Mobility Aids

5 Easy Electric Scooter Maintenance Tips for a Safe Ride

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Your electric scooter maintenance is critical to its functionality and durability. You must do it to eliminate potential hazards! Here is how I do it with easy steps.

Save yourself from a poor riding experience and continue reading to learn more!

5 Things to Do to Maintain Your Electric Scooter

1. Keep the Scooter Clean

Debris and dust particles get into your scooter’s circuitry and cause damage. Thus, you should clean its surface weekly.

woman riding a black electric scooter

Use clean water to wash the surface. While cleaning, cover the H.T. coil, lithium battery and coils with a plastic sheet.

After I clean, I always park it in a shady area. This helps ensure that the color doesn’t fade.

READ MORE: Best Knee Scooter Cushion Review

2. Regularly Inspect the Tires

A crucial part of scooter regular maintenance involves checking tires for wear. Check you don’t have flat tires and that there are no minor cuts or scratches on their surfaces.

electric scooter tires for maintenance

Make sure you maintain the right tire pressure, according to the user manual provided. If the wheel alignment is not correct, take it to an electric scooter maintenance service.

Use a tire pressure gauge to check if your electric scooter tires are well inflated. If it shows that your tires need more pressure, then fill them as needed.

You can also check tire tread wear using wear bars or tread wear indicators. Place your indicator across the main tire tread grooves evenly.

If you find the tread on the same levels, then your tire is worn out. You need to replace them with new ones.

This video shows you how to use tread wear indicators.

3. Check the Engine Oil

Your scooter engine oil is essential for its smooth operation. Check the engine oil every month or after every 1000 miles and ensure it is not going low.

To check the engine oil, start the motor to warm up the scooter. Remove the oil filler cap and use a clean towel to wipe the dipstick. Note the oil levels.

Put the dipstick into the tank, take out, and note the oil levels compared to dipstick readings. The reading should be half to three-quarters up your dipstick. If it is low, add more oil.

You should also check out for any leakage and never run it on dirty oil. Failure to replace your engine with fresh oil causes carbon deposits [1], leading to slow engine movements.

Check this video out to learn more.

4. Do Maintenance on Your Battery Regularly

Your scooter battery performance is key to its efficient operation. Battery capacity maintenance [2] helps enhance your system’s performance and saves you costs over its lifespan, but in cases where you encounter problems, such as corrosion in the battery connections or leaks, it’s advisable to consult professional mechanics for potential mobility scooter batteries replacement.

If I find any corrosion in the battery connections, leak or build-up, I usually take mine to professional mechanics.

Note that if you leave your machine unused for many days, your lithium-ion battery discharges faster. Thus, always use your electric scooter frequently to keep the lithium battery charged.

To test your electric scooter battery, you can use a voltmeter or a multimeter, wrenches or a screwdriver. Charge the machine for seven to eight hours.

Connect your multimeter probes to your battery pack and read the voltage. Start the scooter and involve the throttle severally and read the voltage.

If you find a difference of over 2 voltages, your battery has issues and you should replace it.

You can increase your battery life by using the right charger, avoiding overcharging, allowing the battery to cool before charging and avoiding using your scooter in extreme temperatures.

In this video, you can see how the battery health test is done.

5. Understand the User Manual

Go through the service manual for helpful detail on the basic steps to maintain your machine. The manual guides on how to handle brake pads and the best riding style to enhance your scooter durability.

RELATED: How Much Does it Cost to Service a Mobility Scooter?

Why is it Important to Maintain Your Electric Scooter?

Maintaining your electric bikes on a regular basis offers the following benefits.

1. Avoid major hazards.

Your bike features a powerful motor. It can go at a speed of up to 50mph.

two ladies enjoying riding their electric scooters

If you don’t maintain your electric bikes, there is a high risk of causing accidents. With proper checkups, you can recognize issues that need repairs and avoid such hazards.

2. Recognize hidden issues.

If your scooter is performing well, it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Electric scooter maintenance ensures you can detect some hidden issues that can cause severe damages later on.

Some issues you recognize include battery defects, bike tires scratch, among others. You will be able to repair the minor issues before they escalate and become costlier for you.

How Often Should You Perform Electric Scooter Maintenance?

Your electric scooter requires a quick check-up after every three to four weeks. It also needs a more thorough annual inspection and maintenance.

The checkup takes around 10 minutes and involves measuring tire pressure, checking the brake caliper, loose nuts, bolts and others.

Yearly check-ups take more time since you need to disassemble your machine. You should leave the job to be done by a professional e-scooter maintenance service.

FAQs

Do electric scooters need maintenance?

Yes. Your scooter requires maintenance for safe riding and increasing its life cycle.

How do I maintain my electric scooter?

You need to perform frequent assessments and evaluations of all its mechanical electrical products.

How can I make my electric scooter battery last longer?

To allow the battery to last for an extended period, you should; never drain it, charge regularly, don’t overcharge, use the right battery charger and keep it charged when you are not using it.
For more e-scooter maintenance tips, watch this video [5].

Conclusion

Your electric scooter maintenance doesn’t have to be stressful. You can perform the simple task with basic tools and leave the others to your independent scooter mechanics.

With regular maintenance, you reduce the repair cost since you can detect issues before they escalate. You should focus on the frame, composite tires, throttle levels, brakes and battery.

man riding a polished electric scooter

Do you know other electric scooter maintenance tips? Let us know below!

References

  • 1. International Transport Forum. Improving Safety for Motorcycle, Scooter and Moped Riders. ITF Research Reports. OECD; 2015.
  • 2. Akkaya R, Kazan FA. Design and implementation of a test setup for electric mobility scooter for the disabled. Measurement and Control. 2019;52:1434–44.

About Author

Lamia A Kader, MD
Lamia A Kader is a Medical Doctor and a Medical Research Professional with a Ph.D. in Clinical Research. ISMMS, USA. She had enhanced her medical knowledge of medical devices and equipment development and innovation by attending clinical meetings, local national courses, journal clubs, and conferences, in addition to e-learning, subscribing to major medical journals and keeping an eye on latest trends in medicine and keeping an eye on clinical trials industry and healthcare marketing current trends. She had participated in several medical device innovation projects by conducting clinical research studies, developing clinical trial protocols, writing patient safety narratives and “Medical Device Risk Assessment Reports” to transform new medical technologies into real products that save and improve lives. Follow her on LINKEDIN. Read her LATEST POSTS. Learn more about her HERE.

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