Our YDX-Moro 07 long termer has exceeded our expectations of owning an E-MTB. Our Esteemed Ed has lost 5kg, vanishes Sunday mornings and was last seen wearing lycra...
Yamaha rolled the YDX-07 Moro out through Yamaha Dealerships earlier in the year, and we attended the Aussie launch, with Mike Cameron putting the bike to the test. A few months later, we took delivery of our own long termer. Perfect for me to get back on wheels!
Having the YDX-Moro 07 has been so much better than I thought having an E-MTB would be, and it has been great for bringing the family together for rides, while renewing my passion for cycling and exploring the bush.
In my first wrap up of the YDX-Moro 07, I mentioned I swapped our D’elight 125 for the pedal power (well, assisted) to help me rehab after my hand surgery, and to gain more strength in my knees, which have both been severely injured and rebuilt over the past years, to the point where I can’t push down hard with inflaming them, only pull up, and I don’t want to wear clip-in cycling shoes all the time, which is the only way I can cycle properly these days… So the E-Bike was the perfect solution, and wow has it worked out fantastically… I’m completely in-love!
Over the past month, I have found myself falling asleep at night thinking about the YDX, and waking up and gearing up and jumping straight on it for an early pedal. I’ve rediscovered so many of my old riding areas from my much younger years – some places where I would either BMW or MTB, and some where I would ride dirt bikes as a teenager! The best bit is that all of these local firetrails and crown tracks are now closed to motorcycles, but no issue on the YDX-Moro, I have freedom to ride anywhere. It’s so fantastic. There are some tight, steep single trails that I would struggle to get through on an enduro bike, but I can pedal straight up on the YDX… It’s an amazing thing.
On top of the world after pedalling up a 2km hill so steep that the YDX was trying to flip over. I was using rear brake, it has so much torque. Sensational… It would be a struggle to walk up this hill, let alone ride a normal bike.
These rides on the YDX have not only been fantastic for my mental health, they have also been great for my physical condition. My knees are definitely 20 to 30 per cent less painful now, and I have already lost 5kg after only a few months. I’ve gone from 99kg to 94kg, despite it being an assist bike, it will let you put in whatever amount of effort you decide, and it will react accordingly if that makes sense. The only thing I’ve found is with max effort and assist, the rear weight bias means the front tyre is constantly losing touch with terra firma, which can make things a bit tricky to control at times.
But because it has the motor, it encouraged you to hop on and use pedal power to go out rather than drive or ride a motorcycle. I love riding it so much that the other day I took it on a Bunnings run to get a few small things and I ended up riding to the Bunnings 15km away rather than the one 1km away! Maintenance has been fairly easy, but the YDX does require some looking after, and who would not want to anyway considering it is worth $8999 R/A, a massive investment worth caring for.
After each road ride (I have been doing a lot of that, with the tyres pumped up and the shock locked, plus the forks on the hardest settings), I generally just give the Moro a wipe down with UNPASS wipes, then wipe the chain over with a WD40 soaked rage and check the bike over quickly. I haven’t had any issues at all aside from a period where the front brakes were squealing but brake cleaner solved that. Yamaha recommend a 15-hour break-in, but my bike came from the launch so was ready to go and had been serviced. The next Yamaha service will be at 50-hours (25 to 50-hours depending on use, and this bike is getting gentle use so 50-hours is fine).
Another great morning exploring the local National Parks on the YDX. The drive unit is Yamaha’s latest PW-X3, which produces 85Nm of torque with natural and agile pedal response.
I spend 90 per cent of my riding in either Eco Mode, where I have so far got a maximum range of 73km, or in Standard Mode if I need a bit more help. Extra Power Mode comes in handy when you need a rest, or a boost of assist up some hills, and all of my off-road and trail riding I am now doing in MTB Mode, which is a trick auto mode and to be honest, it never seems to get things wrong… There is also a fully Auto mode I will explore more when I have a better understanding of the display unit. Learning the Modes and the LED display module, however, has been a bit tricky. It displays a series of lights, rather than words, and it’s hard to remember the meanings – or be sure you are in the Mode you wanted to be in at a glance…
- Eco mode – For riding as far as possible (Yamaha claim a theoretical maximum range of 136km)
- Standard mode – For flat roads and climbing gentle hills
- High Performance mode – A bit more push for steeper hill climbs
- MTB mode – For riding mixed terrain – delivers optimal assist by selecting from Eco, standard and High as conditions demand,
- Extra Power mode – For climbing rough steep terrain
Nothing like a coffee out on the bike on an early morning Sunday ride. I’ve been drinking Boss Coffee since the 1990s when I lived in Japan! I’m addicted to the stuff…
Anyway as you can tell, I’m currently pretty much smitten with the YDX-Moro 07 after approximately 30-hours of riding. I’ve run out of battery a few times and had to pedal home under my own steam (not easy with the fat tyres, the weight and the suspension), and each time it has happened (always entirely my own fault), I just appreciate the assist more and more. I’ll be handing the bike back in a month or so, unless I win lotto, then I will be signing up at my local Yamaha Dealership!
Next month I will delve much further into the technology, range, Modes, and general ownership experience of the YDX as I have more time with the bike…
2023 Yamaha YDX-Moro 07 Specifications
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