YAMAHA T Y-E PROTOT YPE
FIRST IMPRESSION
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Having ridden my share of
e-bikes and prototypes from
across the spectrum of motorcy-
cling, the truth is they don't always
work as you'd hope. The TY-E
bucks that trend with progressive
and responsive suspension better
than most standard trials bikes
and handles like a dream with its
glorious hand-built, carbon-fiber
monocoque frame.
Initially it's hard not to be pre-
occupied with the loud whirring
sound of the electric motor. It is
not deliberately engineered to be
as loud as it is (relative to other
e-trials bikes racing the TrialGP,
it is particularly audible) but it is
louder than you might think until
the moment when you close the
throttle and hear silence.
You can stand, feet up and
balanced "blipping" the throttle
and have it "whizz, whizz, whizz"
under you. I'm quick to adapt
and it doesn't take long to ignore
the fact that the sound you hear
is a whine not a ring-ding of a
two-stroke or a rumble of a four-
stroke engine.
The next sensation you get
hung up on is the immediacy of
the throttle response. The throttle
is pin-sharp accurate; whatever
your right hand does has immedi-
ate effect with sudden drive. The
more you twist it the stronger it
delivers power to the back wheel,
but very much in a linear fashion—
albeit a steep line.
How much power is there?
I don't know and Yamaha is
not saying, but as far as climb-
ing steep hills or firing up rock
steps the TY-E matches a 250cc
"regular" bike.
With no transmission lag or
delay in what your right hand
asks—because you're dealing
with an electrical cable not a
conventional throttle cable—it is
a case of finely tuning what your
right hand asks. Again, I quickly
adapt to feeling that accuracy is
Trials bikes have often led the way when
it comes to cutting-edge technology.
The Yamaha TY-E is one of them.
