Razor E200 Electric Scooter

This has been my go-to mode of transportation to and from work for exactly 8 months, twice a day, 4 days a week. I am giving this 5 stars, not because it hasn't had problems, but because the problems were either my own fault or certainly the fact that I was running it with the frequency of a commuter.

First, if you're buying it for joyriding or quick rides to the store, it's great. It's not dangerously fast, feels safe on sidewalks (not too fast to clip unsuspecting pedestrians), and will get you at least a few months' worth of enjoyment. The main concern at that point is the aging of the battery, as it will get old and eventually die. If you know how to replace the battery, then it should be able to run well past the initial lifespan.

Now, when I say I worked this scooter hard, I worked it hard. I live in Seattle. Yes, there is rain. Yes, there are hills. Rain is no problem; as long as you're not blasting downhill and hit a puddle at 30 mph, then slam on the brakes and hydroplane directly into a truck's path (I'm just exaggerating, this did not happen!), you can rest assured that it will run reliably. Keep in mind that 2-3 rides in rain, you will need to re-oil the chain. I'm still running on the original chain despite all the rain Seattle gets because I keep it well-oiled. A can of WD-40 I bought for the first re-application still has plenty of juice left.

As far as hills, this thing has little to no ability to move a decently-sized person up a hill. Bear in mind that I am 145 pounds and in my mid-20's, so I'm not a kid riding it, but I have a very slight frame and don't weigh that much. I can ride it up on slight inclines, but the speed drops considerably the moment I'm not going straight or on a decline. If you want a scooter that makes rides faster and less boring, but still keeps you in shape, this is absolutely perfect. You hop off the scooter, get a nice little jog in getting it up to the top, then you ride it downhill nicely and leisurely and get to rest. The speed is low enough that you can jog along next to it when going uphill as well.

As far as problems, the only replacement part that I have had to purchase is the tires. They are a tread on the outside and an inner tube on the inside, and the inner tube was deflating on me. I moved partway through my ownership (closer to work, and not at the top of a giant hill), and beforehand, there were a lot of little jumps, curbs, and uneven sidewalks that I had to take which were causing unnecessary stress on the tires. I replaced the front tire twice and the back tire once.

On the ease of replacing the tires, the front tire is a piece of cake (although the axle can give some problems when trying to put it back into place). The back tire... is not. The crucial difference is due to the disc brakes. There is a metal plate on the back that the brake clamps down on, and it is attached to the wheel spoke by heat. The only way to remove it is to heat the metal up until it shrinks/melts, or get a special gizmo that requires some basic woodshop experience and a handful of tools. The easier way to fix the issue is to get an Allen wrench (also known as an Allen key or a hex key) to unscrew the screws. But wait! Regular Allen wrenches work great for the front tire, but that stupid metal plate is directly in the way of your screws on the rear tire. You have to buy a set of low-profile hex keys in order to remove the screws. To risk plugging another product here, these worked flawlessly: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BC3N5I?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1

So, for a quick ballpark on price vs. payoff... I ran it approximately 2.5 miles each way, so 5 miles a day, 4 days a week, for a total of 20 miles a week, 39 weeks... that makes 780 miles. As I ran it to and from the store quite a number of times, we'll round that up to an even 800 miles of usage across the span of 8 months. The initial price was a little over $200, and with all the parts I bought for it, I would say that $300 is approximately what I spent for the scooter plus the sum total of its replacement parts for the entirety of the 8 months I owned it. So, $300 for 800 miles is about 38 cents a mile. A quick Google search tells me that the average is 60 cents per mile. I spent a little over half as much on this as the average. So, yes, definitely a worthwhile investment for me.

If I wanted to keep this running another 8 months, all I'd need to do is replace the battery. I'm considering doing that so that I can give it to a roommate, so as to ease commute times. I'll be looking further into it as things progress. But, as far as I'm concerned...

RIP Will's Razor E200
February 15th, 2015-November 15th, 2015
Official Cause of Death: Early Retirement

I ordered 2 of these scooters for my kids for Christmas. The items arrived timely (it is now 2 days before Christmas). Be aware that if this is a gift, the boxes used are the actual retail boxes the scooters are packaged in so if it is a surprise, mail to an alternate location. Ours were left at the door, and luckily I got to it before the kids. No fault on Razor or Amazon, just be aware.

There is not a lot of assembly, just simply attach the handbar which is locked down using a clamp and tightened via 2 hex bolts. A tool is provided. Here is where the item goes sideways. I assembled the first one, turned it on and it seemed to work fine. The motor works and the brakes work as well. Great, on to the second one. After assembly, I hit the accelerator, it clunked and then the rear wheel would not move at all. After checking the manual I figured out that the chain likely fell out. I followed the instructions to expose the chain and sure enough, it was not on the motor or the rear wheel sprocket. I re-assembled and turned the rear wheel manually. The chain would fall off after 1 revolution. It turned out, that the rear sprocket that is attached to the rear wheel was bent (photo attached). So as the chain hit that section it would pop right off. I was able to bend that part of the sprocket with channel locks to level it out. So far, it is now working, but the real test will come when the kids use it Christmas morning. I AM SO GLAD I ASSEMBLED AND TESTED EVERYTHING BEFORE HAND. There is no time to return, so I will see if this works. I just share this in case you run into the same thing and have to troubleshoot. Instead of returning it, I will reach out to Razor and request a new rear sprocket. It is just a shame that this passed quality control testing and was shipped that way. That area is completely enclosed so it did not occur during transit...simply China made crap. Only time will tell, I hope it works for the long run. I will update this review after a few days of use. I also uploaded a picture of the chain installed.

The chain does fall off from time to time but that could be my son's doing because he isn't the easiest on it. It's a pain to get the chain back on too. The battery life is how it's described which would be nice if it lasted longer but at least the description is honest. Over all it's fun and as expected (except the chain). The way my son rides it I'm surprised it still runs at all.

My daughter loves this scooter. She is 7 and it is not too fast for her and not slow either. She is able to ride up and down our street for hours and she enjoys it so much. Had no problems with hills or braking. Great buy for a 7 year old or older.

Got it for my daughter who is 150lbs; she loves it! She likes its speed (not too fast) has great brakes and the price on amazon is great compared to the Canadian prices! She usually gets 4 full hours of zipping around on it before it needs to be recharged. I might get the next model up for myself!

Got this for 10 year old boy...at almost 12 he was out riding it just yesterday. It still charges great. We've had to replace an inner tube but it was around $8 on Amazon. There is an extender for putting air into the tire. It's some where on the scooter...my husband discovered that when taking the WHOLE tire off trying to put air into it...much easier now that we know! Great scooter. Highly recommend.

After only 6 weeks no power anymore.
Battery doesn`t hold Charge and has no power.
Amazon gave a refund.

So far very unhappy!! My daughter received this scooter for Christmas Eve. We charged it for at least 12 hours and it lasted less than 5 minutes. Would not go above 5mph. Charged again. Same thing. Green charger light stays on even when not changing....how the heck do you know when it is charged. Very sad little girl and very frustrated mom! Will contract Razor. NOT HAPPY!