Yamaha Bicycles drops its properly ground-breaking split-frame full suspension all-mountain e-bike. Meet the Yamaha YDX-Moro.
Ground-breaking is a term too-often thrown about by marketers but every now and then it’s actually applicable. Yamaha’s new e-MTB is like nothing else on the market. Yep, it’s the world’s first ever bike to feature a split design on both the top and down tubes which means the saddle and stand-over height can be reduced.
The point of doing this is to allow more clearance when you’re standing up on the bike while keeping the centre of gravity low, allowing you to corner with more stability and agility.
Check out our review of the Super73 SG1 e-bike.
The new frame allowed Yamaha’s boffins to design a cage-like structure to cradle the 500 watt-hour lithium battery and rear shock. This floating docking station makes it easier to change the battery but also because the mounting point is centred under the rider, handling and centre of gravity is further improved.
There’s just so much cool stuff on this bike. The all-new PW-X2 drive unit boasts a Quad Sensor System offers a natural-assist feel, according to Yamaha. An important feature for mountain bike riders “who demand a pure experience”.
“This is the bike that Yamaha fans have been asking for, a full-suspension e-Bike crafted through a collaboration of Yamaha designers and engineers to create the best handling, best assist-feeling all-mountain e-Bike on the market, hands down,” said Drew Engelmann, Yamaha’s Power Assist Bicycle group sales and marketing manager.
“Yamaha has designed a frame like no one else before, developed a new drive unit with all-new features, and, true to Yamaha’s engineering legacy, put together a total package that works so well together, it’s going to raise the bar for the all-mountain e-Bike segment from here forward. Yamaha just redefined the ‘all-mountain’ category – to ‘every mountain.’”
Offering pedal assist up to 32km/h (this will need to be reduced for sale in Australia), there are five assist modes including Eco, Standard, High, new MTB mode, and EXPW. The new PW-X2 provides assist up to 120rpm in Eco, Standard, High and MTB modes and 170rpm in EXPW mode – which is handy for when you need to get going quickly. The motor also adopts a new helical gear design, reducing noise output, or so Yamaha said.
Beyond this, there’s no word on pricing or other specs, which Yamaha said it will announce in the coming weeks. Still, the thing looks cool and if it’s as good as Yamaha reckons, it’ll be a weapon for those like me with knees that need all the help they can get on the trails.
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