Yamaha users please help all readers by sharing your feedback

[33red]

If you use or used in the past a Yamaha motor/system let everyone know what was your experience.
Pleased? Would you recommand it? What year? What bike manufacturer, Giant? Haibike? Other?
Noise level? Power? Range? Electric issue? Any issue? Things/item you wish were different? How?
We all know many so called reviews out there are just sales pitch.
We can be honest reviewers. When you can please be specific.
Thanks and Happy Trails !!

 

[HikerDave]

If you use or used in the past a Yamaha motor/system let everyone know what was your experience.
Pleased? Would you recommand it? What year? What bike manufacturer, Giant? Haibike? Other?
Noise level? Power? Range? Electric issue? Any issue? Things/item you wish were different? How?
We all know many so called reviews out there are just sales pitch.
We can be honest reviewers. When you can please be specific.
Thanks and Happy Trails !!

Yamaha PW-SE on 2018 Haibike SDURO LT 4.0.

Downsides:

- Takes a little getting used to, because at cadences above 72 rpm torque drops off. (This is better on the PW-X motor).

- Only 18 POE on the motor ratchet; this means more pedal strikes in tech terrain. (PW-X is better at 24 POE).

Advantages:

- Excellent range
- Good all the way from not moving through around 75 to 80 rpm.
- Good display; easy to use and outputs power and cadence over Bluetooth Low Energy.
- Reliable. No faults, shutdowns or glitches of any kind in over 2000 miles. YMMV and knock on wood.

Edit: I would rate the noise level as very good, because the motor noise has become much less noticable in the 2000 miles I’ve ridden the bike; I think that it has actually gotten quieter.

I would buy one again, but probably PW-X motor.

 

[RobNevyn]

2019 Giant Trance E+1 - Uses Giant's version of the 80Nm Yamaha PW-X motor.
Default range of assist is 100% to 360%.
Instant drive as soon as you weight the pedal.
Good acceleration on low cadences.
Power drops of at high cadences 80ish+.
Power drop-off is relatively smooth, noticeable but not dramatic.
Lacks adaptive mode or auto-power mode (which I believe has been addressed in the latest version of the Yamaha motor).
No complaints, no problems with the motor at all since November 2018.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, the noise could be less, it's not deal breaking but I would like it to be quieter.

 

[DrStupid]

I have a Giant Trance e+ 1 Pro with the Giant tuned Yamaha PW-X (I think), and also two bikes with the Shimano E8000 (Speedfox and KHS SixFifty 6555+). I prefer the Yamaha's instantaneous response to peddle input, and I believe it is more consistent and manageable at lower cadences during technical climbs. Some of this manageability may come from the Trance's longish chain-stays though.

The noise seems comparable to the Shimano, and doesn't bother me in the least. Keep in mind that I am coming to EMTB from a motocross and off-road motorcycle background, and not from the acoustic mountain-bike world. I just scratch my head when folks complain about the sounds that e-bike motors make

The Yamaha will lurch forward if you put pressure on the peddles, but this also doesn't surprise or bother me. When I read folks criticizing this tendency, I equate it to complaining that your car moves when pressing on the accelerator I am likely in the minority on this, and that bothers me about as much as the lurching.

I like power, and I wish both the Yamaha and the Shimano had more of it. I understand why they are limited, and make due with what's available.

I am not that interested in whether or not it feels like a peddle bike, so I can't offer up any useful opinions about "natural feel." It feels more natural than my motocross bike. LOL.

I Like the fact that they are both fun, and different. Given the choice of only one, based on performance, I chose the Yamaha over the Shimano on power output and control. But I like the fact that the Speedfox and the 6555+ use off the shelf Shimano batteries, that I expect will be available longer than the Giants version, and perhaps will be upgradable in the near future.

 

[iXi]

Mrs has the Liv E+1 PRO with the Giant tuned Yamaha PW-X.

I've ridden it a few times to compare against my shimano.

Likes
Instant power, it's an absolute beast at low cadence, great for climbing. Range seems decent. Perfect for her because she spins the cranks slow. Smooth engagement/disengagement when hitting the 25k limit.

Dislikes
Motor noise is pretty annoying. Similar to shimano but it's a constant sound regardless of load whereas the shimano ramps up in sound at higher load. Power fades quickly when cadence is over 80. A trail mode would be nice but not a deal breaker.

