Category: 2 Wheeled Scooter
GoPed Knowped Kick Scooter Seat Build – DIY
Lacking proper knowledge but never letting that stop me, one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while is putting a seat on my GoPed Know Ped. Originally a friend, and my son and I, welded up a seat for my TRX Personal Transporter Scooter. We cut a seat post from an old bike and welded a foot plate on it. Somehow, without any planning or engineering of any kind, we built it just right. You can check out the ride in this YouTube video here that I made a while ago. It was unreal fun. BTW, the video is a parody of, well… We were just having fun.
Eventually the TRX wore out (sadly) so before I sold it to someone for a build, I pulled off the seat we made. One day I was sitting and looking at the seat and then my GoPed and started thinking about it. Turns out if I turned it around from how I had it on the TRX, it would fit on the board of the GoPed. Not exactly, but close enough. On the back bolt pattern that I realized if I used metal washers I could over-lap the GoPed frame support for the deck. Plus, I used wing-nuts, figuring I could easily take it off for travel. 
(Looking back, if I were making one now, I would try to drill the holes in the seat plate for the bolts to fit through the factory holes on the frame support.)
Anyway, I drilled the holes through my deck board where they already where on my seat post plate. Then I used bolts, large metal washers and large rubber washers to connect the seat plate to the board. I figured the rubber washers would act like a spring and compress the nut, holding it tighter. I prayed it would hold. I was right! I never have to tighten the nuts. It’s been unreal.
One more thing I did…
I wanted to fly with it when we go visit family. I did it once without the seat folding. I just took the seat off and put it back on. But that was kind of a hassle. One day, as I sat and looked at my pile of old scooter parts, something came to me. I had an old Schwinn electric scooter with the fold down handlebars. It hit me to take the handlebars and turn them into the seat post.
Here’s how I did it:
First, I took the handlebars out. Then I cut off the crossbar “handlebar” with an angle grinder. I had another seat piece from another scooter that slid down perfectly over the handlebar insert part that tightens. So basically I flipped the handlebars upside down. I basically mounted the foot plate where the handlebar was.
I took it to a local weld shop. They had an ENORMOUS machine that they used to cut the metal foot plate to size. We also cut braces. The metal with the cutting was $15. I brought the scooter in and showed the guy what I was trying to do and left it with him. A while later I came back and it was ready to go with nice welds. About $35. I took it home, drilled the holes and painted it. 
An extra step I took was to cover the bottom of the metal foot with rubber. I had an old motorcycle tube that I cut to lay flat, then used contact cement to glue pieces to form the solid bottom, then I trimmed it. I think this rubber helps keep things together and keeps it quieter. 
Then I attached it the same way as before, bolts with metal and rubber washers and wing nuts. 
It rides great, and I can quickly fold it down and put it in the trunk or a bag ready to fly. I can check it with the airline for free as my mobility aid and I just drop it off at the end of the skywalk with the strollers.
The folding seat has added a lot of functionality. Luckily, we made it just right so the GoPed handlebars are the last thing to fold and go right on top. When I slip on the web strap it is compact and sturdy. I did end up gluing another piece of rubber on the deck to prevent the sandpaper from rubbing my seat off.
I have been riding my scooter on a regular basis for about 2 years. It has been incredible. There is enough room to stand in front of it and kick. My grandkids like to stand on the deck and go for a ride.
The GoPed itself is super strong and capable. I ride it indoors and out, great for big stores. The front brake is a necessity for seated kickscooting. This scooter is tough. On a trip to a National Wildlife Refuge I put it against the back bumper of the truck to load later. Only I forget and drove right over the scooter with our trailer. Not a problem. I few things got turned or twisted, fixed easily enough and still glides like a champ. The scooter can go forward or back, turns tightly and is very responsive. Very easy to ride around people and in tight spaces. And when I ride it in stores kids stare at me like I am Santa! I would love to get a read one eventually.
GoPed Know Ped makes an excellent scooter, the seat mod makes it even better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC5HgTroFWY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE1pIQroyDs
Fuzion Cityglide B200
The EW 36 sold. Picked up a sweet Schwinn vintage tandem bike this past week. That bike is fun to ride, although my first turn at the backseat stoker position I was pretty wobbly. It’s a really different riding sensation.
Somehow I stumbled onto a great deal on a Fuzion Cityglide B200 from Amazon. I had been looking at them after seeing a write-up on letskickscooter.com. I went to bed with the page open and when I woke up the price had dropped substantially so I scooped one up. I haven’t ridden it too much yet, but it is very lightweight and folds up nicely. The wheels are big for a kickscooter, and it rolls nicely. I can feel a lot of the bumps in the road, but I am used to the 12″ and larger tires on my scooters. I plan on trying to put a seat on it and using it as my back-up seated scooter.
I was kind of surprised how handbrake t matched up when I put it next to my GoPed KnowPed. I wouldn’t have guessed that it was as long. The wheels are big but much skinnier than the GoPed wheels. The handbrake activates the back stomp brake where the brake on the GoPed is a front brake.
I took my Schwinn S600 apart and fixed the chain. That was a mess and took a long time. The Currie scooters are hard to work on, I wouldn’t recommend it for first timers. Seems good now. I have ridden it a few miles and it seems good.
