Smooth E-Skate: Riding The Light On The Backfire Boards Ranger X5

The Backfire Boards Ranger X5 is a fabulous street machine that can also wander off the pavement.

Like a lot of kids in the late 1970s and 1980s (and today), I rolled a lot of miles under the urethane wheels of my trusty skateboard. I kept on riding into my college years, as it was a fast, fun and free way to navigate the campus and small college town where I lived. But after graduation, I eventually parked my well-worn Powell-Peralta deck in favor of motorcycles, cars and the newest craze: mountain bikes. But I held onto that stick, and it hangs in my garage today, unused except for the rare ride to see if I can still spin a 360 or ollie off a curb (yes, if barely).

I’ve always loved the very minimalist aspect of getting around on a skateboard, and I have friends my age who still regularly ride - often with their kids. But my kid never really got into skateboarding (he prefers mountain bikes), so the old board is mostly a stationary totem of my youthful explorations.

Recently, with some help from my son and his friend, I reviewed a motorized skateboard/longboard, typically referred to as “e-skates,” and it renewed the fun of skateboarding in a modern way: Less effort, more speed and good fun. However, the fearlessness of my younger years is gone for the most part, replaced by the risk management realities of mid-life, and it’s unlikely I could bounce back very quickly from a tumble if the wheels hit a rock that stopped it or discombobulated the ride, so I enjoyed it and then sent it back before I got into trouble.

But the fun of it stuck with me, and when e-skate maker Backfire Boards offered to let me review its Ranger X5 longboard, I noted that it had really large rubber wheels instead of the smaller traditional urethane types, so I decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed.

The red halo lighting makes it very visible - and looks great. It can also pulse or be turned off.

The $1,299 Backfire Boards Ranger X5 is a “longboard” style e-skate, as opposed to a shorter traditional “kicktail” type of board like my old rig. The deck is 40 inches long and 10 inches wide at the footpads. Small mounts on the board at the location of the trucks allow for attaching rechargeable headlights and tail lights to buttress the red trim light. There is also the option to add a small rear wing (no joke) that can also work as a tail light mount.

The Ranger X5 has several distinguishing features, including 165mm (6.5 inch) wheels that are much, much larger than standard skateboard wheels. The large wheels serve several purposes: Each rear wheels contain a 1,5000-Watt motor inside the wheel housing itself, and the large rubber tires give the Ranger X5 a smooth and very quiet ride while also being able to surmount small obstacle. The hard rubber tires are not pneumatic, but when ridden, deliver a modicum of cushion and a lot of grip. This is not the kind of wheel you seen downhillers sliding through the corners of public roadways.

Under the board, the large 50.4 Volt 518 Watt-hour 90 Amp Samsung battery is cleverly split into segments (below) that allow the board to flex in a natural way, adding to the smooth ride. Backfire says range is 17-21 miles depending on rider weight, terrain and speed, or course.

The large battery is split into segments to allow the board to flex.

The deck itself is an ABS plastic/glass fibe/maple composite with the top skinned in a traditional layer of black grip material. The trucks that hold the axles are the “double kingpin” type (below) that allow for a lot of adjustability and fine-tuning performance, and an adjustment tool is included with the kit.

The large wheels are controlled by double-kingpin trucks. Note the simple wiring to the motors.

A continuous line of red LED-powered strip lighting goes around the perimeter of the board and really punches up visibility, especially at night. The lighting can run at full brightness all the time, or slowly pulse in a “breathing” pattern that also gets attention. Battery drain from the lighting is very minimal, and four blinking LEDs on the battery casing add in a bit more conspicuity. The trim lighting can also be turned off via the remote. The lighting in not readily visible during daytime riding.

The robust remote has an aluminum and plastic shell, OLED display and well-designed thumbwheel speed ... [+] controller.

Like most e-skates, the Ranger X5 is controlled by a rechargeable handheld remote that features a thumbwheel and digital display. The sharp color OLED display shows speed, ride modes (Eco, Sport and Turbo), battery level for both the board’s batteries and the remote, and buttons for ride mode, lighting, and direction. Yes, the Ranger X5 can run in rear or front wheel drive modes, or go “backwards” by moving a small physical switch on the remote.

When the speed controller is rolled backward, this applies the “brakes,” which is done by essentially putting the wheel motors in “regeneration” mode, although they do not send energy to the battery. The effect is progressive and at maximum braking, the Ranger X5 comes to a quick but controlled stop. In throttle mode, as it were, the thumbwheel is precise and intuitive, allowing for speeds from a crawl to an absolute blistering 26 mph at full tilt.

A word on safe riding: I wore a full-face Fox V3 RS motocross helmet and motorcycle riding jacket with armor, just in case the worst happened, which it did not. Having suffered a concussive head injury on a similar device at low speed in 2020, I can’t stress enough the importance of proper head protection when riding any wheeled conveyance that goes over 10 mph - the speed I was going when I crashed while wearing a bicycle helmet. It took six months to recover and I still have lingering issues from the crash. Please ride with care, and your rides will be more fun when you know you are well protected. I know it’s not the coolest look, but there are plenty of cool helmets (add some stickers!) and fashionable street riding gear out there, so armor up as they say, and live to ride another day.

Yes, you can get the Ranger X5 dirty and wet with no worries.

