How Much Faster Can You Go on a Dual Motor E-Trike? Speed Limits, Total Power, and What Two Motors Really Do

Two Motors, One Big Question

I get this question all the time, in the showroom, on the phone, and in the comments under our videos: if an e-trike has two motors, how much faster does it go? It's a fair thing to wonder. Two motors sounds like it should mean double the speed. The honest answer is more interesting than a simple number, and it touches on the law, on how e-trikes are programmed, on what motors are actually built to handle, and on what a three-wheeled frame can safely do.

I'm Dustin Gyger. I've spent twenty years in the bike and e-bike industry, and a big part of my work at sixthreezero is helping riders figure out which bike or trike actually fits the way they want to ride. Speed comes up constantly. Usually it's from someone who has ridden a single-motor e-trike, loved it, and now wonders whether a dual motor model would give them more of a thrill. So I want to walk through this the same way I would if you stopped by and asked me face to face.

When someone asks me about top speed, my first question back is usually: what do you want the speed for? Some people picture cruising faster on the bike path. Some are tired of crawling up the hill on the way home. Some ride on dirt roads or rough ground and want something that won't bog down. Those are three very different needs, and a dual motor trike serves them in very different ways. Keep your own answer in mind as you read, because it'll make the rest of this a lot more useful.

The trike I'm using as the example

The trike I'll reference throughout this article is our Simple Glide Dual Motor e-trike. It has two hub motors: a 750 watt motor in the rear wheel and a second 750 watt motor in the front wheel. Together that's 1,500 watts of total power. It's a recumbent design, so you sit back in a supportive seat rather than perched upright, and it lives in our recumbent electric trike collection. When I share real-world speed numbers later on, they come from my own time riding this trike.

Before we get anywhere near miles per hour, though, there's something about how this trike is set up that matters more than most shoppers realize. It has nothing to do with going fast. It has to do with where you're allowed to ride.

A quick word on terminology, since it comes up in every one of these conversations. A hub motor sits inside the center of a wheel and turns that wheel directly. On the Simple Glide Dual, one hub motor drives the rear wheel and the other drives the front wheel. That layout is what makes it possible to run one motor without the other, which turns out to be one of the most practical things about this trike.

Why the rear motor can run on its own

The two motors on the Simple Glide Dual aren't locked together. You can ride on the rear 750 watt motor by itself. That's a deliberate design choice, and the reason is legal. Here in California, you can't have a motor over 750 watts on an e-bike or e-trike that you're riding on the streets, in bike lanes, or on paved trails. If you're out on a public road or a shared paved path with more than that running, technically you're riding an illegal electric product.

So the setup is straightforward. In bike lanes, on paved trails, and on the street, you run the single rear motor, and you're adhering to local law. The second motor is there for the situations where you genuinely need it and where it's appropriate to use it. I'll get into what those situations are shortly, because they're the real reason dual motors exist in the first place.

I'd encourage anyone shopping for a dual motor trike to look up the rules where they live. I'm speaking to California because that's where we're based and where I do most of my riding. Wherever you are, the questions are the same: what's the legal motor limit on public roads and shared paths, and does the trike I'm considering let me ride within it? A trike that can switch down to a single legal motor gives you that flexibility. One that can't leaves you stuck with whatever power it has, everywhere you take it.

Two motors doesn't mean double the speed

Here's the short version of everything that follows. Adding a second motor does not double your top speed. On most e-trikes it doesn't raise your top speed at all during normal riding. What a second motor changes is how hard the trike can pull. That's a different thing entirely, and once the difference clicks, deciding whether a dual motor trike makes sense for you gets a lot easier.

There are a few pieces to this puzzle. First, nearly every e-trike designed for pavement has a speed limit programmed into it. Second, the phrase "dual motor" can describe wildly different amounts of power depending on which motors are used. Third, rider weight, motor design, and the physics of riding on three wheels all put a ceiling on what's sensible. I'll take them one at a time.

The first thing to understand is that most e-trike companies, and I can't say all of them, ship their trikes with a software program that limits the trike to 20 miles per hour. That limit is set in the electronics. It doesn't matter whether the trike has one motor or two, or how many watts those motors are rated for. When you reach the cap, the motor stops helping you go any faster.

There are exceptions. If a company sells a particular e-trike for off-road use only, they may not set a limit on it, and in that case it may be able to go faster than 20 miles per hour. But of most of the brands out there that I know, the trikes are designed primarily for pavement. Some of them can handle off-road riding too, but pavement is where they're meant to spend their time.

