NQiGTS Pro Electric Scooter

I've just ordered me one of these:

https://urbanebikes.com/collections/niu-electric-mopeds/products/niu-n-gt-45mph

Much as I adore my Silverwing it really is a bit bulky for popping to the shops, to church several times weekly or down to the sea-front for my daily exercise. I'm not getting rid of it, of course.

It doesn't seem right, either, to drive the car that mile, my Jimny being totally un-eco- friendly.

The 25-minute walk down to those places is okay but the walk back is literally all up hill and it's getting too much for me, especially if I'm hauling shopping.

I had a little legacy recently and, as everyone keeps telling me, I can't take it with me so I'm following advice.

The scooter should be here sometime next week.

I've added a couple of reviews and there are plenty more on line:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4RFxzU0Ggg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZSKnld7x2g

So does this have a sound effect device so folks know you are coming

No but the indicators make a noise, unlike most P2Ws.

I have looked into some kind of siren but most people respond to a blast on the horn, at least as far as the Silverwing is concerned.

Nice one Mike, they make a great alternative choice to an eBike,and probably more practical and useful with more than enough range for daily needs. I saw them on a website that also sells eBikes a while ago.I particularly like the cargo version with it's large rear carrier.

I'd invest in a good lock and chain, as they're a tempting choice for thieving scrotes.

Thank you, Meldrew.
I am encouraged by your comments which are in line with remarks from other valued, very experienced and knowledgeable friends.

My Kalkhoff served me very well in relatively flat Salisbury but the length of the hills is beyond me as far as pedalling goes.

I didn't notice the delivery version until I'd placed my order. However, I have plans for lugging stuff on it. I have ordered the rack for adding a Shad or other top box and I also noticed in one review that the scooter will run on just the battery under the floor so it's possible to use the space under the seat if the second battery is removed temporarily.

I seem to have acquired quite a few chains, cables and bike locks over the years. My plan is to use a cable around the foot-board with a chain or cable round a lamp-post or suitable anchor-point. I've already surveyed the three places I'm most likely to ride to and all have somewhere substantial I can use. We shall see.
You will have read the scooter has a fairly sophisticated alarm and tracking system built in. I'm not sure that stops the bike being snatched but there is some chance of being able to find it again.
It may spur me on to buying a smart phone, too.

As I said, I will keep everyone informed.

I'm looking forward to seeing this thing Mike.
To me this is the way electric vehicles should be progressing, relatively cheap with performance and range suitable for town work.
It is beyond me why the press focus is on £20-30k performance electric bikes, the technology and infrastructure isn't there yet.

Quite so, Steve.

I noticed that, as a rule, the reviewers said that the NiU was just right for town work and one or two even entertained the possibility of buying one - and these are hardened bikers!

After I've got used to it perhaps we can meet at a suitable car-park so you can see it close up and have a little ride. It'll have to be within a 30-mile range, though.
I could swap cash for shocks at the same time; I must remember to bring a bag. :-)

I was sniffing about looking at eBikes right up until lockdown, and the only ones that interested me were from cargo type eBikes from Tern, and Riese & Müller. Then we went into full lockdown and even though cycle stores were open, there weren't offering demo rides, in fact they didn't want you even sitting on their bikes. I had a short ride on my sister in law's new Raleigh after we were allowed out a bit more, and early this month Mrs M hired a eBike for me when we were on a family holiday in Italy.

We had a day in the Tuscany city of Lucca, so we got a couple of tandems, hybrids, city bikes, and one eBike for me. Now I was expecting something with a Bosch mid-drive motor, what I was handed had front hub drive, it was really weird to ride, and had been used and abused by scores of tourists.

We spent most of the riding going round Lucca's city walls, these were once fortified ramparts and they're now a very pleasant pedestrian promenade. Apart from overtaking the couples on the tandems with the power cranked up, I found the whole experience on that bike mediocre,

But I'll keep snifffing about until something suitable turns up, or decide on a Tricity 300 or that new version of the Peugeot Metropolis 400.

To quote that immortal line from the great English philosopher Arthur Daley, “The world is your lobster”. 🦞  

I'm very interested to read your thoughts and experience of ebikes.
I bought my Kalkhoff several years ago and it served me well, enabling me to keep cycling after I'd taken it up again in lovely flat Belgium. The Belfry Square in the heart of Bruges was almost exactly 5 miles from our house, the only uphill bit being the bridge over the railway.

