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The TY-E Electric Trials Bike Takes on the World Yamaha Motor Newsletter (July 5, 2018 No.65)
Amid the progress seen with hybrid and fully electric cars, Yamaha Motor was quick to blaze a new trail with the release of the Passol compact electric scooter in 2002. Yamaha also continues to sell the E-Vino electric scooter and promote its use while working on the next step in the evolution of electric vehicles.
Some of the central issues in developing electric vehicles (EVs) are creating high-output but small, lightweight components and a natural, faithful response to the user’s actions during operation. As part of the efforts to overcome these challenges, a full-fledged electric trials bike was created through Yamaha’s in-house initiative that supports the independent R&D endeavors of our engineers. In this issue, we introduce the short but intriguing story behind this fascinating machine.
Also, the editor introduces the Rev Stretch exercises spreading in use around the world, a series of movements developed by Yamaha to help build and maintain the health of employees.
The TY-E Project: Build an Electric Trials Bike That’s Just as Competitive
One of the highlights of the Yamaha booth at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2018 held at the Tokyo Big Sight in late-March this year was the TY-E electric trials bike. The excited visitors gathered around it at the booth asked about its potential as a competition model. “It can go head-to-head with a gas-powered model and win. We designed it to do just that,” proudly answered the EM Development Section engineer who originally proposed and led the project to build it.
Trials is a form of motorcycle competition where riders navigate a course divided into sections with obstacles made of the natural terrain like rocky slopes and woodland trails, and attempt to clear each section on their bikes within a given amount of time without touching the ground with their feet. Because this competition requires riders to make jumps and maneuver the course with the agility of a wild animal to clear the obstacles in time, motorcycles designed for trials generally have a very slim profile compared to most motorcycles.
The planner and project leader of the TY-E unveiled the bike himself during Yamaha’s press conference at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2018.
Evolving R&D: An Initiative to Drive New Innovation
We should begin by noting that the TY-E was the result of a slightly different R&D process than usual. Within Yamaha’s R&D departments, engineers are allowed to spend 5% of their working hours on pursuits outside of their usual R&D work and assignments.
Called “Evolving R&D,” this initiative allows engineers to run independent projects, thereby giving them a chance to broaden their fields of expertise and devote their energies toward innovation. Unsurprisingly, the engineer who proposed the TY-E and headed its R&D team also enjoys trials riding in his free time, and he used the Evolving R&D system to try developing an electric trials bike capable of competing on the world stage.
“The biggest challenge with electric motorcycles is the range per battery charge,” he says. “But trials doesn’t involve long distances, so with that out of the equation, you can focus more on delivering the strong low-speed torque and good agility from a stop that’s needed in trials. From that, I had long thought that an EV would be well-suited to contesting trials.”
With some initial
tests by professional trials riders, his idea gradually shifted to a firm belief in the machine’s potential. Following numerous side-by-side tests comparing the electric TY-E against several gas-powered models, the TY-E eventually took the top score in areas like natural feel, drive and ridability.
Through this step-by-step process, the prototype’s high level of refinement inspired real expectations within the company and the R&D team leader later received more good news: the TY-E was granted an entry in the FIM Trial-E Cup. Begun in 2017, this two-event championship—one in France and one in Belgium—will be held in mid-July this year, with the TY-E set to be ridden by Yamaha factory trials rider Kenichi Kuroyama.
Of course, the R&D team leader will be there to see the TY-E’s trials debut firsthand: “I’ve been in R&D for a long time and I often felt it was hard to see the results of our work reflected in our production models.
“But this model allows us to showcase the results of our R&D and Yamaha’s cutting-edge technology as they are to the world in competition. That makes me very happy.”
With the quiet and emissions-free performance of electric bikes like this, trial competitions that are often held deep in the mountains could eventually be held at more accessible indoor venues, perhaps even herald the beginning of a new kind of sporting event. We hope you look forward to what the TY-E may bring to the future of trials and EVs as a whole.
The TY-E also uses a new application of Yamaha’s proprietary SixONy nano-film coating for the color of its exterior parts and bodywork.
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Special Feature from the Editor
Yamaha Motor Vietnam’s Soc Son Factory located on the outskirts of Hanoi handles the casting, welding and painting of motorcycle parts. For the employees at these manufacturing workplaces, the five minutes they spend doing Rev Stretch exercises every morning has become an irreplaceable part of their workday. Yamaha Motor’s “ Rev Stretch” exercises were given the Excellence Award in the corporate division at the Sporty Life Awards run by the Life Insurance Association of Japan (supported by the Japan Sports Agency and the Japan Educational Press), receiving praise for having voiced instructions in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese in addition to the original Japanese, and for its active implementation at our companies overseas. Rev Stretch was first introduced in 2015 to coincide with Japan’s Health and Sports Day holiday. In the roughly two and a half years since its start, Rev Stretch exercises have gradually been put into practice before the workday begins at all of our group companies in Japan and at 18 subsidiaries in nine countries around the world. “Radio calisthenics” have long been a part of life in Japan, with national public broadcaster NHK playing music with exercise instructions to follow over the radio in the morning. Many companies in Japan also use it to promote the health of their employees and help them relax. However, Yamaha Motor never had such a routine in the past and was also trying to spread understanding of our then-newly announced “Revs your Heart” brand slogan throughout the company at the time. As this was proving particularly difficult at the manufacturing divisions, a female employee at the Corporate Planning Division proposed developing an original set of stretching exercises aimed at making the brand slogan not only part of everyday routine but also something experienced with the body. (cont.) Because internal branding was what led to the idea, the Rev Stretch routine is full of uniquely Yamaha elements. For example, the background music that our employees have praised for its friendly and uplifting feel was written by a resident composer with Yamaha Music Publishing, Inc. The music builds in tempo towards the end to express the act of revving up an engine and causing excitement, ideals behind the “rev” in our brand slogan. Also, the stretching routine itself focuses on relieving tightness and alleviating pain in the shoulders and lower back—something many Yamaha employees complain of—and was supervised by the physical coach of Japanese professional football team Jubilo Iwata (originally Yamaha Motor’s football club): “Warming up the body before work is the same as warming up before a football match; it’s not only to prepare the body but also the mind by building the individual’s focus and unlocking their full potential.” He goes on to explain that the program is carefully structured to interpose dynamic stretches for relaxing muscles and rotating joints between conventional static stretches. Relaxing between stretching makes the stretches more effective while dynamic stretches also help boost blood circulation and raise body temperature. As such, the stretches were designed from a scientific perspective to be an ideal pre-work routine. The in-house questionnaires showed clear results, with 58% answering they felt Rev Stretch exercises were effective in reducing their lower back or shoulder pain, and 65% saying it helps relieve stress. At the same time, 75% answered that exercising together with colleagues stimulated communication, and 64% said that it gave them a greater appreciation of the brand slogan. With one of our manufacturing subsidiaries in China even holding a Rev Stretch Competition, the exercise is generating rewarding and uniquely Yamaha morning routines around the world. Naoto Horie |
