Problems with the wallke april batch: no regen, 22mph top speed, 0mph coasting.

[johnwebike]

I have no idea what that is.

It shows the computer generated image of motor, but it doesn't show exactly how it's regenerating.
They also claim "recharges over 60% of the battery power anytime the bike is braking, gliding, or riding downhill" and if that's true, that's truly revolutionary because from what I heard, regen brake will typically add maybe 5% to the battery capacity.

They also claim it's patented, but I could not find any information on USPTO database.

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Yes, I saw those claims too, and the 60% does seem fantastic. I thought it interesting that Wallke brands it W Pas, and the others are EPas, and IPas. As if theres a single motor being branded to at least 3 companies.

 

[Slick Silver]

Updates. After finding this thread I sent Wallke a link & asked if they had run out of direct drive, regen capable motors and because of that, swapped ours for geared, non-regen capable motors instead. This is their response:

"Hello,
I greatly appreciate your reply as I understand your feeling. It means so much for us when our customer share their feeling with us.
The information from the our production department states the regeneration function is detrimental to the health of the battery and controller.
Our engineers are fixing this problem.
If you insist on activating this function, I will apply for one motor for you. The new motor will come with the regeneration function. But make sure you already know this function may shorten the battery and controller life.
The controller allows for the use of motors that have the capability, but the geared rear hub motor on the bike doesn't support it. The real world reports indicate the amount of regeneration is pretty low (some estimates are 5%). If the bike had regeneration, I'd turn it off. This is because regeneration drains momentum from the bike so it can charge the battery. The bike is actually braking when regenerating, so you lose momentum that would otherwise be there for coasting. Due to the inefficiencies inherent in the cycle of regeneration, power storage and them re-powering the motor, you can't get back as much energy as you lose. You get less usable range extension than you lose from braking instead of coasting. Basically, you shorten the range of the bike.
Sincerely,
Wolf
wallkeebike.com
Sent from my iPhone"

So it sounds like they may be willing to ship us replacement motors which once installed, should fix our issues. My question is... who is going to pay for/do the installation of the replacement parts? I'm new to ebikes so I'm not really confident changing out motors myself, and I don't even know if my local ebike shop will work on Wallke's, let alone how much something like that would cost. Not sure if I should accept a new motor and go through the headache of getting it swapped, or if I should stick to my guns and insist on a full return. What do you guys think?

 

[Curcutie]

Updates. After finding this thread I sent Wallke a link & asked if they had run out of direct drive, regen capable motors and because of that, swapped ours for geared, non-regen capable motors instead. This is their response:

"Hello,
I greatly appreciate your reply as I understand your feeling. It means so much for us when our customer share their feeling with us.
The information from the our production department states the regeneration function is detrimental to the health of the battery and controller.
Our engineers are fixing this problem.
If you insist on activating this function, I will apply for one motor for you. The new motor will come with the regeneration function. But make sure you already know this function may shorten the battery and controller life.
The controller allows for the use of motors that have the capability, but the geared rear hub motor on the bike doesn't support it. The real world reports indicate the amount of regeneration is pretty low (some estimates are 5%). If the bike had regeneration, I'd turn it off. This is because regeneration drains momentum from the bike so it can charge the battery. The bike is actually braking when regenerating, so you lose momentum that would otherwise be there for coasting. Due to the inefficiencies inherent in the cycle of regeneration, power storage and them re-powering the motor, you can't get back as much energy as you lose. You get less usable range extension than you lose from braking instead of coasting. Basically, you shorten the range of the bike.
Sincerely,
Wolf
wallkeebike.com
Sent from my iPhone"

So it sounds like they may be willing to ship us replacement motors which once installed, should fix our issues. My question is... who is going to pay for/do the installation of the replacement parts? I'm new to ebikes so I'm not really confident changing out motors myself, and I don't even know if my local ebike shop will work on Wallke's, let alone how much something like that would cost. Not sure if I should accept a new motor and go through the headache of getting it swapped, or if I should stick to my guns and insist on a full return. What do you guys think?

