Kuroyama to Contest FIM Trial-E Cup with TY-E Once Again in 2019

June 7, 2019—Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has finalised its entry in the 2019 FIM Trial-E Cup with the TY-E electric trials bike for the second successive year. Kenichi Kuroyama will once again ride for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team as he aims to clinch the title win that he narrowly missed last year, finishing 2nd overall by just three points.

The Trial-E Cup began in 2017 with just a single round, but that number was increased to two last season. This third season of the competition will again consist of two rounds, held alongside Round 3 of the FIM Trial World Championship in Zelhem in the Netherlands (June 22–23) and Round 4 in Comblain-au-Pont in Belgium (June 29–30).

Kuroyama is a top-class trials rider with a record 11 All Japan Trial Championship titles and has finished a career-best 3rd in the FIM Trial World Championship. He is riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in the All Japan Trial Championship’s premier IA Super class and currently sits atop the point standings with a 2nd at Round 1 in Wakayama and a win at Round 2 in Miyazaki.

The TY-E made its debut in the Trial-E Cup with Kuroyama last year. The Japanese rider was in close contention for victory at the opening round in France and eventually triumphed by riding to 2 marks and 28 cleans for the win. The scene was similar at the next round in Belgium, but this time Kuroyama fell short of a second win, finishing 2nd. This tied him with his rival on total points with a 1st and 2nd place finish each, but the series rules place priority on the final round’s results, thus Kuroyama and the TY-E ended their first Trial E-Cup campaign as the runner-up.

Kenichi Kuroyama, Yamaha Factory Racing Team

“Last year I won the first round but narrowly missed the win in the second, and that ended up costing me the title. It was a really frustrating and disappointing result for me. I feel like there was so much more I could have done, so I’m really happy to have another chance this year. From my experience in the Trial-E Cup last year, I realised that even though it’s a trials event just like any other, there are a lot of differences between gas and electric bikes and it was also a big challenge mentally. This time I’ll be coming in with some experience, so I’m mentally ready for it. I want to take the TY-E to the top and take an FIM title back home with me this time so please look forward to what we do this year.”

Yamaha TY-E Electric Trials Bike

The TY-E is an advanced development vehicle created as part of Yamaha Motor’s Evolving R&D programme. This initiative allows employees in the Research and Development Section to use 5% of their working hours at their discretion for voluntary, independent research not bound by conventional frameworks in order to spur innovation.

To help overcome the development problems associated with electric vehicles, such as delivering high output from compact and lightweight components, and being easy to ride where the bike responds just as the rider intends, a group of engineers looked to creating a competition trials model and set to work on its development.

The TY-E’s features include 1) a compact, high-rotation, high-power motor that achieves outstanding off-road performance with both powerful low-speed torque and long-lasting acceleration, 2) motor control technology delivering excellent response and a feeling of power from the extremely low to high-speed range, 3) a power unit equipped with a mechanical clutch to ensure instantaneous power and control, and a flywheel optimised for the electric motor to provide excellent traction, 4) compact, lightweight components like the newly designed, compact high-output battery pack, 5) a CFRP monocoque frame made as light as possible while securing optimal rigidity and space for the battery pack, and 6) extremely slim styling that does not interfere with the dynamic rider actions characteristic of trials.