When someone tells me that I have the greatest job in the world, I don’t argue with them. I get paid to ride motorcycles and tell you how much fun I’m having. However, there are downsides to having a garage full of motorcycles—yes, that’s even more embarrassing than a 1st world problem. However, if there are 12 motorcycles in my garage, I have to keep track of the pressure in 24 tires. That means lots of dragging around the air compressor, digging around for a CO2 cartridge inflator, or, Heaven forbid, a hand pump. Where have you been all my life, Fanttik X8 Apex tire inflator?
The Fanttik X8 Apex tire inflator is a must-have tool for anyone with more than a couple of pairs of tires that need periodic attention. It’s a highly portable, battery-powered unit that does more than provide a source of compressed air, and that’s why I love it.
When you turn on the Fanttik X8 Apex, a large crisp LED shows you the battery charge level, plus two more numbers. The top readout acts as an air pressure gauge. The bottom number is selectable, and that’s what makes me so enamored with the device.
You tell the pump what air pressure you’d like to have in the tire. Next, you screw on the valve, which has a nice smooth action. Then, you press the power button again, and the X8 Apex goes into action. It will pump up the tire in question to the air pressure level you have selected. That means you can do something else for a couple of minutes, and you don’t have to constantly pull out an air pressure gauge to make sure you haven’t over-inflated the tire, or find out how much more pressure the tire needs—it’s all automatic. Yeah, it’s awesome.
While I’ll be pressurizing motorcycle tires with the Fanttik X8 Apex most of the time, it also worked great on my Toyota Tundra and Fiat 500e. It can also be used to fill up a sports ball or anything along those lines. There are four modes—automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, and ball.
The 8-inch by 2.5-inch x 2.5-inch unit houses a 29 Wh battery pushing out 7800 mAh, so Fanttik lets you use the X8 Apex in other ways. There’s a built-in flashlight on the top. It’s not extraordinarily bright, but it sits right next to the removable connector hose, so it is a great help when screwing on the valve in low light. There is a USB port, so it can charge other batteries, including the one in your smartphone or tablet. The X8 Apex is charged via a USB Micro B plug that you undoubtedly have charging many other devices in your home—you can’t get any more convenient than that. Finally, it can be charged in your truck or on your motorcycle, if necessary.
Maximum pressure is 150 psi, which is more than enough for anything I’m inflating—even a road bicycle tire. I topped off four truck tires and four motorcycle tires, and it barely made a dent in the battery level. The only downside to the Fanttik X8 Apex is that it’s loud—like all air compressors. You won’t want to use this in your driveway before a 6 a.m. ride, unless annoying your neighbors is on your to-do list.
When carrying the X8 Apex, you can store it in the very nice included pouch. All you have to do is unscrew the hose, which also fits in the bag.
The Fanttik X8 Apex is on Kickstarter at an early-bird price of $79. While we can’t guarantee delivery, we can report that this is not vaporware, and the product works. The project already has far exceeded its modest $1284 funding goal—at the time of publication, it’s up to $76,812. Estimated delivery is December 2021, and the company is based in Hong Kong. It would make a great Christmas present for any motorcyclist, but who knows if it will arrive in time with all the current supply chain issues. Regardless, I’ve got mine, and you can’t have it—but I will let you fill a tire or four if you drop by.