My ebike is somewhat dated now being rather heavy. It's still in good condition and I plan to pass it on to someone who can make good use of it.
It has the motor where the pedals are with a conventional chain drive.
I also have a Burley shopping trolley which I towed around quite easily.
I should pass that on, too.

I look forward to the next installment!

It arrived at half-past-eight last night ..... in the dark!

I stroked it gently and covered it but didn't do anything else apart from gaze at it through the window.

I spent considerable time this morning talking to the delightful woman at the insurance company and getting things finalised - I thought I done all that ten days ago and that she'd only have to click on 'Done' - but nothing is ever that straight-forward.

I've stroked and poked it this morning and will read the handbook this afternoon. It's raining quite hard at the moment so will postpone my maiden ride until tomorrow, I think.

If the rain eases I will take the Silverwing to Bike Night at the Dun Cow this evening and take the new one on Sunday afternoon.
I wonder what the super-bike riders will make of it - not that I care any more about such things.

Waiting for an in depth report on the likes dislikes, performance battery life ect.

I had a Pedego CityCommuter with 28" wheels. Sold it and bought a RadRunner1. They both did what I needed. Maintain 20mph, have a throttle, comfortable but I wanted a 20". My commute is 14 miles one way. I can do the round trip without charging if needed, that's all throttle fat kid style! I put a SHAD 26 liter trunk on the Rad but ordered a bigger 34 liter SHAD.

I also was/still am looking into a NIU GT/S as well, as I know it will do everything I need. But we don't have a dealer nearby for support. But NIU is quickly expanding.

Keep us updated with your NIU. Do you get a "referral bonus" if we note you when buying one? Rad Power gives you perks on accessories.

NIU Scooter – First Ride.

I put the batteries on charge yesterday evening just to make sure they were both at 100%.
It was very easy to set it all up; I have an outside socket in my yard, put the charger on the foot-well, lifted the seat and plugged in. I don't know how long it took to do the 2% but it wasn't long.

This morning I got ready, mounted up and straight away appreciated the compact size and relatively light weight; I have to back out of the yard into the back lane..

Immediately, I discovered that the throttle comes on quite suddenly at first. I suspect it's because one is so used to hearing the revs rise on a conventional scooter before the clutch bites.
I was being careful and it was just as well!

It was as I rode up the lane that the inevitable 'What have I done?' thought leapt into my mind. The steering is feather-light, the legroom minimal, the silence spooky and the dash-board quite lively.

I set aside the doubts and began to take myself and the scooter in hand. The first major hurdle on the road is the right turn on to the more main road at the top of mine. It does need care as there are two width-restrictions/give way to on-coming traffic points to left and right. I won't go into detail but extra care is needed at all time.
I managed it all rather well, I thought, and confidence was building. My touch on the handlebars lightened – the Silverwing is much heavier at low speed, of course – and I found how to arrange knees and feet comfortably.

Throttle-control will become second nature very soon.

It's very hilly round here and I chose a route on purpose which didn't avoid any ups and downs.

Very soon I realised that the Dynamic Mode, the middle of the three, is not sufficient for getting up longer hills in 40 mph limits; it maxes out at 29 mph and the speed drops off gradually. Switching into Sport Mode brings the speed up pretty quickly and the anxiety of not going fast enough disappears.
Going down-hill in Dynamic Mode saw speeds up to 35 mph; Sports Mode down hill saw 47 mph blink up momentarily on the speedo. It was slightly unnerving the first couple of times as the scooter is quite skittish but I'll get used to it. In fact, I have already but must still remember I'm a beginner on it at the moment.

Eco Mode will not be used round here; it may be useful in a bigger town or city but it's really a crawler gear. I guess it might get one home if the batteries were very low.

I had an eye on the battery-consumption. It's another unnerving experience watching it counting down until one remembers the range is limited to whatever it's limited to. I used Sports Mode at first followed by Dynamic Mode and then a mix of the two. One would not get too far on Sport Mode exclusively but it's not what the scooter is for.

I rode 19 miles, reducing battery capacity to 70%. I suspect that as I become more familiar with the scooter I will be more economical and choose flatter routes if I stray from my planned local trips to the seaside and church, both roughly a mile each way.

