Yamaha launches special edition electric bike to celebrate 30 years of building e-bikes

Yamaha has just announced a new limited edition electric bicycle known as the 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07.

The launch celebrates Yamaha’s 30 years of e-bike building, which made the company the first to bring a production e-bike to market. Technically there are electric bicycle patents going back around a century, but most were experimental prototypes, and none reached mass production. Similarly to the lengthy hiatus that electric cars suffered before rediscovering a broader audience, electric bikes largely disappeared for most of the 20th century until Yamaha brought its first e-bike model to market in 1993.

The rest, as they say, is history. And 30 years of history is as good a reason as any to celebrate, especially if it means a special edition of Yamaha’s most innovative electric mountain bike model to date.

The YDX-MORO e-MTB was first launched in the summer of 2020 and then refreshed in 2022 with several updates, including an advanced new motor.

The full-suspension e-bike uses a novel frame design known as a Dual Twin that divides both the down tube and top tube into two separate frame members. The patented design features air gaps between the tubes that provide space for the battery and rear suspension, creating a compact, lightweight frame that doesn’t skimp on performance.

It’s the kind of innovation you’d expect to see from a company with 30 years of e-bike design under its belt. According to National Sales and Marketing Manager Drew Engelmann, we should expect to see more of this type of advanced design and innovative tech from Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles:

Yamaha has been a pioneer in e-bikes for more than three decades, and this is an exciting time to be pushing the industry forward in the US. In 2023, we affirm our dedication to continue further advancing our technologies and offerings to bring riders in the U.S. e-bikes that make every day more fun and fulfilling.

The 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07 features impressive range efficiency, higher torque, and Yamaha’s most advanced drive technology yet in the PW-X3 motor. That drive unit includes the Interface X control unit, Yamaha’s quad sensor system and what the company describes as “the smoothest delivery of assist felt on a power assist bicycle in a lighter and more powerful complete package.”

The new Special Edition model will also include a unique polished aluminum finish coat, Yamaha racing blue rocker link and headtube, a 30th Anniversary 3D badge on the top tube and a commemorative decal on the rear of the seat tube.

Yamaha has long produced its own electric bicycle motors, and the PW-X3 is the most advanced e-bike drive system in its lineup. The motor offers a major performance boost in a package that is both smaller and more powerful than previous Yamaha motors.

Don’t let its regulatory rating of 250W fool you – the mid-drive motor has a maximum torque of 85 Nm and comes with a 500W peak power rating in its highest power operation mode.

Those ride modes include Eco, Standard, High, MTB, Extra-Power, and Automatic-Mode, as well as a Walk-Assist mode. Yamaha’s Automatic Mode lets the bike intelligently select the power mode based on the rider’s climbing, descending or braking behavior, thus allowing the rider to focus entirely on the trail.

Yamaha’s Automatic Support Mode uses a quad-sensor system, which is more refined than a cadence or torque sensor. It allows the bike to select the right amount of assistance based on riding conditions, whether accelerating, braking, or climbing, and lets riders leave ride mode changes to the system so they can focus on the trail.

The 30th Anniversary Special Edition YDX-MORO 07 is priced at $6,499, which puts this commemorative piece of e-bike history at just a $100 premium over the existing YDX-MORO 07.