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Yamaha TY-E Electric Trials

Yamaha officially introduced the TY-E electric trial bike, announcing an official factory effort in the 2018 FIM Trial-E Cup. The announcement was made at the 2018 Tokyo Motorcycle Show.

Unfortunately, Yamaha did not announce any plans to sell the TY-E, instead Yamaha will be racing it, with Japan's Trial Championship factory rider Kenichi Kuroyama set to compete with it in the 2018 FIM Trial-E Cup.

The TY-E originated as a side project by members of Yamaha’s R&D team. Under the “Evolving R&D” program, employees were allowed to devote 5% of their working hours towards new concepts and ideas. In this case, the project was green-lit and Yamaha produced its new electric trial bike.

Yamaha's latest electric motorcycle is an interesting one – it's a trials bike weighing less than 70 kg (154 lb). It's also one of the few electrics you'll see with a clutch, for fine control and extra punch when it's time to wheelie over a log or jump on top of a rock.

Trials would appear to be a good early vehicle for electric motorcycles given trial bikes don't run huge fuel tanks, nor are they expected to cover long distances. Trials riding is all about fine control, explosiveness and balance across difficult, technical terrain.

The TY-E is a competition test bed for the idea. It's a monocoque frame made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer, with an electric powertrain and the simplest of dashes.

Yamaha hasn't been forthcoming with engine power or battery capacity specs, but we do know the engine runs a flywheel and a mechanical wet, multi-plate clutch. Most electrics don't run clutches, as they're generally single-speed machines and there's no need for a clutch to take off. After all, an electric motor can apply torque no matter whether the wheel is turning or not. Trials riding, on the other hand, uses a lot of clutch, be it to pop the front wheel up on a wheelie or jump manoeuver, or to manage traction in the slippery stuff.

Normally weight is a drawback for electric cars and motorcycles, but that’s not the case with the Yamaha TY-E. Yamaha incorporated enough lightweight components with a CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) monocoque frame in order to keep the weight down making for a nimble off-roader.

2018 Yamaha TY-E Specifications
Overall Length x Width x Height	2,003mm x 830mm x 1,130mm
Wheelbase	1,310mm
Minimum Ground Clearance	350mm
Vehicle Weight	Less than 70kg
Engine Type	AC synchronous electric motor
Auxiliary Battery Type	Lithium-ion battery
Clutch Type	Hydraulic, Wet, Multi-plate
Frame Type	CFRP Monocoque