Dualtron Victor Review

With roughly 16 Dualtron scooters on the market, I was surprised by how much buzz the "middle-child" Dualtron Victor was generating.

But during testing, it quickly became apparent why: there is a lot to love.

The Victor isn't "middle" like the middle finger. It's middle like the porridge that's "just right."

It's better than just right. I'd call it "strangely good."

What's to love?

39.3 mi of real-world (RG certified) range sets you free to use all of the power, all of the time, without suffering from range anxiety. A tested top speed of 45.5 mph means the fastest scooter you'll see all day is the one you're riding; unless you cross paths with some >90 lb exotic like a Dualtron Thunder or Storm.

Ultimately it's a blast to ride because it carves corners better than any other Dualtron.

When you're done riding, and it's time to put it away, the Victor is easy to fit into the trunk because it's up to 5 in shorter than other popular light-heavyweights.

The Victor's portability comes with a cost, though.

At just over 20 in long, some riders find the deck space to be a little short. The handlebars encroach another 2 in into the stance area making the bars feel close.

For normal riding and corner-carving, the short deck space adds to the compact, sporty feel. Though I did find my rear foot reaching rearward for more deck than was there when using throttle heavily.

An aftermarket footrest or grab handle would definitely help.

Now that the testing is done, we can say "buzz worthiness confirmed".

It's got Dualtron build quality, best in class top speed, best in class handling, outstanding range and while not ultra-portable, it's going to fit in the trunk.

But to me, it's the fun factor that sets the Victor apart.

The Victor has a weight capacity of 265 lb and is Big Dawg approved*. 

Ramier, our resident Big Dawg, loves the Victor's speed, hill-climbing ability, as well as handling. 

*That said, riders taller than 6 ft will want to take advantage of aftermarket handlebar risers. The stock bar height of 37.8 in is on the low side even for riders shorter than 70 in tall. Fortunately, the cables leave plenty of extra length built-in, so installing the bar riser is relatively easy.

The Victor has a 0 to 30 mph acceleration of 6.4 seconds.

Overall, it is fast and smooth but not arm-yanking quick like the Vsett 10+.

Its less intense initial acceleration will still give you an adrenaline rush on-command.  However, it's smooth enough to make it easy to apply throttle mid-corner without spinning the front tire.

The Victor completed our standard 200 ft, 10% grade hill climb test in 8.3 seconds. At the hill's crest, it had already reached 25 mph and was still accelerating strongly. 

Overall, the Victor is above average among its peers for hill-climbing ability, but more importantly, it will conquer any neighborhood hill at faster than neighborly speeds.

With an RG certified top speed of 45.5 mph, the Victor is the fastest light-heavyweight scooter we've ever tested. 

Not only is it fast, but it's also surprisingly stable at speed. Abruptly cutting the throttle at top speed didn't induce any wiggle from the front end.  However, if you intentionally wiggle the handlebars above 40 mph, it takes a second for the wiggling to resolve — not something you want to try more than once.  

Though we don't recommend ever riding a Dualtron Victor at 45.5 mph, it's fun knowing you could.

I don't usually think of range as being part of a scooter's fun factor.

But, getting to cut loose for literally an hour or two before range anxiety kicks-in, definitely adds to the fun. 

The Victor crushes range anxiety with a stratospheric 39.3 mi of real-world range. No dual-motor scooter we've ever tested goes further at this weight.

What's the secret? 

The Victor is the first Dualtron to use LG's 21700 battery cells. These cells are physically larger and have 20% more energy density than the 18650 cells typically used.

So they've got both more energy per cell and more energy per pound. 

The only scooter that covers more miles than this and weighs less, is the single motor EMOVE Cruiser, which uses the very same LG cells. 

As happy as I was with the range, I wasn't thrilled with the way the range test ended.

During the last mile, the scooter would cut out abruptly any time I applied more than 30% throttle. However, unless you're squeezing the very last mile out of the battery, you won't ever encounter this behavior.

The Victor is equipped with dual hydraulic disc brakes. It’s comforting to know that a scooter this fast also has truly exceptional brakes.

We recorded a 15 mph stopping distance of just 9.7 ft — beating 88% of the world’s best scooters.

The Victor made me want to carve corners everywhere I went. 

It's the first Dualtron to use 10 in x 3 in TUOVT tires. These tires are some of the very best you can get (especially since PMT doesn't make 10 in tires). 

The huge contact patch makes them feel more stable when leaned over. 

The elastomeric suspension has just the right stiffness for riders from 50 lb to 200 lbs. If you weigh more or less, you can easily swap them for something stiffer or softer.

The short wheelbase, wide, grippy deck, and improved steering angle make cornering effortless and fun. 

There is something about the light-heavyweight scooters like the Victor. They're better balanced in terms of braking, turning, and throttle than any other class of scooter. 

