The Max G3 is an amazing piece of tech. While this $1200 scooter does not have even half the range my $799 Kugoo G5 had, nor the smooth ride (thinner tires), everything else about it seems much better. However, if you look at some reviews, and search posts on REDDIT and Facebook groups, you find many users reporting jerky acceleration. My unit definitely has this issue, and I’ve been e-mailing with Segway Support over it the past 7 days since I initially received my unit.

This post is a compilation of what I have learned so far, based on user reports and official information from Segway.

Known Issue: Riding is jerky

First, Segway has posted an article, which I found inside the Segway App’s help section, specifically about riding feeling “jerky”.

You can also read this article on their website:

Riding is jerky | Segway eKickScooter Ninebot MAX G3 Series/F3 Series | Ninebot

Whatever this issue is, it is common enough for them to address it inside the app and on the website. However, as I went to write up this post, I found they have similar entries like this for other scooters, so it is not limited to just the Max G3 and F3 series.

The jerking is just the acceleration being awesome.

Another common report of “jerky acceleration” is likely just that this scooter has WONDERFUL torque and accelerates incredibly fast. Reports from users with “good” Max G3s say this is wonderful and super smooth. However, the throttle is touchy and if you are trying to hold a slower speed (i.e., you are in Sport mode with a max speed of 28 mph then you want to slow down to 15 and cruise through some tricky spots), the scooter will feel jerky, as if the motor is pulsing on and off.

On my scooter, this is very noticeable. As I ride, it feels like the motor is cutting off and I am pushed forward a bit towards the handles each time it happens. Very annoying. And, when I was initially trying out Sport mode, it felt dangerous. Because of that, I have been riding in lower speed modes, and avoiding Sport entirely.

There are reports that the earlier firmware had issues like this, but an update solved it. Recently a new firmware was released which some users reported made it better — but that update was quickly removed. I have not seen it pop up in the USA yet.

I think there are two issues here. The touchy throttle sounds like something they can fix in firmware, or maybe make go away completely just by reducing the acceleration. (I’d suggest slow acceleration in normal mode, fast acceleration in Boost mode.)

Max speed can still have “jerkiness”

But for my problem, I feel the jerking even when running with the throttle all the way down in Drive mode (16 mph). While I certainly do have the problem when trying to maintain a slower speed, it still happens when I have it maxed out — which tells me my scooter has a different issue than “acceleration is really fast.”

Not variable speed? That’s what they say!

A real puzzler is how many users responded that this scooter does not have variable speed. They say the motor is either on or off and that “all Segway scooters are like this.”

However, when I asked Segway Support about this, they said it 100% has variable speed and you should be able to maintain any speed level you want. I suspect the users saying this have the same problem I have and may not know it’s a problem — they think “that’s just the way it is.”

My scooter is perfect!

And then there are plenty of folks saying everything is perfect — specifically, every YouTube review I have seen so far. Not one of them mentioned any issues with acceleration. Perhaps they had review units that were inspected to make sure they were 100% working?

Conclusion

I will update this page with more details. Segway Support thinks something is wrong with my scooter, and asked me to disassemble some stuff to send to them for inspection and repair. When I explained I just got it last week, they suggested returning it to the seller for replacement.

I will be doing that, and if my second unit has the same issues, I plan to return it. Mine is not a pleasant experience compared to every other scooter I have ridden.

Here is something I am wondering about … When I plug in the Segway Max G3 to charge it, the tail light will light up and slowly fade up and down as it charges.

At some point, I heard a sound I did not recognize. I assume it was a sound from the scooter. I opened the Segway app, and saw that the scooter was now at 100%. I now assume this sound means “I’m done charging now.” I also noticed that the brake light was solid red instead of fading. I now assume that “fading on/off means charging” and “solid red means done.”

You will notice it says 100% with an estimated range of 40 miles. This means the app is showing the low-end of the “40-50 miles” range that their marketing states of this scooter:

However, you will also see that the time left for charging says 33 minutes. So are we done, or are we not?

I left it plugged up to see what happened. After a half hour or so, I noticed that the brake light as now completely off. I now assume “off” means “I am done charging now, for real this time.” The app still shows the same 40 miles estimate, but no longer has the “time left” readout:

My question is … what is the purpose of having the initial “I’m done” with the sound, 100% in the app, and the brake light changing to solid, but still having a “oh, but wait, there’s more time to charge” indicator. I wondered if that extra time would get the range estimate higher than 40, but as you can see it did not.

Thoughts?

The tech in this scooter is amazing. There is a TON of battery diagnostics. I’ll have to post about that at some point. But first, I need to finish my multipart blog post about what I dislike about this scooter, in hopes it might save someone from making a $1200 mistake if they also don’t like those things ;-)

Until then…

I have a writeup in progress that will document the things about the Segway Max G3 electric scooter that I really dislike. (Sneak preview: If I had test ridden one first, I would not have gotten one. Period.)

But, as I learn that more and more owners are experience the same jerky throttle issue that is my #1 complaint, I thought I’d post this quick update. Inside the Segway app, the jerky motion is addressed with the following entry about a hardware issue:

Perhaps this is why all the YouTubbers have amazing, fantastic glowing “reviews” of the scooter, and then there are those of us experience absolutely awful throttle control wondering why none of them mentioned how bad this scooter rides.

More to come… (Including how awful the range is on this $1200 scooter.)