BTW, there is an interesting bicycle motor here that has an indiegogo campaign going on for the next few days. It’s called the shareroller. Seems like a good idea to have one motor and battery for every bike rather than a motor and battery on every bike.
Urban Riding and Mobility Challenges
Finding information about mobility and urban riding has not been easy for me. There has been a lot of learning by trial-and-error. I realize that it is a small segment of the population who share these interests and concerns, but I know there are people like me. That’s why I share what I am experiencing, so someone like me who is looking for information can find more information.
Recently someone in our community was using a wheelchair on our urban train and got their wheel caught in the tracks while crossing. Unfortunately a train was coming and he was struck and killed. Using mobility devices includes dangers, and for those of us who use them it is serious business.
Working on a new piece of safety equipment for myself right now. Once I get further along I will share. My friend and I came up with an idea and it’s been fun to try making it. We have ordered parts and will begin prototyping soon. I am excited.
Been continuing to ride and been thinking about how maintenance is a key element to factor with any device. This week I replaced a faulty throttle on my Trailz, so that is back on-line again. Found a broken rear spoke that needs replacing on my EZGO bicycle. And I need to make some decisions and move ahead with my battery configuration upgrade on my Lyric, or should I say eBikeboard, scooter. Got my first flat on the Lyric the other day, goathead sticker. They are brutal in the spots where the weeds have been left to grow. Also picked one up in the front tire of the EZGO, so two flat tires in one week. I run Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires with puncture protection, still got me.
With the weather changing, I am heading into the winter riding season, which can be some of the most challenging riding.
New Project: Schwinn S600
Picked up a new project scooter this past week. I keep saying that I have reached my limit but then another one comes along and… This scooter is interesting. It has rear suspension and a disc brake, is 36v and it a couple of inches shorter than my Schwinn S750. My Quazar scooter is short by a couple of inches than the S600, it’s the shortest.
I popped a battery in and it runs great, but needs a few repairs. I believe it is a 2005. It is fun and comfortable to ride. I should fix it and sell it but part of me wants to keep it. I love the fire engine red, shorter frame and back shock. The handle bars are also 3/4″ shorter than the S750.
Frankenscooter
Endless-sphere.com is an excellent website for information about all things electric vehicles. I made a post there explaining my scooter named “Frankenscooter.” I put a Schwinn S750 together with a Schwinn S1000 Stealth. The result is awesome.Top speed 18 MPH.
Post Two : What To Ride
When it came to mobility, I quickly realized I didn’t even know what questions to ask. After many mistakes and much wasted time and effort, I found the question: With a seat — how fast, how far? What I found is I need to ride 3 speeds; walking speed (3-4 mph), running speed (4-8 mph), and city transport speed (12-15 mph). So basically shopping, riding with my wife while she runs, and zipping to the store in town.
A Pride GoGo mobility scooter can give you lots of walking speed — only. An inexpensive electric scooter can give you running speed, and an electric bicycle can get you all the speed you are looking for. There is a tool for each job.
So how far? My kick scooter; .5 to 1 mile (slow); My eZip 750 (8 miles 12-15 mph); my iZip EZGO 16″ folding bicycle (15 miles at 6 mph); and my eZip Trailz (12-15 mph for 20 miles).
What about something that can do it all? If you can balance, a 2 wheeled electric scooter is tough to beat. They can go fast or slow and can be ridden in stores. Currie has stopped making their 750w and 1000w scooters which is the smallest I would recommend for an adult, but you can find them used. There are other manufacturers making 2 wheeled scooters with a seat. I recently picked up a 36v Quazar scooter that is belt driven.
I had a 3-wheeled Dillenger M5 that could do it all. 350w 36v12ah, it could go over 10 miles at speeds of up to 18 mph. No rear suspension, it was fun to ride and surprisingly stable. Limited hill climbing ability though.
My best ride is my Lyric Runn3r. Full suspension, all aluminum body, speed, torque, brakes, lights, speedometer, quality tires, fenders, alarm, remote — it has it all. 48v 500w motor. It even has a speed selector so I can set the speed. Example, riding in a store I set the speed selector to low so the starts are not full-jerks. I have much finer throttle control. At high speed it is great, the tilting suspension allows me to lean into turns and take them at higher speeds. Controller is sealed, so riding this in the winter; snow, rain, whatever — no problem.
I try to ride my electric bicycles when I can. I like at least getting some exercise when possible. But on bad pain days it is nice to have the full electric options.
Post One
This site is for people who use mobility devices. I started using scooters when my body gave out and what I quickly realized was information about the devices I needed was not easily obtained. It was hard to understand what devices would truly serve my needs, and I needed affordable solutions.
To that end, I have bought (and sold) many scooters trying to find the correct solutions for me. I have started this website to share what I have found.
I currently have a stable of bicycles, electric bicycles, electric scooters and kick scooters that I use in my daily life. Keeping them running has taught me how to repair and customize mobility devices. Using and traveling with mobility devices has taught me how they work in the real world, in the wild.
Life is ahead of me. I can’t worry about what I can’t do, I have to focus on what I want to do and find the way to get it done.
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