Apollo Explore Set Up GuideUpdated 2 years ago

This guide will help you set up your newly received Apollo Explore to ensure you are ready for your first ride! 

UNBOXING

When you first receive your scooter, you will receive:

• An Explore
• A manual
• A multitool
• A charger box
• A cable for the charger box

If you purchased any accessories, please check your tracking information to confirm whether they were shipped out separately or together with your scooter. If anything is missing, get in touch with our support team immediately, and we’ll be happy to assist you. Remove the styrofoam packaging and pull the scooter out of the box. Be sure to save both the box and the styrofoam packaging in the event a warranty shipment is necessary in the future.

UNFOLDING

We recommend elevating the scooter on a box, stand or chair for the remaining setup steps.

Your scooter will arrive in the folded position. Locate the blue latch near the scooter’s board towards the front. This latch will not release easily - this is normal.

To unfold the scooter, lift the stem upward with one hand and press forward on the latch at the same time with the other. The latch should release, allowing you to bring the stem into the upright position. Ensure that the pin in the folding mechanism is completely in place before riding - this can be confirmed by hearing an audible click sound from the folding mechanism and visually verifying that the pin is in place. Do not ride the scooter if no click sound is heard from the folding mechanism.

The handlebars feature a compact, inwardly folding design. To unfold the handlebars, lift one side of the handlebars upwards until the blue screw on that side of the handlebars clicks into place. Twist the blue screw clockwise until hand-tight. Repeat on the other side of the handlebars.

The Explore features height-adjustable handlebars regulated by a telescoping mechanism on the upper portion of the stem. Locate the blue latch towards the top of the stem and right side of the scooter and open it. You should be able to pull the handlebars upward to your preferred height. There should be a black knob directly opposite the latch on the left - tighten this knob and close the latch to secure the upper portion of the handlebars in place. If done properly, the latch should take some force to close fully. If the telescoping mechanism is too loose, reopen the latch and tighten the black knob more.

Be sure that you hear a clicking sound from the folding mechanism before riding - the stem may fall on you while riding otherwise! If you’re having trouble getting a click out of your scooter, extend the stem height as high as possible and firmly push forward on the stem from the top of the handlebars.

To fold your scooter, follow the above steps in reverse. You should also hear a clicking sound from the folding mechanism when collapsing the scooter.

TIGHTENING THE BRAKE/BELL/THROTTLE

Grab your display, brake handles, throttle or button panels and try moving them around. Everything should be loose - We ship our scooters this way to ensure that if there is any damage during transport, the items on the handlebar shuffle around rather than break. Tighten each of the following components to at preferred angle until hand-tight with the correct item in your multitool:

• Left-hand/rear brake handle - use the matching allen key on the underside of the handle
• Bell - use the phillips head (a.k.a. plus-shaped) screwdriver on the underside of the bell
• Right-hand/front brake handle - use the matching allen key on the underside of the handle
• Display - use the matching allen key on all four screws located directly under the display

Be sure to leave a small gap between your throttle and right brake handle.

INSPECTION

We strongly recommend that you give your scooter a quick walk around in order to check for signs of any visual or aesthetic damage.

We do our absolute best to ship our scooters safely, however, sometimes accidents during transit do happen. Therefore, now is the time to make sure your scooter was delivered safely, and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, please get in touch with either your dealer or our customer service team.

Once you’re done checking for any signs of damage, it’s time to power on the scooter. Locate the power button to the right of the display and press it down for 3 seconds to power on the scooter. You should now be able to see the display powered on.

Please ensure that the scooter is elevated for the next two steps, as we will be testing the throttle and brakes.

Begin by pressing the throttle. You may notice a slight jump in the motor accompanied by a sound - rest assured this is perfectly normal. What is happening is that your motor is locating their position before they are ready to accelerate.

After pressing the throttle, you should notice the rear wheel start to accelerate. Continue to accelerate for 5 seconds, then release the throttle and slam both brakes at the same time. Slamming the brakes adjusts the position of your brake callipers when used for the first time.

If you notice the brakes emitting repeating sounds, it’s likely the rubbing of brake pads, which will disappear after a few weeks of riding. Rubbing brake pads are not a defect, but rather a consequence of our choice to set up the brakes on the tighter side before shipping. This allows for more effective braking, and the rubbing sound will disappear within a few weeks of usage.