Being back on a skateboard for the first time in a long while, I started out in Eco mode - and immediately had to tighten up the dual-kingpin trucks to fit my more conservative riding style. Once adjusted, I remounted and got the X5 underway with a kick or too, even though it will power forward on its own from stationary. It just felt better to blend the old startup routine with the new ride technology, but you can just step aboard and throttle up if desired. Just ease on the power slowly.

The Ranger X5’s performance in Eco mode, even with a heavy rider aboard, is brisk, with a top speed of about 16 miles an hour showing - a good clip on any skateboard. Once I had the trucks dialed in to taste and had a couple of miles of acclimation, I couldn’t help but dial up Sport mode, which takes the Ranger to just over 20mph - which is really moving on a skateboard.

But the long wheelbase of the X5 kept things calm at speed, and the thumb roller on the remote is large and very progressive, allowing for excellent speed control. From top speed, I slammed (or, rolled) on the brakes as a test and the X5 quickly came to stop but never felt like I was being thrown off the board. Still, you need to ready to stop at any moment, so a sort of surfer body position is a good one to adopt for shifting your weight back and forth. Riding the Ranger X5 is definitely and active-type of experience involving balance, forward cognition and body control.

One aspect of the Ranger X5 I love is how quiet it is. Even at maximum speed in Sport mode, tire noise from the rubber large-diameter wheels is the loudest sound and it’s still fairly quiet at that, and there’s almost no motor noise since the two motors are sealed inside the drive wheels. With 3,000 peak Watts of power on tap - about four horsepower - the Ranger can climb a decent grade.

The large solid non-pneumatic rubber wheels have great traction on dry paved surfaces, and their large diameter also allows easy riding on packed dirt, smooth grass (like a soccer field) and even light gravel - places most skateboards fear to tread. But with no kick tail, you cannot loft the X5’s front wheel up and over small obstacles, so despite the company highlighting off-road capability, I found the X5 was most at home on pavement when wearing the stock rubber wheels (and other wheels are available for it). That’s fine with me as I loved the great carving and arcing ability of the X5.

After a while, with the old reflexes seemingly revived, I gave the board a full charge, tightened up the trucks even more, and set out early one Sunday morning to try out Turbo mode, which has a top speed of 26 mph - faster than the speed limit on my street. Accessing Turbo mode requires an intentional push of a physical button on the remote, and the display glows red to remind you that Ludicrous Speed has been selected.

Turbo mode not only boosts the top speed, it also maxes out the acceleration capability of the Ranger X5, and it is considerable. Getting under way with a slight push and then rolling the thumbwheel to the stop, the Ranger builds speed quickly to its 26 mph limit. Once there, the sensation of speed is giggle-inducing, but ride with care: It’s nearly the same speed as a Class 3 ebike at full tilt, but on much, much smaller wheels. I rode on a long, flat, well-maintained and pothole-free street at a time with essentially no traffic, just to add a modicum of safety. I know younger riders will have no problem with the Ranger’s velocity, but if things go wrong at that clip, the results can be debilitating. That said, it was a thrill to ride at maximum velocity, and the Ranger felt confident and capable underfoot.

If you think 26 mph isn’t “fast” because you are comparing it to riding in a car, or on a motorbike or even an e-bike, let me just say that even from the perspective of a velocity addict like myself, 26 mph on a skateboard feels like leading the Indy 500. I know those daring downhill longboard riders hit much higher speeds and good for them; I’m was very happy with the maximum speed capability of the Ranger X5 and only dipped into that capability on rare occasion. Hitting something or hitting the ground at that speed - even in full moto gear - is not going to be a pleasant experience. I know, because I’ve done it, and would prefer not to repeat the experience.

The vast majority of my time aboard the X5, I rode in Sport mode as it was a good combination of manageable acceleration and a wide speed envelope, even though my usual speed was under 20 mph.

Well made, fast and comfortable, the Ranger X5 was a joy to ride and never had a problem.

My adult mind always asks the same question when I review an electrified transportation device, be it an electric car or motorcycle, or an e-bike. Can you commute on it? Use it every day? How practical is it? All the things an adult would ask, but most younger folks would put far down the priority list. So it is with the Ranger X5. Can you commute on it? Sure. Ride it every day? Absolutely. Is it practical? Well, it could be, just add a backpack. And recently, while in Europe, I saw many people riding around on e-skates with said backpacks, along with other folks on electric push scooters and even electric unicycles (EUCs), clearly heading to work or running errands - or even doing delivery work. Can be done, certainly.

But the main takeaway for this longtime skater was just how much fun the Ranger X5 is to ride. With the large (for a skateboard) wheels, it can surmont most small bits that would stop a typical small-wheel skateboard, with the bonus of a smooth, quiet riding experience over most surfaces. And if need be, it can make a quick detour onto grass or cut through a gravel or dirt patch unaffected, adding to its versatility.

But overall, the real reason to own a Backfire Ranger X5 is just how enjoyable the power and speed can be, and with much less effort compared to a traditional longboard. We used to dream about self-powered skateboards back in the day; modern battery and motor tech has made those dreams come true, and the smooth, well-designed, stylish Backfire Boards Ranger X5 is that dream made true in hard parts.

Highly Recommended.