Wallke X3 Max: Shoving two motors in a full-suspension fat tire e-bike

Wallke’s electric bikes have never shied away from high-power motors or heavy duty frames. But with the Wallke X3 Max, the company doubled down to give us twice the motors for an all-wheel-drive ride.

We’ve seen all-wheel-drive electric bikes before, but when you combine the dual drive with fat tires and full suspension, you open up a whole new world of riding that brings traction and comfort you just don’t find elsewhere.

Check out my video review below to see what I mean, then keep reading for even more info on my testing of this wildly over-the-top electric bike.

Wallke X3 Max video review

Wallke X3 Max tech specs

• Motor: Dual 1,000W continuous (1,600W peak) geared hub motors
• Top speed: 34 mph (54 km/h)
• Range: Unlisted (realistically under 25 mi or 40 km unless you’re pedaling hard)
• Battery: 48V 20 Ah (960 Wh)
• Weight: 87 lb (39 kg )
• Max load: Claimed 400 lb (181 kg)
• Brakes: Quad-piston hydraulic disc brakes on 203mm rotors
• Extras: Large color LCD display, LED head/tail light, half-twist throttle, removable battery, robust rear rack, fenders, kickstand, and companion app

So much more than anyone needs

Let’s be honest, this is probably more electric bike than most people need. And that means it’s definitely in a different category than more realistic electric mountain bikes or trail-riding bikes.

But you know what? That’s a big part of what makes it so much fun. This isn’t the bike you grab when you want to go for a simple joy ride. It’s the bike you grab when you want to go overlanding, riding through sandy beaches or loose terrain, and you want a big ol’ battery to keep the ride going for more than just a few miles.

These dual motors offer a ridiculous amount of power, each rated at 1,000W continuous and 1,600W of peak power. That’s 3.2 kW of peak power propelling you through terrain like sand or snow that would bog down lighter motors and single-drive e-bikes.

The full-suspension also adds some real comfort to the ride. The four-bar suspension doesn’t feature a particularly high-end shock, but it sure does keep that saddle from making it halfway into your large intestine when you hit a big tree root at high speed. And on a bike this heavy (87 lb), a really nice RockShox or Fox shock would be kind of a waste, anyway.

The front suspension is also a “good enough” situation. Remember, this is an out-of-class, go ride in weird places that you couldn’t otherwise, have a wild time type of e-bike. This isn’t a fancy or elegant e-bike, and so the cheaper shifter or basic suspension doesn’t bother me too much.

We’re not shaving off pounds here; we’re taking an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to our rides on a bike like this.

Decide how much motor you need

One cool feature is that you can easily select whether or not you’re in AWD drive mode. There’s no stick to throw here like your old 4×4, you just double tap the controller button on the bars and you’re suddenly back in single wheel drive mode. You can even choose between front or wheel drive.

There aren’t many cases where front wheel drive is an advantage, so I mostly left it in rear-wheel drive unless I was on super loose terrain that could really take advantage of the AWD feature.

I really like how easy it is to modify your ride at the click of a button as terrain and conditions change.

Does it really need to fold?

This is kind of funny, but the bike actually folds in half. I imagine most people will never fold it during normal use, but the ability to make the bike smaller does mean you could conceivably shove it in the back of a minivan or SUV more easily.

Of course even once you’ve got it folded, lifting nearly 90 lb (40 kg) of bike into the air is no easy feat.

And the bike doesn’t make it easy by being tricky to push around on one wheel in the folded position.

But hey, at least it folds, for that odd chance that you actually get to use that feature.

How fast is it?

Ok, so here’s the other issue: speed. As a 2,000W e-bike, this is already an out-of-class electric bicycle. It’s not going to fit nicely into Class 1, 2, or 3 designations. But the fact that it can easily surpass 28 mph (45 km/h), often hitting speeds in the 32 to 34 mph (51-54 km/h) range depending on battery level and terrain, means that it’s also too fast for legal e-bike regulations.

That presents legal issues if you want to ride this on pubic roads in states that conform to the three-class system, which is most states in the US.

It also means that riders have some serious responsibility to operate their these bikes safely around others, if they still choose to ride around cyclists and not just take a shortcut across the entire desert southwest.

That concept doesn’t inherently bother me, especially since the US gives 16-year-olds the right to operate 120 mph-capable cars and trucks after demonstrating they can drive a short loop around the local public library. Road safety and responsibility is thus a bit of a fuzzy notion in the US.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t all have implicit personal responsibility here, especially when our actions as e-bikers can affect potential future regulations for these highly effective personal electric vehicles. It’s fun that e-bikes like this exist since they can open the door to more types of riding and new terrain. But their abilities shouldn’t be abused in ways that can endanger others, especially vulnerable cyclists sharing the bike lane.

Is it worth it?

There just aren’t THAT many full-suspension all-wheel-drive fat tire e-bikes out there, and the few that exist are usually quite expensive. So for just $1,699, this is actually a pretty reasonably-priced bike.

That’s a big 960Wh battery you’re getting, not to mention the punchy quad-piston hydraulic brakes on 203 mm rotors that look big enough to be salad plates.

Yea, it’s not particularly impressive suspension and the pedal drivetrain is just acceptable, but I can deal with that for a modestly-priced direct-to-consumer electric bike. If I want high-end shifters and suspension, I know that means bike store prices, and this ain’t that, as they say.

So while the Wallke X3 Max is still a bit rough around the edges, it’s got some real potential at a fair price, offering riding in conditions that most other e-bikes couldn’t handle without getting bogged down.