If a trike is designed for pavement, the company is very likely going to limit the speed. That limit is what prevents you from going over 20 miles per hour regardless of the motor size. So if you're browsing electric tricycles and comparing a single motor model against a dual motor model, and both are designed for pavement with the same cap, don't expect the dual motor version to have a higher top speed number on a flat road. On flat ground, they'll both stop helping you at the same point.

The cap limits speed, not effort

This is where people get tripped up, so let me be specific. A speed limiter decides the maximum speed the motor will help you reach. It doesn't decide how much work the trike has to do to get there. Those are two separate things, and the second one is where dual motors earn their keep.

Think about a steep hill. You, the trike, and whatever you're carrying all have to be hauled up that grade. On a single motor, one motor is doing all of that work, and on a steep enough climb you'll feel the trike slow down and start to labor. With two motors sharing the job, the climb gets much easier. The top speed on paper hasn't changed at all. But the ride feels completely different the moment the road tilts up.

Hills: the number one reason for a second motor

The reason for the additional motor is really to help with inclines. That's the honest headline of this whole article. Dual motors make steep hills much easier. If you live somewhere with real grades, where your current trike feels like it's grinding through the last stretch of the climb home, a second motor is going to change that experience in a way you'll notice every single ride.

This matters even more depending on who's riding. I'll come back to rider weight in the next section, because it affects both climbing and top speed. For now, just know that the heavier the load a trike has to move, the more a second motor helps on a grade.

Off-road: the other big reason

The second reason is off-road riding. If you ride off-road, dual motors help the trike tackle bumpier, loose dirt terrain, and conditions like that. Loose surfaces are hard to get going on and hard to keep momentum through. Having power available at both the front wheel and the rear wheel helps the trike work through ground that would make a single motor struggle.

If rough ground is a big part of what you have in mind, it's also worth looking at our fat tire electric trikes, since wider tires are part of how a trike handles uneven surfaces. Tires and motors work together on that kind of terrain. A strong motor spinning a tire that can't grip the ground doesn't get you very far.

Notice that neither of those reasons is "go faster." Both are about getting where you're going with less struggle: easier climbs and more confidence on rough ground. That's the lens I'd suggest you use when you look at any dual motor trike, ours included. Ask whether it solves a problem you actually have. If your rides are flat and paved, a second motor may not add much. If your rides include steep hills or dirt, it can make a real difference.

Before I share the higher speed numbers

In the next section I'm going to give you my estimate of how fast a dual motor trike could actually go if there were no limit on it. But I want to be clear about the context first. Riding without the limit is for private land, off-road use only. It's not for bike lanes or paved trails that you share with other people, like walkers, kids, dogs, and other riders. Those shared spaces are exactly why the limits exist.

I'd rather you understand the real numbers than wonder about them, which is why I'm sharing them. Understanding what's mechanically possible and deciding to ride that way on a public path are two very different things. Keep that distinction in mind as we go.

"Dual motor" can mean a lot of different things

The phrase "dual motor" tells you how many motors a trike has. It tells you nothing about how much power those motors put out. This one is a 750 watt rear and a 750 watt front. But there are, or could be, trikes that come with a 1,000 watt motor in the rear and a 1,000 watt motor in the front. Some might pair a hub motor with a 1,000 watt or 750 watt motor in the middle of the frame. And it could go the other direction, too, with a 250 watt motor in the rear and a 250 watt motor in the front.

So when we talk about dual motors, we have to look at the total power to understand how fast a trike can go and how hard it can pull. That's the number that matters. Two motors is a feature. Total wattage is the substance.

Why a single 750 can beat a dual 250

Here's an example that surprises a lot of shoppers. A dual motor trike with two 250 watt motors has 500 watts of total power. A trike with a single 750 watt motor has more power than that. On paper, the dual motor trike sounds like the stronger option. In reality, the single 750 is the more powerful trike.

That's why I tell people not to shop by motor count. If you see "dual motor" on a listing, look for the wattage of each motor and add them up. If the listing doesn't make that clear, ask. A trike with two small motors can easily be outpulled by a trike with one strong one.

The motor sizes you'll usually see

The motors you'll come across are usually 250, 500, 750, or 1,000 watts. I've seen 1,500 watt motors as well, and it's possible they go up to 2,000 watts. But by that point we're starting to get into motorcycle-type power, which is a whole different category of machine than most people picture when they think of an e-trike.

Combinations add up quickly. You could have a 1,000 watt motor in the back and a 750 in the front, and now you're at 1,750 watts total. That's a lot of power to put on a three-wheeled frame, and it raises questions about safety and design that I'll get to in the next section.

