Brief update: I rode yesterday for about 2 hours. Changes I made...PNW grips and pedals, set up the suspension. 85psi fork, 160psi shock (I like it a bit soft). Rebound front 2 clicks slow from middle, rear rebound dead center at 12 clicks. 26 psi tires. 25 degrees outside temp.
The suspension was great, no issues, very supple and followed the trail very well. The bike handles very good, easy to change direction very quickly. Cockpit seemed very neutral. No long reach or wonky ergos. The display is VERY minimalistic. Display shows bar lights for battery and assist level, that's it. No speedo, no distance...nothing.
The motor: The motor is very Bosch like to me power wise. Where the Shimano is more natural feeling, the Yamaha motor is more and faster assist. I liked it a lot. Very easy to teeter totter the pedals and have very quick assist. The emtb mode is not as good as Bosch though. It reduces power more than Bosch, but still kicks in with great power when needed. I rode on non-emtb with 3 green bar lights out of 4. This is basically one or 2 steps from basically wide open all the time in yellow mode I think. Basically though, the Yamaha display is a hunk of shit. Since Bosch is the benchmark for motors, I would say the Yamaha is at least 90% as good as Bosch. I highly recommend it.
Battery is only 500w. I started riding at approx 90% charge. When I was done it was at 45%+. I probably rode 12 miles I think. I have not connected the app for this bike yet. So, range is not huge, but plenty good for me.
The bike to me is not heavy...probably mainly due to a smaller battery...which I like. It weighs a bit more than my carbon Trek and Intense, but overall very easy to lift into my truck bed. The bars suck...not enough rise which makes getting the front end light a bit more of a chore. Going to switch them for carbon Renthals with 40mm rise.
Overall: For the price Yamaha is selling them for now, it's a friggin no brainer. I would give an easy 10/10 for quality/value.
