Range. Speed. Weight. If an electrical scooter can strike an excellent steadiness amongst these three components with out costing an arm and a leg, it is an on the spot win for me. I’m blissful to say that after years of testing escooters and normally discovering a number of shortcomings in a minimum of certainly one of these elements, Speedway’s Mini 4 Pro comes the closest to perfection.
Speedway is a sub-brand of MiniMotors USA, which makes costly and highly effective scooters just like the Dualtron Victor and the Bluetran Lightning (we’re speaking $3,000+ for a type of dangerous boys). Those escooters additionally weigh greater than 80 kilos, which isn’t nice in case your Brooklyn condo is on the third flooring with no elevator. This Speedway, however, delivers sufficient energy to cruise round most hills, has a dependable vary, and weighs simply 36 kilos. It’s a dreamlike city experience.
Slow Start
Before diving into all the things I like, I would like to notice that I solely had two issues with the Mini 4 Pro. On the return journey of my first outing with the scooter, the brakes made a screeching sound. It was so loud that I may see incredulous glances from passersby. I simply grimaced and stored screeching house.
This drawback disappeared the subsequent time I took the scooter out for a spin. But I took it to a store to be protected, and came upon that the brake wasn’t aligning correctly. After lower than 10 minutes it was mounted and I used to be on my manner, feeling a bit safer than I did earlier than. Dozens of journeys later, I have not run into this problem.
My second woe? For some time I had no clue how to correctly fold this scooter down all the best way. There’s a bit folding lever on the backside of the stem that you just want to push down, however irrespective of how laborious I pushed with my foot, it by no means budged. Turns out, you want to push the stem ahead as you kick into the lever, thereby liberating it and folding all the stem down onto the deck.
Once I figured this out, I could not cease folding it each second I wasn’t utilizing it. It’s really easy! I can fold it down with a slight push from my leg, and the stem clicks into place as soon as it is parallel with the deck. You may also fold the handlebars down to make the entire thing actually compact.
Best of all, simply seize the stem to carry the Mini 4 Pro as if it is baggage. At 36 kilos it is one of many extra light-weight scooters I’ve tried, and far simpler than most to tote up and down a flight of stairs.
Go, Speed Racer!
Despite its meager dimension and weight, this factor is highly effective. With the 1,360-watt hub motor you may go up to 28 mph on the best pace mode. I virtually all the time set it to the second stage, which hovers round 18 to 20 mph and will not eat up the battery life as rapidly. It may even deal with hills. The Mini 4 Pro is highly effective sufficient to go over the Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridges right here in New York City at speeds that are not frustratingly sluggish.
It’s price noting that a few times, once I kicked off and pressed the throttle earlier than I put my foot again on the entrance of the deck, the entire entrance finish of the scooter went up within the air a number of inches. I had to hit the brakes to make it cease earlier than it flung out of my arms. This looks as if a consequence of outfitting a strong motor in a comparatively light-weight body. Just be certain that to have each ft planted agency on the deck while you punch it.
As with all electrical autos, the terrain you are touring on will severely impression your vary (as will your weight). I’m a lanky, 6’4″ man and I bought 15 miles on the Mini 4 Pro, however that was a hefty journey that concerned crossing each the aforementioned bridges. On a separate 11-mile roundtrip totally on flat roads, the battery readout on the handlebar show mentioned it had 63 % left. Safe to say, most individuals can anticipate someplace shy of 20 miles (Speedway claims a 30-mile vary). That’s significantly better than the likes of the Segway F30. You’ll spend round 6 hours getting a full cost once more.
