Windgoo B9 review - “The smile-inducing electric scooter with a seat”

Windgoo B9 review - “The smile-inducing electric scooter with a seat”

09 March 2023Tim Fullbrook

Overall rating:

The Windgoo B9 is an electric scooter with a seat that is designed for those who want to commute with a little more comfort, stability, and practicality that they might not find with your standard electric scooter.

Ok, we get that the B9 looks a little different and might not immediately be the most attractive e-ride out there – but bear with us. What this scooter lacks in aesthetic appeal, it makes up for with accessibility, practicality and ultimately sheer enjoyment of riding.

What the Windgoo B9 does, and does well, is provide an electric transport solution for anyone and everyone, regardless of your riding confidence, mobility concerns and budget. This really is an e-ride that anyone reading this could enjoy. For £419, the B9 sits as the benchmark electric scooter, and has set the bar high for the competition. "Sits" and "bench" in one sentence are you really going to let me get away with that?


Reviewer riding Windgoo B9 electric scooter

Good for:

  • Daily riding
  • Less confident riders
  • Those with limited mobility
  • Shopping trips

Pros:

  • Safe, seated position with good visibility
  • Comfortable
  • Light, can be carried up and down stairs
  • Basket for practicality

Cons:

  • Two colour options
  • Reduced build quality

Expert verdict:

The Windgoo B9 is an electric scooter you really won’t forget riding, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting out and riding what is quite a unique product.

Electric scooters with seats are growing in popularity – in fact I wouldn’t be surprised to see a whole load of these taking people across town in the very near future. The B9 is safer, more comfortable and easier to ride than your average electric scooter.

There’s no fussy apps, keys, or unlock codes, you take to the saddle, place your feet on the footplate and whisk away on your wild Windgoo adventures. Yeehaw.

Components + build quality
Safety + security
Performance + handling
Comfort + practicality
Overall star ratings

Let’s address the elephant in the room, it’s not the best looking electric scooter out there. Is that because of the seat? Maybe. Overall the B9 isn’t the most pleasing on the eye, but to those who want to ride this every day aren’t buying an e-ride for identity or style reasons – I’m sure some of you out there could make this look very cool. Send us your stylish Instagram posts with the B9 if you get your hands on one.

Ultimately this scooter is not designed for the fast and furious, its fundamental purpose is to make electric mobility accessible for as many people as possible.

Overall the B9 achieved four stars from our Ride and Review process – where it lost marks with a slightly reduced build quality and componentry in comparison to other mass produced electric scooters, the B9 won us over with its comfort, practicality, and individuality.


Specs:

Battery 36V 7.5Ah lithium battery
Charger voltage 42V 1.5A
Charging time 4.5-5 hours
Motor 350W Brushless motor
Max Speed 25km/h
Electric power range 18km-20km (full power mode)
Max load 120kg/264lbs
Max incline 15 degrees
Expand size 1200 x 535 x 990mm
Folded size 1200 x 285 x 540mm
Weight 24.2kg/53lbs
Tyre size 12x2 inches
Tyre properties Rubber Pneumatic Tire
Waterproof rating IPX4
Braking system Front and rear dual disc brakes, mechanical brake
Riding modes Pure electric mode/assist start
Light Front LED headlights, rear LED tail lights with reflector

In detail:

Performance

The Windgoo B9 is an absolute joy to ride, you cannot ride this electric scooter without arriving at your destination with a smile on your face. I found it’s performance was fun, predictable, and extremely useful for its form and function.

The 350W brushless motor is controlled via a twist-throttle on the right side, allowing you to easily modulate the how much power you’re putting down. I found the power delivery to be smooth and predictable. There were no nasty surprises when riding around which I believe enhances the accessibility of this product for a variety of riders.

Reviewer points at motor on Windgoo B9 electric scooter

With a top speed of 15.5 mph (25km/h) the B9 will whisk you around town with ease; it’s somewhat of a Goldilocks top speed, any faster and I think it would detract from the comfort of the ride, any slower and I think you’d maybe look at buying a mobility scooter.

The B9 offers up to 12.5 miles (20km) in range which should more than suffice for daily trips – I think it’d be very easy to use this every day and only charge it once or twice a week. For those looking for a solution to getting around their area, that should be plenty considering the chances are you’ll never actually riding it on full throttle for extended periods of time. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in reality, you might find yourself getting a few extra kilometers out of the B9.

I was debating including performance in this review, because ultimately the B9 isn’t about how quickly it gets off the line or whether or not it has market-topping range, it’s about giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy an e-ride – but good news, I really liked the way the B9 performed.


