Is an e-MTB the best of both worlds as the urban sprawl closes riding areas? We test the Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 to find out.
Yamaha have stepped out of the shadows and joined the E-Mountain bike game with the introduction of their new Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 e-MTB. If you’re a keen dirtbike rider chances are you enjoy riding pedal powered bikes as well. Sure, it may be harder work than twisting a throttle but it’s a great crossover sport, especially when your time or location is a little limited.
This is not Yamaha’s first try at the power assist system, they actually developed it 30 plus years ago. Yamaha have had a E-MTB motor installed in other brands of MTB over the years but the YDX is Yamaha’s own first tried and tested, purpose built, long travel, aggressive E-mountain bike.
It’s pretty wild looking with Yamaha going for a twin spar aluminium frame inspired by the YZ motocross bikes. It features a 160mm Rockshox Lyric select fork with a 150mm Rockshox super deluxe select shock and is rolling on 27.5” wheels for extra playfulness. Shimano have taken care of the drivetrain with all XT level components and the ever-proven Magura MT5 four piston brakes. The lightweight PW-X3 motor boasts 85Nm of torque and is paired with a 500Wh lithium battery which depending on terrain, weight and assist level, Yamaha claims can do 136km on one charge.
There are five power assist modes for the YDX called ECO, STD, MTB, HIGH and EXPW and they can all be accessed and changed via the LED Interface unit mounted on the handlebars.
ECO is the lowest of the assist modes and will get you the most mileage on one charge. STD is the run of the mill assist mode. HIGH is for when you want to go fast and not worry about the hills, it also drains the battery the fastest. MTB is the all-terrain mode that most people go to and finally, EXPW is a super technical mode that offers the rider an automatic support mode where the bike senses the conditions and feeds the power out as needed in either ECO, STD or HIGH mode.
The more you put in, the more it puts out. The Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 will only be sold through Yamaha Land Mobility dealers and retails for an impressive $8999 including GST.
HOW DOES IT RIDE?
The launch venue was at Wylde MTB Park in Western Sydney. The trails out there are all pretty simple with a decent mixture of hills, berms, jumps and drops to play on. Being 180-ish cm tall, I was allocated a medium frame bike and the fit was pretty spot-on.
We set off on the starter loop and even though the trail was super basic, there’s just something about riding an E-bike that makes me happy. I started off in ECO mode but I quickly discovered no one else was riding in ECO so up it went into STD mode. My first impression was that the bike felt small and nimble and the motor was pretty on par with other E-bikes that I’ve ridden.
Once we got our bearings sorted for the trails of Wylde, it was time to put the YDX through its paces. I set out amongst the Yamaha factory riders and we went for a fast lap. I was accompanied by MX racers, Aaron Tanti, Luke Clout, Charli Cannon and road racers Cru Halliday and Mike Jones and we went flat out for a whole lap and it was a damn good time. On a usual bike ride, there is no way at all I would be able to hang with these guys but on the E bikes, I was doing pretty well.
It was cool to see these athletes push themselves along but it was also awesome to see the smile that we all had doing it. It was hard yards don’t get me wrong but in a really fun way. Someone would have a moment out on the track and you could hear the laughter or someone would go for a block pass and you could hear the chaos. It’s just a damn good time!
The YDX ride is smooth and plush. The riding position is pretty comfy and the Rockshox suspension is a little on the soft side compared to what I run on my E-bike but it was super forgiving and was surprisingly grippy for the marbly surface of Wylde. I found myself loving the MTB mode as it gave me the perfect power output at all times. The motor is incredibly smooth and I didn’t have any issues with it lunging or doing anything funky. The quad sensor assist mode of the YDX is a really cool concept and I played around a little bit with that as well and really enjoyed it.
As expected, The Magura brakes worked a treat and the Shimano running gear worked without a problem. I usually ride a mullet EMTB which has a 29” front wheel and 27.5” rear so it was quite different riding a dedicated 27.5” bike. It felt very small and playful and it was eating up Wylde’s tight and twisty trails with ease. It would be interesting to see how it felt on the more gnarly rocky trails like that of the Northern Beaches.
FINAL THOUGHTS
E-MTB has quickly become my favourite pastime other than riding motos and lately, I’d rather ride my E-bike over my moto. If you have never ridden an E-MTB, then make sure you have the money before you ride one, because I promise you, you’ll want one after riding it. They are so much fun and it’s just easier to do. Load the van, throw in an MTB helmet and shoes and go. I live in suburbia and being able to go riding 10 minutes from my house or straight after work without pissing anyone off is awesome and I just love it.
Honestly, the Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 – while a mouthful to say – is a super impressive bit of kit. Being a Yamaha built bike, I knew it would be solid and reliable and the YDX ticked all the boxes for me. It’s fun as hell to ride, it’s very playful out on the trail, has a great, reliable motor package with awesome rider interface and to me is just an all-round awesome bit of gear.
WORDS GEOFF BRAICO || PHOTOS iKAPTURE