Hold down on the mode button for 3-4 seconds and confirm that both rear lights, both front lights, both mood lights on the sides of the deck, and the stem lighting turn on. Lastly, press your brakes to ensure your rear light is flashing and that a (!) indicator appears on your display. If at any point one of your lights does not power on, please contact us immediately. Otherwise, you’re good to go!

CHARGING

Locate the charger and assemble it by plugging the AC cable into the charger box.

Plug the charger into the wall socket first, in order to avoid any chance of sparking. Then, plug the other end into the scooter. 

When the battery isn’t fully charged, the light will be red. Once full, the charger light will turn green. We recommend charging your scooter fully prior to your first ride.

OPERATING YOUR SCOOTER

Brakes

The Apollo Explore is equipped with dual mechanical disc brakes. This brake system is very similar to the bicycle brakes you are likely familiar with. To apply the brakes while riding, simply press on the brake handles. However, especially when you first start riding, we recommend that you do so slowly and cautiously, monitoring the braking force being applied.

What is unique to scooters is the rear/front configuration. The left brake handle is the rear brake, while the right brake handle is the front brake. We recommend braking using both brake handles simultaneously in order to divide the braking force between the front and rear mechanisms, rather than overexerting one.

An exclamation point surrounded by a circle should appear every time you pull on the brakes. This is normal - it indicates that your brakes are working properly.

Throttle

The Apollo Explore comes equipped with a trigger throttle. The throttle is designed to be progressive, meaning a small pull of the throttle will exert proportionately little acceleration. Whereas a full rotation of the throttle will trigger maximum output and therefore peak acceleration.

When starting we recommend accelerating slowly to learn the sensitivity of the throttle. Please note that acceleration strength can be adjusted in the settings.

Display

On the same mechanism as the throttle is your display. The display features two buttons:

• The power button, labeled with the line-in-circle power symbol
• The mode button, labeled with the word “MODE”

Hold down the power button for 2-3 seconds to turn the scooter on - the display should light up. When the scooter is on, pressing the power button will cycle through the following readings:

• Your scooter’s lifetime odometer, labeled “ODO”
• Your scooter’s trip odometer, labeled “TRIP”
• Your scooter’s voltage reading, a 3-digit number labeled with a V that looks like a U

The mode button cycles through the scooter’s three power modes in ascending order. Note that these power modes only affect the scooter’s top speed, not acceleration, and can be changed either while riding or in a standing position.

To enter into the scooter’s advanced settings, hold down the mode and power buttons at the same time. The scooter’s P-settings are as follows:

P1: LCD brightness, 1-3

P2: Units km/mi

P3: Voltage, Explore: 52

P4: Shut-off Time: minutes before the scooter shuts off with no activity. Default 5

P5: Unused

P6: Wheel Diameter, Explore: 10

P7: # of magnets on motor, set to 28

P8: Power Level in speed units, 0 to 100% (display goes to 200, no change from 100 and up. If at 20, max speed will be 20 for example)

P9: Start Method. 0 for zero start, 1 for kick start.

P10: Unused

P11: Electronic braking strength. 0(off) – 5 (high). Default 1, Recommendation 2-3

P12: Acceleration. 1(low) – 5 (high). Default 3

P13-14: Unused

P15: Scooter shutdown voltage. Explore set to 44v. Can be raised for additional battery protection.

P16: Lifetime odometer reset.

P17: Cruise Control. 0 off, 1 on.

P18-20: Unused

Tires

The Explore features front and back pneumatic tires with standard-size Schrader valves. Your tires should come inflated. If you need to inflate your tires, locate the bronze-color valve on the left side of your scooter’s wheel, opposite the brake. Remove the black cap and attach your pump. We recommend using a valve extender to inflate your tires, and to inflate your tires to no more than 50 PSI.

HOW TO LOCK THE SCOOTER

If you have a folding lock that you can loop through the spaces in the rim, you can attach it to a secured pole or bike rack, and loop it around the base of the stem. Even with a sturdy lock we recommend exercising caution and not leaving your scooter unattended for too long.

If you have any other questions feel free to reach out to our A-Team at [email protected]