Design filings show another shot at battery power from Yamaha
Yamaha has had a long on-and-off relationship with electric motorcycles and scooters – and while the market for battery-powered bikes hasn’t taken off as fast as some expected it looks like there’s another one on the way.
The news comes via a Japanese design registration that depicts an unfamiliar, electric Yamaha that looks like it’s production-ready.
It’s far from glamorous, but appears to be a 125cc-equivalent machine with a bar-mounted cowl, akin to the current RayZR 125, and it departs from the norm in terms of its mechanical layout.
Most small EV scooters follow the same thinking as petrol-powered twist-and-goes, incorporating their electric motor into the swingarm. However, the new Yamaha takes a different route, as it appears to have a belt drive to the wheel, with the motor mounted centrally, like a motorcycle. The batteries are under the seat, as there’s nowhere else for them to go, and likely to be swappable like Yamaha’s existing NEO’s electric model.
Also unusual is the rear suspension. Scooters usually position the rear shocks towards the back of the swingarm, helping to avoid interfering with their engines and the under-seat storage space. This design, however, has dual shocks mounted much further forward than usual and set wide apart to straddle the battery slot under the seat.
Up front, the headlights are a break from the otherwise conventional styling, with four separate main lamps flanking a fifth, shaped running light in the middle. The tail light is also more angular than most, with a bridge-like shape that’s a little like an inverted Honda logo…
On board we can see a small TFT screen, and there appear to be multiple storage boxes set into the inside of the cowling. There’s no visible keyhole, suggesting the seat and ignition locks are keyless electronic ones.
Given the complete appearance of the bike, it’s likely to be launched relatively soon. But can it get the sales success that previous electric scooters have struggled to find?
