2023 Varla Eagle One V2.0 Review

Varla's popular Eagle One scooter is back and better than ever with version 2.0! It's marketed as a "powerful off-road scooter" and it certainly is powerful, rocking two 1,000 watt motors for a combined peak wattage of 3,200 and 76 newton-meters of torque. Suffice to say, this scoot is one heck of a hill climber! It does well off-roading too, but I would honestly call this more of a do-anything hybrid scooter; the wheels are only 10" in diameter, so even with good suspension (which it has) off-road riding is still a bit jarring. The Eagle One V2.0 actually excels on city streets, with enough acceleration to keep pace with traffic easily, a high deck for good visibility, and an excellent loadout of lights.

Video Review

Written Review

Varla's original - and most popular - model is back and better than ever! Version 2.0 brings numerous upgrades, and while it does cost $200 more than the original it's totally worth it. Here's a rundown on everything that has changed:

• The display is new, a full color display that supports NFC. Two NFC tags come with the scooter and are required to unlock the scooter before riding, and you can also pair your phone as an unlock key. Assuming, of course, that your phone supports NFC (also I didn't test this feature with my phone).
• The tires are 3.5" wide, a half an inch wider than the previous generation. They also have a more knobby tread, so traction is significantly improved! They're tubeless as well, with some basic puncture protection built in.
• There is finally a latching mechanism that locks the scooter into place when folded down. The last version didn't lock, meaning the stem and handlebars would swing about and make it frustrating to carry or transport in a car. Much easier to work with now!
• The headlight is new, much brighter than before, and mounted high up on the handlebars for much better illumination and visibility.
• The battery is bigger, up to 1,091 watt-hours. The size hasn't increased significantly - the last generation was 946 watt-hours - but every little bit counts!
• The charging ports have moved from the side of the deck (where they were vulnerable to damage) to the top where they're safe from accidental impacts while riding.

As you can see, much has changed! It really does feel like an entirely different scooter, and I had an absolute blast taking it out for test rides.

The Eagle One V2.0 is an excellent all-purpose performance scooter

If you ask Varla they'll tell you this scooter is made for off-road riding. I won't deny it does a great job there, with top-notch dual suspension and enough torque to climb right up a wall, but I honestly enjoyed riding it on the asphalt even more. While the tires get great traction on any surface, off-road performance is limited by the small diameter wheels; they just can't roll over obstacles very well, and on rough washboard surfaces you'll feel a lot of vibration coming through to your hands and feet. Still a ton of fun, but your body might feel sore after a long ride.

Roll onto the street and the vibration disappears; the Eagle One V2.0 is an impressively smooth ride. The bright headlight combined with brake and running lights help other people to see you on the road, although I would like to see some turn signals added. On a bicycle you can signal with one of your hands, but you can't really do that on a scooter without risking loss of control. The deck is tall enough that I could see over cars in all directions too, very helpful for seeing what's going on with traffic and avoiding potential collisions.

The amount of power on tap is amazing whether you're on or off the asphalt. The twin motors have a combined peak draw of 3,200 watts, with a combined torque of 76 newton meters. That might not sound like a ton of torque, but inside a little 10" wheel? The small diameter gives the motor a huge mechanical advantage, which means the Eagle One V2.0 is a hill climbing monster. It also means it can accelerate very quickly, which is not only fun as hell but also great for safety because you can keep up with traffic or accelerate out of the way of a collision.

Of course, zooming around in dual motor mode is going to drain your battery pretty quickly; don't expect to get much more than 20 miles of range if you're riding all out. Maximizing your range will require dropping down to single motor mode, which still provides decent acceleration but you won't be able to get much over 25mph in terms of top speed.

Acceleration feels impressively smooth in both single and dual motor modes. I'm especially impressed with the dual motor mode performance; most similarly specced scooters feel almost too powerful, very twitchy at low speeds and it's easy to slip the tires and have the scooter take off out from under you. I didn't experience any of those issues on the Eagle One V2.0, which has a smooth roll-on of power through the entire speed range. This is because it's equipped with twin 25 amp sine wave controllers; Great job Varla for not cutting any corners!

Zoom hydraulic disc brakes provide excellent stopping power

Dual hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors do an excellent job bringing the hulking weight of the Eagle One V2.0 to a stop. I really love these brakes; they're easy to activate, feel incredibly smooth, and have motor cutoffs so you're never accidentally fighting the motors. Interestingly, the Eagle One V2.0 does not have an auxiliary electronic braking system; most scooters do, but they aren't really necessary here. Electronic braking systems can be prone to failure and typically make stops feel jarring as it's hard to finely control them. These Zoom brakes are more than sufficient and adding more would just be overkill.

40mph on a scooter actually feels... great?!

I'll be honest, I've never understood why people like to go super fast on small scooter platforms. Anything with 10" wheels is going to feel squirrelly as hell at high speed, and scooters are known for something called "death wobble"... which is exactly what it sounds like, not a good time. But hey, Varla says the Eagle One V2.0 can go 40mph, and what kind of reviewer would I be if I didn't try it? I've only gone that fast on two other scooters (Yume Hawk and Urban Drift G63), and Varla's machine felt much safer than either of those did.

There are several factors that contribute to how the Eagle One V2.0 performs at speed. The heavy weight actually helps by adding stability, and the stem is impressively sturdy; no flex or wibbly-wobbly-ness here. The handlebars are extra wide too! But the real secret sauce is the internal damping of the steering column. There's a lot of resistance when turning the handlebars, making it feel hard to turn the wheel side-to-side when you're not moving, and causing it to sort of stick in place wherever you leave it. That's a very good thing when you're rolling along at 30+ mph, because it dampens impacts and prevents death wobbles completely. To accomplish this on most scooters you have to add an external steering damper, but Varla's one step ahead and just built it right into the Eagle One V2.0. Awesome!

So... who's it for? Adrenaline junkies who can lift 80 pounds 😂

Look, this scooter is huge. It's imposing, the deck is high, and it tips the scales at 82.2 pounds. Yes, it does latch in the folded position now, but it's still not easy to carry; I'm a big strong dude and I'm still huffing and puffing every time I lug it down the stairs from my third level walk-up. If you want this scoot you'll want to make sure you can handle the weight and hopefully have a ground level place to store it. The same goes for using it as a commuter. Riding it to school or work would be thrilling, but you can't exactly fold it up and carry it into the office with you. Sure, you can lock it up and the NFC keys add some extra security, but these things aren't foolproof.

No, the Eagle One V2.0 really shines as an adventure scooter. Exploring, going on group rides, tearing around on jeep trails... this is the perfect scooter for that kind of thing!

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