Part 5: Support Email 8, More Fact Checking, Order #50193B Received, Bonus Round

On this page:

Support Email 8

Received on Oct 28, 2022, while I’m still waiting on:

Hello Kythera,

Thank you for your detailed response, and we appreciate your patience.

In order to resolve this, we have gone ahead and tested the M12 x 1.5 cap nut through 3 of our EMOVE Touring rear axles (All 2021 models) and they all tighten properly with the thread with the use of a wrench. I have attached an image of the same M12 x 1.5 cap nut (marked with an X) being threaded into 3 of our EMOVE Touring units for reference. We suspect your thread may have worn out or become stripped over time due to the original cap nut coming loose and falling out while riding. 

If possible, we recommend acquiring some Loctite and a tool such as a wrench or a socket wrench to tightly secure the M12 x 1.5 cap nut to your rear axle. The cap nut cannot be threaded in by hand as it will not fully secure on your rear axle and will eventually fall out. Please let us know how it goes and we will proceed accordingly.

We look forward to your response. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

More Fact Checking

While I’m waiting for order #50193B, I decided to go through some of the things in Support Email 8 to double-check and verify facts.

Stripped Threads

We suspect your thread may have worn out or become stripped over time due to the original cap nut coming loose and falling out while riding.

I’m reasonably sure that in all of my handling of the axle bolt up to this point, the threads are in good condition, if not a bit silvered from the black finish wearing off due to normal wear from screwing and unscrewing nuts onto the bolt. Just to be sure, I went back and did a thorough examination.

I removed the nuts from both ends of the axle and used cotton swabs dipped in isopropyl alcohol along with toothpicks to carefully clean any gunk out of the threads. I took close-up photos of the axle bolt threads along side the undamaged thread checkers for comparison:

Open

Portside axle bolt.

The threads on both ends of the axle appear to be in reasonably good shape with no stripping. Just some of the previously mentioned wear on the black anodizing so that the silver underneath shows. Not nearly enough to qualify the bolt threads as “stripped.”

Re-verify Thread Pitch

…we have gone ahead and tested the M12 x 1.5 cap nut through 3 of our EMOVE Touring rear axles (All 2021 models) and they all tighten properly with the thread with the use of a wrench.

This makes me wonder if the so-called M12-1.5 cap nut they're sending me might actually be M12-1.25.

I removed the remaining factory-installed cap nut and marked it with a purple X. I retrieved one of the M12 nuts that Voro Motors has sent and colored that one red with a Sharpie. I also assembled some regular nuts in all three sizes, double-checked them on the thread checkers, and clearly labeled each size with a Sharpie.

Re-verifying, the factory-installed cap nut measures M12-1.25 according to the thread checker. The replacement measures M12-1.5.

Scooter Model

…tested the M12 x 1.5 cap nut through 3 of our EMOVE Touring rear axles (All 2021 models) and they all tighten properly…

I purchased my scooter in early 2021, but I wondered if I might have gotten stock from an earlier year, and that might be a variable that means I have a different axle bolt. So I flipped over my scooter in search of the model number. Found the number on the underside of the deck:

Okay. So my scooter is a 2021 model, so that means it should have a standard rear axle that matches the specs for the scooters they tested in-store.

Tightening

The cap nut cannot be threaded in by hand as it will not fully secure on your rear axle and will eventually fall out.

I’m sure this statement is to make sure all variables are addressed. To be clear, I absolutely do tighten each bolt with a ratchet before riding, and use a ratchet during maintenance to ensure ALL the bolts on my scooter are properly tightened.

While I’ve been experimenting with the different size nuts and constantly installing/removing each nut multiple times, I have only been hand-tightening the nuts without using a ratchet to finish for reasons of expediency and practicality. Also:

1. Hand-tightening bolts before finishing with a ratchet or socket wrench appears to be general best practice among mechanics, according to my Google searches in pursuit of this issue.

2. Using a ratchet or socket wrench to force the wrong size nut onto a bolt will damage the nut and bolt. If I can’t hand-tighten the nut more than a few turns by hand, it is the wrong size for the bolt.

Order #50193B Received

Order Order #50193B was received on Oct 29, 2022. Due to Halloween events on the weekend, I didn’t have time to record video until after midnight, in the wee hours of Oct 31, 2022.

I set up my phone to record opening the package from Voro motors and testing the included nut against the thread checker, then trying it on the axle.

Long story short, straight out of the package, the M12 nut from order #50193B fits the M12-1.25 thread checker:

And therefore fits the rear axle:

Bonus Round

Since so many people kept suggesting “Have you tried lug nuts? Won’t lug nuts work?” I ordered some lug nuts. I specifically ordered SHORT lug nuts. And since it was an option, I ordered them in purple, because if I can keep up with the purple theme of my scooter, I’m gonna.

I ordered Muteki 41885L Purple 12mm x 1.25mm Closed End Spline Drive Lug Nut Set with Key, (Set of 20) lug nuts on Amazon. These are considered “short” lug nuts. They are much longer than cap nuts, and have that tapered end for fitting into a corresponding socket on a car wheel. The EMOVE Touring doesn’t have that kind of socket. So…lug nuts meant for cars DO fit the axle, but they increase the overall width of the rear wheel assembly (not preferable) and the contact area with the hook washer is much smaller (unsure if that makes much difference). Point being, they are two relatively different animals, even if one is available in a very nice shade of purple that is an excellent match for my scooter.

Notably, however, these are sold as M12-1.25, and have 1.25 inscribed on each lug nut. And they fit the rear axle otherwise perfectly. So at this point I’m even more inclined to think that M12-1.25 really is the correct measurement for the rear axle bolt and corresponding cap nuts.