Wolf King GTR Review

Cockpit

At 29.5 inches, the GTR’s handlebars are wide enough to ensure that you feel balanced and stable when putting the afterburners on. The flared rubber handgrips, meanwhile, do wonders for your sense of security.

The handlebars are also, of course, home to the cockpit. The first thing you’ll notice is the large and super bright TFT display; it hosts all of your key stats, remains bright enough to read (even under direct sunlight), and gives you access to a host of riding modes that can be selected via the buttons on the accelerator unit. There are 7 modes to choose from with each increasing your speed. I found myself using modes 1-5 most often, while you can also take advantage of Eco and Sport modes. Better still, you can use each mode with either just one or both motors engaged, effectively doubling your choice.

As for the throttle itself, if you’ve read any of my other reviews it’ll come as no surprise to learn that I prefer the ergonomics of thumb throttles. However, in this case, I felt that the finger throttle was the right design choice for a scooter that wields such savage power. I did find myself getting hand cramps during the range test, though. Thankfully I was able to use cruise control to give my hand a rest from its claw-like position.

On the other side of the cockpit, there’s a simple, yet effective button pad that controls the motorcycle-grade horn, lights, and turn signals (more on those shortly). Levers for your hydraulic brakes are also within easy reach.

Frame

The Wolf King GTR is an absolute unit. It weighs 137 lbs – heavier than the 115 lbs tallied by its forebearer, the GT – though, interestingly, by my measurements, the deck-to-handlebar height is shorter at 39.6 inches (compared to the GT’s 41.4 inches). I found this was a little too short for my 6’1” frame.

Where the GTR doesn’t come up short, however, is in its robustness. The dual stem is rock solid and confidence-inspiring, while the IPX5 water resistance rating protects it from rain and puddle splashes. The cable management is immaculate, too, and the frame is the epitome of heavy-duty.

Don’t be put off by its sheer size and weight, though – I found it reassuringly stable when riding at searing speeds. This quality is strengthened further by the forged aluminum fork tips that keep the front wheel, hub motor, and fork attached.

This has huge benefits, particularly where durability is concerned. Forged components are mechanically stronger than those that have been cast because they aren’t vulnerable to shrinkage or cavities. In some tests, forged parts have been shown to have a 26% higher tensile strength and a 37% higher fatigue strength, meaning they’re both more robust and longer lasting than their casted counterparts.

Deck

Based on my measurements, the generously sized deck offers 20.1 x 9.4 inches of usable space, which is plenty of room to comfortably arrange your feet. And, because of the grippy rubber that coats it, they remain planted.

The extended 11.2-inch kickplate adds a further 7.1 inches of usable space, while its 33-degree angle from the deck sets the foundation for you to lean into the ride when ripping the throttle.

Another noteworthy feature is the 9.6 inches of ground clearance. Not only does this represent a 1.2-inch increase over the original Wolf King GT (equating to an extra 14% of space), but it’s the biggest gap that I’ve ever seen on a scooter. This will be music to the ears of anyone who wants to ride over bumpy, uneven terrain, without incurring damage to the underside. To put this into perspective, I rode it over a large tree stump and still had plenty of space.

Here's a different angle:

Removable Battery

One key deviation from the original Wolf King GT is the new 2520Wh portable battery. This makes charging it so much easier, though there are flaws in its design.

The connector is a little difficult to attach and detach due to a lack of space – I feel the scooter would have benefited from copying the SPLACH Mukuta's design here.

On a more positive note, a combination lock keeps the battery secure when left unattended – you needn’t worry about theft unless someone can carry the whole scooter away, which I doubt very much.

Plus, there’s a voltmeter on the back of the battery, so you can keep tabs on its charge level.

Once empty, the battery takes around 10 hours to recharge when using the two chargers provided.

Tires

While the Wolf King GT sported 11 x 3.5-inch self-healing tubeless tires with a choice of either street or off-road tread, the new tires on the GTR measure 12 x 4 inches and come with a hybrid pattern.

