Are you looking for a direct comparison between the Begode Master Pro and Inmotion V13 electric unicycles (EUC)? Both EUCs are amazing suspension electric unicycles that will take any rider up to 50mph or more without blinking an eye. If you’re into the extreme performance electric unicycles that can rival the performance of small motorcycles and mopeds, then the V13 and Master Pro may be exactly what you’re looking for. But, of these two choices, which is the best for you?
In this article, Rob Fail writes about his full experience with the Master Pro and V13 EUCs. For more info, you can also check out this first impression review of the Begode Master Pro EUC. And without further adieu, here is Rob Fail’s comparison and review of the V13 and Master Pro performance suspension electric unicycles.
Introduction
I recently had the great pleasure of getting to ride and review one of the very first dealer tester models of the Inmotion V13 Challenger and was able to put it through its paces.
I am a proud owner of a Begode Master Pro, and since the two machines are often seen as direct competitors, I am excited to offer a head-to-head comparison of these two models. Which one is better? Let’s continue!
Handling
Having an advertised tire diameter of 22″, both the V13 and Master Pro handle very similarly, to the point of being identical in nearly every way. Despite the claims, the V13’s tire is actually just a touch smaller, but in practical terms there is almost no difference.
Due to the smaller battery on the V13, it is a bit narrower than the Master Pro which lends a small edge to the V13 in the handling department. However, they are both extremely reliably stable at high speed due to the larger diameter tire.
Winner: V13 Challenger
Torque
Both wheels have 4500w motors, which directly translates to terrifyingly fast acceleration times. The Master Pro boasts a 134.4 volt system, while the V13 has 126 volts. They both have a maximum peak claimed wattage of 10,000 watts, but InMotion claims a dramatically higher peak current for safety purposes than the Master Pro. However, despite a higher peak current potential on the V13, the Master Pro gets the win in the torque category.
In anecdotal acceleration tests, the Master Pro has consistently been faster, with some of the best 0-40 mph acceleration times being in the range of 4 seconds. The V13 is no slouch either by any means, hitting the same speed in just over 5 seconds. It’s important to note that with the 22″ tire, it may not feel like it is accelerating quite as fast as a smaller wheel, but rest assured that both machines are extremely thirsty to go mind-bogglingly fast.
Winner: Master Pro
Top Speed
The advertised freespin cutout speed of the Master Pro is 75.8 mph (not GPS corrected), while the advertised cutout speed of the V13 is 88 mph. In real-world testing, there is an important caveat to clarify before we move forward: the V13’s reported speed is GPS-accurate, while Begode over-reports the speed and requires a -9% correction on EUC World or Darknessbot.
So in reality, Begode’s free spin cutout speed is 69 mph. No high-speed cutouts have yet been reported at publishing time for the V13 because the wheel begins to tilt back at around 51 mph (approximate top speed). The Master Pro has had reported cutouts from certain daredevils who pushed past the beeps and experienced a cutout at 56 mph (corrected).
The Master Pro can get to 55 mph faster than the V13, but it has very little safety headroom beyond that. Ultimately, since both wheels are capable of going 55 mph, this category is technically a draw, with the slightest edge going toward the V13 since it has increased headroom for safety.
Winner: Draw
Build Quality
Both machines are built like tanks, weighing in at over 100 pounds. While both are very robust and capable of taking a hard thrashing, the attention to detail goes solidly in the direction of the Challenger. The fit and finish is second to none, and everything just fits together incredibly well. Meanwhile, the Begode’s fit and finish just seems shoddy by comparison.
The important parts such as the structure, the motor and the rim are all solidly built, but many buyers have reported issues right out of the box, such as hand-tight screws, missing pieces, and poorly assembled parts. To put it bluntly, certain parts of the Master Pro appear to be built to last only for a short while. This is a hands-down, no-questions-asked victory for the V13 Challenger in the build quality category.
