About six years ago, Yamaha unveiled the Motoroid electric motorcycle idea. At the time, it resembled something out of a science fiction film. With the company’s recent release of the updated Yamaha Motoroid 2, the bizarre self-balancing electric motorcycle appears to be edging ever-so-slightly closer to becoming a reality.
The design of the Yamaha Motoroid 2 deviates significantly from conventional motorcycles in that it forgoes many of its mechanical components.
Similar to most conventional motorbikes, the rear swingarm has suspension, but it also has a pivot that enables the bike’s back half to lean forward independently of the front.
A hub motor is located at the back and is powered by a small-looking underslung battery pack.
The front fork delivers steering in an unconventional way, according to New Atlas, and operates “mercifully normal” in comparison to the rest of the bike. This is due to the absence of handlebars like those found on a typical motorcycle. Instead, inflexible hand grips—basically just handles to grasp on to—have replaced the handlebars.
In fact, it’s unclear how exactly the front fork spins or how the rear swingarm’s pivoting motion might help with steering.
It is evident that the Yamaha Motoroid 2 is built to be self-balancing and maybe riderless, which means it can move and balance itself whether or not a person is riding along.
The bike may utilise face recognition and gesture control to follow a person around when operating without a rider on board.
When the Motoroid 2 slows down for parking, a sizable centerstand is intended to lower. When the bike decides to start rolling once more, the stand can be lifted on its own.
The majority of the new bodywork is accented with blue mood lighting, and for some reason, the false tank region is raised up as well.
Although it is unlikely that Yamaha will actually produce an electric motorcycle along these lines, it is interesting to note that the company found the concept to be valuable enough to develop a second concept and even a working prototype, which the company claims will be displayed at the Events Japan Mobility Show 2023 the following month.
Kawasaki, a fellow Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, is getting ready to begin deliveries of its first two commuter electric motorcycles, the Ninja e-1 and Z e-1, in contrast to Yamaha, which has been slow to adopt full-size electric motorcycles.
In addition to the UK, both motorcycles are now being introduced in North American (US and Canada) markets. The 2024 Z e-1 starts at US $7,299 while the Ninja e-1 will be available for US $7,599 in the US.
While the Motoroid 2 won’t likely be available for purchase anytime soon, Yamaha has created and introduced a number of lower-powered electric scooters, following Honda’s strategy of concentrating first on this type of vehicle.