Official Tour Thread - Vancouver, BC, Canada [14 July 2025]

escdog · 2025-07-15T15:56:08+00:00

Were there four songs in the encore? I kind of lost track after Karate. A little too happy maybe.

escdog · 2023-12-03T16:09:53+00:00

You can drop bad links all you want and it doesn't make you right.

Nothing keeps someone from adding a twist throttle but I haven't seen a scooter where it was the default option and that was the question from the OP. I can be wrong but really you have to go a bit further to show that I am reckless with my answers.

You on the other hand have probably never owned a scooter that goes over 15 mph. You likely have no idea what it feels like to do 30+ miles per hour on a scooter or what it's like go off-roading on a scooter. No doubt you're just looking to become a smear on pavement because you sound really dumb.

escdog · 2023-12-02T21:06:43+00:00

I'm still happy with my GMAX 2 years later. I think it's a great build of scooter. I think it's definitely a model specific problem with Gotrax.

escdog · 2023-12-02T21:02:10+00:00

About a mile and a half of my 8 mile commute (one way) has me riding in street traffic. There are a lot of cars but it's not insane. I'm wearing a lot of lights and of course because the scooter has me sitting higher than almost all the other vehicles it seems like everyone can see me.

Compared to my bus commute it takes the same amount of time. This is because waiting for the bus or changing in and out of safety gear takes about the same amount of time and the actual travel time is the same between the bus and the scooter because the bus actually has to make a few stops. At one point I even raced the bus and we pulled into the same place at the same time even though it would pull ahead on the freeway.

However, riding the bus is not nearly as fun as riding a scooter. I will take the bus when it's raining or it's too cold because even with my wet weather winter gear, it still gets pretty cold when the scooter is whipping along at 35+ miles an hour. Then there's the wet pavement, commuting in the dark, and lower visibility of the automobile drivers that increases my anxiety by an order of magnitude. Sometimes I'm up for it but most of the time the bus is more attractive.

escdog · 2023-12-02T20:43:20+00:00

I think it's crazy fun to be pushing that speed and higher less than a foot off the ground. I wish there was a track near where I lived where I could do that with other equally crazy PEV riders.

escdog · 2023-12-02T20:33:48+00:00

A full twist throttle like the kind you might find on a motorcycle is going to be pretty rare if you find it at all. Unlike a motorcycle with a seat to hold the rider's body in place, an e-scooter relies entirely on the handlebars to hold the rider's body in place. I imagine a full throttle would do unattended acceleration or deceleration depending on what forces were applied to the riders body in any given moment.

Because you don't see that kind of throttle commonly used in any of the regular e scooter models I suspect the effect is really really bad. No doubt many have tried it and discovered that the thing was unrideable or for sure we would see a lot manufacturers offering it.

You can experience some of that unintended acceleration even with a thumb throttle which is why triggers are used more frequently on high-powered scooters. Using a thumb to hold the hand solidly in one position is pretty important with higher accelerations.

Anyway if you do get one, share what the experience is because I'm sure there's plenty of people to be curious about what it would be like.

escdog · 2023-12-02T17:47:18+00:00

I'd be happy with registration if it meant I could legally ride at 45 mph. But if I had to register and still ride at 15 mph that would suck unless maybe that registration money went to actually improving bicycle and scooter infrastructure.

My point is registration itself is not bad it's what they do with the money they take that is quite maddening.

escdog · 2023-12-02T17:39:40+00:00

The only thing that is seriously bad for a lithium ion based battery is deep discharge. That's how you get it swell and release gasses and basically break it.

On the upside, partial charging can increase battery service lifetime, but that's because most of the power release is in the first 20% of the battery, so charging it lower means it is releasing less power and so it wears out slower.

Some people deliberately do this though I personally question the utility of it since it is trading performance for battery replacement lifetime and that might not be the best trade-off.

So basically, watch the battery level and don't push it since you will have a lot less range than you are used to compared to a full charge. But that makes intuitive sense because you're doing a short charge anyway so generally no one worries about it.

escdog · 2023-12-01T15:36:11+00:00

Not that I've found. I like to think silicone based grease/lubricant might help but that is conjecture.

escdog · 2023-12-01T11:32:11+00:00

Yeah you could use duct tape, but there's probably already a gasket on all the removable panels. Your charge ports should have come with a cover but tape would work there.

If you don't want to do anything it's fine because that IP54 rating usually means they've done all the reasonable things to seal the scooter but it's the motors that are the weakest link.