Winner: V13 Challenger
Range
For having a 4500 watt motor, the biggest complaints about the Challenger is in its battery capacity. Carrying a 3024wh battery capacity, the V13 has a mere 63% of the Master Pro’s battery capacity. Not so fast there – that doesn’t tell the whole story. Battery capacity doesn’t directly translate into range. Since the V13 has 126 volts and the Master Pro boasts 134.4 volts, the Master Pro has the potential to drain the batteries faster than the V13 if ridden hard.
However, despite the higher voltage, the Master Pro still catches the win for this category. The Master Pro contains 35.7ah of battery, while the V13 has a 24ah capacity. This slight voltage differential means that the V13 has a 33% shorter range potential compared to the Master Pro. In practice, two “extreme riding” range tests have been conducted by Speedyfeet and AlienRides, and the V13 eked out 32 miles of range, while the Master Pro was able to go 60 miles. For “regular” riding, one can expect roughly 60 miles on the V13 and over 100 miles on the Master Pro.
Winner: Master Pro
Screen
On the Master Pro, the is a large, bright, and easy to read monochrome screen that reports speed, odometer, machine temperature, and battery state (out of five bars). The challenger, on the other hand, boasts a significantly smaller capacitive touch screen that is displayed in full color. Nearly everything on the Challenger’s app can be manipulated instead on the touch screen, nearly eliminating any necessity for the InMotion app entirely.
Precise battery state reporting, wheel tilt angle, odometer, power output – you name it – it’s available to see and edit to your heart’s content. The Master Pro’s speed and distance reporting is not editable either, and over-reports 9%, so it is inherently and (presently) irreparably inaccurate. It does report your speed correctly in EUC World and Darknessbot, but the screen’s speed reporting remains inaccurate. Despite the V13’s screen being significantly smaller, this is an undisputed win for the v13.
Winner: V13 Challenger
Suspension
The V13 has a concealed air shock suspension, which uses two pistons on each side. The amount of pressure in the upper and lower chambers is adjustable using an included tool which is supplied by Inmotion and a shock pump.
This is a big upgrade beyond the V11’s suspension, which is a similar design yet required partial disassembly of the machine. The V13 is capable of pressurizing the suspension to the point of being so stiff that it can be safely jumped without bottoming out. However, the air suspension that the V13 provides feels still unrefined and a little uncomfortable, despite the upgrade over the V11 version.
The Master Pro uses a shock similar to a mountain bike rear shock that is located in the rear, and it is exposed. Batch 1 Master Pro’s required dramatically over-pressurizing the shock up to 600 psi because of the poor suspension geometry in order to prevent bottom-outs.
However, Begode has addressed this problem by releasing a new version of the suspension linkage which keeps the psi closer to the 200 psi range – a far more palatable number. The rebound speed is adjustable to the user’s preference as well. The ride feels extremely plush, and riding on the suspension feels like riding on a cloud by comparison to the Challenger.
Winner: Master Pro
Safety
The safety features on the V13 are the biggest selling point that InMotion is attempting to highlight. Ultimately they intend to eliminate cutouts entirely. The V13 has dual hall sensors, and has baked into the firmware a 55 mph maximum speed using dynamic tilt back. It also includes size 8 gauge wires in their “Raptor”-branded controller which is capable of handling a claimed up to 1000 amps of current continually.
To prevent water intrusion-related battery fires, they have sealed their batteries in a waterproof cover as well. Furthermore, the V13 has a first-of-its-kind smart BMS, which enables highly accurate cell-by-cell monitoring, a big leap in safety and early identification of battery problems.
Since EUC fires became the center of attention since the blame for eWheels’ warehouse burning down was pointed at Gotway, there was a seismic shift on Gotway’s behalf. Ironically, just a month prior, Gotway changed the name of their business to Begode, and some conspiracy theorists speculate it was in order to distance themselves from the reputation for Gotway’s poor build quality. The Master Pro has stayed the course with a few improvements in safety features.
