First rides on the Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 e-bike

Just recently I was invited to Yamaha Motorcycles HQ to test ride their first e-bike available in Australia. What you probably don’t know is that Yamaha come into the e-bike market here in Australia with 30 years of experience and even invented the world’s first electrically power assisted bicycle in1989 to help staff get around their large factorys. Sales of their first Power Assisted System (PAS) bicycle starting in 1993 and with over five million PAS units sold Globally to date.

The first bike we see here in Australia is The YDX-MORO 07 which isn’t just a Yamaha motor in another brand's frame like we have seen in the past, but an entirely new in-house made eMTB. Drawing on their Motocross background Yamaha have developed an alloy bilateral beam frame designs with a mix of hydroformed and forged tubes in order to tune stiffness into the correct parts of the frame and get the ride feel they wanted. I have to say seeing a raw frame with no parts attached it does look very much like a dirt bike chassis.

Some nice features that came from this unique design are the fact they were able to store the battery in between the frame tubes while alloying it exposure to airflow to avoid overheating –  which is something e-bikes with intube batteries can have an issue with. You also get a huge amount of standover clearance too which is nice, along with the ability to insert a pretty long dropper if required.

On the trials you get quite a few assists modes to pick from being, walk (6kph) automatic (which only gives you what you put in) ECO, standard, HIGH to MTB to Extra Power MTB mode.

The pick of the modes is the Extra Power MTB mode which staggers power output for smoother delivery and more power in the dead spot of the pedal stroke and less in the power phase to make the power delivery feel more natural and to help for consistent input on technical climbs.

The YDX-MORO 07 has Yamaha's latest motor, the PW-X3, which is lighter than the previous model and a much more compact offering with great ground clearance. The PW-X3 offers a high power 85Nm torque motor with natural and agile pedal response, instant support with full torque immediately after pressure is applied to the pedal, not after you start to turn the crank. There is also very little noise while in use.

Battery wise you get a Lithium-ion type with a 500Wh rating; 13.4Ah capacity; 3kg weight (which weighs more that the motor). Charging time to 100 per cent – four hours. 80 per cent in one hour and the charging port is conveniently located at the top of the battery away from cranks and dirt. Range wise depending on how you use the power Yamaha say you can expect upto 136km.

The head unit, or brain so to speak, is super clean and easy to use, you even get a USB port if you need to your head unit for the STRAVA KOM’s.

At this stage we only see 27.5 wheels front and rear on all size frames which does contribute to the nimble nature of the bike. But with 27.5/2.6" Maxxis rubber we are in the world of Plus size so rolling wise it’s not far off a 29er. Having a 160mm RockShox Lyric up front and 150mm of Horst Link travel out back there really isn’t much that holds you back on the YDX MORO, pair that with big Magura stoppers and a smooth Shimano XT drivetrain the $8999.00 price tag is pretty on the money.

At this stage Yamaha will only be rolling this out through what they call their Land Mobility dealers (motor bike shops) who will also handle all aspects of service and warranty for every part of the bike. Currently Yamaha have 55 dealers nationally with the YDX-MORO 07 on the floor and trained technicians in store qualified to work on them.

On the dirt

It doesn’t take much to feel comfortable on the YDX-MORO 07 with its well thought out parts package and suspension along pretty neutral body position on the bike. While you do know its an eMTB to ride, there is little noise from the motor and what noise is there tends to disappear into the background. This is not an eMTB that you will hear coming a mile off as that one guy comes past on his second lap before you have done your first.

Given the YDX-MORO 07 rolls on 27.5 wheels its doesn’t feel too slow, the big 2.6" tyres sit pretty tall and offer you boat loads of traction. In fact, some of the most fun had was sitting down with the dropper low and just pedalling on full power mode around some tight switch back climbs where you were getting full use of the motor the entire time.

This playful feel does tend to carry across into the rest of the riding with the YDX-MORO 07 being quite snappy out of turns due to its pretty instant and natural delivery of power. While the trails I rode on did not offer up some super technical features they did offer a variety of jump trails all of which the YDX-MORO 07 tackled with ease and confidence from the very first run.

I would like to tackle some rougher more technical trails to make use of the 160mm/150mm travel and see if a mullet or full 29er version of the YDX-MORO 07 might be more exciting option for what is already a fun little package. Stay tuned for a full revoew in a coming issue.