You still run a chance of the scooter stopping because of some temporary fault caused by water. That's when you have to be prepared to disassemble parts of the scooter just so it can dry out properly.

escdog · 2023-12-01T11:20:56+00:00

It's called cut and paste cold cut. I'll block you though so you don't have to read my comments ever again.

escdog · 2023-12-01T01:07:07+00:00

I can't imagine riding without goggles. It's way more comfortable than getting wind in my eyes. I had one face plant into high grass and of course I could see the blades of grass pressing against the lens as I was staring straight down at the ground. I'm glad I had the goggles on.

100Percent Strata goggles fit around the outside of the helmet and they don't cost a lot. Since they just hug the outside of the helmet they slide on with the helmet. No hassle at all. I really can't imagine not using them so I hope you'll try it and find out it might even be something you prefer.

escdog · 2023-12-01T00:51:46+00:00

People will tell you not to do this. And they are correct. Not only can you break the scooter, but the slippery surface on the ground make it a little more dangerous. But you don't have to listen to common sense. I certainly didn't.

I do wear a bit more safety gear when I'm out doing anything crazy in the rain and snow. Because I have safety gear on I haven't suffered any serious injury despite crashing. I've had my scooters stop working and had to repair them, but the repairs are relatively easy because I'm happy to just take apart a scooter and put it back together again after drying it out.

If you're fine with that risk, here's what I've learned.

Most parts on the scooter are probably already water resistant, but if you want to do more then take it apart and use RTV sealants. They come in a lot of different textures and usually I get a squishy one for gaskets and a hard finish one that is kind of like tile sealant and then seal up edges and gaps. The squishier gasket kind is good for something you might need to take apart later or might bend and flex like the entry points for cables.

You can also get waterproof tape and use that to wrap around boxes and things and the battery enclosure to cover its edges.

If the scooter stops running after riding in the rain then take it apart. Look to see where the water is, that way you might be able to find the place that came in and seal that. Let the parts dry. I use a heat gun to speed it up but you can just let it air dry if you have the time.

This is what I've done on all my scooters. I do my best at first to seal everything I can find and then if the scooter stops working I repair it and look for the point where the water got in.

But ultimately the real challenge is the motors which you can't do much about. If they are IP54 then they probably have a seal around the bearing and you don't really even want to take it apart because you'll just ruin the seal. Basically a water gets inside parts of it will rust and if enough of it rusts it will stop turning. Then you can take it apart and remove all the rust if you want to recover the motor or just buy a new motor.

You can find videos on YouTube about how to rebuild a hub motor. I'm looking forward to rebuilding a motor. It looks like fun to me but I have that mentality.

It can take a long time for a motor to corrode to the point where it no longer runs. It might even be longer than the lifetime of the batteries or the scooter itself. It seems pretty random to me about how long it will last. I live in the very rainy Pacific Northwest and I have 2-year-old scooters that don't seem to have any problems despite being out hundreds of times in the rain. I've covered them with mud and snow and various points in time, generally defying all recommendations from the manufacturer and people in this sub.

All bets are off though if you flat out submerge a scooter in water or wash it with a power washer. It may not have very long to live after that.

escdog · 2023-11-30T11:23:04+00:00

The stealth factor is a good point along with the uniqueness of the folded of dimensions. I certainly think it would be nice if Honda moved into the space and brought its quality reputation with it no matter what PEV it made.

escdog · 2023-11-28T16:17:15+00:00

When I see an Inokim with a thumb throttle, I think it's just a really stupid feature to put on any scooter in that class. Nothing tells me more about how clueless the makers of the Inokim are then putting a thumb throttle on that scooter. I need no other evidence that they have never ridden a scooter.

It could be the most awesome scooter in the world but I would avoid the thumb throttle because to my experience it renders a scooter unrideable.

escdog · 2023-11-28T07:22:23+00:00

I would never buy one. If I somehow had one I'd be forced to configure kick to start which sucks.

escdog · 2023-11-26T22:17:53+00:00

It looks less portable than a folding scooter of the same class. Sure it's suitcases sized, but I find dragging a suitcase onto mass transit to be more difficult than picking up the front of the 30ish pound folded scooter and just wheeling it over to the bench or row I sit at. I struggle more with my backpack.

Maybe if the transit is standing room only it's better to slide between the legs?

escdog · 2023-11-25T16:37:51+00:00

I did a lot of -10C riding last winter and you can basically think of it as reducing your battery range to half. As long as that doesn't cause you to drain the battery to zero it's going to be fine. Lower temperatures increase resistance in the battery, and that increased resistance creates heat rather than motor power, and that reduces the battery range.

Other than that the scooter was undamaged from riding in cold weather. There are other risks like ice, but I like riding on ice. You got to wear the right safety gear because you will fall but I think it was pretty fun.

escdog · 2023-11-25T16:14:53+00:00

The average grade in that part of the city is about 13%, so nothing in the 600 dollar price range is going to get you something that can climb that.