 

[33red]

7 months ago i bought a new Yamaha 2017 PW 250 with 500Wh. We were on snow fat season so i used it the last 3 months. A bit over 2,600 kms(1,600 miles).
I am very pleased and would recommand it. Being an unsold bike i was lucky that last one was my size and the discount was great. It came out with a retail price of 4,850$ canadian at todays rates it is about 3,686$US. It is a nice Aluminium quality built by Haibike. No need to upgrade the brakes the suspension, etc... The link shows the bike and the specs https://winora-group.com/manuals/2017/specs/HAI_sduro_specs/HAI_SDURO_hardseven_60.pdf
About a month ago i replaced the 175 mm arms with 165 wich are great for were i ride. I put on a saddle i had, cut the bar to my liking and i am using a stem i had. I had to switch the seatpost to 400 mm with my long legs.
As far as i know there are no updates no visit needed and i do not use any app. I select a mode, i pedal than i recharge. Yamaha was first with the électric motor and it shows. I was sold a quality reliable product not something in development.
The noise is present and i guess each need to test to decide on that subject.
To me it is music to my ears. As far as i know no belt system offers the range that i appreciate. I often pedal over 4 hrs and come back with 2 or more bars out of the 10 it starts when recharged.
I will try to be clear. My screen is quite large so on the left it shows in real time how much energy is leaving the battery. With 4 sensors the system decides the assist level needed so at 40, 65 or 90 RPM it can be 0 or more. We have 4 modes but i talk within each mode. So if i experience a back wind the assist is lower but with a strong face win it is higher. At 80, 90 RPM the assist does not disappear it is more on some stand by. If i press a pedal to accelerate it responds but if i am cruising the system kind of let me do the work. It is a bit like having 2 throttles. At first the instant power is a bit weird but after a while it is a great fun tool. It has no walk assist but i do not miss it.
If you like range, instant power and reliable Yamaha is worth a test.

 

[billwarwick]

Haibike hardtail 2017 with PX motor , which has had a hard life, much harder than it was probably designed for. No problems whatsoever with motor or battery. Only concern now is when battery gets down to 20%, it dies quite quickly . Probably old age. Chains etc, now that’s a different story.

 

[33red]

Haibike hardtail 2017 with PX motor , which has had a hard life, much harder than it was probably designed for. No problems whatsoever with motor or battery. Only concern now is when battery gets down to 20%, it dies quite quickly . Probably old age. Chains etc, now that’s a different story.

Recently i read some Ebike owner, my memory is not specific, wrote his battery had let s say 123 full refill cycles. May i see that info? How? Thanks. Our batteries are expected to be good for 500, 1,000 full refills?

 

[HikerDave]

Yamaha PW-SE on 2018 Haibike SDURO LT 4.0.

Downsides:

- Takes a little getting used to, because at cadences above 72 rpm torque drops off. (This is better on the PW-X motor).

- Only 18 POE on the motor ratchet; this means more pedal strikes in tech terrain. (PW-X is better at 24 POE).

Advantages:

- Excellent range
- Good all the way from not moving through around 75 to 80 rpm.
- Good display; easy to use and outputs power and cadence over Bluetooth Low Energy.
- Reliable. No faults, shutdowns or glitches of any kind in over 2000 miles. YMMV and knock on wood.

Edit: I would rate the noise level as very good, because the motor noise has become much less noticable in the 2000 miles I’ve ridden the bike; I think that it has actually gotten quieter.

I would buy one again, but probably PW-X motor.

Yamaha just answered my complaint above with the PW-X2 motor; that’s going to be at the heart of some really great eBikes!

 

[DrStupid]

Yesterday I did a demo, of the two ebikes I had with me, on a trip to visit my folks in Michigan. Both test subjects preferred the instant power of the Yamaha to the Shimano.

It seems like maybe, the only folks who don't like the instant power of the yamahopper are those who want an ebike to feel like a peddle bike?

LOL.

If I liked the feel of a peddle bike... I would buy one.

Personally I think emulating a peddle bike feel with an ebike motor is a waste of time. They should simply concentrate on lowering the weight... and then those who like the feel of an acoustic bike, can just not turn it ON.

I'm being a little silly, but also being truthful about my preferences. I worry a little about those who want the yamaha to act like the other motors. To me, and many others, the Yamahas best characteristics are those that make it unique.

 

[R120]

Yesterday I did a demo, of the two ebikes I had with me, on a trip to visit my folks in Michigan. Both test subjects preferred the instant power of the Yamaha to the Shimano.

