tackling . Brakes come from Magura , the MT5 with radially mounted master cylinders , four-piston calipers and 203mm rotors - a must on a burly e-bike . Gearset is Shimano XT with a 12-speed cassette and there ’ s a 30.9mm seat dropper post ( a must have !) with a very decent 170mm of drop on the L size bike . Wheels are alloy and 27.5in , wrapped in 2.6in Maxxis MaxxTerra tyres . Battery is a 500Wh unit that ’ s fully integrated into the down tubes , and the driving heart of the bike is the PW-X3 drive unit . This is Yamaha ’ s lightest , smallest and most powerful drive unit and produces a very respectable 85Nm of torque . Control for the motor is provided by the small handlebar-mounted Interface X unit , with an up / down switch for assist level nicely placed next to your left thumb . There are five levels of assist as well as an Auto Support Mode and Walk Assist to help you walk the bike up a too-steep incline .
ON THE TRAIL So , very reasonable components , but how does it all translate into offroad performance ? I took the Moro-07 to Auckland ’ s MTB playground of Woodhill Forest to put it through its paces on
terrain it ’ s designed for . I was keen to compare the ride experience to my own Specialized e-bike which is the same weight as the Moro-07 at just under 24kg and rides on the same size 27.5in hoops . I kicked off in the lowest assist ‘ ECO ’ level , but found it didn ’ t suit for the pace I wanted to ride at as I was , in-effect , driving the motor with my effort . Switching to level 2 ‘ Standard ’ assist and now we were cooking , although it was probably a tad too much assist for me and how I ride – despite riding an e-bike , I ’ m still after a workout while I ’ m out there .
I tried the ‘ Auto Support Mode ’ and found that to be the best fit for me – it effectively adjusts the assist level to the effort being applied and uses a combination of Eco , Standard , and High . It ’ s even tuned to reduce assist on level roads and increases for inclines – clever stuff . Although the Interface X allows smartphone and bike computer connectivity , I ’ m not sure you can fine tune the drive unit ’ s assist levels , like you can on some other brand e-bikes . I couldn ’ t find an App to download either , so it might be something to check with your Yamaha dealer if you want to get some individual
46 KIWI RIDER