Dualtron Thunder: What Real Riders Love and Hate

I've had 2k miles since April. I can take 40+ mile rides without having to use battery save mode, 30+mph the whole way and still have battery life leftover when I get back. My top speed has been 64 mph but what I'm most happy with is the acceleration. This scooter can hit 50+ mph without breaking a sweat. It's so insanely satisfying going from 25-30 to 50+ in the blink of an eye.

So thankful that Minimotors decided to sell the tires already installed on the rims. It might be a little more expensive but it is SOOOOOOOO worth it. I'm saving 2 hours minimum every time I have to do a tire change. Also funny that I've changed the front twice now and the rear is still in almost perfect condition after 2500 miles — man that front wheelspin is a bitch.

A sine wave controller gives you smoother, quieter acceleration. The motor runs more efficiently and doesn't make that high-pitched whine you sometimes hear. It's better for low-speed control, so it feels more natural when you're cruising or making small throttle adjustments. Overall, it makes the scooter feel refined. A square wave controller is more basic — it sends power in sharp bursts, so the motor feels different.

The Thunder is simply one of the best things I've ever owned. It is incredibly well built, extremely powerful, and very stable — even at the top speed of 50 mph. Besides the initial issues I had with the brake sensor, which my scooter mechanic fixed pretty easily, I've had no issues to date on the Thunder.

The headlights fell off within 400-500 miles. The bolts that hold them in just sheered right off. And the worst part of the Thunder series is the terrible suspension. It is so rough to ride sometimes that it physically hurts.

Teverun seems vastly better with its battery. Dualtron seems OK but I've seen weird issues with their controllers. The biggest thing that would turn me away from the Thunder 3 would be their crappy cartridge style suspension — so much worse than the KKE adjustable suspension on the Teverun.

The Thunder 1 is not that powerful of a machine compared to the 2 and 3, nowadays you have sub-2K brand new options that are faster than a Thunder 1.

The only thing the Dualtron has going for it IMO is its proven track record — clearly the thing is a tank. The Teverun Fighter Supreme holds quite well too though and I think it's the better product now, especially the V5 with all the fixes.

The steering damper is great if you are going over 40 all over the place, but it's not needed. Brakes could be better but it isn't needed, and tires are fine as is. Upgrades are nice and will make a nicer ride but are not required.

Got a Dualtron 3 for a good price and love it, and I got my eye on the Thunder as my next scooter. I've ridden motorcycles, onewheels, and ebikes. These high end scooters are where it's at.

I recently fell on mine and now am thinking of its durability.

Dualtron does sell their suspension cartridges with different stiffnesses. Maybe they put a stiffer one in this. I really appreciate the honest review. I find the suspension on the Victor to be rather rough at times too, but I am also traveling over roads that need TLC.

I work in a Dualtron dealership so I have access to nearly all models. The T3 is a wise choice versus let's say the Storm LTD. It's easier to maintain since it still uses the classic Thunder design. The App control has matured quite nicely over the years so one can make the performance super smooth to outright ridiculous.

Outdated shit. No sine wave controllers, no traction control, no normal app but some chinese junk glitchy 2.5 stars app on the App Store, no smart BMS, ugly LED which blinds everyone. Take a look at what Segway GT3 Pro provides — this is like comparing an old Toyota to an Audi.

For me, I just hate their idiotic design choices sometimes. Like putting the motor cable on the same side as the brake disc. Not all models, but really shows some idiotic thinking. Plus the fact that their suspension is pretty awful. Those plastic rubber cartridges are just really terrible and not nearly as good as other options.

The Dualtron Thunder 1 came out in early 2020, which means the battery is 5 years old so you're likely going to be buying a new battery sooner rather than later. A new battery for this is $1350+, so you're around $700 short of the new version Thunder 3. I'd personally pass on it.

People often buy Dualtron and ride them hard because they are generally a decent scooter — but you'll often find that the owners gave them a tough life and you'll end up buying into problems.

If it was perfectly stored — dry, indoors, battery maintained between 30-80% always — and in otherwise great condition, $1000 would be a generous price, $600-800 would be fair for a used Thunder 1.

Dualtron Thunder 3 is known to last ages.

Thunder weighs a bit more for less range, less punch, less top speed. Teverun has incredible hydraulic suspension compared to the shitty cartridges on Dualtron. Dualtron looks better, more deck space, way more stable at high speed, better light, better horn, better charger. I would go with the Teverun.

