How to customize an electric scooter like a pro

One of the things I am always keen on when I acquire a new electric scooter is to customize it to my taste. 

Below, I share several tips on how you can customize yours and make it beefier.

Let us get into it.

Top 12 electric scooter customization tips

1. Include a steering damper

Let us face it: most electric scooters face the wobble problem when getting ridden at relatively high speeds.

How then can you solve this and feel safe while riding?

In our blog post on how to prevent the wobble problem, we recommended adding a damper as one of the ways to mitigate the shakiness. 

While some models such as YUME X11 and Nami Burn-E 2 Max come with a steering damper by default, most electric scooters do not feature this stabilizer. 

I have included a high-quality steering damper for all my hyper scooters as I lack the cat-like flexes to jump away from my scooter should anything facing stability happen. 

Online stores such as Amazon and AliExpress sell steering dampers and if you experience stem wobbles from time to time, it is worth it to buy a complete stabilizing kit. 

If you are not handy enough, you can seek the services of a welder to help you to install this kit correctly and make your ride more stable regardless of its rated top speed. 

If you were looking forward to buying a new e-scooter but would rather never struggle with any stem wobble, I recommend that you go for one pre-installed with a stabilizer.

2. Add more lights

Since you may one day be caught in the darkness, having bright lights comes handy in such unanticipated moments. 

Unfortunately, most stock electric scooter lights aren’t bright enough or are not strategically positioned to provide sufficient lighting to the ground. 

As you buy a new pair of lights, it’s important for you to check the brightest and if possible, massive ones.

After brakes, lights are the second most important safety features in an electric scooter. 

3. Remove the speed limiter

Unless the local laws in your state/country demand a specific top speed, then you can remove speed restriction from your scooter and make it faster. 

It’s better to have an electric scooter that hits a high top speed that you don’t need than being limited and fail to serve you properly in your time of need. 

It’s important for you to note that some electric scooters are software speed-limited and cannot be unlocked by anyone but the manufacturer.

As such, it’s important for you to know your scooter well before you try to unlock it. 

For most electric scooters we have today, you can unlock their top speeds by changing the P-SETTINGS or even changing the riding modes.

For example, you can switch to the top speed of a TurboAnt V8 electric scooter by switching to the Sport Mode. 

To ride at the slowest speeds and achieve more range in the same scooter, you can engage the ECO mode.

Lastly, you can ride at moderate speeds by engaging the Comfort riding mode and achieve both worlds of speed and range. 

4. Upgrade the components

Upgrading some components in your electric scooter will make it better and safer.

For example, if your electric scooter features drum brakes, you can upgrade these brakes to the hydraulic type and make it safer. 

If it features the squarewave controller type, you can upgrade it to the sinewave type to make the scooter buttery smooth, more silent, and free from overheating. 

If you need more range, you can change the battery to a large one or even add another and mount it on the stem or near the other under the neck. 

Do you fancy more speed and have an unlocked speed limiter? You can upgrade the motors or add another set of motors to upgrade from single to dual motors. 

Importantly, note that you will have to also upgrade the controllers if you change the battery or add another and if you also change the original motor to a big version. 

5. Change the grip tape

While most e-scooter manufacturers do their level best to aim to please when it comes to their deck designs, it sometimes happens that the grip tape doesn’t make the cut for most analytical riders. 

I usually love it when my electric scooter features a custom grip tape as I believe this is one of the ways to make my rides unique. 

Provided you get a grip tape that is long and wide enough to cover your e-scooter, there is literally not much to worry about how to fix it in the scooter.

However, if you aren’t handy enough, you can outsource for a more qualified team to provide you with an impeccable job. 

As you order the grip tape, you can buy it along with a skateboard griptape cleaner kit to keep your tape as clean as possible. 

6. Change the horn/bell

Does the horn/bell in your e-scooter produce a weird sound? You can change it and add one with a better and more audible sound.

This absolutely depends on your handiness but shouldn’t be a problem.

If you find it hard to disconnect the wires and add the new wires, then look for a more qualified person to do the work for you. 

One of the high quality horns with a magnificent sound we can recommend is the SOWUNO 126Db waterproof Alarm horn.

With this horn, it produces a loud sound when one touches the scooter.

Besides, you can use it as a regular horn to alert other road users. 

7. Change the tires

If your scooter comes with split rims, you may be lucky because that rim type provides the easiest approach towards changing the tires. 

Do you struggle with flats as you ride? You can decide to go for solid tires as your best choice (but the overall ride quality won’t be as good as with the pneumatic tire type). 

If your scooter comes with offroad tires but you don’t love how knobby they feel, you can as well change them to the street tire type.

Also, if you would like to enjoy thrilling speeds, then you can switch the tires to the racing type. 

Typically, you can switch from different tire types and enjoy your riding experience as much as possible. 

Kaabo knew this and they offer some of their models such as the Wolf King GT Pro with the different tire types.

That way, the buyer gets the scooter of their choice depending on what tire they would like. 

8. Add mirrors to your scooter

Mirrors are absolutely worth it, especially if you ride amongst vehicle traffic.

They save you from the burden and risks of having to turn your head every time you want to turn or check the incoming traffic. 

You will need to buy a relatively large mirror so that you won’t keep on squinting to see who’s approaching you. 

However, due to vibrations on the road, it’s sometimes useless to have a mirror regardless of its size, especially when you pass in a pothole-filled road. 

In this case, we recommend that you buy a helmet-mounted mirror as opposed to mounting one on your scooter. 

9. Add a seat

Most electric scooters don’t come with a seat by default.

Some of the scooters that come with a seat include the EMOVE Roadrunner Tronic, YUME X7, YUME X13, and the Extreme Bull K6. 

If your scooter didn’t come with a seat, how about installing one? You can order a compatible seat (depending on the deck size), drill the right holes and add your seat.

An electric scooter with a seat helps riding to be more comfortable, especially for riders who do delivery jobs. 

10. Add a hook for attaching to luggage bags

Do you wish to deliver some food, get some groceries from the supermarket, haul your baby, or your beloved dog?

How about including a hook for the grocery bags or the bike trailer? 

Well, a hook can come really handy for you if you would love to carry stuff on your e-scooter.

We, however, recommend that you ensure any kind of luggage you carry plus your weight doesn’t exceed the rated load capacity of the scooter. 

11. Change the handgrips

Do the handgrips of your scooter feel too smooth or worn out? You will have to change them, man. 

Thankfully, most bike stores have compatible grips that will equally fit your scooter.

If you can, change to the most comfortable grips to prevent hand fatigue. 

If need be, you can as well change the handgrips along with the handlebars to include shorter or longer ones, depending on your preference. 

12. Waterproof your electric scooter

While most electric scooters come with a water-resistance rating, that doesn’t mean you can ride such a scooter in rain.

We don’t recommend riding in the rain no matter how the manufacturer claims the scooter is water-resistant.

To waterproof your e-scooter, you can buy silicone and apply it to the entire scooter.

Additionally, be sure to seal any unimportant holes in the scooter with silicone fillings to prevent water from damaging the electronic components.

In Summary

Customizing your electric scooter makes it more unique and identifiable with you, the owner.

Following the right electric scooter customization tips will make you not only have a sick ride but also contribute to your overall safety (think of a better horn, more lights, mirrors to help you check back, et al.).