REVIEW – It seems that every corner in most cities nowadays has a scooter for rent. While fun, they are expensive and sometimes of questionable maintenance. The last thing you want is to be on a ride and stranded in a position where you have to walk home. For a while now, I’ve been considering getting a scooter of my own, and there are a ton of options out there that make it difficult to choose. The Rictor Range-Alpha S9 scooter came up for review and looked like a fun test for myself and the family. Read on to see how it did!
What is it?
The Rictor Range-Alpha S9 is a 500W electric scooter that boasts a range of up to 40 miles on a charge.
What’s included?
- Rictor Range-Alpha S9 scooter with battery installed
- Fasteners and Allen wrench
- Battery Charger
- User Guide
Tech specs
Click to expand Specs
Spec1
Battery:
Rated Voltage: 36V
Max Charging voltage: 42V
Battery Capacity: 15.6Ah
Motor:
Rated Power: 500w
Max Speed: 25km/h (40KM/H after unlocking)
Theoretical Cruising: 65km (40miles)
Maximum Climbing Slope: 25%
Operating Temperature: -10℃~40℃
Waterproof Level: IPX5
Charger:
Rated Power: 84W
Rated Input Voltage: 100~240AC
Rated Output Voltage: 42VDC
Rated Current: 2A
Charging Time: 5~6h
Dimensions:
Folding Size: 1190*583*600mm (47x23x23.6in)
Height: 1170mm (46in)
Weight
Max Load: 120kg (265lbs)
Net Weight: 24.5kg (54lbs)
Design and features
The Rictor Range-Alpha S9 is a beefy scooter. One of the features that stands out most to me is the width of the deck that you stand on. Many of the scooters I’ve seen have narrower decks that often leave part of your foot hanging off. That’s definitely not the case with this scooter. It has a wide deck and sturdy tires along with several features that show that Rictor put some thought into their design.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Installation and setup of the scooter was a cinch. It came largely pre-assembled, which is a very nice feature considering the disc brakes, lights, and other pieces that would be fairly tricky to put together on my own.
The only fasteners required for this scooter were a set of screws to attach the handlebars. I assume the only reason to leave this unfastened was to make shipping easier. The screws were easy to install and that was all that needed to be done.
There is also a Rictor app for iOS and Android devices. Setting that app up was difficult at first because, for some reason, I could not create an account. The app is not necessary to operate the scooter, so I just ignored it in my initial trial runs. I realized later that I did not need to create an account and could just skip that step. Once I figured that out, I was able to easily pair the app and scooter. There are some very nice features in the app, but it’s not necessary to just use and enjoy the scooter.
Charging the Rictor Range-Alpha S9 scooter is very straightforward. It has a convenient port on the front bar that has a spring-loaded cover to keep things protected when not in use.
One of the unique features of this scooter is the removable battery pack. The battery compartment locks with a key and when you open it up, the battery has a convenient strap to remove and carry it around. If you were doing a lot of riding one day you could theoretically swap out an exhausted battery for a fully charged one very quickly. The one issue with that approach is that I could not see spare batteries for sale anywhere on Rictor’s website. One big benefit is that if you were storing the scooter outside you could take the battery in and decrease the likelihood of the scooter being stolen, since it is a very heavy and slow scooter without electricity.
Performance
This scooter is a blast to ride. My wife and daughter think it’s the best thing I’ve signed up to review so far. The deck is very stable and it quickly gets up to speed and the settings are simple to operate.
Front and rear shocks make for a very smooth ride. Many scooters are very bumpy and on uneven road can be jarring to ride on. The Range-S9 is great to ride around on and is able to handle rough roads with ease.
While not the smallest scooter I’ve seen, it still folds up well and fit nicely in the back of my car. The handlebar conveniently latches on to the deck so you can more easily lift it up.
What I like about the Rictor Range-Alpha S9 scooter
- This is so much fun to ride on. My daughter keeps asking to make one loop after another through the neighborhood.
- The deck is very stable and grippy.
- Turn signals. I did not expect to see turn signals on a scooter, but the turn signals and other lights on this scooter just make it even more visible.
- The motor transitions are very smooth going between modes.
- Brakes are great and they stop very quickly when you lay on them. There are a couple of skid marks on my driveway now where quick stops were made.
What needs to be improved?
- The center control button got stuck down once when it was pushed and turned a little too hard. I was able to get it to pop back up after a couple of minutes, so not a showstopper. A little reinforcement might help to keep it from happening again.
Final thoughts
The Rictor Range-Alpha S9 is a great scooter. The price point is nice and has several features that I was impressed by. It is comfortable to ride around and is very responsive. The lights, brakes, bell, battery, and kickstand all are very well made and add to the overall package. I would highly recommend this scooter to anyone looking for a good scooter to get around town on.
Price: $499.00
Where to buy: Rictor and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Rictor. Rictor did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
