Meepo Hurricane Bamboo All-Terrain electric skateboard review – Big board, big fun

REVIEW – I can’t let Matt Gregersen have all the fun with all the electric modes of transport we get to review here at The Gadgeteer. I have reviewed a few E-bikes and an electric skateboard, but I couldn’t keep living vicariously through my fellow Gadgeteer. So, when the Meepo Hurricane Bamboo all-terrain electric skateboard, I wanted to give it a shot. I mean, I’d already had one. This one couldn’t be much different, so it should be a piece of cake. How much different could it be? Let’s find out, shall we?

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $699
Where to buy: Meepo and Amazon

What is it?

The Meepo Hurricane Bamboo is an electric longboard, belt-driven with 2 1800-Watt motors, running on solid honeycomb wheels and designed for all terrains.

What’s included?

• Meepo Hurricane Bamboo electric longboard
• User manual
• Remote
• USB cable for charging the remote
• T-tool
• 50.4V 2.5A skateboard charger

Tech specs

Range – 20 miles / 30km
Top speed – 28 mph / 45 kph
Deck – 1 ply bamboo + 10 ply maple
Dimensions – 944mm x 250mm / 37.6″ x 9.8″
Hill climbing – 30%
Battery – 12s4p (432Wh / 10Ah)
Remote – J6S
Motor power – 1800W ×2
Trucks – Double Kingpin Truck (DKP)
Charging – 4h
Max load – 330lbs / 150kg
Weight – 26 lbs / 12kg

Design and features

The thing that struck me most about this board is the size. It’s huge, bigger than any longboard I’ve ever seen. I’m no skater by any means, but it’s big! I was thankful for that, being a big guy and on the wrong side of 50. I’m able to get a comfortably wide stance, so anyone 6’6″ and shorter should feel stable on the board. Granted, you still have to be able to maintain your balance, but man, it’s nice to have all that real estate.

The Meepo Hurricane Bamboo also has two motors on the rear of the board, and both rear wheels are belt-driven. I wasn’t sure what the benefit of being belt was, but according to Google, “while hub drive systems are compact, require less maintenance, and run quietly, belt drive systems excel in acceleration, customization, and hill climbing.”

The trucks on this board are Double Kingpin trucks. Yet another thing that I knew nothing about. What the heck does that mean? Glad you asked. They have their kingpins facing the inside of the board and stacked on each other. This makes them higher off the ground. They were initially made for longboards with carving in mind. Now we both know!

The deck of the Meepo Bamboo Hurricane is made of maple plywood and 1 layer of (drum roll) bamboo! I love bamboo, so I think it makes the aesthetics of the board look sweet!

Now, the wheels I got on my review model are solid with a honeycomb design, but on the Meepo website, they say the Hurricane Bamboo comes with pneumatic tires. My understanding is that the honeycomb wheels are better for all-terrain. So maybe the pneumatic tires would be better on pavement or concrete.

The battery is completely integrated into the board and enclosed in an aluminum case. This means it can be removed and charged separately. It also means you’ll have to bring it inside to charge it. The battery is a 12S4P type battery.

Back to Google I went. Here’s what I found: “This battery is a 12s4p lithium-ion battery made from 48 Grade-A 21700 Molicel P42A cells with a modular BMS (Battery Management System) that protects the battery pack and keeps it running safely when operating and charging.”

Another little bit of confusion I have is that the remote is said to be included with the Hurricane Bamboo. The site lists it as a J6S remote, but the one I received is like their J6C. The J6S isn’t supposed to be compatible with the Hurricane Bamboo, while the J6C is. The J6C also has color, which my remote does too, so it must just be a typo. Through the remote, you can change riding modes 1-4, read as speed limits. You can change braking modes 1-4. The way I understand that is the higher the mode, the more responsive the braking. Being a beginner, I definitely leave it on mode 1 for both.  You also have the option to reverse the direction of the board so that the motors can either pull or push you, or set the cruise control and just relax as you glide along.

Performance

This thing is Fun with a capital F, but it definitely has earned my respect. It can go way faster than I’m comfortable with. I love having the large deck. I feel more stable on this board when compared to the other I’ve reviewed. The Meepo Hurricane Bamboo is also more stable at higher speeds. The first board I reviewed would begin to wobble when I tried to go faster than I should. This one is much better. However, I’m not so sure I could take it off-road as Meepo suggests. Right now, my kids and I stick to our neighborhood streets. These streets are not the smoothest out there. They’re older with large pebbles mixed on the asphalt. There are also cracks, dips, and a couple of holes. This does not make for the smoothest ride. I think I would benefit from the pneumatic tires for tooling around the block here.

Meepo claims the Hurricane Bamboo is lightweight at 26 lbs. I’m here to tell you that’s the heaviest 26 lbs I’ve ever lifted. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not as portable as I thought it would be. Bringing it in to charge can be a little challenging when navigating through the house, around kids, fighting to hold the storm door open, etc, but it’s worth it.

The only negative that I have is the charging port is on the bottom of the board near the rear wheels. The little rubber cover on mine did not pivot after lifting it. This meant the charging connector couldn’t go straight in. I tried to rotate the cover and wound up breaking it off. It’s not a huge deal. It still seals tightly when I put it back on, but I wish I could’ve just spun it out of the way.

Final thoughts

I really like the Meepo Hurricane Bamboo electric all-terrain longboard. Its capabilities are more than I’ll ever use, I’m sure. I’m happy to cruise along in mode 1 for now, but I think I’ll get the pneumatic tires since I don’t see my neighborhood getting the streets repaved anytime soon. My boys helped test this thing, and they liked it too. My oldest did have this to add. He wished it were lighter so that he could turn it more easily by lifting the front up a bit and pivoting the board like he does on his traditional long board. I’d love to see someone who knew what they were doing take this thing for a rip. It would be cool to see this thing at its full potential. Maybe I can get Matt to swing by! If you want to see my boys in action, check out the video below.

What I like about the Meepo Hurricane Bamboo

• Well built
• Two electric motors
• The size

What needs to be improved?

• The cover for the charging port needs to rotate to get out of the way of the charging connector
• Can you make it lighter?

Price: $699
Where to buy: Meepo and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Meepo. Meepo did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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