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| Completes (3882 Posts)
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Review |
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Exskate power Board(electric)
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On 8/8/2000
John Gilmour
wrote in from
(208.225.nnn.nnn)
Okay Short and sweet. I rode this board last night. A friend I taught how to snowboard, who actually snowboards quite well consdiering the fact he never skateboarded before, bought one sight unseen.
It is heavy, an extremely formidible, 50lbs of powered skateboard. It is a big monster like a black shark with huge 4 inch wheels and monster exskate trucks with big old batteries. The deck is relativly a simple durable fiberglass shape reminescent of the old Hang Ten skateboard shape.
That is all the negative I could possibly say about the deck, and you know what? It doesn't matter. This is the Mercedes of Skateboards, but not just any Mercedes, it is the 500E (worlds quickest of the older Mercedes Sedans)of skateboards. Just as Mercedes vechiles have been accused of being a bit bulky and stout so is this board. But also like a Mercedes you begin to appreciate a lot more of teh hidden featuers and design concerns after you have already taken ownership of the product. This sort of " Subtle Hidden Value" excites me to no end.
Real brute low end torque and acelleration. You can easily pull one if not two people up hill in tow. 0-22 faster than you can read half of this sentance.
It is worth every penny. At $900 for the premium model you are certainly getting your money's worth. It blew the doors off an electric Hooverboard. But here is the wild thing about the exskate powerboard- it brakes. It brakes really well. Like the 500E mercedes upon braking it is like the Hand Of God reached down and grabbed you- protecting you. Remarkable.
I have 2 motoboards of which only 3 were made with the larger Tanaka 2.2 horsepower engines. The braking on these was almost non existant at low speeds and you had better be a really good rider before getting on one of my 50 plus mph skateboards. The gas engine is loud and they are prone to breaking down- mixing oil and gas (two stroke engine) was a pain in the butt as was tuning the engine and dealing with fouled spark plugs. The accelleration is much slower than the electric power board until you get into the midband range. The Gas motoboards leaked oil, chains broke on the chain drive models, the trnasmissions could jam on the two wheel shaft driven models pitching you off into space at speed, and they always smelled of gas.
This electric dream has no smell, offers long range performance and is quiet. The wireless pistol control is well thought out with a cool braking system that actually uses the motor to brake. Don't run out of power as it is really to heavy to move anywhere save downhill, but with a 4 hours recharge time it isn't bad to consider for dry weather commuting.
Should you fall off of the board the board will slowly brake to a stop when the hand held controller gets more than 5 feet from the board.
We tore around in parking garage late at night dragging people up the 7 stories with ease. After a lot of this the motor did run hot and eventually shut off, there might be some thermal protection built into the unit. After about 8 minutes we were on our way again. I even tried luging down the parking garage, pretty hairy.
One thing of particular interest is that it is easy to use even if your skating skills are almost non existant. A woman in her late 30's rode it in a suit and in panty hose and another businessman tried it in his socks. All were able to acellerate lightly and brake.
This is a must have device. For less than the cost of two mid priced car payments you can have a serious alternative form of transportation.
Board stability was suprisingly good under accelleration, and the turning radius was tight as well. The board could have used a concave deck to help secure your feet better, but mounting the batteries flush on a concave surface would be difficult. The accelleration curve is extremely well thought out as is the braking curve on the throttle. Being one wheel drive theere was a little wheel spin on accelleration and braking, but it was negligable.
One caveat, be careful braking if you have recently run through antifreeze or oil or water on the road as your braking dustances would most likely increase, though we did not experience this as of yet.
The board negotiated bumpy terrain mjuch better than my gas motoboards and was very stable through the bumps. If your foot placement was a little too far back you might feel the board's tendancy to wheelie under hard accelleration, but this is easily remedied by moving your feet. You must lean forward when accelerating and lean back when braking, just like standing on a moving train that is accelerating or braking.
If you purchase one you will not regret it. This is a very well thought out device that does almost everything right.
The build quality is rock solid Mercedes type engineering, -the good stuff before focus groups screwed up Mercedes.
Highly reccommended.
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Noll Streetsurfer
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On 8/7/2000 Adam
wrote in from
(155.229.nnn.nnn)
Josh,
The correct response is: "Thanks, hop on."
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Noll Streetsurfer
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On 8/7/2000
Josh
wrote in from
(63.10.nnn.nnn)
Just got my tenth board for my fifteenth birthday, a Noll Streetsurfer custom made and signed by Rhyn Noll. It's 60 inches long, designed like a surfboard with a mahogany deck and a redwood stringer. It's got risers (not sure what kind), Randal II trucks, Swiss Bones bearings and gravity wheels. Pretty sweet setup, eh? Lot's of chicks come up to me and say, "that's the longest, nicest board I've ever seen!" I just say, "that's what all the girls say...".
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Flexdex pro 60
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On 8/5/2000
the pharmer
wrote in from
(4.18.nnn.nnn)
My wife just called me at work to tell me that she bought me a flexdex pro-60. It's waiting for me at home. It's sunny and 80 here in Portland. I'm stoked. I've only had my home-made jobbers out of water skies up until this moment. I feel like I'm about to graduate to much bigger moments of carving... ahhh.....
