Our staff member and fellow scooter rider Roy reveals some of his never before shared customising secrets and offers some solutions to common problems people have with their scooters.

Wheel Stamp Removal

Scooter Wheels almost always come with their brand and dimensions stamped on the sides. Over time these wear away partially and don’t look that good anymore. Sometimes wheels just look better with the stamps removed. To remove the wheel stamping, simply get some graffiti remover from your local hardware store, spray it on a white paper towel and lightly scrub the stamping off. This process will also clean your wheels’ urethane but be careful riding after doing this as it will make your wheels slippery until it dries.

Throttle Grip Fix

It’s pretty common for scooter grips to get what is known as throttle grip, which is when the grips move around the bars. To fix this, all you need to do is spray a bit of hairspray under the grips, put them in place and wait for the hairspray to dry. It will act as a glue and your throttle grip will be gone!

Painting bolts/Griptape

You can buy paint pens from most stationary stores and art stores as well as some hardware stores and variety stores. Oil based paint pens work the best, water based will wear off and smudge. Make sure to paint/draw in layers and wait for the first layer to dry before putting the next layer on, this will avoid smudging or dripping.

Cutting shapes/writing on griptape

It is easy to cut shapes out of griptape. Simply draw/trace/stencil whatever design you want onto the back side of your griptape before installing it. Take special care to make sure that your picture will be facing the right way once it is installed, you may have to draw your picture/writing the wrong way so when it is installed it is facing the right way. Try and use a sharp knife or scissors when cutting griptape so you get the cleanest possible cut. If your cutout isn’t standing out as much as you like, outline it with a paint pen! *Young children will need assistance from an adult.*

Rawing part edges

Rawing the edges of parts can add a cool and unique look to your scooter. Using a file is the best way to do this and they usually come in rough cut and second cut. Rough cut will raw parts the fastest but a second cut will have a nicer finish, so it is best to use both. Also make sure to use a flat file for flat edges and a round file for round edges to get the best possible finish.

Bearing Repair

If your bearings aren’t spinning fast enough, or are crunching, you can use something thin to pry the plastic casing off, and replace the oil in them to make them spin as smooth and fast as the day you got them. Do not use WD-40 as an oil! WD-40 can be used to clean your bearings, but they need to be dried afterwards and have oil applied to them. Thin oils will spin faster, thick oils will last longer.

Cracked/Chunking Urethane Repair

If you’ve noticed your wheel getting a crack in the urethane, simply use a dab of superglue and hold the crack closed. It will look like it never happened.

Rattling Brake Fix

If your brake is rattling, you can put a piece of rubber or cloth between the brake and the deck, so they don’t touch each other anymore. This will usually stop any brake rattle.

Holding hard to reach washers/spacers/nuts in place

A pair of needle-nosed pliers can be really handy when trying to hold washers, spacers or nuts in place when you are tightening the brake/fender or wheels.

Feel free to call (07 5599 3946) or visit Roy at the shop (Shop 44a, The Strand, Coolangatta) for advice!