I have ordered a Shad topbox; a box is an absolute necessity. There is a deep cubby-hole in the fairing, just big enough for my camera, and the space under the seat hold the two tools (stamped-out bicycle-style spanner and screwdriver) and my glasses-case. I will dig out a bag that mates with the curry-hook.

I was surprised not to have been troubled much by the lack of windscreen; it's chilly here today and quite windy. The windscreen will arrive in due course and I can see myself fitting it for the Winter and riding without it in warmer months.

The batteries have been on charge again since 1.20. - 1hr 20mins – and are not fully-charged yet so the charging times advertised may be a little optimistic, not that it matters. We shall see. The charger has a built-in cooling fan and an indicator light which shows red while charging, changing to green when charging is complete.

Tomorrow morning will be the first test of riding from A to B and locking it up to the convenient lamp-post at the venue.

More to follow in due course. Please ask any questions; I've probably forgotten something.

I LUV it!

Yes, I do get a £25.00 bonus if someone I recommend buys a scooter from UrbaneBikes.

The response on electric is instant no lag, even my golf cart is like that AND lots of torque on hand. The quiet is what I like

Mm, not quite; one can twist the throttle a tiny bit before power comes in. It's a bit of slack.

I posted this earlier on the 'Seaham Have Your Say' page on Facebook as well as Sharing it with Facebook Friends:

'This evening I rode my electric moped down to St. John's Church to attend the evening communion service. As usual, I locked it to the seat opposite the church door. It was restrained by two substantial cables and a very obvious yellow padlock. I have no doubt that many people here have seen it before as I attend services at least four times every week.
When I came out afterwards I noticed that it had been pushed over against the low wall. I then realised that the handlebars had been moved. I was certain I had applied the steering lock. When I pushed the key in, it would not turn so I guessed the steering lock had been forced and broken. Fortunately, the priest and the MC were still in church so, at their suggestion, I pushed the bike into the church hall. The MC then kindly gave me a lift home.
It was obvious to anyone that the bike could not have been taken except by a thief armed with cutting-gear so it is equally obvious that this was a blatant act of vandalism.
I will report the matter to the police, of course and should I find the scum who did it will ensure that he/they rue the day they even looked at my scooter.
I am stuck now since all the motorcycle businesses are closed for the next few weeks so I can't get repairs done.'

I've had around 100 'likes' as well as an offer of help from a mobile motor-cycle mechanic so feel supported.
Why do people have to be so nasty? I despair.

Jealousy ?

MikeO, sorry to hear about your issue. As if it's not bad enough for us with pandemic, earthquakes, extreme weather, and other unplanned freak accidents. With all this, do we still have to deal with extremists, vandals, robbers, murderers, and all those who wreak havoc and hate. Isn't nature enough for us to have to deal with? Want excitement? Mother Nature gives us enough, and those vandals will soon enough have to deal with her. Keep the faith.

Thank you both.

I don't think it's jealousy, just a gang of youths roaming wild and looking for things to do.
My church was egged just before Christmas along with houses and cars in the vicinity. I guess every town has its small group of hooligans and I've been on the receiving end this time.
The outpouring of support, particularly from the town's Facebook Group, has been overwhelming.

It's not so much the damage: NIU steering locks are plentiful on Ebay if I can identify the correct one, but the hassle of sorting it all out.
One chap here, a mobile motorcycle mechanic who is still working, immediately told me to contact him for help. I will, of course, when I've established with the dealer from whom I bought the bike the part number.

I feel the pain, our road used to suffer the mail box smashers I did overcome this by taking 1/4" plywood and scored it on my table saw until it fit snugly inside the box. Rocks stones and ball bats were resisted with glee , that is until some punk took a PU truck to it.

I wrote this this morning in response to messages on Max-Muppets Forum. It adds a bit of detail to conjure with:

I am certain that it was an act of stupidity which resulted into damage being inflicted.
Imagine, if you will, a standard security cable - one with a loop at each end - round the foot-well, with one loop threaded through the other and led up to the grab-rail at the back.
Then imagine a second cable similarly looped round the upright of a metal seat/park-bench positioned behind the scooter. In fact, of course, I'd backed the scooter up to the bench.
The second cable is also led up to the same grab-rail.
The two cables are then connected to each other and the grab-rail by an Oxford Boss padlock. This is the arrangement I always use.
Although it was dark, the padlock and cables are clearly visible. Unless anyone comes along with a pre-planned idea of stealing the scooter, it cannot be taken away. I lock it all to the grab-rail simply so I don't have to grovel on the ground!

