REVIEW – Scooters are everywhere now! Gone are the days of the inexpensive aluminum Razor push scooters. These electrified beasts are seemingly on every street corner. My son is in college and an electric scooter would be a real convenient way to get around. I wonder what he thinks about the Kaabo Urban electric scooter.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $799.00
Where to buy: Kaabo USA
What is it?
The Kaabo Urban is an entry-level priced electric scooter boasting a 25 mile range.
What’s included?
- Kaabo Urban scooter with built-in 48V batteries
- Charger
- Multitool
- Two NFC keys
- Rubber caps
- Screws for assembly
Tech specs
Max Speed: 25 mph
Max Range: 25 miles (165 lbs rider weight, 15mph, flat terrain)
Climbing Angle: 20 Degrees
Max Load: 220 lbs
Battery Capacity: 48V 10.4Ah
Battery Type: Li-lon Battery Pack 18650
Motor: Brushless Motor 500W
Charger: 54.6V 1.75A
Charging Time(2A): Around 5 hrs
Shock Absorber: Front and Rear C type spring shock absorber
Brake: (120mm disc brakes)+EABS
Lighting: LED front light+Turn Light+Brake light with E-mark and K-mark certificate
Controller: Upgraded Sine Wave
Display: Embedded display
Open Size: 46.06 × 21.26 × 46.85 inches
Folding Size: 46.06 × 21.26 × 22.44 Inches
Net Weight: 44 lbs
Tires: 8.5*3.0 vacuum tire
Frame Material: T6082 Aviation Grade Aluminum + One-piece Forging
Here’s the boilerplate underneath the scooter.
Design and features
Unlike the bulky rental scooters you may have in your town, the Urban is designed to fold down for storage or carry. The handlebar riser serves as a convenient handle.
A gorgeous, high contrast LCD display serves as the Urban’s dashboard. It shows battery level, speed, power level setting and a multi-function “odometer” at the bottom.
Each handlebar has a brake lever; one front, one rear. The left handlebar features a turn signal switch and a neat, mechanical “ding” bell. The right handlebar features the light and power buttons, and a thumb-operated throttle.
I almost missed it, but the lights/power buttons are illuminated!
When the lights are turned on, a front white LED and rear red LED illuminate.
The amber turn signals are at the tips of each handlebar. Notice how there’s one facing forward and another facing behind.
The deck is partially rubberized. You can already see plenty of footprints.
A convenient kickstand pops out from the left of the scooter.
A proprietary charging port is found at the base of the handlebar riser. The port has a spring-loaded lid to keep things clean.
One thing that struck me was the suspension design. Combined with the air-filled tires, the Urban should soak up some bumps. Note the cable-operated disc brakes.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
As you might imagine, the packaging is enormous!
I’m not certain why, but apparently the Urban ships with a 15 MPH default upper limit. I fumbled through the manual (which I’ve since misplaced) to somehow “unlock” the upper speed limit to 25 MPH.
Underneath lots of styrafoam is the scooter itself, folded and partially assembled.
The scooter also comes packed with a charger, rubber caps for the ends of the axles, screws, and a multitool.
For a freebie, the multitool is pretty well loaded. It even has a few sockets.
This red lever acts as the release for the folding mechanism. There’s a black safety lock on the side you have to press in order to unlock the lever.
Besides unfolding the handlebar riser, you’ll need to attach the handlebar. You need to plug this connector together first.
Two screws secure the handlebar. I used the supplied multitool to get the job done.
The red LED on the charger indicates the scooter’s batteries are charging. It’s important to keep these batteries charged. Apparently, if you run them down to empty and let it sit for a long time, the cells become unusable.
Two NFC tags come attached to one of the brake cables. These are used to unlock the scooter. Don’t lose these! The manual describes a combination lock “PIN” you can set, but the user interface is baffling to me.
Once you use the NFC tag to unlock the scooter, the dash springs to life. Here’s the display in full sunlight. Look how clear that is! Just amazing.
The “odometer” at the bottom lets you toggle through different bits of data, such as mileage and voltage.
Similarly, you can also toggle through the three power settings: 1 is the lowest (Eco) and 3 is the most powerful.
The front and rear feature a shock-absorbing red spring, but I think the air-filled tires play a much bigger role in soaking up those bumps.
Both tires feature your typical valve found on most tires.
Remember that turn signal? Here’s an action shot.
Performance
My son put on a helmet on a sunny San Francisco afternoon and gave it a test run.
He weighs roughly 120 lbs and is mostly muscle. Yet, he was able to scale our infamous steep streets with ease. The Urban is listed as able to climb a 20 degree angle. I measured this incline at 10 degrees.
My son had the scooter set for power level 3 as he scaled the incline. No problem going up, he commented. He liked the electronic ABS braking, which pulses the brakes like your car, to help come to a stop. I had no idea these were a thing on scooters.
Final thoughts
My son can’t wait to start the new semester with the Kaabo Urban scooter. As long as he doesn’t lose those NFC tags, he’ll be fine. I did a little experiment where I used a “blank” NFC sticker, and I was able to add it as a key with the Urban!
What I like about The Kaabo Urban Scooter
- “Looks cool” said my son
- Convenient NFC key; can add compatible NFC tags to unlock.
- Very clear dash display
What needs to be improved?
- The user interface for programming a PIN and other things is very confusing.
- The manual should be available online, but I can’t find it.
- Don’t lose the NFC key.
Price: $799.00
Where to buy: Kaabo USA
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Kaabo USA. Kaabo USA did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
Check out these other scooter reviews!
- NIU KQi 300X electric scooter review – a rocket on 2 wheels
- Circooter Landturbo Pro scooter review – As long as you’re on two wheels
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