to go as fast as 35 kph (Global Editions only). If this is too fast for you, you can also customise your ride experience by switching between 3 riding modes (Eco, Drive, Sport).

Eco has the lowest speed limit but can extend your real-life range while Sport allows you to ride up to the scooter’s top speed. The scooter also has a walk mode, so you can easily push it around when not riding.

The motor also improves hill climb up to 22%, and ensures that the G2 still performs while lugging up to 120kg of weight.

The New RideyLONG™ Technology For Enhanced Range

E-Scooter manufacturers are rushing to produce proprietary technology to give them an edge in a crowded market: Pure Electric has Pure Control™ Steering Stabilisation; Apollo has the MACH 1 controllers. Now, Segway has RideyLONG™.

This newly-developed system uses an algorithm to coordinate the G2’s high-performing motor, long range-formulated self-healing tyres, and the more optimized controller to enhance your ride quality and extend your range by up to 15%. This means the G2 can reach a maximum range of up to 75km on a single charge.

Beyond that, the G2 uses a new structural design and an electromagnetic circuit upgrade to optimize ride stability, reduce motor noise, and lessen internal friction.

It also features an advanced BMS that protects it from different situations, including overcharging and short circuiting, and ensures longer battery cell life. The BMS battery itself work together to ensure the G2’s top speed can be reached until the battery hits 20%.

Segway Ninebot Kickscooter Max: Setup and app

The Max ships with its handlebars detached, but connecting them is a simple matter of using the included Allen wrench to screw in six bolts. If you’ve ever assembled IKEA furniture, this should be no problem.

However, there is one extra step before you can take the Kickscooter Max out for a ride: You have to download the Segway-Ninebot app to your smartphone (Android and iOS), link the scooter to the app via Bluetooth, and then register the scooter with your email address. You can then use the app as a dashboard (if you want a smartphone mount, that’s 30 extra) and see additional stats, such as distance traveled and battery life remaining. Since the scooter itself has a readout, I almost never used the app.

Segway Ninebot Kickscooter Max: Performance

Cruising around my neighborhood, I was pleased with the smooth ride offered by the Kickscooter Max’s 10-inch tires. Despite the lack of shock absorbers, it took on potholes and sidewalk cracks like a champ.

Where the Unagi I rode has dual 250-watt motors, the Max has a single 350-watt motor in its rear wheel; nevertheless, the Max was able to power me up steep inclines nearly as easily as the Unagi. Segway claims the Max can handle 20-degree inclines, and I believe it. On one incline that caused other, less powerful scooters to slow down to 5-6 miles per hour or less, the Kickscooter Max was able to maintain a speed of around 9-10 mph. The Unagi, which has dual 250-watt motors, did a bit better, averaging around 14 mph.

Details

Dimensions (Length x Width x Height): Unfold: 45.9 x 18.6 x 47.4 in (1167 x 423 x 1203 mm), Folded: 45.9 x 18.6 x 21.0 in (1167 x 423 x 534 mm)

Weight: 41.2 lbs (18.7 kg)

Recommended Age: 14 years

Max. Speed: 18.6 mph (30 km/h)

Typical Range: 40.4 miles (65 km)

Max. Slope: 20%

Traversable Terrain: asphalt/flat pavement; obstacles ≺ 0.4 in (1 cm); gaps ≺ 1.2 in (3 cm)

IP Rating: IPX5

Battery Nominal Voltage: 36 VDC

Max. Charging Voltage: 42 VDC

Charging Temperature: 32-104°F (0-40°C)

Operating Temperature: 14-104ºF (-10-40ºC)

Storage Temperature:.4-122ºF (-20-50ºC)

Battery Nominal Capacity: 374 Wh

Battery Management System: Over-heating, short circuit, over-current and over-charge protection

Number Of Batteries: 1

Motor Nominal Power: 350 WMotor Output Power: 121 W

Motor Input Voltage: 100-240 VAC

Charger Output Voltage: 42 VDC

Charger Output Current: 2.9 A

Duration of Charging: 6 h

Brake Light: LED rear light

Riding Modes: Energy Saving mode, Standard mode and Sport mode

App connection: Compatible with Android 4.3; iOS 8.0 or laterWireless Connectivity Bluetooth 4.2

Required Height: 3′ 11-6′ 6 (120-200 cm)

Payload: 66. 220 lbs (30.100 kg)

Limited Warranty PeriodThis Limited Warranty covers all defects in material and workmanship of the Product arising or occurring as aresult of your normal and ordinary use of the Product. In the event a defect covered by this Limited Warrantyoccurs, Segway will repair or replace your Product in accordance with the terms of this Limited Warranty. Theapplicable period for the Limited Warranty begins from the later of either: (i) the original purchase date of theProduct from an authorized Segway Distributor or Dealer; or (ii) the activation date of the Product through theNinebot by Segway App, and applies to the Product in the following ways:

Vehicle Body. 1 year Deck Front Wheel and Hub Motor Assembly Front Fork and Neck Assembly Rear Fork Assembly Control Board Assembly Stem (Battery Cabin) Dashboard Stem Handlebar Folding Pedal Spring Cable Charge Port Bottom Cover (Metal)

Other Components. 180 days Battery Charger Battery Pack Electronic Throttle Electronic Brake

Components Subject to Wear. 90 days Handlebar Grips Handlebar Ends Rear Wheel Headlight Front Fender Rear Fender Brake Light Front Decorative Strips Rear Decorative Strips Deck Grip Tape Bottom LED Strip Front Fork Cover Folding Pedal Cover Reflective Stickers Bottom Cover (Plastic) Kickstand Fastener Covers Charge Port Cover

Full details on Ninebot Warranty can be found here