Exway Ace Reverse Kingpin Trucks Review: A Stable Upgrade for Electric Skateboards

Introduction

Exway’s Ace Reverse Kingpin Trucks are designed for the Exway Atlas series, but they work with most belt drive electric skateboards. These trucks bring the stability of reverse kingpin geometry to boards that typically use double kingpin trucks, along with a few features that make them worth a closer look.

For beginners, it helps to understand the difference between the main truck types. Traditional kingpin trucks, or TKP, are what most people picture on a standard skateboard. Longboards mostly use reverse kingpin trucks, or RKP, which are taller, more stable at speed, and more customizable. Electric skateboards often use double kingpin trucks, or DKP, which have two kingpins and two pivot points for sharper turns and more lean.

Why Switch from Double Kingpin Trucks

For years, most all-terrain electric skateboards shipped with DKP trucks as standard. These trucks offer excellent maneuverability, but modern electric skateboards are fast and powerful enough to push DKP designs to their limits. Many manufacturers now use 100A bushings with cup washers on their DKP trucks, which is essentially the upper limit of stability for that design.

By design, both TKP and RKP trucks are more stable than DKP, with RKP generally considered the most stable of the three. The challenge with RKP on all-terrain boards has always been the shorter wheelbase, which leaves little room for large wheels. Some manufacturers solved this with extremely wide hangers, but that reduces maneuverability and makes the board bulkier.

Exway’s approach is different. The Ace RKP trucks use longer baseplates with four sets of mounting holes, letting you adjust the wheelbase to fit larger wheels without wheelbite. According to Exway, these trucks support wheels from 100mm to 180mm in diameter.

Adjustable Motor Mounts

The motor mounts on these trucks are highly adjustable. You can position the motors inward, like most street boards, or outward, like most all-terrain boards. Pointing the motors inward shortens the overall length of the board, which is especially helpful on a 4WD setup. If your board does not quite fit in a car trunk with motors pointing outward, flipping them inward can help.

There is another practical benefit to inward motors. If you use smaller wheels and the motor mounts point outward, they can scrape the ground when you pull the board from the front truck. With inward positioning, that problem goes away.

According to Exway, these trucks can handle motors as large as 6374, which is 74mm long. The two motor mounts on each truck do not need to be positioned the same way, so in theory you could mount one forward and one backward if needed.

Bushing Compatibility and Maneuverability

Exway’s DKP trucks already offer wide bushing compatibility, and the Ace RKP trucks follow the same approach. The stock setup on these RKP trucks is actually more maneuverable than the Atlas Pro’s stock DKP setup. The stock bushings are softer, flat washers replace cup washers, and the trucks are top-mounted instead of drop-through mounted. All of these factors increase maneuverability.

That is just the default configuration. If you prefer a more stable ride, you can easily make these RKP trucks more stable than a DKP setup by using harder bushings and cup washers. The range of adjustment is wide enough to suit different riding styles and weights.

Build Quality and Materials

Exway states that these are CNC machined trucks made from 6061 aluminum alloy with a precision tolerance of 0.01mm. That translates to strong, predictable handling compared to cast trucks, and specifically compared to Exway’s own DKP trucks. CNC machining also gives these trucks a clean, refined look that many riders will appreciate.

Things to Consider Before Buying

There are a couple of situations where these trucks may not be the best choice. First, if you want your Atlas or Atlas Pro deck to sit as low as possible, note that these trucks must be top-mounted. They cannot be drop-through mounted on the Atlas and Atlas Pro because the baseplate is longer. However, if you have a board with open deck ends, like the Evolve GTR Bamboo or Hadean Bamboo, drop-through mounting should work.

Second, if you plan to switch back and forth between RKP and DKP trucks, be aware that moving motors between different motor mounts is a tedious process, especially on a 4WD board. Once you commit to one truck type, you will likely stick with it. DIY enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering may feel differently.

Buying Advice

These trucks are not cheap, but they are CNC precision trucks, and those are never inexpensive. If you value stability at speed, appreciate precise machining, or simply like the look of well-designed CNC trucks, the Exway Ace Reverse Kingpin Trucks are a compelling option. They are also a practical choice if you want to shorten your board’s overall length by positioning motors inward, or if you need a longer wheelbase to fit larger wheels.

Conclusion

The Exway Ace Reverse Kingpin Trucks offer a meaningful upgrade path for electric skateboard riders who want RKP stability without giving up maneuverability. With adjustable wheelbase, flexible motor positioning, and CNC build quality, they address several real limitations of DKP trucks. Just be sure to consider the top-mount requirement and the effort involved in swapping motors before you commit.