Comfort and Handling

The Windgoo B9 is exceptionally comfortable to ride, and I really believe it would leave a lot of people surprised about just how easy the riding experience is.

Reviewer riding Windgoo B9 electric scooter

I found the seat posting very natural, and I liked the way you can firmly plant both feet on the deck in front of you and feel ‘locked in’ to the scooter. Once I got the hang of pushing off and twisting the throttle (easy after a couple of attempts), I noticed just how comfortable a ride it is in those initial meters.

The deck was super wide and grippy, and it really helps add to that sense of stability of riding. You might initially have concerns about being wobbly, but being able to firmly plant your feet in front of you really helps.

I really didn’t feel like I was riding an electric scooter with a seat – it feels more like a baby moped.

The large rubber pneumatic tyres do a great job of increasing the comfort of the ride, smoothing out imperfections with ease. In the absence of any suspension, I found the tyres filled that gap by diminishing the lumps and bumps in the road – it wasn’t perfect, but it really enhanced the riding experience.

Reviewer points at tyres on Windgoo B9 electric scooter

I really believe the B9 was be a very safe scooter to ride every day. I found I was sat upright, giving me great visibility of what’s around, and crucially with a nice Lumos helmet on I think others would be able to see me riding very clearly.

Also, in case you ever did have an accident or find yourself in a sticky situation, it’s super easy to put a foot down next to you or simply just step off the B9 completely. That aspect was what myself and the Electroheads team helped bump it up to four stars overall – it might seem a bit radical or a bit whacky, but really there’s a brilliant, practical and safe e-ride underneath that green paint.



Brakes

The B9 features front a rear mechanical disc brakes, which do a great job of slowing you down whilst riding. I actually found that rolling off the throttle was enough to slow you down enough to take turns and monitor your surroundings more comfortably, but having disc brakes gave me plenty of confidence in the stopping ability of the B9.

Overall the brakes were pretty standard for the Windgoo range.. I’ve ridden a number of the bikes and scooters from the company and the B9 has the same components as those other models. Whilst it’s not the most premium set up out there, I didn’t find any alarm issues or problems that arose during my time riding the B9; but with all e-rides I would advise keeping on top of general maintenance like you would with your bog-standard bike, and if you notice anything suspect whilst riding, ride carefully and take it to a shop for assistance as soon as you can. Or the simplicity might actually allow the more technically-savvy to have a go at fixing it yourself without major issues.


Extras

As mentioned in the brakes section, the Windgoo B9 features almost identical components to other small e-ride models from the company – and look, it’s very functional.

A simple on off switch, mechanical bell and a straightforward display keeps things easy to use on the handlebars. It’s not cluttered, which I do really like, there’s no fuss and it's very much straight to the point.

Reviewer with Windgoo B9 electric scooter

The display shows up to four bars of remaining range, I thought it was frustrating to not see a remaining range available in numerical form, but in reality I think that for its purpose and for those in the market for the B9, you’ll only be undertaking short regular trips, not the range draining long rides.

I found the Windgoo B9 was easy to lift and carry up stairs. Whilst it weighs in at 24kg, I found it fairly easy to lift from the saddle and move around – however this weight may be a concern for those with limited mobility.

The handlebars also fold down, meaning it can be easily stored indoors, out of the way, or in the boot of your car.

One of my favourite features is the basket – who doesn’t love a basket? Attached to the frame above the rear wheel, there’s plenty of room to hold a large shopping bag, and I could easily see this being perfect for a quick trip for groceries.

Reviewer pointing at front light on Windgoo B9 electric scooter

The B9 also features a bright front and rear light, which I thought were neatly packaged and visible in both day and night.The rear light also acts as a brake light, which I thought was a great feature for safety reasons.

However I did have a couple of security concerns about the B9 that are definitely worth flagging to a potential rider. The first is I couldn’t find any obvious points to lock the B9 to a rack or suitable location; there is a gap in the frame just in front of the rear wheel, but I think this could make it difficult in certain situations to only have one usable lock-up space. Secondly the B9’s battery cannot be removed from under the footplate, meaning you’ll have to bring the scooter as close to the mains outlet as possible in order to charge.

Reviewer points at Windgoo B9 electric scooter basket

Overall I think the big selling point about the B9, is that it avoids the stigma attached to your generic mobility scooters. I could see this being the product to help those with limited mobility to get out and about, but also get to places with ease, comfort and safety.


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