The Freerider Royale is one of the finest mobility scooters produced in the world today. Available in both a three and four wheel configuration the arrival of the Royale marked a paradigm shift in the world of mobility scooters. Before the Royale scooters were designed a piece of medical equipment, ultimately practical but with the curb appeal of a hospital issued walker. With the Royale the rule book was torn up, and the designers were given free reign to produce a mobility scooter that would provide prove eye catching as well as offering state of the art engineering.

Available in both three and four wheel configurations, the Freerider Royale is visually nothing short of stunning. The most striking feature of the Royale is its fairing. Standard for years on motor scooters and motor cycles, the Royale is the first mass produced scooter to offer this. The fairings heritage is more apparent in the three wheeled version than the four, but it is clear in both cases with a chevron motif repeated vertically through the large headlight. The Royale is offered in both silver and black, both of which are finished to the highest order, and the trim leaves nothing to chance – from the elegant designer hubs to the wrap around delta styled tiller.

The beauty of the Royale is far more than just skin deep. This is a high specification mobility scooter; the 1300 watt motor puts out 2 horse power giving the Royale a maximum weight capacity of a massive 32 stone (205 kg) that it is capable of pushing up a 12 degree grade. The motor is powered by hefty twin 80 am hour batteries, charged by a dual voltage 8 amp off board charger. A full charge takes 6 to 8 hours and provides a maximum range of 32 miles.

Ride comfort is of the highest order. Royale sits on massive 16 inch pneumatic tires, and unusually for a mobility scooter it is fitted with both front and rear fully active independent suspension. In the unlikely event that any bumps shudders should get past the wheels and suspension it will be absorbed by the plush captains seat. The seat also features plush sprung upholstery, swivel and slide mechanisms, flip up armrests and adjustable backrest to ensure perfect comfort and ride position. In addition to the adjustable seat the ride position is also customisable by adjusting the tiller position as it can be moved both vertically and horizontally.

Surprisingly for such a large scooter (it is a touch over five feet long) it has remarkably tight turning circle of only 50 inches.

As is usual for an eight mile an hour mobility scooter the Royale is fitted with an emergency hand brake in addition to the standard motor brake, as required by law. Unusually though the emergency braking duties are managed by a dual disk brake. This is not the only nod to motor scooter technology (see the suspension above) as one of the design principles behind the Royale was that it should borrow the best of the world of motor scooters and bring it into the realm of mobility scooters.

Unsurprisingly the controls of the Freerider live up to the high standards demonstrated elsewhere on the scooter. The LCD control panel gives you all the information you need in an elegant and easy to read display and to facilitate evening driving the display is luminous. The scooter can be switched from high speed highway mode to low speed pavement mode at the touch of a button and the touch of another button switches the scooter from forward to reverse.

The lighting is well thought out, with innovative energy efficient headlights that automatically dim when the vehicle is stationary. Indicators and parking lights are located on both the rear of the machine as well as on the built in dual rear view mirrors to ensure that pedestrians and road users alike are always made aware of you intentions and actions.  

Heartway must be given great kudos for producing a truly land mark scooter, and NHC for bringing the Royale to the UK. The Freerider Royale will rightly be at the top of all scooter consumers wish list for many years to come.