Scooter Mods: From Top to Bottom
By Ryan Whetstone
This explains every mod I've heard of, from the handlebar grips to the brake, with a little sarcasm somewhere in the middle...
Handlebar Grips: You can change the stocks to BMX grips, but I don't like 'em cause I get blisters.
T-Tube: If you want to save your knees a lot of pain, I definitely suggest this mod. Drill a hole through the t-tube and the handlebar tube, and bolt it with an A-model axle and washers, or whatever's around. Then remove the whole folding clasp part, (the sharp part that digs into your knee) and throw it violently into the trash. Note: Make sure the bolt doesn't point towards your knee or it defeats the purpose. Bolt it sideways, so your knees can't hit it.
Fork: One mod I know some Philly people used to do is to wedge a piece of piping inside with bubblegum so the fork threads can't snap as easily, which works for both hard and shock forks.
Hard: I can't think of any mods for this, but I guess it might be possible to put steel plates on it or something, try if you want.
Shock: As these are prone to breaking quickly by the shocks compressing and falling out, many mods have been used to try to avoid/postpone this problem. For me the most useful has been a combination of many. One way is to simply wrap both shocks in duct tape, so they cant fall out and stay where they're supposed to. Another thing that's proved useful is Brian Boston's mod idea. You loosen the joint the shocks go up and down on and replace it with a shorter bolt, then press the shocks down so they are tight in the cups, and retighten the joint bolt so it holds the shocks in a compressed position. Other things are putting washers in the cups to keep the shocks tight, or Josh Toy's mod, which replaces the shocks with metal pipe.
Headset: I've never heard of anyone modifying the piece itself, (excluding gutting out the folding mech parts) but I know a few riders have bought BMX headset bearings and put them on their scooter, including Matt Andrus. (Note: 1 1/8" headsets fit) From what I've heard they work pretty well, but I haven't done it. KC did something with shortening it, had to do with nose manuals somehow, I'm not sure.
Folding Mech: A definite must-have (Yes, that's redundant) is a locked folding mech. Relatively easy to do, you'll need 3 B-model axles (or equivalent bolts), and some kind of spacers. Broken bearings work well and look cool. Take out all the bolts in the folding system so the whole headset comes out. "Clean out" the headset; take out the folding lever, spring, and other miscellaneous parts. Then put it all back together with 3 bolts, 2 where you took out the originals, and 1 more to hold it from moving back. This mod stops the headset from jiggling all over the place and being dumb in general. Another mod is on the new A model scooter, switching an old B folding mechanism onto the new A deck. Pretty simple to do, remove the new A parts, and bolt the old B parts in place.
Deck: This is arguably the most important part on the scooter, and the longer it lasts, the better, especially since both the Original A and B1 are no longer manufactured. I'm breaking this up into 3 categories, full-deck grip, reinforcement, and post-snapped mods.
Full Deck Grip: Virtually every rider in the scene uses this mod, and its handy for everything from kicking whips to just looking stylish. Basically, you can buy a sheet of skateboard griptape, and if you use it efficiently, you can grip 4 scooter decks. Anyone and their sister can figure out how to do this so I'm not going to go in depth. Just remember, sticky side down.
Reinforcement: To me, riding without a reinforced deck is a total waste. The mod isn't extremely difficult, and will add months to life of your scooter. To mod a B deck, you'll need 2 steel plates cut down to fit the side of the deck, a B model axle, and 2 sets of small (1-1.5 in long) bolts with nuts. Drill holes so that the brake pin can be used to partially hold on the steel plates. Next, line everything up, and drill a hole on the plate-end closest to the front, through the plate, the side of the deck, the opposite side of the deck, and the plate on the other side. Use the B back axle and tighten it with AllenÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s wrenches to hold the plates in place. Next, on both sides of the scooter, on the plate-end closest to the back, drill a hole through the plate and the side of the deck, then tighten the nut and bolt, preferably using a lock washer. Another thing I've found helpful is putting superglue or another strong adhesive underneath the entire plate, adding to the the strength of the bolts. I've heard of people also doing front deck reinforcements, and even full deck reinforcements, so experiment and find your own techniques.
On an A model, I've never heard any reinforcement set in stone as "the one," but I've heard of a few, though I'm not completely informed, being a B-rider myself. Some people have suggested JB-Weld to strengthen it, while others have paid do to have the welds strengthened by professionals. Others have used plates on the inside edge of the deck to try to reinforce, but I haven't heard the long-term results of any of these, so as for their usefulness, I don't know.
Post-Snap Mods: When a deck breaks, it can be a very sad time in a rider's life, especially when nothing else is available. A figure that stands out in post-mortem mods is Sean Kane. Even with good reinforcements, your deck is bound to break eventually. One way it can break is the back dropouts snapping. On a B-model, you can take the entire brake/wheel/axle setup and move it forward on the deck, ending up with a shorter deck, but still rideable. Another mod is for if the front of the deck snaps. You can move the folding mech backwards onto the unbroken part of the deck. Be sure to unbolt it first, then saw through the welds. (Many have made this mistake) Other, more desperate mods can be done, like Sean's signature "Move the Folding Mech to the Bottom of the Deck Since the Top Part Ripped Off." IÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢ve never done it, but itÃ?Æ?Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s cool.
Bearings: Contrary to popular belief, skateboard bearings do indeed fit in razor wheels. I am too cheap to go out and spend $30 or more on name brand skate bearings, but I came into a box of ABEC5 Black Panthers when my friend quit skateboarding. I'm still rolling with these now and they work incredibly, but for people not lucky enough to get free ones, there's an alternative to buying. Obviously, that is stealing them, but an even better, more legal way to get speedy bearings exists. First, take the bearings out of your wheels. Fill a cup with rubbing alcohol just high enough to cover the bearings. (Why waste?) Soak the bearings overnight, and in the morning, you'll find yourself the owner of some skateboard equivalent bearings, without paying anything. Note: Do not oversoak them, as they can rust. It's not cool.
Wheels (Front and Back): Stock razor scooter wheels aren't much when it comes to modification, but replacement aftermarket wheels can be an extremely useful change. Although they are no longer available on Wizard Scooters, if you can find aluminum core wheels on eBay or elsewhere, they are definitely worth the buy. In my experience, they've lasted much longer than stock wheels, and feel better on landings. Wizard Extreme Wheels are another option. Though I've had bad luck with them, other riders have raved about them. Personally, I wouldn't recommend them, but try them if you'd like.
Brake: I haven't played around with the brake much at all, and only heard of one mod. On Razor Pro's a while back, Josh posted a mod where the brake is taken off, sandpapered/wirebrushed, and put back on, increasing the brake's friction and making it stop faster. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it's useful if you're into tiretaps.
Hopefully ya'll might've gotten something out of this. Thanks to Sean Kane and Brian Boston for the help, and not Miles.
-Ryan_W
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