Currus Panther – The Best Alternative to the Dualtron Thunder? – My Review

This month Currus released their newest high-end racing scooter – the Panther. Just like the Currus NF 10 was a decent alternative to the Dualtron III, the Currus Panther is here to compete with the Dualtron Thunder.

Both the Panther and the Thunder feature the same key specs (same 5400W motors, 120 Km/74Mi range, and ~3800 US Dollar price), however the similarities go beyond just that. You see, Currus is partnered with Dualtron, so a lot of the parts on the Panther are the exact same as on Dualtrons.

Now, what sets Currus scooters apart is that Currus used to design scooters for WEPED, too; The Panther has a lot of design elements found in modern WEPEDs. You could go as far as calling the Panther a mix between the Dualtron Thunder and the WEPED RR, and you wouldn’t be too far off. There are, however, some key aspects that set the Currus Panther apart and give it its own spot in the scooter world.

Let’s find out what the Currus Panther is and how well does it compete against similar scooters:

Currus NF 11 PANTHER Review

Handling

The Currus Panther is one of my favorite scooters to ride. It’s very powerful, sturdy and has a lot of cool features that make it a great on- and off-road vehicle:

Suspension

The Panther is shipped with a pretty unusual suspension configuration. It features the same spring shocks as the Weped SS that are positioned the same way as on the Dualtron Thunder.

Here’s why that’s a good thing – The Wepeds (SS, RR) have the spring shocks between the wheel and the deck, and the handlebar is hard wired to the wheels. This means that you feel every little bump with your hands. The Panther, on the other hand, has the handlebar linked to the wheel through the shocks. I like this design choice more and that’s something I like the Dualtron Thunder for, too.

The only difference is that the Thunder comes with adjustable Dualtron rubber suspension, whereas the Panther has springs.

Overall, I like the suspension on the Panther a lot. You will have no problems driving on grass, dirt and jumping off curbs.

currus panther front suspension

currus panther rear suspension

Brakes

The brakes are adequate for such a beast of a scooter. The Panther features dual 160mm hydraulic brakes. Paired with electronic brakes, it can stop the scooter very fast.

On that note, it’s important to play around with those on low speed and learn to brake properly. It takes time to get used to such powerful brakes but once you do, you’ll love the amount of control they give you.

Tires

Just like the Thunder, the Currus Panther is shipped with 11 inch tubeless ultra-wide tires (90mm or 3.5″ wide). The official seller doesn’t give you the option to chose what kind of tires you will be receiving, and the scooter is always shipped with off-road ones.

I know not everyone is a fan of the harder and noisier off-road tires, good thing is you can buy and install on-road ones, or even slicks, if that’s your cup of tea. I used this website to buy mine.

Additional Features

The scooter comes with pretty nice grips and a rear footrest. The latter is an accessory I wish Dualtron scooters were shipped with.

Deck

The deck is super wide and comfortable to stand on. This deck design works wonders on Weped scooters that come with ultra-wide 5.5 inch-wide wheels. The Panther, on the other hand, has 3.5 inch ones, which makes it a bit tricky to keep balance. That, in conjunction with a brutal acceleration curve makes the Panther a scooter I would not suggest to someone who is new to electric kickscooters.

Power

Unlike the Currus NF that has a pretty smooth and beginner-friendly acceleration curve, the Currus Panther is quite on the brutal side. The 5,400W motors are no joke and they can get you to the 80 Km/h (49 MPH) mark in a matter of seconds. Torque is insane too – the scooter can climb hills with a slope of up of to 47% (~25°). In that regard, the Panther stands right next to the Thunder.

The Panther does offer several ways to reduce the motor output. There is a button on the handlebar that allows you to quickly engage and disengage the second motor. Most people I know usually ride on one motor and engage the second one only when climbing hills. There is also a way to adjust the overall motor output percentage from the Ey3 dashboard.

Optionally, you can also ask the seller to ship your scooter with its top speed hard capped at 25 km/h (15MPH) to comply with regulations.

Range

The Panther is shipped with a 60V 35Ah H35E Samsung battery pack. Usually, the difference between branded and generic batteries is that the latter often lose a big share of their capacity after a few months of use. Brands like Samsung, on the other hand, tend to use higher quality components.

The official seller states that the vehicle can go “for more than 75 miles (120km), even when driven at the top speed”. I am not too sure about that last bit – from my experience, those numbers, even though not a lie, are only achievable when a set of very strict requirements are met. Like, in order to achieve the advertised range, you gotta drive very slow, avoid braking and going uphill, there has to be no wind, and etc.

I haven’t verified the 75 miles (120km) claim myself but I would still suggest counting on about ~60% of the advertised number. It’s still a decent range that’s similar to that of a Dualtron Thunder.

Charging time

The scooter is shipped with one 1,75A charger, which takes up to 21 hours to charge an empty battery. You can also give the secondary charging port some use by plugging a second charger in it. It will cut the charging time by half but it will require you to buy a secondary charger.

Durability

The frame is solid metal and each piece is thick and rugged. The machining quality is great, too, which is something to expect from a scooter that is manufactured in Korea. Thunders, on the other hand, are manufactured in China.

