Yamaha PES1 and PED1 electric motorcycles headed for production

Yamaha is entering the electric motorcycle market with the all-electric PES1 and PED1 motorcycles

4/27/14 4:59 pm chumakdenis 1

I've always been a Yamaha  fan.A comany that has origins as a musical instrument manufacturer is still reflected today be creating its masterpieces.But are electric motorcycles as good as non-electric? Well, let's find out.

Some history

It was back in November that we were introduced to the Yamaha PES1 and PED1 electric bikes in the run up to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Yamaha had three bikes and a scooter to showcase at the event. Two were the aforementioned electric while the others were a cafe racer based on the Yamaha Star Bolt and the Evino electric scooter. Just a half year since then, we’ve got confirmation that Yamaha will put the PES1 and PED1 bikes into production. Expect to see these oddball electrics in showrooms by 2016.

Yamaha PES1

The Yamaha PES1 has a design unlike anything we’d expect to see on a sportsbike, as it claims to be.Yamaha got a fairly positive response to these bikes when they were showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show. These bikes weren’t showcased as concepts at the event neither were they headed for production. Yamaha meant these bikes to be a peek into what the future holds for electric bikes. Electric motor technology has made considerable progress in cars and Tesla’s Model S has displayed performance comparable to that of cars that use conventional powerplants. However, bikes are behind on using electric mills and the PES1 and PED1 are Yamaha’s attempt at redressing that issue. These bikes will make it out of the company’s manufacturing plants in 2016.

Difference between  Yamaha PES1 and PED1

The Yamaha PES1 and PED1 are built on the same platform. The midship chassis holding the brushless DC motor will also be share. They differ in the kind of suspensions and sprockets they use, due to a fundamental difference in the nature of bikes. PES stands for Passion Electric Street Sport and is Yamaha’s attempt at recreating the sportbike experience on an electric vehicle. The PED1 is sort of a dirtbike version of the PES1, as revealed by the mudguard and tyres.Also, both motor cycles are small weighted. The PES1 weighs just 100 kgs while the PED1 is even lighter at 85 kgs

But the really amazing thing about the electric two-wheelers from Yamaha is their featherweight build. The PES1 weighs a mere 100kgs and it turns out that the PED1 will weigh even lesser, around 85kgs. Appearance wise the PED1 looks more like its counterparts than the PES1 does. It will be interesting to see how the market responds to these offbeat electrics.