Avoiding the Dangers and Pitfalls of Modifying Your Commuter Electric Scooter
Are you one of those electric scooter enthusiasts who are considering modifying their scooters? If yes, then be sure to think twice about the potential risks associated in the customization process.
Modifying your commuter electric scooter can void your warranty, increase accident risk, and even make your scooter illegal to ride. Besides them, improper modification can damage the scooter and also lead to an uncomfortable experience.
Therefore, knowing the dangers and pitfalls of modifying an e-scooter is crucial. Follow this guide to learn more about modifications, common modification issues, and the risks of modifying your e-scooter.
What Are Commuter Electric Scooter Modifications?
There are many kinds of scooter electric modifications, including performance modifications and look modifications. Let me show you both of them separately.
- Performance Modification
When it’s about performance, several things are involved, especially parts like the motor, battery, brake, and many more. Learn more about them in the section below:
Battery:
Oftentimes, many e-scooter riders begin the modification process with the battery. They replace their existing battery with a more powerful one to get an extended range per charge.
Motor:
Motors contribute to weight capability, speed, climbing capability, and more. For anyone who wants to make their scooter a heavy-duty one, they upgrade their motor to powerful motors like Varla’s adult scooter.
Brake System:
Another great example of performance modification is making changes to the braking facility. Many riders who don’t have hydraulic brakes on their scooters change their existing braking systems to hydraulic ones for better response and performance.
Better Tires:
Upgrading tires is also a common change that many e-scooter riders make. Many of them go for fat tires, as this is a great way to make the scooter an all terrain electric scooter. Fat tires provide more traction and comfort.
2. Look Modification
When it’s about the look modification, then this is a pretty simple and easy process. It involved polishing, painting, and even adding stickers. Many electric scooter riders use their personalized stickers to make the scooter stand out.
What Common Problems Do Those Who Mod Their Electric Scooter Experience?
Modifying an electric scooter may sound fun, but it can cause a lot of issues too. Improper customization will significantly damage your scooter, and at the same time, it can also harm or injure you.
Learn about the common problems that those who modify their electric scooters for adults experience in the section below:
1.Cutting Corners With Cheap Parts
Most modifiers want to cut costs by using cheap and secondhand parts during modification. Using cheap parts can lead to reduced performance, decreased durability, and even safety issues. Overall, you’ll get a negative user experience due to cutting corners with cheap parts.
2. Fitting Inappropriate Parts
One of the common misconceptions many modders have is that expensive parts will work perfectly on every scooter. But this is not true, as every part has its own specifications. Using non compatible parts during modification can horribly damage your scooter.
3. Poor Installation of Parts
Whether you have electric mopeds for adults or an electric scooter for your kid, every type of motorized vehicle modification requires some technical know-how. Poor knowledge of mods can lead to incorrect wiring connections and parts installation that can ultimately lead to scooter damage.
The Risks of Modifying Your Commuter Electric Scooter
Even having the best electric scooter for commuting, like the Varla e-scooter, can also lead to some risks if you make modifications. Learn about the risks of modification in the section below:
1.Safety Issues
Here you’ll know what safety issues you may encounter due to modifying your motorized scooter:
- Risk Of Decreased Stability:
Modifying your e-scooter risks reducing stability due to possible changes in the center of gravity. This failure can occur due to mismatched parts like the deck, handlebars, or tires, which will lead to control difficulties.
- Risk Of Reduced Braking Capability:
If you use incompatible brake components or do not adjust the brake properly, it will reduce the braking capability. Not having a responsive braking system means you won’t be able to keep yourself safe during emergencies.
- Risk Of Overheating And Battery Failure:
During modification, if you fail to connect all the wires properly, your e-scooter will face damage issues soon. Improper or loose cable connections will cause internal component damage, battery failure and even overheating problems.
- Risk Of Increased Weight And Decreased Portability:
Upgrading components to boost performance can add extra weight, which will reduce durability. Plus, using mismatched components can also interfere with the folding process.
2. Legal Issues
Learn some of the possible legal issues related to electric scooter modifications:
- Violating Warranty Terms:
Most manufacturers explicitly state that they will not consider unauthorized modifications. Therefore, when you change without the consent of the manufacturer, it will inevitably lead to warranty problems. Before starting any modification, always check the manual for clarity.
- Breaking Traffic Laws And Facing Fines Or Legal Consequences:
Non-compliance with local regulations or requirements is another major problem that you will face when modifying your e-scooter. Especially when you increase the speed, you’ll encounter legal consequences and even fines in many states.
- Risk Of Personal Injury Or Liability For Injury To Others:
When you modify the electric scooter to reach the efficiency level of quality e-scooters like the Varla, you’re at some points risking yourself. The best brands produce scooters with optimum safety. As a result, modifying your existing scooter may give good performance but will result in poor controllability.
- Violating Insurance Liability:
Most insurance companies don’t include modification or customization on their terms. Due to this, when you make any kind of change without notifying them, it’s clear you’re violating the insurance policy.
Final Thoughts
Modifying your commuter electric scooter can be a great way to enhance its performance, but you need to be aware of the risks. Any kind of unauthorized change will violate the warranty and insurance.
At the same time, personalization can also cause minor to severe safety issues and even lead to scooter damage. Therefore, think twice before making modifications.
So instead of modifications, which can cost a lot of money, try to invest in quality scooters like Varal. All the Varal scooters are made with top quality and standards to meet most of the riders needs.