Is the Panther good? Yes. Is it flawless? No. For instance, they still haven’t fixed the play in the stem, which is something that can found in all Dualtrons, and it’s something that has been bothering a lot of people for a while now. Again, it’s not an issue that affects the functionality of the scooter in any way, however it’s something I would personally love to see being addressed.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the Currus Panther is not waterproof. According to the user manual, it’s not even water resistant. I am pretty sure the scooter can take a few splashes of water no issue, however considering the price of the vehicle, I’d rather avoid driving on puddles and under rain. Just in case.

currus nf 11 panther water proof

currus panther water proof

Looks

The Panther was meant to be the queen of the night streets. The frame design was borrowed from the WEPEDs, meaning that if you are going after the flashy, otherwordly-looking multi-colored LEDs and lights, the Panther is the perfect choice.

While the vanilla version of the scooter is shipped with only one RGB component, which is the small logo in both sides of the deck, the customization options are insane. This is something that cannot be said about the conservative-looking Thunder. Even without lights, the Panther looks quite interesting and I would even say, eccentric.

Another thing some people like is the sound this scooter makes when accelerating. It sounds pretty intimidating and mean. By the way, a big chunk of that sound is due to the off-road tires it is shipped with so if you want to get rid of it, you know what to do.

Currus NF 11 Panther Side LED

Currus Panther Side LED

Currus Panther Deck LED

Currus Panther Stock Deck side

Portability

Due to its weight, the Currus Panther is not meant for everyone. This beast of a scooter comes in 48 Kg (105 lb). Unless you can lift that sort of weight somewhat comfortably, I would highly suggest you getting something else – Anything can happen on the road. Sometimes, you have to lift or even carry your scooter. Being able to do that efficiently is key.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this scooter is big and bulky, and needs a large car with a decent-sized trunk to be transported (you can find its dimensions at the end of the article). This model does have a pretty standard setup of folding handlebars. It’s a nice tough but it doesn’t save a ton of room.

On the bright side, the folding mechanism is pretty neat. It’s the same found on Wepeds – To unfold the scooter, simply pull the locking pin out, fold the stem and push the pin back to lock the steam in the folded position. It’s straightforward, simple and reliable.

Additional Accessories

As expected for the price, the Panther comes fully equipped. It is shipped with all the basics such as the powerful 4500 lumen headlight, tail lights and horn, as well as more advanced accesories like the Ey3 throttle. It also features key ignition to add a little extra to security and coolness. While key ignition won’t stop a determined thief, it will definitely give you more control over who can use the scooter.

The Ey3 throttle is the same model that can be found in the Dualtron Thunder, and that’s a feature I personally love. There is a reason why the Ey3 became the standard for most, if not all high-end scooters.

The Ey3 consists of a finger throttle attached to a module with a screen and three buttons. From there, you have access to all the functions you need to fine-tune the scooter the way you want it to. With a press of a couple buttons, you can change parameters such as motor power, soft start, ABS, regenerative brake power and cruise mode.

The screen itself shows your current speed (though it is known that Ey3 dashboards usually show a number that’s 1-2 MPH higher than the real current speed), battery level (both icon and percentage), trip time, and speed mode. If there is a malfunction in the scooter, the dashboard also instantly displays a warning icon that matches the malfunctioning part. Best part is, the screen can be easily read under direct sunlight. You can also easily adjust screen brightness at will.

Next to the dashboard there are two more buttons for the horn and the lights.

Currus Panther vs Dualtron NF 10 vs Dualtron Thunder

Takeaway

The Panther has a lot of similarities with the Dualtron Thunder. They belong in the same price category and their key stats are almost identical. The suspension type is different – the Panther comes with spring shocks, whereas the Thunder features the signature Dualtron rubber suspension.

The Panther also has a wider deck than the Thunder, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers more room for your feet to rest but on the other hand, it makes it trickier to keep balance during a ride.

Another important difference is appearance. The Thunder has a rather minimalist style. It looks slick, modern and elegant but it’s not a scooter necessarily made for showing off. The Currus Panther, on the other hand, stays true to its Weped roots. It was designed to be modded – there are a lot of factory LED stripes, lights and ambient lights to chose from, and a lot of places where those cosmetics can be installed. In fact, the handlebar itself was designed as a huge mounting structure to hold any sort of lights or accessories you wish.

Comparing it to the Currus NF 10, the Panther is pretty much its heavier, more powerful and more expensive version. The comparison here is rather straightforward – for an extra 1000 dollars, you get a scooter that can drive faster, has 50% more range and comes with bigger wheels, better brakes, and insane torque.

The difference in specs between the two models is enough to be worth the 1000 dollars. Another deciding factor here might be torque. As we already mentioned, the Panther has a brutally steep acceleration curve, which combined with the wider deck, makes it a scooter I would not recommend to beginners. The Currus NF, on the other hand, is known for its smooth acceleration and I would consider it a better option for the less experienced drivers.

Dualtron Thunder vs. Currus Panther

photo credits ScooterPassion

Currus Panther Specs

Where to Buy Currus Panther

Join the forums to discuss more about the Currus NF Electric Scooters

Recommended Accessories and Upgrades

In Conclusion

Overall, the Currus Panther is a decent alternative to the Dualtron Thunder. It’s comfortable, poweful and has appearance. Compared to the Weped line, it’s cheaper and has arguably better suspension. Even though the Panther shares a common ground with both Dualtrons and Wepeds, it brings enough new features to the table to stand on its own.

This model is very new and it is finally available on all of the official Currus stores. The Panther enjoys free shipping to USA and Canada, and 12 month warranty.