They’re sending me a new motor too but without regen. They don’t have them ready yet tho. Swapping out the motor wheel should be easy. It really is just a wheel with one connector on it and I believe they have tutorials on their YouTube. You eventually have to learn how to take the wheel out because you WILL get a flat at some point. That’s what happened to me so learn it now. Good thing is I have another ebike to ride so I’ll just let my X3 pro sit for now. But yes it sucks to have to go through all of this.

 

[PedalUma]

They’re sending me a new motor too but without regen. They don’t have them ready yet tho. Swapping out the motor wheel should be easy. It really is just a wheel with one connector on it and I believe they have tutorials on their YouTube. You eventually have to learn how to take the wheel out because you WILL get a flat at some point. That’s what happened to me so learn it now. Good thing is I have another ebike to ride so I’ll just let my X3 pro sit for now. But yes it sucks to have to go through all of this.

If as they say they are sending you a motor, that is it, a Motor. The wheel would need to be built around it by a wheel builder who will cut new spokes. https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator
Keep in mind that regen sounds better than it works. Your bike will be much heavier on climbs so there is no payoff, only downside. What they should do is send you a plug and play controller for your currently better motor.

 

[Slick Silver]

If the geared hub motor was just as fast as the direct drive motors they previously used, I would be much more inclined to keep the motor I have and request a new controller instead. But the geared hubs they sent us aren't just lacking regen, they are also slower and weaker than the direct drives Wallke previously used. Our geared hub motors only go to ~22mph when loaded. The X3 is supposed to hit 28mph easily with a rider. That's the main reason I would want the regen motor, it may be heavier and it may not charge the battery much, but at least it would go the speeds Wallke advertised.

I got the bike to commute on, and need that speed to keep with traffic in my city. When the bike tops out just above 20mph but you're on a road with a speed limit of 35, you constantly get passed by cars and not all of them give space when passing. So for me it feels unsafe to try to take the bike on the road even though it is motorized... which was the entire point of the purchase.

And oh, that is not good news about having to build the wheel around the motor. I will have to verify that they're offering to send a new rear wheel housing along with the new motor... getting it rebuilt sounds both difficult and expensive.

I'm still leaning towards pushing to try to get my money back. For us to have paid $2k for this bike, this whole ordeal is some BS.

 

[Curcutie]

If as they say they are sending you a motor, that is it, a Motor. The wheel would need to be built around it by a wheel builder who will cut new spokes. https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator
Keep in mind that regen sounds better than it works. Your bike will be much heavier on climbs so there is no payoff, only downside. What they should do is send you a plug and play controller for your currently better motor.

Umm I would assume they are sending me an entire rear wheel with the Motor attached, just no tube and tire. No? One other person burned out his and that’s what wallke has sent him.

 

[johnwebike]

Wallke told me they will send a motor as well, which they claimed will make my speedometer work, and solve my "speed issue"....lol. Ill let them send it, see what it is, and does. Seems that if we want geared motor, wallke's is slower than Bafangs at this point. I rode an Aventon 750 geared hub with a Bafang 750 and it had speedo, and it went 29mph.
Suppose if Wallke sends another slow motor, I could upgrade to a bafang 750 or 1000 geared, with new controller and call it a day. Id like to do a simple return, but the expense of the return is 600 according to others who looked into that, nearly what a Bafang 750 kit costs.
Im up in the air about return, or try to "repair" my bike. As a note, there are 2 other companies selling what look like geared regen motors, Yammee, and Eahora. So not sure why Wallke is giving up on it. Unless what Wallke claims is true about the controller and shortened battery life. I was suspect of battery life after giving consideration of constand low level charge inputs ea ride. But these other two companies claim it actually improves battery life. So who do we believe?
I wouldnt mind if Wallke sent parts to to get me to a working speedo, and 28 mph. I really am not beholden to regen, though I do think its a cool gimic. The work to change the wheel is a pain, but not impossible. I am hopeful that the "new version " of their motor solves the major issues, and I can start riding instead of writing emails. If it does not, I'll make a decision on return or upgrade at that point.

 

[Slick Silver]

Shoutout and thanks to Timpo. Its only because of you that we figured what was wrong with our bikes and knew what to ask Wallke for, so kudos for that.