I think the bastard who did the damage thought it would be clever to get on the scooter to pretend to ride it and in doing so, wrenched the handlebars straight thus breaking the lock.

I spoke to the police yesterday morning and then again in a pre-arranged interview on the phone in the evening with the officer assigned to the case .
I told the officer, Michael, my guess as to what had happened and he rightly said that that may be the case and is all very well but that a crime had been committed, albeit 'by accident.
He also reminded me that I was the victim.
Shortly after, he sent crime number and other information by text.

I spoke to Urban e bikes yesterday morning and again later. The upshot of that is that the mechanic up here should have no difficulty doing the work and, that if he gets stuck, he should phone for assitance and the part is on its way up here to be delivered early in the week by courier.

I am overwhelmed by the help and support I have received from messages of support from friends here, Facebook and so on, the actual help from the company and the way the policemen made me feel that I was the only person they were having to deal with - their efficiency and compassion.
I did say to them I realised it was highly unlikely they'd be able to identify the miscreant but was told that my having reported the crime helped with their work in the area.

Incidentally, the steering-lock is £43.00 and the courier-fee, £7.50. I doubt I'll be ripped off by the mobile m/c mechanic up here who immediately told me to contact him if I needed help. It's cash I could do without spending, of course, but won't break the bank

That looks line a neat little scooter for zipping around town with. And if gas prices go up it will be more practical. I live in a smaller town and it would be practical for going to the store or out to eat etc.

I think you're right, Dale.
It really is very good for what you suggest and, over here, it's compact enough to park on the pavement in most places so I can lock it to railings or lamp-posts.

The parts arrived in the post this morning so all I need to do is contact the mechanic and arrange a convenient time for him to do the work.
HAL is still safely tucked up in the Parish Room and the vicar has suggested the repairs are done there in the warm.

I think I must take some photos; it can't be every day that motorcycle repairers get to work in church.

Meeting the mechanic at the church at 2.00. this afternoon.

I'm being chauffeured down there so will take my helmet and jacket; hopefully, I will be able to ride the scooter home.

Fingers crossed.

I posted this on Facebook earlier (copied & pasted).

'Update regarding my vandalised scooter: Ian ( the mobile mechanic) contacted me this morning and we arranged to meet at church at 2.00. I was given a lift down in good time; Ian was already there. To cut a long story short, he managed to wrestle the plastic off - not an easy task - then he found he had to cut the key off to get the barrel out. Anyway, it's all back together and working. When I asked what the bill was he refused any payment whatever, in spite of my protestations. I cannot thank him enough for his kindness and generosity and have his assurance that I can contact him for help at any time. I promised to post pictures of his works van so everyone will know who he is. Thank you, Ian.'

Ian's business is 'Cambo's'. I gather from remarks following my Facebook post. he's well-respected in the area.

Sounds like the good kind of fellow you want to stay with for your work.

Yes, indeed.
It's clear from the fact that there are between 600 and 700 'Likes' on Facebook in addtion to many complimentary comments that he is well-known and well thought-of in the area.

This also appears now on one or two other forums:

Gosh! Nearly five months have elaspsed since that unfortunate incident.
Not much to say about it now except that the bezel round the ignition switch, damaged in the attack, wouldn't locate properly so I've left it off. It doesn't do anything except spoil the look very marginally and I'm the only person who gets up close. I don't bother with the steering-lock as it's obviously very flimsy and insecure.
I have found a better place, less obvious and out-of-the-way, to park the bike. I also bought an alarm to use as well as the WiFi one which is factory-fitted.

More important is that riding it is an absolute blast! Apart from the days it was off road for repair, I've only not ridden it when there was snow on the ground.
I did buy a screen to make riding in the rain more comfortable.

I can't fault it other than to say that the chrome on the front struts is very thin and already beginning to flake off; I'll deal with that in due course.

The high point today is that on my way back from an extra trip to Tesco - Tuesdays are shopping days - HAL passed the 1000-mile mark. I'm thrilled to bits (little things .... !) and add only that I do go out on it sometimes just for a ride, as we did on our push-bikes all those years ago.

Feel free to ask any questions if you wish.

It was a surprise to see the batteries are Panasonic 18650s. How many of them are in a battery pack?