So how fast could this trike actually go?

Now for the number you've been waiting for. With this particular trike at 1,500 watts of total power, completely uninhibited, with no cutoff at 20 miles per hour, you could probably get up to about 30 miles per hour. That's my estimate based on the motors and my experience with the trike.

I've actually ridden this dual motor without it being limited, on private ground, and I believe I got to about 28 or 29 miles per hour. So my real-world result landed just under that rough 30 mph estimate. That's the honest picture: the ceiling exists, it's higher than 20, and it's nowhere near double.

Rider weight changes the answer

The other thing that's going to impact top speed is the weight of the rider. Someone who's lighter is going to be able to hit a higher top speed. Someone who's heavier is going to have a lower top speed. The motors are moving the whole package, rider included, so more weight means the same power gets you a little less speed.

That's one reason two riders can try the same trike and come away with different numbers. It's also why I don't like quoting a single top speed as if it's guaranteed. Your weight, what you're carrying, and the ground you're on all play a role. If you're a heavier rider and you're shopping specifically for a trike built to carry more, take a look at our electric trikes with a high weight capacity.

Why the motors themselves are part of the limit

Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough. While this trike has dual motors, they're each a single 750 watt motor. When you start to push them up to those higher speeds, you're putting a lot of strain on motors that aren't designed for it. That's another reason the speeds are limited. The cap isn't only about legality and rider safety. It also protects the motors from being run outside of what they were built to do.

So if you really do have a need for speed and you're riding off-road, you may want to look at trikes built around 1,000 watt or 1,500 watt motors, ones that are designed to propel a trike faster than 20 miles per hour. That's a different design goal from a pavement trike with two 750s, and it makes sense to choose a machine that was built for the job you want it to do rather than pushing one beyond its intended use.

What to check on any dual motor listing

Pulling all of this together, here's what I'd look for before buying any dual motor e-trike, whether it's ours or someone else's:

• The wattage of each motor, so you can add them up and know the true total power rather than relying on the words "dual motor."
• Whether you can run a single motor on its own, so you can stay within the legal limit on streets, bike lanes, and paved trails where you live.
• The programmed top speed, and whether the trike is designed for pavement, off-road use only, or both.
• What the motors are designed for. Two 750 watt motors built for a 20 mph trike are a different proposition than motors designed to run beyond 20 mph.
• How your own weight and what you plan to carry will affect both climbing and speed.

If a listing leaves any of those questions unanswered, ask the seller directly. A good company will tell you plainly what its trike is built to do and what it isn't.

Let's say you go that route anyway. Once you get into 1,000 watt motors and 2,000 watts total, you're looking at 30, maybe 40 miles per hour. At that point there are some questions you have to ask yourself, and I'd ask them honestly before spending any money.

The questions worth asking before you chase speed

Number one: is that going to be safe on an electric trike? Number two: do you really need that kind of power? Number three: is the design of the trike suited to it? Those aren't trick questions. A frame, a set of wheels, and a braking setup that work beautifully at 20 miles per hour aren't automatically up to the job at 35 or 40.

There's also the price. As you go up in power, you drive the cost up too. And at those power levels, you start overlapping with quads and similar machines, which can have equal or even more power than that. If what you really want is a fast off-road machine, it's worth stepping back and asking whether an e-trike is the right tool at all, or whether you're trying to turn a comfortable, stable cruiser into something it was never meant to be.

How design determines the speed limit

Design is a big part of how we set limits. We limit our trikes, and many other trikes out there are limited to 16 miles per hour. The Simple Glide Dual can go 20 miles per hour because of its design. In other words, the limit isn't arbitrary. It reflects what the frame and layout of a specific trike can handle comfortably and safely.

When you're comparing trikes, it's worth paying attention to that number and asking why it is what it is. A trike capped at 16 isn't necessarily worse than one capped at 20. It may simply be built for a different kind of riding, where stability at a relaxed pace matters more than getting somewhere quickly.

Two wheels versus three at higher speeds

Here's something I want every trike shopper to hear. A two-wheeled bike is definitely going to be safer at higher speeds than a three-wheeled bike going in excess of those limits. Trikes are fantastic for stability at normal speeds. You don't have to balance, you can stop and start without putting a foot down, and they're easy to get comfortable on. But that same three-wheel layout behaves differently when you push the speed up.

