Here’s Yamaha’s new electric trials bike

The future of motorcycling just got a step closer, with Yamaha officially announcing its new electric trials bike, the TY-E.

Earlier this week, we saw rumours of a Yamaha electric trials bike, but thought it would be a while until we actually saw the finished product. Wrong! Early this morning, Yamaha released this footage of its new trials toy, and it looks rad.

Of course, trials bikes are still a niche product. However, this is increasingly the direction that we see battery bikes headed: fun-oriented machines that aren’t intended for use on public roads. It’s especially significant that this is a Yamaha product, as electric trials machines have been available from other smaller manufacturers for a while, but the Big Four have been concentrating on other electric two-wheelers.

Honda and Yamaha have been working together on EV tech in the scooter segment for a while, but we’ve seen no indication this trials bike has anything to do with that research.

One interesting design feature is the bike’s hydraulic clutch. Battery bikes don’t usually feature any sort of user-operated transmission or clutch, as the electric drivetrain removes most of the need for them. But in trials riding, as with most offroad riding in general, a clutch can be a useful tool when moderating engine output or rear wheel engine braking, so Yamaha’s included one here.

The TY-E weighs less than 70 kg, according to Yamaha’s press release, and has a lithium-ion battery and AC synchronous motor.

Right now, you can’t buy this Yamaha electric trials bike, and even if you could, it’d be pricey. It has a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, which would drive the MSRP out of the reach of the average user. Currently, this version of the bike is headed to the FIM’s Trial-E electric trials competition with Yamaha test pilot Kenichi Kuroyama on board this year.