Yamaha YDX Moro 07 2023 Review

Electric bikes, e-bikes, pedelecs. Whatever you call them, there’s no denying pedal-assisted bicycles are a key battlefield for future recreational mobility.

And now, Yamaha has joined the ranks.

The Japanese manufacturer has brought an electric mountain bike, or eMTB, to Australia for the very first time. The Yamaha YDX Moro 07 is touted as a mid-level, all-mountain offering with an electric motor, quality components and a relatively competitive sticker price.

Yamaha’s timing for Oz is no coincidence. It has made no secret of its desire to become a carbon-neutral company by 2050, and the YDX Moro 07 drops amid tightening restrictions which make it harder to take your dirt bike into the bush – especially in New South Wales.

And e-bikes? They’re a totally different story, and the national network of trails is growing exponentially. So let’s get to it.

The Yamaha YDX Moro 07 is priced from $8999 ride-away in Australia.

To the uninitiated, that may sound like a lot of freight for a mountain bike, but the COVID-19 pandemic and booming MTB popularity has really reframed the e-bike segment; so much so it isn’t uncommon for trail warriors to be shelling out in excess of $10,000 for a new pushy - electrified or not.

At $9k, the YDX Moro 07 undercuts established registered Yamaha dirt bike offerings by some margin, and even undercuts the most affordable full-size motocross, the humble YZ125 two-stroke, on price.

Against its competitive set, the YDX Moro 07 matches the entry Specialized Turbo Levo ($8900) on price and specification, together with a swag of other e-bike machinery.

Although this is new territory in Australia, Yamaha says it has been developing and producing electric motors for bicycles (known as Power Assist Systems in Yamaha speak) for more than 30 years.

It has also been producing e-bikes for almost the same amount of time, though just hasn’t offered them in Australia before.

Boasting a twin-spar alloy frame and an electric motor both developed in-house by Yamaha Motor Corporation, the YDX Moro 07 – whose name loosely translates to ‘mountain on the moon’ in Japanese – is set be the first of many e-bike offerings from Yamaha.

The modular twin-spar alloy frame houses an 85Nm electric motor mated to a 500Wh battery which weighs 3kg and offers a 13.4ah capacity. Overall weight is rated at 23.2kg.

Depending on conditions and usage, Yamaha claims the YDX Moro 07 will provide up to 136km of claimed range, with charging from nought to 80 per cent taking roughly one hour from a household power point (or four hours to full charge).

The PAS is designed to assist riders with pedalling at speeds of up to 25km/h; the rider can go faster on their own leg power thereafter.

A distinguishing feature with the YDX Moro 07 are five different riding modes which are all interchangeable via the handlebars and clever bar-mounted Interface X display. Furthermore, the YDX uses a gyroscopic system which limits power assistance while the bike is banked over during corners, to promote stability and confidence on corner exit.

Elsewhere, the YDX Moro 07 features a Rockshox Lyrick Select 160mm fork and Rockshox Super Deluxe Select 150mm shock, Magura MT5 four-piston brakes with 203mm rotors, a dropper seat post and 12-speed Shimano XT running gear.

Yamaha has fit the YDX Moro 07 solely with 27.5-inch wheels wrapped in 2.6-inch wide Maxxis tyres. Overall sizing is confined to Small, Medium and Large, posing a potential issue for the taller riders among us.

The YDX Moro 07 will be offered at 55 of Yamaha Australia’s 100-or-so dealers, who were each given the choice on whether they wanted to stock the new machine. Technicians at those dealers have also been trained up on assembling and servicing the YDX.

The motor, frame and forks are backed by a fully-transferrable three-year warranty, the battery is backed by a two-year warranty and the hydraulic suspension and other components have a one-year provision.

The defining feature of the Yamaha YDX Moro 07 upon seeing it and sitting on it for the first time is the quality of finish and the attention to detail.

The Icon Blue hue of our test bike looks great, all the frame welds present in a very Japanese-like manner (read: neat!) and the running gear and components feel top notch. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the Interface X display, which looks and feels flush, too.

Yamaha’s decision to mount the recharge point towards the top section of the twin-spar frame is another considered move, keeping it away from mud, debris and damage.

The one downside to the inherent neatness and engineering is a lack of space for a water bottle inside the frame triangle – an issue easily offset by a hydration pack.

The YDX Moro 07 gets plastic pedals as standard – a fitment we are told is normal practice for an e-bike under $10,000 – but otherwise it feels every bit as good as the price tag; looking at the price of rivals, we’d say it represents decent value, even.

Everything about the YDX Moro 07 feels well thought-out, with ample cockpit space, great modulation of the controls and a nice rider triangle – at least for your correspondent’s 176cm frame.

Yamaha’s decision to fit 27.5-inch wheels might deter some riders who prefer the 29er layout, but it seems an appropriate given the positioning and price of the YDX Moro 07.

And at the Wylde MTB and BMW Park in western Sydney, it’s seemingly a match made in heaven.

If, like us, you’re relatively new to the e-bike thing, it goes a little like this.

The Yamaha YDX Moro 07 assists with pedal power. So when you press down on the pedal (a differentiator on some other e-bikes, which require the crank to turn before engaging assistance), the electric motor contributes its own energy – kind of the same way an electric motor assists a petrol-powered hybrid car, with no separate throttle for the electric propulsion.

