No matter what type of scooters you are using:- hoverboards, segways, ninebots, electric scooters or electric bicycles, their maintenance and care are almost the same. In this article, we will cover things that you should do or check before purchase, and what you should and shouldn't do after purchase.
1. You Should Check Your Scooter Authenticity
The are a lot of cloned Xiaomi electric scooters or hoverboards in the market. You wont be able to tell the dfferences by its look. Make sure you do some research and check their warranty before purchase. Buying a cloned products might spoil easily or unsafe to use.
2. You Should Check Your Battery Quality
Please make sure your scooter's battery passed UN38.3 & MSDS test. This is to ensure the battery is safe & stable under different pressure & temperature. A safety passed battery is not cheap. So, when a seller offers you electric scooters with really cheap prices, you should beware and question what battery they are using inside.
3. You Should Check Your Charger Quality
A good charger is very important too. Please make sure your charger has a fused inside for protection. It's even better if your charger is UL certified (it's expensive) to ensure full protection to use the charger. Beside, please make sure you use a correct input & output voltage charger for your electric scooter.
4. You Should Charge Properly (No Undercharge / Overcharge)
Make sure you turn off your scooter before charging. Check your charger light to know whether it's fully-charged. Overcharging your scooter is not recommended. Also, never undercharge your battery (battery percentage completely flat 0%). You might not be able to charge your battery anymore if the battery is kept this way for a long period of time (>1 month).
5. You Should Maintain Your Scooter Tires
Usually tires consist of 3 tyes. Different types of tires require different care.
(i) Solid: Do not need to pump air but it is more slippery than air pump tire when using it on a wet road.
(ii) Pneumatic: Consist an inner tube. Need to pump air. Inner tube is the easiest to get punctured but it has the most ability to absord shock on uneven roads.
(iii) Tubeless: No inner tube. Stil need to pump air but less maintenance than a pneumatic tube. Air easily come out and become flat if an overweight rider is using it.
Please make sure your tire is fully-pumped before your ride. Also, remember to replace a new tire when it's worn out.
6. You Should Protect Your Air Pump Tires
7. Electric Motorized Scooters Are Not 100% Waterproof
Most electric models are not entirely waterproof. They can withstand a light drizzle but they should never be fully submerged in water. You also shouldn't keep your electric scooter at high humidity area. It will spoil the battery or moterboard. Wet floor (NOT flooded area) after rain is fine but make sure your speed is below 15km/hr as the tires will be slippery. For cleaning purposes, just wipe it with a slightly wet cloth is enough.
9. You Should Understand The Proper Riding Age, Speed & Laws
No matter how fast or powerful your electric motorized product is, you need to follow the laws and regulations of your places. Ride within the speed limit to ensure the safety of yourself and also the walking pedestrians. Riding high speed at turning point or downslope will endanger your life and also spoil the scooter when it hit something hard. Hence, we always recommend our buyers to ride within the speed limit of 20km/h (standing ride) or 30km/h (sitting ride). Wear a safety helmet and only ride it at the roadside, NOT at the middle of the road. Safety always come first.
If you have problem choosing the correct scooter for yourself, do check out our previous post here -> WHICH ELECTRIC SCOOTER SHOULD I BUY? We will guide you on choosing the most suitable model for your age and weight.