Kenichi Kuroyama to Compete on TY-E 2.0 at Round 5 of FIM Trial World Championship in Trial2 Class

August 19, 2022 - Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. will compete in Round 5 of the 2022 FIM Trial World Championship in France on Sunday, August 28, with Yamaha Factory Racing Team rider Kenichi Kuroyama, who will ride the TY-E 2.0 electric trials bike in the Trial2 class.

The goal of Yamaha’s “Environmental Plan 2050” is to aim for carbon neutrality throughout all of its business activities—including across the life cycles of its products—by 2050. The TY-E 2.0 project represents a uniquely Yamaha approach toward achieving carbon neutrality.

At Round 5 of the FIM Trial World Championship in France, Kuroyama and the team plan to confirm the TY-E 2.0’s development concept, which is to provide more fun than internal combustion engines by taking advantage of traits unique to electric vehicles, such as powerful low-down torque and strong acceleration, and also to gather information for the model’s further development by acquiring data and identifying issues through actual competition.

The Trial2 class that Kuroyama and the TY-E 2.0 compete in is one level directly below the world’s premier trials class, TrialGP. Electric trials bikes had previously competed in the Trial E Cup, but from 2022 onward the Trial2 class has absorbed it, allowing electric bikes to compete alongside gasoline powered bikes. To coincide with this change, Yamaha has developed the TY-E 2.0 with input from Kuroyama. Based on the original TY-E first announced in 2018, it features a newly designed composite laminate monocoque frame, motor power unit that improves performance by pairing mechanical parts with carefully tuned electronic control, and a new high-capacity battery with 2.5 times greater capacity than the previous model.

Kenichi Kuroyama is an 11-time All-Japan Champion and has finished a career highest of 3rd overall in the FIM Trial World Championship. This season he is competing in the IA Super class in the All Japan Trial Championship, where he won the opening round and is currently 2nd overall after four rounds. In 2018 and 2019 he competed in the Trial E Cup, finishing runner-up both times.

Kenichi Kuroyama

“The TY-E 2.0 project isn’t only about developing for the carbon neutrality target. I think it’s a very Yamaha-like project in that it aims to add fun to EVs through competition. Yamaha’s racing and development departments are working together on the TYE 2.0, and I think they’ve combined their knowledge and experience to go in the same direction. For myself, I’ve been involved in this project as a development rider and I’m very proud of the work we’ve done. I can’t wait to compete and see the results of that. I think the TYE 2.0 project will have an impact on Yamaha’s future and the future of motorcycles and racing in general. I’m competing for the sake of motorcycle fans, Yamaha fans, and trials fans everywhere. I hope I can give everyone something to cheer about, and also help with the development of this project by bringing back valuable data and potential issues to tackle.”

TY-E 2.0 Main Features

Monocoque frame made of composite laminates

The TY-E 2.0 employs a monocoque frame made of composite laminates to contribute to lighter weight and optimal rigidity. The layout of the power unit and battery was reviewed and revised to achieve a significantly lower center of gravity compared to the previous model.

Newly developed lightweight battery with approx. 2.5x more capacity

Yamaha developed a new high-capacity battery with higher output density and successfully kept the weight increase down to some 20% while achieving about 2.5 times greater capacity than the previous model.

Power unit further refined through a combination of mechanical parts and electronic control

Based on the previous model, traction has been improved by pairing mechanical parts such as the clutch and flywheel with carefully tuned electronic control for the motor that is capable of reading subtle changes in grip.