And yes, I also told Wallke I would accept a new motor, after they confirmed they'll be sending a whole new wheel unit, minus the tube and tire. So the installation shouldn't be too difficult. Once installed the speedo should be fixed since it will then match with the controller on our bikes. I don't know how they mismatched the parts if it was a redesign like they claim, I'm honestly still very skeptical of that story. But at the end of the day we should have what we paid for, even if it took much more time and effort than it should have.

 

[Slick Silver]

Also, if the regen factor makes you uncomfortable, I believe they said it only kicks in on PAS settings 0 & 1, so you can avoid it by staying in or going to a higher PAS setting whenever coasting or going downhill. I adjusted my PAS to 5 levels in the advanced settings, which will leave me with 4 power levels without regeneration once I install the new motor.

 

[johnwebike]

Also, if the regen factor makes you uncomfortable, I believe they said it only kicks in on PAS settings 0 & 1, so you can avoid it by staying in or going to a higher PAS setting whenever coasting or going downhill. I adjusted my PAS to 5 levels in the advanced settings, which will leave me with 4 power levels without regeneration once I install the new motor.

The rep was careful to point out to me that the replacement motor will not provide regen, so if he's correct, no worry about turning off regen. Since I've been emailing Wallke, the tale grows longer and changes as each each email is created. Guess we will see when we get the new and improved motor, if it solves any of the issues. I am happy for these forums, because until we all showed up here, Wallke was refusing to do anything for me but to say, it is designed to work that way. There's a reason for the saying, there is strength in numbers!

 

[Curcutie]

The rep was careful to point out to me that the replacement motor will not provide regen, so if he's correct, no worry about turning off regen. Since I've been emailing Wallke, the tale grows longer and changes as each each email is created. Guess we will see when we get the new and improved motor, if it solves any of the issues. I am happy for these forums, because until we all showed up here, Wallke was refusing to do anything for me but to say, it is designed to work that way. There's a reason for the saying, there is strength in numbers!

Right. Had they worded their first email like their last couple of ones, I wouldn’t have gotten this frustrated. I didn’t like the “it is what it is” type response cus these recent bikes were evidently not right. But I have to say that these latest emails were quite professional and assuring. We just gotta wait and see if this new motor changes anything.

 

[johnwebike]

Has anyone received a ship confirmation or a tracking number on the replacement motor from Wallke? Another week passed and I have not received a word. Also had UPS loose a 2nd battery I ordered with the bike, never received. Wrote Wallke again today. Curious if there's been any progress with anyone else?

 

[Slick Silver]

My last correspondence with Wallke was 2 days ago. I confirmed with them that all of the new motors being sent out are geared hub motors, which is good, and that they are supposed to fix our speedometer issues. I requested the regeneration feature be activated on mine, even though its kind of experimental at this stage (the rep warned me they are still working on it). We exchanged a few more emails confirming the details of everything after that (which is how I found out Wallke apparently found a way to pair regeneration with geared hub motors). I was told that my motor needed to be programmed and tested before being shipped, which would take a few days.

Based off our correspondence, I don't think they started programing/testing my motor until this week, so I'm expecting to get shipping info on Friday or Saturday.

 

[Curcutie]

My last correspondence with Wallke was 2 days ago. I confirmed with them that all of the new motors being sent out are geared hub motors, which is good, and that they are supposed to fix our speedometer issues. I requested the regeneration feature be activated on mine, even though its kind of experimental at this stage (the rep warned me they are still working on it). We exchanged a few more emails confirming the details of everything after that (which is how I found out Wallke apparently found a way to pair regeneration with geared hub motors). I was told that my motor needed to be programmed and tested before being shipped, which would take a few days.

Based off our correspondence, I don't think they started programing/testing my motor until this week, so I'm expecting to get shipping info on Friday or Saturday.

Y’all got any updates?

 

[Slick Silver]

I got my tracking number Thursday, being shipped by DHL Air from Hong Kong. Shipping details weren't updated until today, my ETA for delivery here in Atlanta GA is Friday 7/2.

Good timing on the updates too, because my PAS stopped working today. Was working fine on my last ride a couple days ago (minus the other problems we've been having), but today when I turned it on for a ride the motor would only kick in under throttle, no assist. I know you have the same thing going on Curcutie so I expect the new motor in the mail will address this along with the wonky speedos. At least I hope so.

Another week of patience and we'll find out...

