Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1541234
P66 FIRST LOOKS I ELECTRIC MOTION/ YAMAHA YE01 RACING CONCEPT O ne of, if not the big- gest, attention-getters at EICMA this year was the YE-01 Racing Concept electric motocross bike. The Varg- esque-looking motorcycle is the result of a collaborative effort between French trials motorcycle manufacturer Electric Motion (EM) and Yamaha, which announced its investment in Electric Motion one year ago. "This motor- cycle embodies the perfect synergy between Yamaha's technological expertise and Electric Motion's know- how in high-performance electric powertrains," says Electric Motion. The YE-01 Racing Concept combines cutting-edge tech- nologies from Yamaha and EM, with a chassis predomi- nantly derived from the 2026 YZ450F. It includes KYB fully adjustable suspension and ergonomics similar to those of the YZ450F. Unlike other electric motorcycles, the YE-01 Racing Concept includes a clutch, which EM has been perfecting on its trails bikes. "Yamaha Motor is com- mitted to achieving carbon neutrality across the entire product lifecycle, including manufacturing and business operations, by 2050," says Yamaha. "The objective of racing the YE-01 Racing Con- cept in MXEP is to strengthen Yamaha's technical expertise, knowledge and understanding for the future." Expect to see the YE-01 compete in the FIM MXEP se- ries, which debuts in 2026 and will run alongside six MXGP rounds in Europe. CN 2026 ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET 650 A fter 93 years, the Royal Enfield Bullet is adopting a new engine configuration—and its largest displace- ment yet—with the air/oil-cooled 650cc SOHC parallel-twin that is already used in other Royal Enfield models, such as the Bear, the Shotgun and the Classic 650. For the Bullet 650, Royal Enfield claims a peak output of 46.4 horsepow- er at 7250 rpm and 38.6 lb-ft at 5650 rpm. It has a six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch. It has a 43mm telescopic fork and twin rear shocks from Showa, and 19- inch front and 18-inch rear wheels with disc brakes: a 320mm disc up front and a 300mm disc in the back. Dual-chan- nel ABS is standard equipment. The Bullet has a steel tubular spine frame and a vintage-style bench seat, yielding an upright riding position. A round headlight nacelle maintains that classic look, as do the hand-painted pinstripes, iconic tiger lamps and vintage-inspired 3D winged badge. The 2026 Royal Enfield Bullet 650 comes in Canon Black and Battleship Blue, but only the black version will be available in North America. It is ex- pected to be in showrooms next year, with a starting price of $7499. Since 1932, the Royal Enfield Bullet has been powered by sub-500cc singles. Now, it gets its most powerful engine yet—a 650cc parallel-twin. The collaboration between Electric Motion and Yamaha is the YE-01 Racing Concept, which is, in general, an electric-powered YZ450F.