I love the tubeless tires, which are a huge upgrade from the tubed tires in my other scooters.

At the highest level with both engines on, you just need to make sure you are leaning forward with a tight grip before you gun it because you will experience a head jerking amount of instant power. It just takes a bit of getting used to it, but it's not a problem.

I had two Thunder controllers burned, while riding uphills in the summer 25-30 degrees C. There is NO any overheat protection.

I own a Dualtron currently, almost 4k miles, only changed tires and brake pads.

Dualtron is a great brand, but they seem to be resting on their past success. They build great scooters but their technology lags behind other brands — no app, still use rubber cartridges in their suspensions, and use square wave controllers. The Dualtron will last for years, but the competition has caught up and surpassed it in features.

At full battery you can get up to 63-65mph on the X Ltd weighing 250lbs. Thunder 3 uses Dualtron's patented suspension cartridges, the X Ltd has adjustable coilovers. If you can afford the X Ltd I would go with that over the T3 — but note that IT IS NOT A SMALL SCOOTER. Videos and pictures do not convey how stupidly big it is.

If you want acceleration, go for Thunder/Storm. You can check the 'Freshly Charged' channel on YouTube to see 0-60 times on Dragy with both the Thunder 3 and X Limited — the acceleration difference between the X and Thunder was pretty surprising.

Have had my Thunder for a year now and put 700 miles on it. I ride the hell out of it quite a bit on 40mph city streets and the only additions I've made are mild waterproofing, a seat, and good headlights and taillights. The scooter takes a beating and doesn't need too much if you know how to ride.

I used to spend $1000+ a month to own a new F-250 diesel not counting insurance. Then I realized the payment for a Thunder all modded up was cheaper than some of my cable bills. Best investment so far. I like that the parts are affordable, easy to work on, and I can smoke most anything around Portland.

I like to think of the Thunder as the best current performance option. With carbon fiber bars and stem, stem adapter, Ergon grips, an Errex steering damper, extension battery, carbon fiber rear fender, and rear trunk mount — the Thunder is a serious platform to build on.

Dualtrons has famously stiff suspension (cartridge). Some silicone spray on the rods may help it to become more flexible, but it needs to penetrate properly.

The suspension on older Dualtrons have always been a point of contention. They use rubber cartridges on some of the legacy models, it seems like all the new ones are getting the reverse coil suspension like on the X models. Other than that, I see this listed for $3K which is a hell of a deal for a 72v 40AH hyperscooter.

The T3 no longer uses PU rods so it's a mechanical suspension cartridge. It's finally IP rated and comes with everything in the box (fast charger, lights etc).

One of the things we did when the T3 first came out is take it apart. Its IP rating is really warranted this time around seeing all the small extra parts the factory put in it to stop water ingress where it matters — battery tray, controller and throttle. The totally new steering/folding mechanism has some years behind the design already and is durable.

I bought a Thunder 3 and it is pretty good security wise. When you turn it on you either need to type in the 4 digit code to turn it on or have my phone connected to it via Bluetooth. Pair that with a good motion sensor alarm and the chances of someone stealing it drop significantly.

I kinda wish I had gotten a Wolf King GTR. Suspension on the Thunder 3 is kinda booty.

I'm a T2 owner. I got mine April 2024. Thing is an absolute beast. I mean...it's crazy power. Insane.

I own a Thunder 2. I've had it for 18 months. Super reliable. The stem lights went out after a minor crash, and I haven't fixed them yet, but other than that super reliable. I don't think I've gotten a single flat tire and I've put almost 3,000 miles on it and some of the roads I go on aren't smooth.

I've had many scooters over the years and only purchased the Thunder 2 by chance. Quality and engineering as well as technology far surpass the rest of the scooter world. The power from standard was reasonably good but with minor mods you can make these hammer.

Other scooters do not hold their price value — Dualtron does. With other scooters when they break down nobody knows how to fix them, but with Dualtron people do.

The X is a fantastic cruiser and still good for straight line speed but performance-wise it's more like a Harley where the Thunder is a sport bike.

The Thunder needs many upgrades. There are so many things missing, and those that are available are not well done for a device at this price point.

I agree — my least favorite part of this scooter is the horrible suspension. If I could have gotten a similar scooter for the same price I would have.