You don't want to be flying around turns on a dual motor trike at 25 miles per hour. Turning at speed on three wheels is a very different experience than leaning a bicycle through a corner. If speed genuinely matters to you and you're comfortable balancing, it's worth taking a look at our two-wheeled electric bikes as well, because they're better suited to it.

And whatever you ride, make sure the brakes match the riding you plan to do. If you're comparing trikes and stopping power is high on your list, you can browse our electric trikes with disc brakes to narrow things down.

The true benefit of a dual motor trike

So where does all of this leave the dual motor trike? Right where it belongs. The true benefit of a dual motor on a trike is helping out on hills, especially for heavier riders who may struggle on steep grades with a heavy e-trike. When you have dual motors, you can get up those hills more easily, make your rides more enjoyable, and get out and do the rides you actually want to do.

That's a big deal. I talk to a lot of riders who've quietly stopped taking certain routes because there's a climb they dread. Maybe it's the hill between their house and the park, or the grade on the way back from the store. A second motor can put those rides back on the table. That's a much more meaningful upgrade than a few extra miles per hour you can't legally use on the bike path anyway.

Heavier riders feel this most. An e-trike is already a substantial machine, and when you add a rider who's carrying more weight, a single motor on a steep grade has a lot to move. That's the moment where riders tell me they started pedaling harder than they wanted to, or got off and walked. With two motors sharing the load, that same climb becomes something you can ride with confidence, at a steady pace, without dreading it the whole way up.

If you're not sure whether a single motor will be enough for your routes or whether dual motors are worth it for you, that's exactly the kind of question we can help with. Our fitting process is a good place to start, because the right trike depends on your body, your riding, and where you live as much as it depends on the spec sheet.

A quick recap

So that's your baseline. Most manufacturers limit e-trikes to 20 miles per hour, and some limit them to 16. A second motor helps you climb and handle rough ground far more than it raises your top speed. Total wattage matters more than motor count. Without a limiter, this 1,500 watt trike could probably reach about 30 miles per hour, and in my own experience it got to around 28 or 29, with lighter riders going a bit faster and heavier riders a bit slower. And three wheels at high speed is a combination to respect.

I know some people reading this are thinking about the obvious next step: if the limit is just software, can't I get rid of it? I want to be direct about this. Even if you figure out how to remove the limiter, you're going to void the warranty, and you're going to put yourself at risk. I would not suggest doing it.

On our trikes, and on many others, you actually need a specific code to change that setting. We don't allow customers to go out and remove the limiters so they can go as fast as they want. The limiters are there to make sure we're selling a safe product. They protect you, they protect the people you share the path with, and, as I explained earlier, they keep the motors working within what they were built to handle.

I've been around bikes and e-bikes for two decades, and I've seen what happens when people push equipment past what it was designed for. A trike that's a joy to ride at its intended speed can become something very different when it's running beyond that. If you want more speed, the right move is choosing a machine that was designed for it, not overriding the safeguards on one that wasn't.

Have questions about dual motors or top speed?

If you have any other questions about dual motors or top speeds, reach out to our team. You can call us at (310) 982-2877 or get in touch through our contact page. These are exactly the kinds of conversations we have with riders every day, and there's no such thing as a silly question when you're trying to choose the right trike.

Try it before you commit

We also offer a 30-day test ride. If you don't love your e-trike in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, and no money out of your pocket. I think that's the best way to answer the question "is a dual motor worth it for me?" Take it up the hills you actually ride and see how it feels.

We stand behind what we sell with our warranty, too. If something goes wrong, we'll take care of it. You can read the full details on our warranty page.

And if you're near us, come out for a test ride in person. We're in San Clemente, California, and you can find our address and details on our visit our store page. Come test ride any of our e-trikes before you purchase so you can be sure you're making the right choice. Riding a single motor and a dual motor trike back to back is an eye-opener.

Talk to riders who've been there

In addition to that, I'd encourage you to join our community before you purchase. We have a rider Facebook group with thousands of members. Join before you buy so you can talk to existing riders, ask how their trikes handle the hills where they live, and make sure you're making the right choice. Then, once you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and share your rides.

Finally, download our sixthreezero app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. It's a fun way to stay motivated, and those hills you used to avoid make for great entries once you have the power to climb them.

The bottom line

A dual motor e-trike won't make you twice as fast. On pavement, with the limiter doing its job, it'll top out at the same speed as a comparable single motor trike. What it will do is make steep hills and rough ground feel dramatically easier, and for the right rider that's worth far more than a higher number on the display. Choose the power you need for the rides you want to take, respect what three wheels can handle, and leave the safeguards in place.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. It's your journey. Enjoy the ride.