 

[Curcutie]

I got my tracking number Thursday, being shipped by DHL Air from Hong Kong. Shipping details weren't updated until today, my ETA for delivery here in Atlanta GA is Friday 7/2.

Good timing on the updates too, because my PAS stopped working today. Was working fine on my last ride a couple days ago (minus the other problems we've been having), but today when I turned it on for a ride the motor would only kick in under throttle, no assist. I know you have the same thing going on Curcutie so I expect the new motor in the mail will address this along with the wonky speedos. At least I hope so.

Another week of patience and we'll find out...

Ohh ok. I haven’t gotten my tracking yet. I’ll email them right now. And the pas should work if you do a factory reset. Just remember to exit the setting menu after resetting and then you restart the bike. Did you play with the setting the day before? Because that’s what I did last time when my pas stopped working.

 

[Slick Silver]

Oh ok, I had changed the wheel size to 24" like John suggested to temp fix the speedo, that's probably what did it. Factory reset worked like a charm, thanks for the tip.

Hope your guys get your new motors soon as well.

 

[johnwebike]

I got my tracking number Thursday, being shipped by DHL Air from Hong Kong. Shipping details weren't updated until today, my ETA for delivery here in Atlanta GA is Friday 7/2.

Good timing on the updates too, because my PAS stopped working today. Was working fine on my last ride a couple days ago (minus the other problems we've been having), but today when I turned it on for a ride the motor would only kick in under throttle, no assist. I know you have the same thing going on Curcutie so I expect the new motor in the mail will address this along with the wonky speedos. At least I hope so.

Another week of patience and we'll find out...

Good to hear on scheduled delivery. My last email last wednesday they just said they had not had a successful run of the new motors yet.
On your PAS, please let us know if the reset works for you. My assist has been working with the 24 wheel setting so far. Also, I started a new thread with a link to a manual with all the settings for our display, so we should be able to manually set any parameter and know what it does. Several things affect how the assist functions.
Thanks for your motor update.

 

[bejumi]

I received my Wallke X3 Pro yesterday after a ton of research on all kinds of bikes, it was the one that ticked all the boxes for me.

First ride impressions: Wow, this sure doesn't feel like I'm going 20 MPH but the speedo says it it. Hm... now it says 0... weird. Must be a display issue.
No, it turns out the speedometer does NOT measure speed. It measures the motor output. I would argue pretty strongly that that is no longer an SPEEDometer.

Anyway, sent an email out to Wallke and they responded right away (great!) with the same initial canned response (not great!):
"I took some times to confirm with my colleague. The display only count miles during pedal assist or throttle mode."
They also asked for my frame and motor serial numbers. I sent those along with snippet from @Slick Silver above (thanks for posting your experience) about replacing the motor.

Hopefully they are able to fix the issue or I will return the bike. An eBike without a functional speedometer or odometer when used on city streets is ridiculous.

 

[johnwebike]

I received my Wallke X3 Pro yesterday after a ton of research on all kinds of bikes, it was the one that ticked all the boxes for me.

First ride impressions: Wow, this sure doesn't feel like I'm going 20 MPH but the speedo says it it. Hm... now it says 0... weird. Must be a display issue.
No, it turns out the speedometer does NOT measure speed. It measures the motor output. I would argue pretty strongly that that is no longer an SPEEDometer.

Anyway, sent an email out to Wallke and they responded right away (great!) with the same initial canned response (not great!):
"I took some times to confirm with my colleague. The display only count miles during pedal assist or throttle mode."
They also asked for my frame and motor serial numbers. I sent those along with snippet from @Slick Silver above (thanks for posting your experience) about replacing the motor.

Hopefully they are able to fix the issue or I will return the bike. An eBike without a functional speedometer or odometer when used on city streets is ridiculous.

I agree. It is a bit absurd, and what makes it moreso was the initial response I got from them, that it was supposed to work that way. So, I just heard they are ready to ship a new motor to solve the speedo issue. They also said the new rim comes without a valve hole, and asked if I would accept? I'm thinking the rep meant all the extra punch outs to lighten the rim weight, but cant be too sure with this company considering the history so far. They do seem to be trying to solve the issues. Although it has been frustrating to say the least. Will post if the new motor/wheel arrives.