Full suspension and 30 MPH electric scooter

Not all electric scooters are built equally. And the Hero S8 is even more unequal than most, sporting wide, fat tires and full suspension combined with a fast, high power motor.

The Hero S8 electric scooter from Hero Rider USA can really tear it up whether on the pavement or the dirt.

The ride is comfortable, yet the high powered (1,200W peak) motor does take a bit of getting used to. If this is your first electric scooter after a measly Bird or Lime scooter, you’ll be in for an awakening experience.

There’s nothing quite like cruising along at 30 mph (48 km/h), standing tall and suspended by spring suspension on top of ultra-wide tires.

Hero S8 electric scooter tech specs

• Motor: 800W continuous, 1,200W peak
• Battery: 48V 21Ah (1,008 Wh)
• Top speed: 30 mph (48 km/h)
• Range: up to 40 miles (64 km), less if riding at full speed
• Weight: 57 lb (25.9 kg)
• Load capacity: 265 lb (120 kg)
• Suspension: Front and rear spring suspension
• Brakes: Front and rear disc brakes, rear motor braking
• Tires: 8×3.5″ solid all-terrain tires
• Extras: Front and rear LED lights with side acrylic lighting (colored lighting customizable via remote control, LCD display with built-in trigger throttle, tripmeter, odometer, rear kick plate/handle, 5-second fast folding

The performance, oh my…

The Hero S8 electric scooter doesn’t mess around when it comes to power. When you pull that trigger throttle, the scooter is more than happy to rocket you forward. If anything, you have to use the throttle a bit gingerly as you get the hang of it, especially in the highest power mode.

Once you get used to it though, it’s easy to operate at both low and high speed.

I could get up to just shy of 30 mph (48 km/h) on the street, though I didn’t quite hit those speeds while off-roading — not that I would have wanted to.

The 8″ tires are extra wide to give more surface area in the dirt, sand, grass or whatever other non scooter-friendly surface your local trails are made of. But even despite their width, the 8″ still means you need to be a bit careful about what you’re hitting. I never once had an issue with potholes or roots I couldn’t surmount, but I made sure to be aware of those issues while riding.

The front and rear suspension keep the ride surprisingly good on trails, even when riding over big gravel. I got airborne a few times, but that’s just the nature of the trail and not really the scooter’s fault. And to the Hero S8’s credit, I had a nice and cushioned landing each time — not a shocking ankle breaker like on non-suspension scooters.

Off-road riding makes full use of the motor’s 1,200 peak watts, meaning it could eat through a lesser battery quickly. But fortunately, the Hero S8 has a large 1kWh battery so you can have extended fun in the dirt.

Back on the street, the Hero S8 is plenty efficient. The wide tires take a bit of getting used to on the pavement, but they work just fine. Hero sells another scooter that is more optimized for street-only riding, the Hero S9, but I enjoy how I can head back and forth from park to pavement on the Hero S8.

If you’re using the scooter to commute on the road or bike trails and you get caught out at night, you’ll definitely appreciate the Hero S8’s illuminating light show. Not only do you get standard front and rear lights, but you have long acrylic lights running the length of the deck on both sides.

And with an included handheld remote, you can adjust the colors to your choice, change the flashing rate and even fade between colors. They say there are 16 million possible colors, but I kind of stopped counting after the usual suspects of ROY G BIV.

I usually just leave it on a solid color like red, which seems to do the job of getting people’s attention and not getting you run over at night, but a multi-colored Pink Floyd laser show isn’t out of the question if you want to get fancy with cycling through many colors while blasting your music. Everyone one loves a guy sharing his personal show with the world… right?

Everything else about the scooter feels up to snuff for a ride of this power and speed level. The dual disc brakes bring you to a stop plenty fast, the folding mechanism is secure and even features a convenient grab loop, and the build quality is confidence-inspiring. This doesn’t feel like one of those cheap scooters, it feels like you can actually give it a beating, which is exactly what I did (see my video above).

At 57 lb (26 kg), the aluminum-framed scooter’s portability is borderline. That’s light enough for me to fold and toss in the backseat of a car or in the trunk by myself, but I wouldn’t want to have to carry it for any length of time like I will sometimes do with lighter scooters.

For $1,399, the Hero S8 can be yours. That includes free shipping in the US and a 14-month warranty.

Compared to budget scooters, $1,399 is a lot of dough. But when you get into the realm of 30+ mph e-scooters, it’s actually surprisingly affordable — believe it or not. And this is coming from a guy who has reviewed nearly $4,000 scooters.