-feelin' pretty good.
-pharmer
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BMW
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On 8/4/2000 jake
wrote in from
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
What is the BMW board itself made of....I couldn't tell from the site and it's been down since I first looked at it...Also will it be available to order...Anyone? Thanks!
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BMW Street carver
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On 8/4/2000 drakkar
wrote in from
(213.56.nnn.nnn)
By the way all the pictures were shot in biarritz .... most of them on the boardwalk of "LA GRANDE PLAGE" which is very smooth and where skateboarding is FORBIDDEN but maybe not "$$$$$TREETCARVING by BMW $$$$$$$$$$"
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BMW Street carver
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On 8/4/2000
Drakkar
wrote in from
(213.56.nnn.nnn)
I've been looking at their site .......
The board looks like a big piece of ...... If i believe what Hugues said , it's really heavy but one interinsting feature on this board is the fact that the board is stabilized by the rider's weight so is this the end of the dreaded speed wobbles ?????
Gotta try one ......
By the way check their "skateboarding tips" and "skateboarding slang" for a good laugh :))
Looks closely on their pictures ..... It looks like the trucks are not like they are on the drawings (on one picture, the front truck has an axle between the wheels)
And in the guestbook the guy is really sitting on his ass.
So I'd say that this streetcarver is just an attempt from BMW to get an "hip" (read more like HYPE) image for fat germans morons ..... Nothing like longboarding .....
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BMW
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On 8/3/2000 Kanoa
wrote in from
(38.29.nnn.nnn)
I just looked at the new site! you gotta check out the "tech" icon, it shows that you can take the wheels and truck off the board. Maybe even use it on one of your other boards that has better flex, also it looks like there is a pic of a guy that has one in a cool looking blue and silver pattern!
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BMW Streetcarver
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On 8/2/2000 Adam
wrote in from
(155.229.nnn.nnn)
BMW is sure putting some DM into that Web site. Notice in the Guest Book animation there's a sequence that looks like a power slide. Closer examination seems to reveal that the board and rider are standing still (with the rider's ass on the ground) and the "slide" effect is produced by a zoom lens zooming in on the board! Hmmm...
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bmw streetcarve
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On 8/2/2000 todcar
wrote in from
(198.39.nnn.nnn)
site has been updated - more details and even some basic longboarding tips - sounds like someone's been borrowing info from NCDSA or one of us goofball longboarders wrote the details. I still think this thing is cool.
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re: Fiberflex + Seismic + Powerpaw
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On 8/2/2000
Mario
wrote in from
(205.227.nnn.nnn)
I read your review with interest. I have been playing around with my Seismics and slightly modded Randal R2s, as well. I had read on NCDSA that someone like Randals on longer boards, and Seismics on shorter. So I switched my trucks around and put my Seismic/Aluminator combo on my homemade 37" pintail and put the Randals/Kryptos on my 48" Fluid Dragon. I didn't like it at all. I couldn't carve on my short board anymore, and maybe because it is a little narrower, it was harder to pump. Perhaps I should have gone to centered wheels to reduce the width of the wheels... The Dragon, meanwhile, felt lazy.
I find I do this type of thing a lot: changing equipment around. What I've found is that I can't tell ahead of time what the board is going to ride like, at all. I think it is very difficult to find the ideal setup. It took me a long time before I could get my vert board set up right, and strangely it was the wheelbase that was the issue (I finally settled on a 36" Alva).
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S 9 Cosmic
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On 8/2/2000 Adam
wrote in from
(63.192.nnn.nnn)
For a low-tech truck, the Tracker B2 works pretty well for low-speed carving. I wouldn't take it higher than 20mph or so or you're risking speed wobbles. And I've had great luck with China Bones bearings, FWIW.
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S 9 Cosmic
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On 8/2/2000
Jesse H.
wrote in from
(216.78.nnn.nnn)
I am getting a S9 Cosmic 1 for travel and carving and I was wondering if I should get it with pivot trucks and greaseball bearings or Tracker B2's and China bones. The price difference would only be two bucks so I just want what would work best with the deck.
Thanks
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powerboards
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On 8/1/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
Hey Rob,
Thanks for the info... sounds like a bitchen set-up! I would love to try one out someday... HR
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randal power boards
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On 7/31/2000
rob k
wrote in from
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
hey hugh,
i rode with a guy in novado that had a powered dirt board with randles that had like an inclosed driveshaft. it looked really cool. i don't have the guy's email or anything, but just thought i'd let you know that i've seen one before.
later,
rob
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flowlab spacer
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On 7/31/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
Hey MDH,
Shoot an e-mail over to Phil for the bearing spacers. When I spoke to him a few weeks ago he mentioned have his tech guys try out some different wheel configurations... HR
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new board
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On 7/31/2000
casey
wrote in from
(147.222.nnn.nnn)
I have an S9 with Indies - been riding for about a year. I want to get a new deck for cruising - but no shops in Spokane so not sure what to get. I just ordered some RIIs - haven't got em yet. I think my Supercruiser is 46 inches - would a shorter deck be quicker edge to edge - more responsive - easier to build speed on? Or would a longer one be more surfy - more flow - more carvy? Sorry - I have no clue - my S9 is the only board I've ever ridden - is it a good deck? I want something fun to cruise the flats on - any advice? Thanks.
