Backfire Ranger X5 Electric Skateboard
This is the world’s first flexible Ambient LED Deck.
Hey there! Today, we're checking out something really exciting – the newly launched Backfire Ranger X5. Now, at a glance, it's easy to think this is just another iteration of the X3, but trust me, there's a lot more beneath the surface. What sets the X5 apart is a groundbreaking feature – it's the world's first electric skateboard with an Ambient LED Deck that's also, wait for it, flexible. Yes, you heard that right, flexible! We've seen a bunch of electric boards with ambient LED systems, such as the super powerful Zealot X. But they all share one drawback – their decks are super stiff. This is where the X5 revolutionizes the game. The Ranger X5 isn't just about lighting up your ride with those cool LEDs; it's about bringing an unmatched level of flexibility to these LED Decks. This is crucial for those of us who love to carve and maneuver with ease. If you're after a board that lets you carve like a pro while standing out with its unique LED flair, the Ranger X5 is the one for you. But hold on, there's a lot more to this board than meets the eye. Let's dive deeper and explore the other unique features that make the X5 a game-changer in the world of electric skateboards.
Extravagant account of accessories
The Backfire X5, like its predecessors, has many really thoughtful and useful accessories that are also extremely cool and also not available anywhere else. The first thing I did when I received the X5 was adding 3 more accessories which give it a completely different look.
The first accessory is the carbon fiber spoiler system, it adds about 200 horsepower to the board(note: this is a joke). I know this is a hot take because some people don’t like spoilers on skateboards but I'm a spoiler kinda guy and all my vehicles have high wing style spoilers on them, except for my skateboard. Now, the Ranger X5 completes my collection of unnecessary spoilers on everything I own. With all jokes aside, this accessory adds so much more character for the X5 and makes it quick to stand out from the crowd. Best of all, it’s functional as well, these higher elevated positions are a prime position to place your rear LED tail lights so you can be more visible. And best of all, this entire spoiler structure, inclusive of the wing and the stems, is so solidly built with zero slack, I even use this as an everyday handle bar and it’s perfect.
The other extremely useful accessory are the Mudguards. Which are so useful during winter times like this, when the road is generally dry, but because there are still pockets of melting ice here and there. This makes it safe for me to ride across small wet areas without shooting up all the mud up on my pants and in my face. On boards that don’t have this mudflap, I always end up looking like someone just pooped massive diarrhea on me on a wet day. Plus it really enhances the look of the board making it a lot more tank-ish looking
Lastly, the front handle bar, simple, easy to install, sturdy, works well with the high wing spoiler as a set of handlebars when you need to carry your board. Really adds to the look of the X5.
LED System
As you can probably tell already, this board is all about the looks. Once you turn on the LEDs. It’s game over, every kid and adult will want to flag you down and chat you up. The ranger X5 is just out of this world. With its accessories and LED system, the X5 can show off and leave its deep impressions in both lowlight and bright environments.
This is probably a really good time to talk about the functionalities of all the LEDs on the Ranger X5. This board also has two extra lights on the bottom of the board. They turn red when brakes are applied and otherwise remain on. They add a little bit of contrast to the board's all red color design.
The X5 has a few standard modes similar to the ambient LED system on other backfire boards. When you double click the power button, you can cycle through a solid light, a breathing light, a blinking light, and complete off light. And when you plug it in to charge. It also turns on to indicate that it's plugged in. You can of course turn it off if it’s too bright. Also Backfire specifically mentioned that you don’t need to be concerned about the edges of the board being damaged. It’s treated with protective materials so your board won’t be damaged from just leaning the edge against something.
Also note the edge of the board is the color red, unlike the Zealot X where the edge is uncolored. I just wanted to mention this because even during the day, with your lights turned off, your board will still have this awesome red accent stripe along the entire edge of the deck.
Damn Performance
Damn. So all this talk and I haven’t even gotten to the performance section yet. The Ranger X5 uses dual 1500 Watt hub motors that’s in the shape of a disk. These are the most powerful hub motors that I know of in a production board. It’s got a mellow low speed start and then really kicks in that acceleration around 10 to 15 miles per hour. And it just keeps going and going. But these motors are noticeably softer than that of the Zealot X’s acceleration which costs exactly the same as the Ranger X5. The X5 isn’t going to win you any drag races. It’s meant to be a low maintenance, dependable cruiser and carver that also happens to look great with accessories and LEDs. The X5 can still go fast up to 30 miles per hour. What’s really astonishing is that it accelerates to that speed extremely quietly. I can say I almost never hear the motors working at all. The only thing I hear are the wind and the sound of the tires racing on the ground. One advantage of a quite board is the ability for the rider to hear anything wrong with the board. I had a loose screw on the front truck after I added the handle bar, and I can immediately hear something’s loose before I even left the driveway of my own house.
Airless Tires
One of the downsides of having pneumatic tires is that I have to check the air pressure on every wheel on every ride. I’ve also had the walk of shame when I had punctured tires with no spares in my backpack. The X5 is equipped with 7 inch pneumatic tires. The tires on the Ranger X5 are airless rubber tires. That means they are never flat. Personally, I love pneumatic wheels because of the comfort, however these rubber tires are almost just as good at a similar comfort level but with huge upside for convenience as you never need to fill the tires with air nor worry about punctured tires. Ever.
Trucks
Last thing I want to highlight are these trucks currently installed on the X5. They are functionally great when carving. However, when you take off all the screws on the base plate, the truck doesn’t just fall off the deck. Nearly every truck I have uses a two piece system, which if you remove all the screws, the bottom part under the board would just fall off. So you always need to catch it and prevent it from falling. But with these backfire trucks, that does not happen, the truck still stays on the deck even after you remove all the bolts. Trust me, this may look like nothing, but this design makes adding and exchanging accessories such as a shredlights or a handlebar much easier and saves a lot of time.
Next Episode for the X5
I still have a lot more to test, such as top speed, winter range test, tire life expectancy, tire grip test, fast charger option, other accessories we can buy, off road performance and warm temperature performance. Etc. Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss my future updates on this board!
Also I am running a raffle for a $1000 dollar electric skateboard right now. Enter by making a comment down below and hitting the subscribe button. The event period to enter will end on the last day of February 2024. Following me on Tiktok or Instagram will give you two additional entries. Since I’m a small channel, your chance to win is huge! Good luck.
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