My sons and I have had Segway S machines since Christmas and we've really enjoyed them. We considered getting the Go Kart kit for them but when I saw this I waited until Segway Ninebot released this to the pubic.
The box it came in was all beat up, and some of the Styrofoam was broken, but the actual go kart was in perfect shape. It pretty much comes assembled fully. You just have to spend about 15 to 20 minutes putting the little pieces together and then plug it in for a full charge.
I was skeptical about how well this is built until I got it. This thing is SOLID! The pedals are well-made, the frame feels very sturdy, steering assembly is solid, the speaker is a nice piece of equipment, the handbrake works incredibly well and I never feel any instability at any speed. A couple of people have ridden this that well-exceed 220 lbs and they were able to achieve the top speed. I did buy a compatible speedometer from eBay which costs like $40 to $50 at the time. Not sure what it is now. That is my only real complaint. They should have included a speedometer.
So, all I have to say is WOW! This is nothing but pure fun. The acceleration is phenomenal. Much better than the standard gas combustion go karts you use on fun park tracks. It really puts you back in your seat like you are driving a Lamborghini (which I have driven) but it tops out at 23 mph. So basically you are at full speed in about 1 to 1.5 seconds.
This thing is VERY low to the ground, but you do have enough clearance to avoid smashing the front on most entryways to driveways and sidewalks. You need to be really careful and use the flag it comes with. Cars are going to have a very hard time seeing you around any objects. I would be very apprehensive letting any child drive this on any public road in any neighborhood because of that reason alone. Try not to be too cool for helmets and extra pads for your knees and elbows. You never know when you have to make a really sharp emergency turn to avoid something and flip this over even though it would be hard to do (it is possible though).
Because you're so low, and obviously you are wide open to the outside, the 23 mph top speed is going to feel much faster than 23 mph in a car. That is what Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain at Disney World achieves for speed even though it seems much faster. This will satisfy a lot of thrill seekers.
The steering is pretty sweet once you get used to it. At first it seems very jerky but it isn't meant to be precise at slow speeds without power steering. After a while you'll realize that it performs nicely at high speeds and rounding corners at high speeds is great once you get the hang of it. I have NOT been able to drift in this go kart because the roads in my neighborhood need to be paved. It's impossible to drift. I need to find a place where the surface is smooth enough and then I'll report back on it.
The speaker really is a neat aspect of this. It is rechargeable but one thing to note is that it does take a while to recharge. It synchronizes with the pedals so that when you push the gas it revs up like a race engine. It is done almost perfectly. As you accelerate the sound becomes far-more aggressive. Not using this leaves you with a silent ride which isn't nearly as much fun. You can also synch your iPhone to it and play your music instead, but I'd rather use the engine sounds. The only thing I didn't like about it is that it did not come with English instructions. Just Chinese - I don't know if that is something they forgot to put in there, or they just counted on people figuring it out. It wasn't hard and the Segway app picked it up right away.
The lighting effects are cool but the green headlight on this is basically useless in terms of illuminating what is in front of you. I imagine they did not put real headlights on this because they don't want people driving at night in this. I imagine you can find external, battery operated lights to mount on both sides if you wanted to. I might try that down the road, but for now I'll keep the night rides to a minimum.
This comes with a knee-bar if you want to take the Ninebot S-Max out of it and use it like the Segway S models (hoverboard style). It's better than what comes with the S, but it does not come with the full extension bar that you steer with your hands like purchasing the Ninebot S-Max separately gives you. I imagine that Ninebot will eventually offer this as an accessory but as of today they do not.
This was a impulse purchase, but it is so much fun. The only issue is that there aren't many places around to ride it. Even in my neighborhood, people park on the side of the road during the day and it gets hard to see cars coming. We're going to find other places to take this to. This is a no-brainer if you're looking for something really fun and aren't worried about the cost.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 45 x 35.5 x 20 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 64 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 55.9 x 33.5 x 23.6 inches |
| Item Weight | 106 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Segway |
| Warranty Description | 1 year manufacturer |
| Model Name | Segway Gokart Pro 2 |
| Color | Muiltple Color |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Suggested Users | Unisex-Youth |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Ninebot (Changzhou) Tech Co., Ltd |
| Part Number | N3M432 |
| Style | Gokart Pro 2 |
| Included Components | Gokart Pro kit, Ninebot S MAX, charger, accessory box |
| Size | Extra Large |
