Windgoo B9 review

Mastering the commuter scooter

When I say the word e-scooter to you you probably think of the Xiaomi M365 design right? Slim deck and standing experience. Well, what if I told you this e-scooter comes with a seat and packs quite the punch all for under £500. This is the Windgoo B9.

Compact in nature

When looking at the scooter the first thing you will notice is just how compact this little thing is. In many ways, this is a good thing especially when commuting in the city or if you living in a flat where you have to carry the scooter around. It does however mean you sit quite low to the ground and although the seat can be adjusted those handlebars have little to no adjustment so be ready for a slightly hunched-over experience, if you are very tall this might not be the right scooter for you. Though the handlebars cant be adjusted up or down they can easily be collapsed for storage and carrying it around.

Battery and deck

The deck is where your battery and charger are, it’s unusual to see the charge port on the top of a deck like this but its rubber gasket at least offers a certain water resistance though riding this thing in the rain like any sort of electronics is not advised and Windgoo offer no official water resistance rating. The deck is however big enough that I can comfortably fit both feet onto it without feeling too cramped meaning this almost feels more like a moped than a scooter and it’s one of the many things I love about it. The metal frame is well built and comes in 2 main colours, green and white, I quite honestly don’t hate the way it looks, it’s simple, sleek and stylish I know looks are certainly a subjective thing though and many have commented on this scooter looks rather like a mobility scooter and though I see that it’s not a deal breaker for me. On the back of the scooter, we see the optional basket that I found myself using a lot more than I expected to, especially when doing smaller commutes to shops and such. On the handlebars, you have a bright front-facing LED array, a power switch, 2 buttons for lighting and cruise control and of course the throttle on the right-hand side.

Tyres

The wheels here are 2 air-filled 12-inch tyres which definitely help to soak up some of the potholes and other loose rocks on the UK streets and can even do a little off roading though it is certainly not its primary use-case, Many competitors will choose to use honeycomb or gel-filled tyres, these will always be preferable as they are less prone to punctures through its understandable why Windgoo went with air-filled, particularly as it can help to make for a more comfortable ride overall. I suppose now may be a good time to give the legal talk, these sorts of personal electric vehicles are still illegal to ride here in the UK on the roads so do as at your own risk, I can’t quite understand why the government can’t allow these sorts of scooters as they are helping to massively reduce congestion and pollution for shorter trips, I hope in the future to be able to ride these sorts of devices without fear of fines but for now, just keep it in mind.

Powering the back wheel is a 350w hub-style motor which gives you enough of a kick to get you up even the biggest of hills and propel you all the way up to the top speed of 25km an hour for a rated top range of around 20km thanks to the 36V/7.5Ah battery, It is worth noting here that though it can tackle hills you may find that little motor isn’t quite powerful enough for your daily commute, I live in a fairly hilly area and found the scooter to slow to a crawl on some of the larger hills though this is definitely understandable due to smaller motor. other scooters on the market from the likes of Apollo do offer much more powerful motors that could tackle hills and even offroad tracks with ease but these styles of scooter come with a much higher price to match, in terms of price to performance I don’t think there is anything quite like the B9.

If the battery does die on you, unfortunately, you’re going to have a long walk home and range is definitely not the B9’s strong point the built in display shows the battery as 5 bars but this reading is unreliable at best due to it working out power from its draw, so if you are going up a hill it will show significantly less battery than riding on a flat. so take any battery reading with a large pinch of salt. It’s far from a light scooter too at 25kg on the plus side though it will charge in around 3-4 hours to full, so it’s perfect for commuting to an office, placing it on charge ready for the return journey.

The daily commute

How is it to ride on a daily basis though? Well, honestly this little scooter has become my daily go-to. It’s small, compact, convenient and most of all fun. I get around 17km which I find perfectly acceptable due to those aforementioned hills and the rated top speeds once again feel acceptable here without feeling uncontrollable. Of course, this isn’t the fastest scooter and it’s not made to be this is the definition of a commuter scooter getting you short distances quickly and that’s something it excels at. if your looking for a scooter to replace your last-mile trip on the bus or underground this could well be a very compelling option for you.

Its built-in cruise control feature is a nice touch too easily keeping you at a comfortable sustained speed without having to uncomfortably hold the throttle down. Be warned however this scooter packs a punch in both its acceleration and breaking! There were a few times the ABS brakes would even feel a little too sensitive locking up the wheels quickly and sending me skidding and through this was fun I did find it a little disconcerting especially if riding in the street, these brakes can of course be adjusted just like any other scooter or bike so at least you have the option to choose braking sensitivity.

The maximum payload for the device is 120kg meaning it can handle both the rider and even some shopping or luggage in the back. Being visually impaired I can’t drive so I rely on tech like this to make everyday tasks such as food shopping that little bit easier and that basket helps with that, it allows me to pack in food for a few days and makes what was a 30-minute walk each way a 10-minute scoot each way and let’s be honest its more fun and much less exhausting travelling this way too!

To sit or not to sit

Is there an advantage to a seated scooter over standing ones on the market? In my eyes its a personal preference but I think seated offers a greater amount of comfort and control over the scooter being able to lean into corners to make sharper turns when needed. alongside this, I generally feel safer here than I ever have done on something like the M365 purely because I feel more connected to the road overall.

Conclusion

So who is the B9 for? If you’re looking for a fun, short-range seated e-scooter for shorter city commutes then look no further than the B9 it’s a powerful motor, a good capacity battery comfy seat and even built-in lights and cruise control make it perfect for that use case. If you’re a more off-road rider or looking for a faster experience I recommend looking elsewhere.

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