Specifically, their batteries include a fuse between every four cells, and a control board that is capable of high current without damaging the battery packs. Unfortunately, the lack of dynamic PWM-based tiltback remains on the Master Pro, just like all other Begode EUCs.
When the wheel is over-torqued, the only warning will be a terrifying pedal dip and simultaneous beeps immediately before throwing you to the ground to your inevitable doom. Although Begode has stayed the course in terms of safety with a few notable improvements, it still pales in comparison to the “safety extravaganza” on InMotion’s behalf.
Winner: V13 Challenger
Seat
This category has a clear winner without requiring even going into extreme detail. Inmotion’s iteration completely lacks a seat in favor of a very sturdy folding trolley handle instead. Begode opted for a flat profile on top of the Master Pro intentionally to make room for a delightfully long, wide and relatively soft seat.
If one were to attempt to sit on the V13 without a seat, it will make for a very unpleasant experience! Inmotion has made an aftermarket seat that encircles the trolley handle (think “public toilet seat”) for about $99 usd.
It is a significant disappointment that the v13 doesn’t include a seat at all, considering the price tag. For a wheel that is large like the Master Pro or v13, a seat is truly the perfect complement to a wheel so tall. Since in motion did not include a seat at all, the winner by default is Begode.
Winner: Master Pro
Kickstand
The Master Pro includes a kickstand which is built in to the frame of the wheel. It includes two very sturdy bars that push out to the rear, and the wheel rests as it is leaned back. This design is particularly innovative and is a wonderful improvement over the kickstand design of the original Master and T4. Again, Inmotion has dropped the ball in this category as well, only offering a kickstand as an aftermarket option.
The V13 has aluminum roll bars on the front and back, which can be used as a kickstand in a pinch. Indeed, it does balance on the roll bars, but it is a far from ideal solution because the width of the roll bar is relatively narrow and makes the machine particularly susceptible to tipping over. Since there is only one contestant here in the kickstand competition, the crown automatically goes to the Master Pro.
Winner: Master Pro
Lights
The V13 includes a single 18-watt headlight that is nearly identical in every way to the V11, including a daytime running light. It is cut out in shape so I was to appear like the bottom half of a semicircle if aimed directly at a wall. This is an excellent feature that focuses the beam downward so you are not blinding oncoming traffic.
Sadly, when writing the v11 in soft mode, the headlight angles so far down when torque is applied that you are unable to see ahead of you for a significant distance. I personally found this to be rather off-putting, but it is fairly par for the course for Inmotion as this also is the case for the v11 and v12. The taillight is small, but bright and visible to the traffic behind you. A braking indicator is included by flashing as one comes to a stop.
The Master Pro sports four 5-watt headlights in a row, very similar to the master and t4. There is a grand total of 20 watts combined between these lights, and they form a bright circular beam that reaches significant distances. Unfortunately, the headlight beam angle is not adjustable because pedal angles are not adjustable on the Master Pro.
This results in aiming the headlight directly in the eyes of oncoming traffic, which can be very irritating to other drivers. The taillight is located on the two kickstand bars, and is large and very visible in bright daylight and night time. When stopped, the taillight turns blue. This is seen as a negative as it can be harder to see for other drivers.
Winner: Draw
Conclusion
Both wheels offer major advantages in some respective categories and maintain similar price points, but ultimately it comes down to what is important to you. After testing both wheels, they each prove to be well-deserving of their price tags. For the Begode, you are paying for the battery capacity and power primarily. For the V13, you are paying for the build quality, safety, and to a slightly smaller margin, power.
What is important to you? I can say unequivocally that I want to ride the Challenger again and again and again, but I have no regrets whatsoever with my purchase of the Master Pro. Both EUCs are an absolute delight and you can’t go wrong with either one. Special HUGE thank you to the man/myth/legend, Johnny Sainttellah, for giving me the incredible opportunity to ride the V13 Challenger.
Final Winner: Draw
Thank you so much for reading!
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