We Take the EMOVE Cruiser V2 Off-Road

EMOVE CRUISER V2 – $1,499

We reviewed the EMOVE Cruiser V2 a few weeks back, and Paul covered the specs in depth, testing range, speed, acceleration, etc. But in this review, we do something a little different.

I’m taking Cruiser V2 off-road, and testing its ride quality with a rider my size – 6’1″, 200 pounds vs Paul’s 5’10”, 165 pounds. The original Cruiser was one of our favorite recommendations for larger riders. Is the updated version still a good choice?

What really stood out to me right away when I unboxed the scooter was the new level of build quality and overall stability. One of my biggest issues with the previous EMOVE Cruiser was that it had a rickety feel for heavier riders, especially when the stem height was extended all the way.

The new Cruiser uses a beefier stem lock and more robust telescoping stem that eliminates much of the flex of the earlier model. The Cruiser V2 also takes the model’s long riding platform to the next level with a tail you can rest your back foot on.

The Cruiser V2’s suspension is still set up nice and stiff, which is great for larger riders since the scooter won’t bottom out whenever you hit a bump. At the outset, I was super-impressed with the new level of build quality on the Cruiser V2. How did it do on the trail? Find out below.

EMOVE Cruiser V2 Specs

EMOVE Cruiser V2 Off-Road Challenge Video

EMOVE Cruiser V2: Performance for Larger Riders

Climbing

One of the best places to start when testing out a scooter for bigger, heavier riders is on a hill climb. While nothing really comes close to the EMOVE Cruiser V2 for range, you want want to make sure that it can still handle hills.

The Cruiser V2 won’t climb as fast as a dual motor scooter, but it had no problems, even with a heavier rider like myself, getting up hills. No matter how steep the slope, the scooter maintained a solid 15 miles per hour or so uphill.

Speed, Braking, and Stability

The thumb throttle feels great, and the sine wave controller feels great. I had a much better sense of control over my speed, with really smooth acceleration.

The Cruiser V2 is speedy for a single motor scooter. I hit 33 mph on the speedometer, and the scooter was definitely more stable at those speeds than the previous Cruiser would have been.

This version is a bit faster than the previous Cruiser as well. I thought I’d be disappointed not to see fully-hydraulic brakes. It’s not uncommon to see hydraulic disc brakes at this price, but these semi-hydraulic cable brakes are totally fine. They’re dialed in nicely, and the stopping power is excellent.

Now with any telescoping handlebars, you are going to get just a touch of flex just because this is, it’s a thinner piece of metal that’s sticking out from the main stem. However, it’s night and day difference between the previous version and this one.

It’s actually nice to have your handlebars a little taller when you’re doing lots of downhill like this. So if I knew I was going to be doing this for a while, I could easily just stop and pull up the handlebars a little bit and then readjust them when I got down to the bottom. Just a small little thing, but definitely nice to have.

EMOVE Cruiser V2: Off-Road Performance

I know what you’re saying. The Cruiser V2 is not an off-road scooter. Okay, BUT it has knobby tires, and I once had a route to work that would cut a significant time off of my commute if I cut through a dirt trail. So, sometimes even for regular commutes, you want to have a little off-road capability.

I definitely think that’s why they’ve gone with knobby tires here. Not because it’s an off-road scooter, but because it’s off-road capable. And on my ride, it definitely was.

The stiffer suspension really lends itself to off-roading, and being able to adjust the handlebars higher works great as well. It really helps to be able to make little adjustments, not only for your height, but for different kinds of riding conditions as well. I like to put the handlebars up higher for downhill, the readjust later, and that’s really easy to do here.

The Cruiser V2 also has plenty of power for off-road riding. I had power when I needed it, the scooter’s really responsive and feels really good. It’s a good balance of weight and confidence-inspiring stability, but you still can lift up that front wheel when you need to.

Overall, the EMOVE Cruiser V2 offered the balance between stability, flexibility, and nimbleness that you want when riding an electric scooter off-road.

Is the EMOVE Cruiser V2 Good for Heavier Riders? You Bet

My take? This is a better EMOVE Cruiser. EMOVE has done exactly what they set out to do and made an improved version that resolved a lot of the small issues I had with the previous model. This is going to be a great option if you’re looking for a reasonably priced, reasonably weighted electric scooter, you want a ton of range, and you’re a bigger rider.

It’s basically impossible to get anything close to this range at this price. And when you buy the Cruiser V2, you know you’re getting exactly what you pay for. That’s hard to beat, and the big reason the Cruiser has been such a best-selling scooter for so long. The CruiserV2 is built like a tank, maneuvers like a much lighter scooter, and won’t ever give you range anxiety if you decide to take the long way home and hit the trails for bit.