It all sounds very convoluted but the truth is that it becomes quite organic after a few minutes behind the ‘bars, with each of the five riding modes providing tangible difference from one another.

Our ride at Wylde involves a 12km loop on a relatively warm Sydney autumn day. The YDX Moro 07 immediately instils confidence with the sharpness of its brakes, its front to rear balance and the control of the suspension over small bumps.

It’s also very effective at masking its 23.2kg kerb mass – while the electric motor is operating. It means pinch points in the trail, slower obstacles and manoeuvring the bike through the air are a relative cinch, especially while already in motion. You can also easily loft the front wheels without fuss while navigating obstacles.

If you turn the electric motor off, or it turns itself off as our tester did after a few minutes sitting idle, the YDX Moro 07 quickly feels weighed down by the added running gear. It’s still balanced, it just feels really heavy.

In any case, it doesn’t take long before we’re clipping along at a brisk pace, and the YDX Moro 07 feels extremely stable and surefooted over varying obstacles.

The 2.6-inch tyres wheels provide incredible stability under brakes and through corners, meaning the YDX Moro 07 will happily bludgeon its way over log jumps and extended rocky sections without upsetting outright balance.

The relatively short footprint and smaller wheels are a perfect match for Wylde’s mostly tight ribbon of trails, providing sharp cornering response and agility through changes in direction. And yet, when the trails open up and more speed is welcome, the YDX Moro 07 feels really well tied down, using its suspension effectively to dispatch mid-corner bumps and big wallowy undulations alike.

The e-motor plays its part in the stability as well; low-slung within the frame and assisted by a gyro feature that won’t give you the full whack of power until the bike is stood upright. It’s a clever system that really helps distinguish the Yami from its rivals.

The added weight and symmetry of the Yamaha do indeed help bridge the gap between typical MTB and a motocross bike, we reckon. A fun jumps section towards the end of the trail highlights this feature – the bike feeling more predictable and stable through the air than an unassisted MTB. And according to Yamaha this was the intention all along.

Naturally, Yamaha’s first eMTB in Australia brings an element of the unknown as well. You’re soon braking on approach to uphill corners, which is truly foreign, and the turn of speed is just so much faster than a traditional mountainbike, at least for this pilot.

Do you emerge at the trailhead tired and out of breath. Certainly, but the lungs do feel a little fresher and the lactic build-up isn’t quite as intense as a bike with no electric assistance. For many, this will be welcome, for others it will still be seen as too much.

The fact we even tested the YDX Moro 07 at a relatively new complex in a soon-to-be extremely busy part of western Sydney (new airport, anyone?) probably tells you all you need to know.

For some trail riders, e-bikes are the future. For many others, they’ve already eschewed the humble trail bike’s spot in the garage for their ease of use, relative lack of maintenance and pure selection of trails now off limits to the humble motorcycle.

So, should the YDX Moro 07 be your next set of weekend wheels? Not quite, but that’s not really the point as the intention here is to supplement them with something more accessible.

This new genre is emerging as a key battleground for manufacturers, and Yamaha is off to a fantastic start with its first offering. The YDX Moro 07 is a compelling trail proposition, fit with quality parts, great ergonomics and backed by an extensive dealer network and warranty.

It’s the perfect segue from an existing pedal-powered mountain bike, and lays the foundation for some salivating new arrivals from the Hamamatsu brand.

ENGINE
Drive Unit: Yamaha PW-X3, 85 Nm
Battery: Yamaha Lithium Ion 500 Wh, 36 V, 13.4 Ah
Display: Yamaha Interface X
Max Speed with Assist: 25 km/h

DRIVETRAIN
Shifters: Shimano SL-M8100-R, XT, 12-speed
Rear Derailleur: Shimano RD-M8100, XT, SGS 12-speed
Crankarm: Praxis AL6000 w/bolts 165 mm
Chainrings: Praxis 36T
Chain: KMC e12 TURBO EPT 12-speed
Cassette: Shimano XT CS-M8100-12, 12-speed (10-51T)

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Size: Small, Medium, Large
Frame: Yamaha Dual Twin alloy frame
Fork: RockShox Lyrick Select RC, 160 mm travel, 37 mm offset
Rear Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ RT 210×55 Debonair Yamaha tuning, 150mm travel
Headset: Integrated tapered with 30 mm steerer spacers
Handlebar: Alloy 780 mm wide, 35.0 mm dia. 30 mm rise
Stem: Alloy 4-bolt faceplate, 40 mm length, 35.0 mm dia.
Grip: Velo lock-on grip
Seat: Yamaha Off-Road Cro-Mo Rail, anti-slip
Seat Post: Alloy 30.9 mm dia. dropper post. (S) 125 mm travel, (M) 150 mm travel, (L) 170 mm travel
Brakes: Magura MT5 with 203 mm Storm CenterLock rotors, 4-piston
Wheels: 27.5-inch alloy, 40 mm inner rim width
Tyres: Minion DHF New EXO+ /3C MaxxTerra 27.5×2.6 front, Rekon New EXO+ /3C MaxxTerra 27.5×2.6 rear

OTHER STUFF
Price: $8,999 Ride-Away
Riding Type: All Mountain
Colours Icon Blue
Test bike supplied by Yamaha Motor Australia