It seems like maybe, the only folks who don't like the instant power of the yamahopper are those who want an ebike to feel like a peddle bike?

LOL.

If I liked the feel of a peddle bike... I would buy one.

Personally I think emulating a peddle bike feel with an ebike motor is a waste of time. They should simply concentrate on lowering the weight... and then those who like the feel of an acoustic bike, can just not turn it ON.

I'm being a little silly, but also being truthful about my preferences. I worry a little about those who want the yamaha to act like the other motors. To me, and many others, the Yamahas best characteristics are those that make it unique.

I think this is why its good to have a range of motor options - I fall into the category of wanting the motor to feel as natural as possible on an EMTB, which is why the Yamaha is not the motor for me. However if I was looking at an E-Bike for commuting or general riding, then its a motor that interests me.

IMO for proper trail riding its essential to have a power delivery form a motor that is in tune with your own power delivery through the pedals, in order that the bike doesn't react in a different way to what you would expect.

 

[33red]

Yesterday I did a demo, of the two ebikes I had with me, on a trip to visit my folks in Michigan. Both test subjects preferred the instant power of the Yamaha to the Shimano.

It seems like maybe, the only folks who don't like the instant power of the yamahopper are those who want an ebike to feel like a peddle bike?

LOL.

If I liked the feel of a peddle bike... I would buy one.

Personally I think emulating a peddle bike feel with an ebike motor is a waste of time. They should simply concentrate on lowering the weight... and then those who like the feel of an acoustic bike, can just not turn it ON.

I'm being a little silly, but also being truthful about my preferences. I worry a little about those who want the yamaha to act like the other motors. To me, and many others, the Yamahas best characteristics are those that make it unique.

I feel like you. We just select less assist when we begin using a Yamaha and soon we know what the assist response is. To me i use max assist to pedal to the trails and back. In the trails the next lower level(intermediate). I do not feel the need to play with the assist. Other than that i just select a gear like i have been doing the last 45 years, that simple. Well i recharge. I hope Giant will build shorter chainstay and an Efatbike in Canada the options are quite limited.

 

[208rider]

Girlfriend rides a 2019 Liv intrigue that I have ridden a few times. I really like the Yamaha motor for power and smoothness but it is definitely louder than my levo.

 

[HikerDave]

Yesterday I did a demo, of the two ebikes I had with me, on a trip to visit my folks in Michigan. Both test subjects preferred the instant power of the Yamaha to the Shimano.

It seems like maybe, the only folks who don't like the instant power of the yamahopper are those who want an ebike to feel like a peddle bike?

LOL.

If I liked the feel of a peddle bike... I would buy one.

Personally I think emulating a peddle bike feel with an ebike motor is a waste of time. They should simply concentrate on lowering the weight... and then those who like the feel of an acoustic bike, can just not turn it ON.

I'm being a little silly, but also being truthful about my preferences. I worry a little about those who want the yamaha to act like the other motors. To me, and many others, the Yamahas best characteristics are those that make it unique.

I think that the Yamaha controller could be improved at the lower assist levels to give a little extra torque when the motor is spinning up to give extra assist to compensate for motor inertia. That might happen automagically on the upcoming PW-X2 when its accelerometers mistake starting out for an incline.

Another slight improvement would be for the controller to anticipate an upshift when I stop pedalling and apply some reverse torque; on my PW-SE I have to wait about 3/4 of a second to avoid slamming the rear freewheel on a shift; that’s annoying in traffic when I need to stay ahead of or get out of the way of a vehicle.

These are small nits; my primary complaint is the drop off in torque which has already been addressed by the new model; hopefully Yamaha have managed to keep the excellent efficiency / range of the motor.

I don’t want the motor to be less responsive and I really like the assistance starting at zero cadence. Yamaha could offer customization of the dynamic response of the motor controller to pedal torque; that might be a nice feature so that in rocky technical terrain the motor could be tweaked to respond faster; less averaging of torque over the pedal revolution in order to get faster response where traction needs to be modulated by the rider.

Now that I have better tuning (faster rebound) on my rear suspension torque modulation isn’t as much of a problem; but a rider without rear suspension probably needs faster response from the motor because the rear wheel isn’t always planted on the ground. So different controller tuning might be used by a manufacturer depending on the application of the motor and the expected usage of the bike model.