When you’ve mastered basic riding of any two-wheeled vehicle, it’s only natural you would want to seek out different ways to challenge yourself. These challenges can come in the form of tricks you can perform with your scooter. While we don’t condone risking your life to perform daring tricks just to get views, there are some easier and less life-threatening ones you can try first.
A lot of experts will tell you that they first mastered these tricks on their bicycles before transferring that skill to scooters. Many of the tricks we are about to look at are commonly performed on the bicycle.
The Wheelie
Put in laymen’s terms, a wheelie is when the rider pops the front tire up, sometimes to near-vertical heights, and continues down the road balancing on just the back wheel.
To do this, you start at slower speeds. This is because it will be hard to generate the necessary power to pop the front wheel up if you start off quickly. If you have an automatic scooter, it could be a bit tougher for you to perform this trick. You would need to lift up the front of the scooter while you accelerate and then apply the rear brake. Don’t pull up too much or you might flip over.
The Nose Wheelie
This could be a bit tougher to perform due to the back end of the scooter being heavier, but it can still be done.
The nose wheelie resembles the first trick, but it’s done in reverse. This means you are balancing on the front tire.
Conversely, you start off at a much faster pace, build up momentum, and lightly press on the front brakes and lift the back up.
It might feel like you’re about to keel forward and do a somersault, but a little bit of that is correct. Do not slam on the brake as you will most likely pile-drive right into the floor.
The Flick
This is a trick you can do to fool your friends. Let’s say they have something valuable such as their phone placed on the ground, or a beer bottle next to them.
You come revving at them at a daring speed and ride right up next to the object. Get as close to it as you possibly can and just as the first quarter or half of the wheel seems to graze (but doesn’t) the object, lightly swerve the head of the scooter to lightly tap the object with the wheel.
It will definitely psyche out your friends, getting them to think you were going to crush their phone or knock over the beer bottle!
The Superman
This is a trick you might have seen done on a bicycle. It’s arguably easier on a scooter though, so if you can perform this trick on a bike, this could be the first trick you attempt on a scooter. Make sure you have superb balance, as that is the key to this stunt.
It’s more easily done on a sloped surface. When we say sloped, we don’t mean at a sharp angle, just a slight decline would do. As you’re going at a consistent speed, slowly scoot your butt back as far as you can without letting go of the handlebars. If you do let go, you lose speed and more likely your balance.
Once you have established balance in this awkward position, try to swing your legs out behind you until you resemble the Man of Steel’s iconic position.
To get out of this position, simply slow down and lower your legs to the ground to gain balance again.
Handlebar Balancing
A lot of these tricks are easier to perform due to the existence of a motor, and the momentum of speed. For this one, the objective is to balance your feet on the handlebars, driving the scooter with your feet so to speak.
You need precise balance and precision and dexterity with your feet. We would start by practicing lying down on your back with one hand on the throttle. Once you have got that down, you can try to replace your left hand with your left foot. Once you have mastered that, have both your feet take over.
It could be tough at first, especially if you need to accelerate, so many people keep one hand on the throttle.
The Drift
This trick can be done with cars as well. The drift would be easier to do if your wheels have lost traction, or on sandier or gravel roads.
Ride at a sufficient pace, preferably 40 to 60 mph, and turn quickly while pressing the front wheel brake. As you do this, also use your body weight to swing the back of the moped bike. This is often done with one foot on the ground. Which foot do you ask? The one on whichever side you are turning.
Wheelie Spin
This one is for highly exceptional masters of the scooter. We have seen a video of a man doing amazing things on a scooter such as balancing just on the speedometer of the scooter while doing a wheelie, and the wheelie spin is a tame version of a lot of his other tricks.
The wheelie spin is done by popping a wheelie in the way we mentioned above and spinning on the back wheel.
You can try this trick by popping a wheelie, turning the handlebars so your scooter veers to the left or right, and twisting the throttle whenever the scooter loses momentum.
If you are wearing kneepads or other protective gear, having a knee on the ground, rotating on the kneepad (a strong enough one) will help
Conclusion
Doing tricks is very dangerous on any vehicle. So make sure you wear enough protective gear and definitely wear a helmet when you try these scooter tricks. This is especially vital when you’re in the practicing stage because that’s when you will be falling and failing the most.
Good luck at attempting these scooter tricks, and remember, safety first!
