Watch out! Segway has got some competition in the form of a Bugatti-ed Robin M1...

[Tritium]

As many will remember, Robstep came here to spam and post nonsense a while back...
Well, according to InMotion, the creators left Robstep and founded InMotion to create the Lamborghini brother to the Robin M1.

This new product is dubbed the R1.

As you can see from this photo, it's a much more souped up Robin, but this actually has potential for a little competition since its retail is only $2,500 and it has a warranty, a 15 MONTH or 2000 MILE warranty!

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y540/enforceritsnot/0A6BEF9D-3A1F-428E-B5B1-E6416430CEB3-27358-0000155017C604CA_zps401ef2ea.jpg

It also has a new SmartKey that looks great compared to the old key:
http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y540/enforceritsnot/35062BE9-1D44-493E-859E-A915DC6E840A-27358-0000155116782CDA_zps6b350f46.jpg

Next, they have easily swappable batteries, this is a game changer:
http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y540/enforceritsnot/07309C48-2CB2-447B-876F-96D8B85C5918-27358-00001551FCEC5031_zpsc675f5a1.jpg

What do you think?

[Violet]

I googled and found their site. It has some nice features and specs in addition to the great price. I am thinking it's made in China though. Photos had Chinese? people and one pic showed Chinese? writing on the device.

[Tritium]

I googled and found their site. It has some nice features and specs in addition to the great price. I am thinking it's made in China though. Photos had Chinese? people and one pic showed Chinese? writing on the device.

Yes, they're Chinese!

[KSagal]

A Lamborghini is what it is because of the car, the whole package, the engine, the performance, the quality of construction.

It is not because it is a knock off scooter with new fenders.

This is more like a Lamborghini kit that you can get to bolt to your smart car. It will act like a smart car, but look like something else.

Of course, my original statements remain, I cannot tell what is going on till someone we know has one and tells about it. Sales data put out by sales people mean very little to me. Changing companies because the old one was undependable is hardly a reason to buy one now...

[Cybercat]

I do like that it doesn't have the Segway i2's ankle-spraining design. But I have to agree with Karl - there are too many unknowns, iincluding just how one gets service on a device when there are no dealers anywhere. Who wants to ship that thing back (to China???) every time there's a problem?

[Tritium]

I do like that it doesn't have the Segway i2's ankle-spraining design. But I have to agree with Karl - there are too many unknowns, iincluding just how one gets service on a device when there are no dealers anywhere. Who wants to ship that thing back (to China???) every time there's a problem?

I agree, but think about it, how often do we have to ship our machines to Inc or take them to a dealer? The answer is: Rarely.
If this is actually a very easily self serviceable and dependable scooter, than it won't be much of a worry.

I really believe someone should purchase one, test it out for a year, and see how it goes.

Who knows, it could be a Flop-in R1 or a Hopp-in R1.

[JohnG]

Given the size of the wheels and how close the "fenders" (e.g., plastic body) are to the wheels, you'd be suicidal to ride it anywhere but indoors.

The warranty is just stupid. Do you know what the shipping charge to get something back to China is? It might as well not carry a warranty, because when it breaks, you'll just be out the $2500.

No thanks, another cheap Chinese knockoff nobody will buy. I would buy a used Segway on eBay long before I bought one of these.

John

[Tritium]

I believe this is more suited for travelling and people who don't want to splash out 5K on a Segway, I don't think this is a knockoff at all, it bears nothing that takes the design of Segway except the leansteer.

I own 3 Segways, and if I purchase one of these, in absolutely no way would it replace my Segways.
It would function for travelling on buses, trains, etc, of which my Segways can't do very well.

I travel very often, and in my opinion, this would be much easier to take with me .



I agree about the low clearance, this problem should be fixed, but for sidewalks, I don't think this'll be a problem.

[KSagal]

I believe this is more suited for travelling and people who don't want to splash out 5K on a Segway, I don't think this is a knockoff at all, it bears nothing that takes the design of Segway except the leansteer.

I own 3 Segways, and if I purchase one of these, in absolutely no way would it replace my Segways.
It would function for travelling on buses, trains, etc, of which my Segways can't do very well.

I travel very often, and in my opinion, this would be much easier to take with me .



I agree about the low clearance, this problem should be fixed, but for sidewalks, I don't think this'll be a problem.

For me, it is hard to say what it will be well suited for, until I see and touch one. I do not understand how anyone can endorse a machine they have never seen, other than to appreciate what they assume it will be like.

I wish you luck, and hope it is what you guess it might be. Please report on this machine if and when you get one.

I do believe it is a direct knock off of the Toyota Winglet, which is a conceptual knock off of the segway. Before the segway, there were no non tandem 2 wheel self balancing stand up scooters, and now there appears to be this one as well as the segway. You can consider it whatever you wish, but I see the knock off factor as inescapable.

Again, I wish you luck, but those tiny wheels may cause a real problem even with the sidewalks around here. There are driveway cuts that are taken cross wise that I deal with all the time, where one wheel will dip much more than the other wheel as I glide down the sidewalk. The low clearance may be a real problem in those situations, not to mention the poor curb cuts, the bad seams and the ever present pot holes. Also, in my town, the concrete sidewalks may have a bad seam, but the asphalt ones have lots of dips and voids as well as tree roots that make pretty good obstacles.

I am still curious, so be sure to post a report.

[Cybercat]

I agree, but think about it, how often do we have to ship our machines to Inc or take them to a dealer? The answer is: Rarely.
If this is actually a very easily self serviceable and dependable scooter, than it won't be much of a worry.



That's a really big "if." The reason we don't have to ship our machines to Segway is because they're reliable products, built in a factory that clearly has high levels of quality assurance. "Reliable" and "quality" - when's the last time you heard those terms used in conjunction with "Made in China"? Not saying there aren't some quality products coming out of there, but it's more than a crapshoot.

But I do agree with you, IF this is easily self-serviceable, and IF it's dependable, then yes, the fact that it offers little-to-no support won't matter. I'm not willing to risk MY money to find out, but I'm happy to risk YOURS. :D

[JohnG]

It's a knockoff in that they are clearly using the only technology that differentiates a Segway from everything else in the marketplace -- self-balancing on two wheels -- without a license from Segway.

I also wouldn't want to be there when that single battery has a fault or other condition that causes it to lose or interrupt power. That's why everything on a Segway is designed from the ground-up with fault tolerance -- including the use of two batteries.

John