How To Choose The Right Electric Scooters For Rough Terrain

Scooters are great for the everyday adventure, but if it’s an off-road thrill that you’re looking for, a regular scoot would be extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are scooters that are designed for off-road driving and these can blow your mind. Their ability to cover different kinds of rough terrain offers an excellent advantage over the normal ones.

However, searching for the best off-road electric scooter that allows you to roll in style and comfort is a bit challenging.

Off-Road Electric Scooters, How Do They Work?

 

To put it simply, electric scooters get operated by connecting the battery and the motor, making it a small mode of transportation. The kind of motor utilized for these machines is quasi-forceful, yet it’s not as mighty as other motor types you’ll see in gas-powered scooters. You can control the speed and brakes of these electric scooters through a switch installed on their handlebars.

Electric scooters for adults vary somehow from children’s versions in terms of the model despite these machines having slightly similar designs. To be specific, those made for kids can usually climax up to ten to twelve miles per hour. Those designed for adults, on the other hand, can frequently reach twenty miles or more in an hour.

So, what makes electric scooters for rough terrain different from the regular models?

Off-road electric scoots, also known as terrain electric scooters, get produced specially for conquering rough terrains off standard road conditions. In this case, expect high-pressure tires, alloy hubs, and a more robust welded frame in these scooters that help them deal with challenging terrains like dirt or gravel. They’re best to use together with your GoPro camera for some extreme off-road adventures.

There are a variety of off-road electric scooters to choose from, but the best one should surely have a sturdy deck for stability. It should also include some good wheels for handling rough terrain.

Below is a helpful guide on how to choose the right electric scooters for rough terrain:

1. Battery

Off-road electric scooters consist of two kinds of battery – the older workhorse lead-acid and the newer lithium-ion. For the lithium-ion segment, it would be best to choose a UL 2272 certified product to ensure peace of mind and safety and ensure a much faster charging time. They also make longer distance off-roads between plug-ins possible.

For the workhorse lead-acid option, it will take you up to half a day or more to get it fully charged. While it can be totally fine for a weekend or casual use, a battery that charges faster will always be the better investment for feasible travel.

Also, while there’s not much difference between lithium-ion and workhorse lead-acid batteries in terms of performance, this post still recommends the former as a better viable choice in the long run.

2. Weight Limit

When riding an off-road electric scooter, having the ability to evaluate what and when things can go wrong is important, and the weight limit of your machine is one thing you have to take a close look at. When the manufacturer of the scoot notes that the weight limit is 200 pounds, it means precisely that.

Of course, a 250-pound person can still stay on the deck and give the electric scooter a go. However, while it’s true that a 250-pound person can stand on a scoot with 200 pounds weight limit without destroying the machine, other aspects of the scooters get affected. Aside from ruining the performance, the braking system gets overburdened too.

You will have to stop at some moment, and there would be a big problem if you catch some speed on a slope section of the terrain. The best thing to do is to consider your weight when choosing an off-road electric scooter. Read what the manufacturer says about its weight limit and respect that.

3. Speed

The third factor to take into consideration would be speed as it’s supposed to vary significantly among various off-road electric scooters. When taking speed into account as you choose the next scoot for your family, always prioritize safety. The last thing you’d want is for any risks to occur between the fun.

Of course, more powerful electric scooters can bring faster speed. But, keep in mind that you can only achieve specific speeds at certain ideal conditions, something that you won’t find very often in an off-road setting.

This post recommends that you opt for mid-range speeds which are enough to carry you through rough terrains while still ensuring your safety.

4. Brakes

Brakes are the most critical components of off-road electric scooters. Even when you only buy scoots with mid-range speeds, you still need to worry about how to stop the power of the machine once it has already taken off.

Braking power is crucial, so your best option would be hydraulic disc brakes. The mechanic disc brakes, on the other hand, come second best. V, band, and drum brakes can also get the job done, but they may break well after using the scooter for a while. At the end of the day, your choice here will change in favor of a machine with hydraulic discs. They’re the best as long as they get adequately maintained.

5. Range

You may be wondering why this post has included “range” for the things to consider when choosing the right electric scooter for rough terrain. Well, the range of a scoot can give answers to questions like how far do you need to ride on one single charging, and the time it takes for you to charge up for a single round-trip. So, it’s one serious thing to consider.

Make sure that the off-road electric scooter you’re going to buy is capable of giving you the longest distance or range you can expect.

6. Tires

For the tires, electric scooters can have a pneumatic version or an air-filled one. Out of the two options, the air-filled tires, of course, are the better since they will make your ride smoother. This is why most all-terrain scoots also use it.

7. Comfort

For the comfort side of things, there’s a couple of decisions you’ll have to make. They are the following:

• Seat – Seat will obviously provide you comfort. But, here’s the thing – some electric scooters have a seat or give you the option to install one, while others have no seat at all. If you’re only going to use the scoot for short commuting, then you don’t need a seat. However, since this post focuses on rough terrain or off-road driving, you definitely need one that provides extra comfort.
• Chain – Your ride will be more silent if your motor delivers power to the wheels through a belt rather than a chain. However, chain transmission also provides advantages like higher durability, better power transmission, and more torque.

For those who don’t have plans to drive their scoots off the road, a chain, of course, isn’t the best choice. But, since what you’re trying to look for is an electric scooter that will help you conquer rough terrain with ease, a chain, no doubt, is your best bet.

8. Style

If you think that focusing on “off-road electric scooters” would make your list of options narrower, then you’d get disappointed.

The powerful and brilliant innovation of off-road scoots has a diverse and compelling archive. They come in different designs and have various offerings. That said, so you’d want to think about what suits your own style carefully.

This post, though, recommends you look for off-road electric scooters with bulkier features made to deal with uneven and rough terrain.

9. Price

When buying a new product, may it be a scooter or any other items, price should always be one of the top priorities. The price varies much according to the essential features of the machine. So, it all boils down to your specific needs.

No doubt, opting for something pricier increases the likelihood of bringing home a model equipped with better performance and more power. However, there’s nothing wrong with going for an intermediate version for a fresh start as a newbie. Do it if you’re unsure of your decision since you can always upgrade anytime in the future when you feel the need to do so.

10. Warranty

Warranty is one thing you’d want to check out for closely. Some manufacturers will give a considerable warranty period, but some don’t. That may not be some crucial factor initially, but if something went wrong with your machine, it’s always great to get some spare parts for free.

Final Words

The recommendations above should help you make a thoughtful decision. You don’t want to purchase an off-road electric scooter and find out you’ve missed out on something after bringing the machine home. This post should provide you with everything you need to know to avoid mistakes when choosing the right scoot for you.

Perhaps before reading this post, you had 10 or 20 electric scooters on your list, and now you have successfully reduced it to 5, 3, or maybe even one final choice. Hopefully, you already know what exactly you want after going through this guide.