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flowlab
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On 7/31/2000
MDH
wrote in from
(141.211.nnn.nnn)
How can I get a set of those spacers hugh r? Also, has anyone tried putting different wheels on these crazy axles? I think a wheel with a more rounded profile would be a lot smoother and faster than the stock, flat inline aggresive wheels, but I am not sure what size will fit.
MDH
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TVS 48" and Seismic's?
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On 7/31/2000
Ryan
wrote in from
(4.33.nnn.nnn)
How is this setup? I have this deck with Randall II's and the board is way too tall and humpbacked with its high camber. Thanks.
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Fibreflex + Seismic + Power Paw
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On 7/29/2000
Jeff
wrote in from
(209.246.nnn.nnn)
I finally decided to get a Fibreflex Cutaway to serve as my main carver after having it in mind for awhile now. I think this is almost the same setup Adam has. After riding it for a little while, it's quite a bit different from my old one and took a little bit to get used to.
My old board is almost 10" wide, maple ply and concave, with R-IIs and 85A Powell Bombers. It is stiff, and with my slightly modded R-IIs as loose as they are I can cut some very tight carves. So much that I can pretty easily slide my Bombers carving at low speed.
The Fibreflex is about 8.75" at its widest point, which is in the center where I don't put my feet, so it's a bit narrow. It's also flat, so I don't get that extra leverage on hard carves, and of course it's got flex. I weigh about 150lbs, and I think the amount of flex is great. It does flex quite a bit if I put all my weight in the center, but with my feet in riding position it's just about right. The deck came with 2 mounting options for each truck, so you can choose the flex. The 157 Seismics required some deck drilling since they use the old truck mounting pattern. I drilled the front truck just in front of the existing inner mounting holes, and I placed the back truck way back in the tail to get a little more flex. The wheels are the white centered Power Paws (74A, 65mm), which required those thick washers against the truck hangers to freely spin with Seismics thick hangers. Since the Power Paws don't have a chamfered or radiused inner edge next to the core of the back side, it was either that or mount the wheels reversed. The wheels still rub a little bit under weight, so I'll probably have to file the inner edge of the back of the wheels. I put in some Bones Reds bearings, and the supplied spacers fit great. Two of my reasons for riding Power Paw and Powell wheels are that they have the centered bearing design and use normal bearing spacers.
Being used to my old board, the first thing I noticed when I pushed off on the Fibreflex (besides the flex) was that my balance didn't feel a little sloppy as it sometimes does on my other board with loose Randals when pushing. This board feels very stable and predictable just crusing around on flat. I knew it wouldn't be able to cut turns as tightly as my old board, but I was a little surprised it was still able to do well in that respect. I guess the flex helps a little bit. Then I hit a mellow hill. Carving did take a little bit of getting used to, as you have to progressively lean more to carve tighter (as a truck should), whereas my old board almost seems to lock into a set arc with a mild lean. This along with the flex of the deck makes this a very fun setup. I do most of my riding carving these very mellow hills, and this board was well suited. I found myself doing frontside carves where I just lean back, arching my back a bit while keeping my knees almost locked. Then I cut back on the other side with a hard backside carve leaning way out with my hand just above the street (need slider gloves). Of course the wheels totally gripped and actually held their speed quite well. Again, I'm sure the flex of the board and the spring back effect of the trucks helped as well. Anyway, I'm sure I'm going to be using this board a lot except for when I want to slide or when I'm able to get more speed. I give this setup two big toes up.
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randal powerboards?
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On 7/29/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
I was looking through the archives (something everyone should try) and found mention of Randal Powerboards... Does anyone have info on these? I hit his site but couldn't find them... thanks, HR
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Hey Flowlab
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On 7/28/2000 Lono
wrote in from
(205.179.nnn.nnn)
Shipping out your "performace" equipment without bearing spacers?
DUH!
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flowlab bearing spacers
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On 7/28/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
I just received some bearing spacers from flowlab... wheel spin has been improved by a few hundred percent... HR
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Euro BMW
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On 7/26/2000
hugh r
wrote in from
(205.216.nnn.nnn)
Re: Streetcarver... I got another e-mail from the BMW corp guy... he says the boards should be available on the European market in August... HR
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carveboard
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On 7/26/2000 scomo
wrote in from
(63.202.nnn.nnn)
my buddy just got one for about $275. It is okay. it has a good surf feel but is hard to kick on the flats becuase it is so heavy and wobbly. it turns super sharp but i was able to slide out the back end by forcing it and grabbing the rail. i prefer going a little faster though, so i wasn't overly impressed. he loves it though and says it is a lot like surfing (he surfs a lot more than me). i don't know if it is worth the lofty price.
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