From Facebook to the Factory: Origin Story of a Scooter Seat

Communities focused on electric scooters are thriving both in person and online. Not only do they provide a forum for e-scooter riders to connect about their favorite routes or tips, they’re the perfect place to show off mods and accessories; you can even gain traction for new inventions: like this electric scooter seat. 

For Tanakorn Wila, what started as a request from a fellow scooter rider in a Facebook group grew into a manufacturing and distribution partnership with Voromotors. Continue reading to learn more about it's origin and how to install it on the King GT electric scooter.

The Man Behind the Design: Tanakorn Wila 

Tanakorn Wila is a family man living and working in Thailand. As a mechanical design engineer with 20 years' experience, he applied his background in manufacturing machine parts to the e-scooter world. Tanakorn is an active member of multiple online communities, including the  Kaabo King GT and King+ Owners Group. 

Over time, Tanakorn became friendly with members that also live in Thailand, and one of them reached out to Tanakorn for help with customizing his electric scooter. He helped him improve the scooter’s suspension and, because he was so happy with the mod, asked Tanakorn to help him fix his existing seat. Together, they came up with a new design.

Custom Components for Electric Scooter Community

When they posted photos of the redesigned e-scooter to the Facebook group, other members were drawn to the customizable appeal of Tanakorn’s electric scooter seat, and started tagging him in the comments making their own requests. 

In particular, the design drew the attention of a member from the United States, who reached out for a custom scooter seat. Having little experience with the logistics of shipping scooter parts to another country, Tanakorn researched what he would need to do to ship abroad. 

Next, Tanakorn designed and manufactured a custom seat for the King GT.  He packaged and shipped it to Washington, USA, where the member lived. The customer received the international package and installed it without any issues, showing off his new setup to the group. 

Feeling more comfortable with both fabrication and shipping, Tanakorn started posting his custom-designed scooter seat across online communities, primarily on Facebook. As before, customers were eager to get their own, and made order requests in comments. 

As orders rolled in, Tanakorn found that the logistics of production and expense of shipping were causing financial strain on his family. He’d received many orders for different scooter models headed to different locations, and was unsure of how he could stay on pace with their requests. 

How VoroMotors Is Supporting a Small Business

VoroMotors founder, Melvin Lian, is on the pulse of the electric scooter industry and recognized the popularity of Tanakorn’s design. 

As a business owner that’s heavily involved with the development and manufacturing of all our products, Melvin knew other scooter riders would want this seat for one of our most popular scooter lines. 

Melvin reached out to Tanakorn to offer a potential partnership to manufacture, mass produce, and distribute Tanakorn’s seat utilizing our existing infrastructure. Eager for the opportunity to receive support from VoroMotors, Tanakorn collaborated with our manufacturing team to develop his signature design featuring a robust solid frame and synthetic leather saddle. 

Where to Buy the Tanakorn King Seat

You can purchase this new e-scooter seat online at VoroMotors. 

The Tanakorn seat is designed to fit the King GT Pro, King, and Warrior GT electric scooters. It will not fit the X line of scooters, including the X GT and Warrior X which feature a narrower deck. 

The seat is tapered at the front for a comfortable fit, with supple foam interior. It also has a lower riding position than our Kaabo Electric Scooter Seat, making it a much better option for shorter scooter riders, like those with a height of 5’7” and under.  

Buy the Tanakorn King Seat now. 

Join the Scooter Community for Opportunity

In addition to this seat for the, Tanakorn has designed scooter seats for other models and with more functionality. See what else he’s been working on and join the conversation by becoming a member of Facebook groups! 

Here are some suggested Facebook groups for new and seasoned riders*:

• EMOVE Owners Club
• VoroMotors Owners Club
• Electric Scooter Ohana 
• Electric Scooter USA
• Kaabo King GT and King+ Owners Group
• EMOVE RoadRunner new users and mods
• Rider Guide Group

*Please note that VoroMotors moderates some but not all of these online communities. 

Not only can you check out the scooter mods that other members have done in the groups, you can show off your scooter and connect with fellow riders for group excursions, maintenance tips, and other fun stuff. 

If you have purchased a Tanakorn seat for your scooter, you can follow along with our video tutorial and step-by-step instructions for installation.

How to Install the Tanakorn Electric Scooter Seat

Here's a video demonstration showing you how to install the Tanakorn seat. We also show you how to lower the handlebars, so they're at a comfortable height for riding when sitting down. Continue reading for required tools and step-by-step instructions. 

Tools

• 4 mm hex key
• 5 mm hex key
• Boxcutter
• Permanent marker
• Blowtorch (optional)

How to Install the Tanakorn Seat

1. To install the seat, you will need to cut 4 holes in the rubber deck mat where the screw posts for the seat will connect with the deck.
2. To do so, peel back the edges of the mat until you find the screw holes near the rear, and use a permanent marker to mark on the mat where you will cut for the holes.
3. Next, use a boxcutter to cut through the rubber mat at the 4 hole locations. We advise heating your blade with a blow torch or lighter to make cutting easier. 
4. With the 4 mm hex key, remove the 4 screws from the deck.
5. Place the Tanakorn seat on the deck and line it up with the screw holes.
6. Hand tighten the new screws and washers that come with the seat. Place the washer on top of the hole, and tighten each screw in place.
7. Once all 4 screws have been hand tightened, use the 5 mm hex key to secure them down firmly.
8. Now that the seat is installed, get the scooter into a stable position to mount. Check that the seat is secured properly by sitting on the saddle and rocking back and forth. You should feel no play or movement. If you do, check that all washers and screws are tightened down as flush as possible. 

How to Lower the Handlebars

1. Use the 5 mm hex key and loosen the screws on the side of stem. 
2. Next, use the 5 mm hex key to loosen the screws mounting the handlebars to the stems. Once loose, pull the handlebars outward to clear the tops of the stems. 
3. This allows the handlebars to freely move higher and lower along the stems.
4. Position the handlebars at your desired riding height and line it up with the grooves on the stems. You may need to sit down on the scooter seat to determine which height works best for you. 
5. Once positioned, tighten the screws on either side of the fork and the screws on the handlebars.  
6. If necessary, use a multitool to loosen and adjust the positioning of the display, brake levers and throttle to a comfortable position when sitting down.

If you'd like to see the King GT electric scooter with the Tanakorn seat installed, watch the tutorial video. We hope you found this tutorial helpful. For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Conclusion

Electric scooters, and their accessories, are evolving: adapting to the ever-changing needs of their riders. Don't miss what's next in the personal electric vehicle industry! Become a part of the scooter community to share your insight, inventions, and connect with fellow scooter lovers.