Kugoo Kirin M4 Review 2020

Review Summary

Kugoo Kirin M4 Specification Score

Note: All scores are derived directly from scooter specifications using consistent rules. This enables objective comparisons between products.

Kugoo Kirin M4 Specification

Note: Fixed color coding rules are applied consistently across all products to ensure objective assessment of specifications.

Who SHOULD buy? If your top priority is maximum specification for your money, then look no further.

Who should NOT buy? If you want to be certain of good after sales support then maybe this isn’t the best option

Product Overview

The Company Background: Kugoo was founded in China in 2015 and is taking an aggressive approach to selling outside the Chinese market and into Europe. They have an substantial product range offering very good value. The M4 if one of the models under their Kirin barand. As with many Chinese companies marketing directly to Western markets, some of their marketing material is rough around the edges! But ultimately the Kirin M4 is a good quality product representing excellent value.

Product Support: Part of the reason for the low price is because the product is sold directly to customers via Amazon, or very small stores without facilities for customer support (larger stores need a profit margin). This means that there can be gaps in support if things go wrong and there has been occasional reports of difficulties in getting spare parts. These may not seem like an issue if you technically savvy or know a local shop prepared to fix problems, but for some this is a deal breaker. Over time it is anticipated that the situation will improve, with more outlets stocking parts and fixing a wider range of scooters.

Design

The basic frame and aesthetic of the Kirin M4 is very similar to products like the Emove Cruiser and the Furo Fuze. However, the Kirin has a less powerful motor and slightly lower specification generic battery.

Speed: A maximum speed of 27 mph is fast, even for a a mid-range scooter. In fact this is almost certainly one of the fastest scooters you will get for the price. Tests indicate it is able to reach this claimed speed on the flat in good conditions. The scooter begins to have a reduced top speed after about 50% of the battery has discharged. This is a normal but irritating phenomenon on most electric scooters.

Range: Kugoo claim a range of approximately 28 miles but real world use suggest it is much closer to 18 miles. This is still very respectable range for most circumstances and very respectable for the price!

Power: Rated power of 500 W means this has enough power for decent acceleration and limited loss of speed on uphill climbs. This is confirmed from real world reports of riding the M4 up hill or on steep inclines.

Max Passenger Weight: The Kirin M4 is rated for a load of 130 kg which is higher than the majority of electric scooters. This make is ideal for the larger rider.

Wheels: The Kirin M4 has 10 inch diameter pneumatic wheels which contribute significantly to an overall good ride quality.

Suspension: The Kirin M4 has dual front and rear suspension which adds even further to ride quality. However this suspension is a little firmer than expected. This suspension is particularly useful for dealing with large potholes or riding off small curbs.

Seat: The Kirin M4 comes complete with a seat. Some riders like this for longer rides buy many prefer to ride it without. One of the benefits of sitting down whilst riding is increased stability from a lower centre of gravity. However, it does make steering a little more awkward. So the seat is most suited for straight and simple rides.

Weight: At approximately 24 kg, the M4 is not light. But considering its performance and larger than average wheels it is just about light enough to carry short distances if you are reasonable strong. But we don’t thing this is something you would want to have to carry more than one flight of stairs and carrying on a regular basis would be a challenge for anyone who is not strong.

Fold Size: The fold size for this scooter is excellent. It will fit inside the boot of the vast majority of cars and it will store folded in a room or cupboard taking up very little space. If you are concerned with size for storage then this is not a problem at all

Capacity: The M4 battery offers an impressive 528 Wh capacity. That compares well to the 551 Wh of the Segway Ninebot Max, (although the Ninebot Max does offer greater range due to its smaller motor).

Charging: Charge time is listed as 5 hours which is not bad at all considering the capacity.

Display: The Kirin M4 user display module integrates the finger throttle. This is a standard module used on many mid range and higher end electric scooters. Occasionally the trigger throttle is not always perfectly smooth on some units but it is generally reliable and effective, The display panel allows you to switch between three speed modes as well as providing battery level indicator and other information. It is important to be aware of the cruise control setting on these throttles. When cruise control is set to on in the settings, it will kick in if you have the throttle on a constant speed for more than about 7 seconds. This can leave the rider dangerously off guard the first time they use it.

In addition to the throttle display the Kirin M4 now comes with a volt meter display and key ignition. Whilst the key ignition appears like a nice touch and adds some security, some may find it a bit of an unnecessary extra (particularly as there is some risk to loosing the key!). However, the voltage readout is a very useful and more accurate way to judge how much battery charge there is left. You will need to see the readout when fully charges and empty to get an exact idea of how this changes with use.

Lights: The Kirin M4 is well equipped with lights. It has it’s main front light mounted low down. It also has side deck lights and rear lights. Some riders prefer a higher mounted front light and choose to add powerful bike lights to the handle bars if they are regularly riding at night.

Brakes: The Kirin M4 comes with front and rear disk breaks giving it excellent braking