After testing them across varying terrain, I was impressed with their traction and handling – especially through the corners. Here, having the all-new traction control feature turned on worked wonders.

One cautionary tale, however… One of the tires deflated in shipping, and it was extremely hard to get it pumped up again. I tried a normal bicycle pump and an electronic pump before finally resorting to a proper car pump at the local gas station – I had to blast it full of air to get the bead to seal so that it could inflate. Hopefully, you won’t incur the same misfortune – but, if you do, now you know the solution.

Portability

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Wolf King GTR is about as portable as an anchor. Trying to lift it could result in a muscle tear, and let’s just say you’ll need a large car trunk to have any hope of transporting it. The addition of the handlebar hook doesn’t make it any easier to lift, either. But portability is most certainly not the GTR’s raison de vivre, so I can’t be too harsh.

Folding it down is a chore, but again, I sense this wasn’t exactly high up on Kaabo’s list of priorities. It’s also worth noting that it’s surprisingly easy to bend the safety pin which can make folding and unfolding the scooter a major challenge.

Here, you need to remember to take the safety pin out before you attempt to fold/unfold it. This isn’t the first time that I’ve experienced issues with the safety pin, though. With my original GT, the pin had a faulty spring, meaning it tended to pop out when riding. Luckily, I had another from a different Wolf model so I swapped it.

Ultimately, if you can avoid folding it, I would.

It must be said, though, that the folding mechanism, once secured, keeps the dual stem completely wobble-free.

Load

With a 330 lbs load-bearing capacity, the GTR stands out as a fantastic option for bigger, heavier riders.

While testing it I weighed 197 lbs and it performed admirably, receiving my seal of approval for riders higher up on the scale.

Lights

What’s not to love about the lighting rig on show here? Two blindingly bright headlights sit mid-way up the stem (no extra clip-ons are needed here), while an array of deck LEDs boost your visibility to others.

The turn signals, meanwhile, are among the best that I’ve tested. They illuminate the front, sides, and rear of the scooter, ensuring vehicles and pedestrians can see them from all angles.

There’s one element that I don’t love, though: the taillight. The smoked design makes it hard to see in daylight, while it also doesn't flash when you brake.

Build Quality

While the GTR’s build isn’t as refined as some of its ultra-performance rivals like the NAMI Burn-e 2 Max, it does promise a stable, reliable ride which is all you can ask for when hitting top speeds.

Small details like the spring-loaded charging port covers, extra thick 3 mm rotors, removable rims for tire repairs, and motorcycle-grade kickstand certainly show Kaabo’s efforts to improve the build quality of the GT’s successor. However, there’s room for improvement.

Firstly, I’d like to see Kaabo bring more innovation to the table where the folding mechanism is concerned. Despite having released multiple scooters over the last 5 years, they’ve all relied on the same mechanism, and it remains the most difficult to use out of all the scooters that I’ve tested.

Secondly, after 50 miles of testing, I noticed that the suspension began to squeak. I’m yet to fix this issue, but I’m confident that a spray of WD-40 would do the trick. If Kaabo could add more lubrication or grease to the areas of the suspension that are the most prone to squeaking this would be a nice touch.

Thirdly, the buttons on the new accelerator unit weren’t the most responsive. To be precise, the power button didn’t click, meaning I had to push down on it very hard with my nail to turn the scooter on/off.

Let’s not pass over the things that all Wolf scooters, including the GTR, benefit from, though. Here, the well-balanced distribution of weight across the frame is among the best in the business. Combined with the heavy, secure, and stable dual stem there’s a level of reassurance that can’t be matched by scooters with single stems.

Add to this the excellent cable management, newly designed tires, adjustable suspension, more powerful 2-in-1 Sine Wave controller, traction control, and enhanced turn signals, and the GTR has come on leaps and bounds from its predecessor.