Getting used to my first scooter

[E-HP]

I’ve been looking at scooters for a while. I was close to pulling the trigger on a long range dual motor because of the hills I live on. But then I realized that I want to be able to throw it in my truck once in a while and something lighter (single motor) would be better to offset the big battery, so I ended up getting a VMAX VX2 Hub, that weighs in at only 57lbs, and can climb well. The cherry on top is that it's also fast charging, UL certified, and comes with a 4.5A charger, when most of these scooters come with a 2A charger, so it checks all the boxes for me.

I’ve been putting around on it in Eco mode for a few weeks, too scared to switch to Sport or “beast” mode (that can hit 35mph). I’m having enough fun at 15-20mph, but have tried beast mode a few times, but not for top speed (beast mode also uses the same Eco and Sport settings, so I’ve been using beast Eco for the last couple of days), and today I climbed my ~18% to 20% test route in beast Eco mode at around 15 - 18mph. These crazy little 10” wheels and torquey little motor really make the most of this relatively low power scooter. I forgot how much regen helps on these hills too, and miss it now even more on my ebike. I wasn’t too far off of my starting voltage, only losing a couple volts (resting) after two climbs and descents.



My DIY instincts want to mod this thing, but it does what I want already, for now, so I'm only going to be adding Statorade to the motor, and adding FlatOut to the tires, since I'm not contemplating any performance related mods. It's already providing the fun factor, and forcing me to develop other skills. It's a great option for when I just want to putt around on something besides my ebikes, and a lot easier to throw in my truck when I want to explore places further away.

 

[hillslayer@]

I have one with 14 inch tires any smaller would be kind useless on my driveway. Going 35 mph would be scary on 14 inch tires can't imagine doing it on 10 inch.

 

[hillslayer@]

I don't see how you live without Regen on your bike I am totally addicted. I would have thought the controller you have would have it as it's similar to the one I have.

 

[E-HP]

I don't see how you live without Regen on your bike I am totally addicted. I would have thought the controller you have would have it as it's similar to the one I have.

I messed around with it when I first installed it, but it wasn’t a priority at the time. Not sure if it has some sort of protection to not regen when battery voltage is close to full. I’ll revisit it at some point.
I miss regen, but I can’t sit in the saddle for more than 50 miles, and 30 my normal ride now, so don’t need it for range. Brake pads are another story. I keep a pile of them handy.

 

[glennb]

Nice acquisition. Practical and fun and affordable, ticks all the boxes.

10" is the sweet spot for fast acceleration with small motors. Bigger tyre necessitates bigger everything - motor, battery, controller. Makes it easier to achieve higher top speed, but that's about it - for the majority of use cases the additional weight and bulk and expense can't be justified.

The front is a different matter. More grip and pothole resistance is welcome, so big benefit from bigger wheel. If the right parts fell into your lap you could consider a fork swap and larger front wheel. Marginal gains.

A big upgrade on the other hand is longer swingarm with softer suspension. Again, if the parts fell into your lap ...

 

[E-HP]

Nice acquisition. Practical and fun and affordable, ticks all the boxes.

10" is the sweet spot for fast acceleration with small motors. Bigger tyre necessitates bigger everything - motor, battery, controller. Makes it easier to achieve higher top speed, but that's about it - for the majority of use cases the additional weight and bulk and expense can't be justified.

The front is a different matter. More grip and pothole resistance is welcome, so big benefit from bigger wheel. If the right parts fell into your lap you could consider a fork swap and larger front wheel. Marginal gains.

A big upgrade on the other hand is longer swingarm with softer suspension. Again, if the parts fell into your lap ...

I feel lucky that it has at least has some suspension. I was crossing a street along the trail yesterday and there was a few people walking side by side, hogging the trail. I barely squeezed by but hit the lip of the curb because I couldn’t get over far enough to miss it. It hit pretty hard, but the front shock took a lot of the impact, so I didn’t go over the front. I probably would have been hitting asphalt without suspension.

 

[glennb]

Yep. Face plants are a serious risk. Need good situational awareness and decision making with little wheels. Incompatible with alcohol. Any amount. Two beers is easily enough to be the difference between dodging a crash or failing to.

A softer rear end is just for comfort, to soak up bumps so that your legs don't have to. A longer rear end will improve high speed stability.

For front end options, I'm confident more accidents would be prevented with a larger diameter wheel vs a smaller one with suspension, but have no data to support the hypothesis.

 

[Zambam]

Looks like you picked a very nice scooter! I bought one recently as my first standup and still getting acquainted with it. At first, handling was pretty sketchy with it's light front end. The instructions to place my weight over the rear wheel made it worse. My primary requirement was easy to carry, i.e. light. Mine is 24 lbs! Max spd 18 mph (verified), max range 21 miles. Cost 1/7 of yours.

Have you tested range on yours? I'll be doing that soon now that I have downloaded the app which tracks mileage and voltage (display does not).

 

[E-HP]

My max ride has been about 22 miles, and there was a decent amount of charge left. I think upper 20’s is my guess, with my mixed terrain, maybe 30. It too my a while to get to the point of taking a hand off the grip to adjust my mirror, or glasses. I’m getting pretty good at quick maneuvers when the people glued to their cellphones wander across the trail, etc.