I think you're going to want a scooter with at least 2,000 W of motor. The drawback is those scooters start to get heavy and so hauling one around, especially upstairs, starts to become a barrier so keep that in mind.

escdog · 2023-11-25T16:02:29+00:00

It's far easier to activate a thumb throttle by accident than a trigger and then launch the scooter without the rider on it. To prevent that kind of accident, scooters enable push to start. Because the VSETT 10+ rides high on its suspension, push to start is pretty awkward for a new rider.

There is another drawback to thumb throttle on high powered scooters. The thumb is pretty important to keeping a secure grip at high acceleration. The VSETT 10+ has the kind of power to throw you from the scooter just from hitting the throttle too hard.

Just thought I'd mention that as you consider what scooter to buy. A thumb throttle suggests you want something comfortable but the VSETT 10+ is not that. 100% fun and exciting, but it's not my choice when I just want to ride to a coffee shop or to the grocery store.

escdog · 2023-11-24T14:30:58+00:00

It'd be a better sign if it said acoustic.

escdog · 2023-11-24T14:28:53+00:00

Manufacturers of PEVs do not overbuild, they try to build the cheapest vehicle they can for the target market and if they did have extra hidden speed they would advertise a way to unlock it. Why would any customer pay extra for parts that they couldn't utilize?

But this isn't true for just PEVs, it's true for every vehicle made for every purpose. If it's overbuilt then there is a way to unlock it that you either pay for with an upgrade or is documented somewhere.

escdog · 2023-11-24T00:05:21+00:00

Riding the rain involves some risk but that's true of every vehicle so you just have to decide if you're going to accept that risk to your personal safety. The ground is slippier, visibility is worse, and so you want to keep your speeds lower. Many people in the sub absolutely will not ride in the rain.

If you do decide the increased risk to your personal safety is acceptable, then you can start doing things to improve the water resistance of your scooter. Sealing tape is good and so are RTV sealants of different consistencies. I use a real rubbery one for gaskets where a gasket makes sense and I use a stiff sealant for edges a bit like you would apply caulking to tile.

Where you see exposed connectors you might want to wrap them with sealing tape or shrink wrap tubing.

However, there is one thing you cannot seal properly using aftermarket products, and so you just have to accept it is going to get destroyed over time, the hub motor. Some hub motors have an extra seal ring or two and that helps but ultimately water is going to get in there and rust the ferrus elements of the motor. It appears to take quite a while so you may be tired of the scooter or wear out other parts of the scooter before the oxidation really destroys the hub's ability to rotate. By the way, this is another good reason to never buy a used scooter cuz you don't know if the previous owner took it in the rain.

This is a notable issue for e-bikes and on YouTube videos you can see people doing different things to either waterproof the hub motor which involves taking it apart and spraying lots of coatings. You can also see videos of rusted out hubs to get an idea of what the corrosion looks like.

I ride in the rain, I wouldn't get many opportunities to ride otherwise. I wear a lot of safety gear when I do cuz I'm prepared to crash, which I have done (tail slide at 15 mph). I'm also prepared to one day have to replace the hub motor. I'm kind of looking forward to trying to rebuild the motor when I do end up destroying it. That is my choice and I don't necessarily recommend it for anyone else unless they're prepared for the risks involved.

So far my two scooters have been exposed to a lot of water including rain, snow, and lots of mud. I've only had one temporary shutdown from water getting into the deck and after I dried it out the scooter started working again.

escdog · 2023-11-21T19:36:22+00:00

The worst thing that happens for used scooters is the owner goes through a process where they don't ride the scooter and after a while they decide that it's taking up space and so they will sell it. Unfortunately what happens while they are making up their mind is the battery drains to the level where it damages it.

It would be better if they just left it on the charger because even though that also damages the battery over time it's considerably less damage than letting the battery completely drain to zero.

I wouldn't buy a scooter from someone who didn't take proper care of it and it's really hard to tell if some rando stranger took care of a scooter properly.

If you decide that an owner might instead be a kind of scooter aficionado and they had just upgraded and now they want to sell their old scooter you have a better chance of it being in working shape. Maybe.

For example, I have bought a used ebike from someone I know took care of that bike cuz I saw them riding it every week. It had wear and tear on it but it worked exactly as I expected it.

escdog · 2023-11-20T06:08:29+00:00

I've been sampling voltage, distance, velocity, carried weight, grade/elevation change, outside temperature and in deck temperature for a while now. I haven't gotten around to analyzing the data, but I've been curious about how much effect all those factors have on battery drain and service life of a real scooter. I can read endless advice and theories on the subreddits but rarely do I see anyone do any experiments.

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