The very best heavyweights, like the Burn-E and Wolf King GT are more of a point-and-shoot affair. Acceleration feels like the hand of God shoving you forward on straight sections of road. But, when you arrive at the next corner, you'll feel like you need to slow way down and tip-toe through it. 

With the Victor is a non-stop dance of go-brake-turn-go-brake-turn. 

For raw acceleration maxing out all of the P-settings is the way to go. Set P7 = 0 for maximum initial acceleration, and P9 = 3 (energy save mode off).

For a mixture of cornering and straight-line acceleration, I preferred reducing initial acceleration by one (P7 = 1), while Chuck prefers the default setting for initial acceleration (P7 = 2), which I have to admit is probably the sweet spot for most riders.

Manufacturers are really good at picking the best default settings these days.

The Victor's light-heavyweight performance comes in a surprisingly compact package.

It's only 1.8 in longer than a Xiaomi M365 Pro and nearly 5 in shorter than the VSETT 10+. It will fit into the trunk of most sedans, though, at 74.2 lb you're still likely to grunt while loading it.

The way it folds and unfolds is also a big step forward from previous Dualtrons. The rubber gator mounted just above the stem latch acts as a spring. It automatically slides the stem clamp into place for you when the stem is raised upright. 

The handlebars are easy to unfold. In fact, with a little lubrication and possibly just a touch with a hand-file, you should be able to make both handlebars snap into place at the same time by pushing them upward with your palms.

Ours would do this successfully about half of the time, right out of the box. I'm not even sure it's part of the design, but it feels super slick when it works. 

Then it's just a matter of latching the two handlebar clamps and the two stem clamps and you're off. 

When the scooter isn't folded, it can be a challenge to lift. There really isn't a comfortable handhold at the rear of the scooter. But there are optional grab handles available from a couple of sources that solve this problem.

The cockpit is typical Dualtron: clean, black, an EY3 throttle.  Of course, there are least three Dualtron badges visible at all times. 

As aesthetically pleasing as it is, there are a few disappointments here.

The grips aren't clamped to the handlebars and will rotate over time. These are easy to change but not what the leader in build quality should be installing. 

The dual motor and eco buttons don't indicate which mode is active. Most puzzling of all, there is no bell or horn.

Despite missing a couple of details, the cockpit of a Dualtron is still a nice place to be. 

Would it be mean to say "all show and no go" when it comes to lights? 

Here again, Dualtron excels at the hard stuff: fully integrated swag lights with remote control and seemingly endless bling modes. 

But then misses the basics: high-mounted headlight please! 

Fortunately, the easy stuff is … easy to fix. For those who ride at night, an aftermarket headlight will take care of business.

We've touched on them already, but these tubed (not tubeless) 10 in x 3 in TUOVT tires are the bomb. 

Other than PMTs they may be the best feeling tires out there. 

The way they're mounted is also pretty great. The latest Dualtrons have rims that can be separated from the motor without removing the motor from the scooter. So tire changes really couldn't be easier. 

Important to remember: with split rims you absolutely must remember to deflate the tires first!

The same bolts hold both the rim to the motor and the two halves of the rims together. 

If you forget to deflate the tire first, the rim will split itself with one of the bolts still in place and break the mounting ear right off the rim. 

(I'm here to break things, so you don't have to.)

At 20.1 in, the deck is somewhat short, but partially makes up for it with its exceptional 9.5 in, width. 

The deck also provides excellent grip, which adds to the corner-carving character of the scooter. It feels like you could almost steer with your feet like a snowboard.

Dualtron scooters are famous for build quality, and for the most part, that reputation is well earned. 

But no scooter is perfect. 

All Dualtron scooters we've tested had the same annoying but easily remedied stem squeak.

You can fix it by loosening the lower stem bolts, then spraying lithium grease at both sides of the bolts (head and nut), as well as the general clamping area, then working the grease in by wiggling the stem front to back, before tightening the two mounting bolts back down. 

Altogether it should take about five minutes. 

The most surprising weak spot in Dualtron build quality is the lack of an IP rating.

Exploration of the scooter reveals that they're not kidding about the scooter not being all-weather. The swingarms have gorgeous tapered roller bearings ensuring smooth suspension movement. But they aren't sealed at all. 

If you think there is any chance you'll get caught in the rain, spend some time looking over your scooter. 

An hour of inspection, grease, and maybe a little silicone should at least make it splash-resistant. 

Overall build quality is still outstanding, though. 

No matter what angle you view it from, the Victor is just plain gorgeous — and that's before you even turn on the remote-controlled lights!

There is no doubt about it. The Victor is a stand-out, even among Dualtrons. 

The 21700 battery cells give it other-worldly range and performance for its weight. The tires and suspension deliver bigly on fun-factor.

Despite a couple of quirks, it's got that gorgeous Dualtron build quality that even your Mom will be able to recognize. 

So the Victor is pulling into the winner's circle even before we get to the part where it's the fastest production scooter in the world that still fits in the trunk.

All of this aside. The raw fun factor is what keeps bringing me back to ride it after the testing is done.