Speedway IV review – High speed electric scooter for long distance riding
Speedway/Minimotors have produced a high-quality electric scooter called the Speedway IV. It is said to have amazing performance and really take your riding to the next level and after reading up on its specifications I had a feeling that I might be in for the ride of my life.
Let’s take a deeper look at this electric scooter has to offer. But first, if there is one thing that I can tell you right off the bat that is that this scooter has earned one of my favorite movie quotes.
Spared No Expense! – Jurassic Park first film, John Hammond
Review
The unboxing and assembly process of the Speedway IV was a blast and I think they have done a great job making the assembly as easy as possible. One thing that I want to highlight and highly appreciate is that all the tools needed to assemble it comes with the scooter. You get a little multi-tool that can be used to assemble the scooter entirely, as well as be used for maintenance work in the future.
As soon as you open the box you get a warm fuzzy feeling. Although I always get this feeling when opening a “gift”, like a little child on Christmas morning. A lot of times, that feeling wears off quickly. However, this was not the case with the Speedway IV. On the contrary, it did surprise me how much thought must have gone into this product and the first impression you would get as a customer.
It is packed with neat features and believe me when I say this, before even taking it for a ride I am already in love with this scooter. They’ve made every aspect of it perfect. From the turning signal to the air suspension in the back, you really get what you are paying for and if you want something of extremely high quality that won’t break down on you, the Speedway IV is a great choice and it has all the safety functions in place: Like a horn, bright headlight, brake light, turn indicators, cruise-control, sick suspension and just awesome quality.
If we were to compare the IV to the other Speedway models there is no question that the IV comes out on top.
Specifications:
- Speed 28-35 mph
- Distance up towards 60 miles per charge
- Hub motor 600W(1600W peak)
- Li-polymer battery 1347Wh, 52V 26Ah
- Recharges in 5 hrs with fast charger
- Weight 52 lbs
- 10” pneumatic tires 2.5” wide good grip
Amazon.com
- Extremely fast and long & range battery life - A motor propels the e-scooter to a max speed of 20 mph; high capacity 36V 10. 4ah 375WH battery with a maximum Travel range of up to 16 miles
- Portable folding design - weighs just 36. 4 lbs. Small, light and compact, and easily folded for stowing away or carrying onto vehicles or public transport, it goes wherever you go
- Dual braking mechanism - in addition to the rear drum brake, It can be set to use electric brakes and adjusted for the desired braking power through the smart dashboard
Riding experience
Taking this piece outside or lifting it into a car might not be the easiest of tasks, but that wasn’t the goal with this scooter. If you want a smaller more versatile unit go check out the predecessor Speedway 4 mini.
This scooter was not built to deliver short commutes or as that last-mile solution. This thing was built to give you excellent performance and take you wherever you might want to go, and to do it fast and comfortably.
Stepping up on the footpad I notice there’s a lot of room and I did read somewhere that this thing has an attachable seat. If one would prefer to sit down during longer rides there is a solution for that, go buy the attachment.
The acceleration is there and it will get you off to a fast start depending on your personal settings. I reached a top speed of 35 mph which is very good for my 176 lbs. You who read my reviews often might have noticed that the lbs weight of the user has been going up slightly over the last couple of reviews. Don’t worry, I’ve started working out. Gaining weight is a con of getting such a full-fledged machine to ride around with.
I actually set out to empty the entire battery at ones, but after about two hours of riding and 40% battery juice left I gave up and completed the entire drainage the day after. It got me a total of 52 miles with a lot of hills and start/stops. It can climb hills of up to 35 degrees and it didn’t have any issues with the inclines in my town even though there is one very steep and long climb.
When it comes to comfort the scooter pretty much outperforms the ones I’ve tested so far. The front spring/hydraulic and the rear air shock really helps in improving the riding experience. Potholes and rough terrain is not an issue and I like the fact that you can adjust the rear air-shock to the weight of the user giving you perfect suspension.
I rode it in 3rd mode around 70% of the time. This mode gives you more torque and power but it also drains the battery much faster. Pretty self-explanatory.
Overall I do agree with most of the other reviews that I’ve read that this is an electric scooter beast.
The performance of the Speedway IV is only comparable to a few other scooters that I have tested so far and I highly recommend you give this one some serious thought. Sure it’s a lot of money, but if you really need/want something that can deliver more than a couple of miles per charge, then the price really reflects the value of this scooter. Its performance is perfectly balanced between comfort, speed, distance, and ease of use.
Features of the Speedway IV
- Bright headlights for night riding and better visibility.
- Two shock system with two front spring shocks and two rear adjustable air shocks for great suspension and comfort.
- Turn lights that let you indicate to others what your next move is.
- Brake light so that if you are riding on the road cars can easily spot you slowing down.
- Extendable handlebar lets you adjust the height 6” up or down to accompany the height of the user.
- Large 10” x 2.5” pneumatic wheels provide even more comfort and suspension while riding.
- An attachable seat can be purchased on the side if you’d like a more relaxing position.
- Folding system is robust, easy to use, and secure.
- Minimotors are a well-established electric scooter brand since 1999 with its home base in Korea.
- A fast charger can be purchased on the side to reduce charging time to 6-8 hours.
- Has three different modes to choose from and many features can be customized on the dashboard.
- Sleek, compact, and appealing design for a scooter with such high performance.
- Two different braking systems, mechanical disc brakes both front and rear accompanied by an electric brake with regenerative braking.
How the multifunction smart backlit dashboard works
You can see:
- Battery level
- Voltage
- Trip
- ODO
- Driving time
- Speed
- Speed mode
You can set:
- Cruise control function
- Electric brake function
- Slow Power start acceleration
- Kickstart acceleration
- Battery energy save functions
The review test data
Distance: 52 miles
Speed: 35 mph
Avg speed: 19 mph
Battery consumption: 100% to 0%
Surface: A lot of hills and rough terrain
Last words of recommendation
The Speedway IV doesn’t just outperform its predecessor the Speedway Mini 4 which is a smaller and cheaper model. It outperforms most of its competition. There are but a few other models that can match the performance, joy, and comfort of riding the Speedway IV. Like the Qiewa Q1 hummer for example. I can with full confidence say that those who want to be able to ride for a longer distance per charge, at a higher speed and perhaps live where there are a lot of hills, you guys will never regret purchasing this fantastic scooter.
