Soooooo the proto that I rode, I believe was basically the Agent Air setup, but with the bigger battery.
The Trucks
I have always loved matrix trucks, but surprisingly had never properly ridden matrix iii until riding the Agent. I felt at home immediately, I believe they were orange blocks on the outer setting, but Joel should confirm that… it was super carvy and felt just right in terms of stability and turn, especially with the bindings on. The matrix iiis would have to be the most tunable channel trucks on the market with the inner and outer position system, and by adding wedged risers you could tune even more. Got major love for the trucks, they are great trucks and great value. Cheap and cheerful is a good description.
Wheels were just rockstars and MBS off road 8s so nothing special there, but those wide boi tires on the XLs are pretty dreamy to look at 
I believe they do add a considerable amount of weight, so choosing those would definitely be a personal choice depending on your ride style.
The Deck
The deck had a good amount of flex, probably not so great for speed, but felt great for cruising and sucking up bumps. Saying that, I had no problem giving the throttle a good old squirt down the road…
One thing that I love (surprisingly) about the deck is that it is completely flat and the concave is built up with the grip pads. I believe that MBS will be offering different pads with different levels of concave, I think this is such an excellent idea to be able to tune your ride exactly the way you want it.
The channels through the deck are only enough for power wires @Regular_Michael, but they are super clean and well integrated, running to front and back.
The deck has inserts for bindings to run for either stance, in either direction as well as inserts for the new adjustable stance bindings. I believe it is symmetrical and I don’t know the tip angles but I’d take a stab at 30. It also has inserts for the esc to attach at both ends and I didn’t notice but I’m sure that the top box attachment fittings likely bolt into inserts as well.
I didn’t get to ride the adjustable stance bindings but playing with a set on the bench was drool-worthy. Great design, seem super robust and if you’ve got a weird chad-stance like me, these things will be a total game-changer.
It’s finished with what feels like a PET layer on both sides and just feels like a super premium deck, it’s really nice and would make a super good platform for any DIY EMTB.
The Top Box/Battery
This thing is the holy grail. It does everything it needs to while looking good at the same time. The quick release system is solid AF, interchangeable batteries in literally seconds without fucking around with straps or any bullshit is just GOAT for an EMTB in my opinion.
It’s super sturdy, looks and feels bomb-proof, I believe it also has a decent IP rating. Joel really knocked it out of the park here, best top box I have ever seen by a long shot.
Different battery configs are great to be able to choose between lightweight/heavyweight, depending on what you want to do with it… I’m slightly dubious about the discharge bms but I’m sure it’s a well considered decision by MBS and time will tell it’s reliability, I believe that when used as a part of the Agent system it will be just fine.
I’m not sure what the production batteries look like… I’m sure everybody would love to see them if you can share @MBS !!!
The Gear Drives
Helical steel/steel gears, motor position/backlash adjustable from outside, super clean bash guard fittings, simple wheel interface.
They’re quite similar to Apex Jump Drives, there’s not a great deal else I can say about them, perhaps the only thing I’d want to know about them that I can’t remember is how the motor pulley attaches to the shaft to prevent axial movement.
They’ve been designed to be easily maintained and rugged AF, utilitarian is the best word I can use to describe them.
The Motors
I was super surprised with the motors. They are 110kv and I thought they would run pretty hot. Joel and I were riding for probably close to half an hour, mostly just burning around in the grass, in a way that I know from experience is a great way to get things cooking quickly.
It wasn’t a hot day but it wasn’t cold either and after the grass session, the motors were still easily touchable by hand, definitely hot but not hot hot.
Time will tell how long they last in the wild, but we all know that motors are somewhat of a consumable item, and the replacement process has been designed to be simple and no-fuss, plug and play.
The ESC/Remote
I feel like the decision to use a black box esc is the right move for a complete, off the shelf board aimed at getting people out riding reliably. There is little chance for user error, it makes warranty a lot easier, and it allows for a more polished user experience than something like vesc.
Over the years this community has become pretty hung up on the idea that “if it’s not vesc, it’s trash” and I’m not entirely sure why. Vesc has been one of the biggest PITA things I’ve ever dealt with in my entire life.
The modes available through the remote and the app should be plenty enough for the majority of users, from peeps playing it safe to the peeps who just want raw power, it’s got it all. Exway have always provided a pretty good experience with the modes and customisation that can be set in the app, and the Agent is no different.
The remote feels pretty sturdy, comfortable to hold and the thumbwheel has heaps of throw. I wasn’t a big fan of the lower power modes (surprise surprise) but turbo mode was so much fun… I spent some time riding around in mode 3 and then made the change to turbo. I could not remove the grin from my face. A stupid, shit-eating, ear to ear grin that only comes from riding a board with more power than you can actually use.
I’d love to see more functionality added to the remote/app/esc like adjustable traction control and potentially even something like a hill climb mode that would limit ERPM but not power, and I’m sure these are things that could be added by exway as firmware upgrades in the future.
In any case, the board had plenty of power and in the turbo mode it was delivered just as well as any vesc board that i’ve ridden.
General Thoughts
The minute I stepped on the board and got into the first carve, I felt immediately familiar. The matrix trucks are a really fun and predictable ride and IMO the trucks are the heart of any ride.
The esc/remote provided plenty of power, I feel like the delivery could potentially be tuned a little better in the lower modes, but turbo didn’t leave me wanting for anything. It was awesome. It has a direct current mode, so go is go and back is brake/reverse, essential for an EMTB.
All the parts on their own are pretty great in their own right, but together they make a pretty formidable package. The attention to detail, polish, fit and finish of the Agent is something that I’ve never seen of an off the shelf EMTB. It’s a beautifully designed and finished complete and the years of R&D really show. I’m super impressed with how it’s come together and feel incredibly privileged to have been witness to it’s development.
Not sure what else I can say, except that after writing this, I’m pretty bloody keen to ride it again!!!
(admittedly geared for 49mph, offroad needs less top end presumably )
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