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Has any one got any experience riding an EMTB with a Yamaha motor? Things like ride feel, reliability and comparisons to Bosch and Shimano as well as serviceability, etc?
Seen a few Giant bikes that look ok (and seem to get decent reviews) but looking for real world and long term feedback.
Ta
Tom KP
Mrs A's Embolden had been faultless until it packed up on our last day in Les Gets. Off to the shop in the morning.
Our Embolden has been faultless. It has sub 500 miles in 3 years though admittedly.
Don't mistake Giant yamaha and yamaha's own offering as the same thing or interchangable. Giant put there own electronics into the yamaha motor, so are not compatible. I'm aware of one out of warranty claim that took forever to fulfil (yes warranty claims should get priority, but long term backup for there older range should be available too), after the motor died straight out of warranty, and was far from cheap (£1200 motor and battery).
Maybe not be an issue if buying new, but worth bearing in mind 2nd hand.
Re serviceability/maintainability, see bottom of pages
https://www.ebikemotorcentre.com/repair-overhaul-upgrades/
https://www.ebikemotorcentre.com/frequently-asked-questions-answers/
Older Giant/Yamaha had a pcb mounted low in the casing which ended up in a pool of water and would rust and die. New models supposed to address this.
Have experience of Yamaha (on a Giant) and also Bosch. They are quite different in feel and the Yamaha takes a bit of getting used to if you're used to the Bosch. I think the Yamaha has a more natural feel and doesn't have the same 'kick' or overrun as the Bosch in Turbo does. This can be advantageous in some technical climbing situations as you can comfortably use a lower cadence with the Yamaha, even in high assist modes and it just winches you up anything but in other situations the overrun on the Bosch can help boost you over rock steps etc.
On fireroad climbs the Yamaha is good as the power assist can be adjusted on the app to get just the right amount of assist for the type of climbing you do and its easier to do longer/steeper climbs on lower assist.
My first ebike so can't compare really, although I spent a week on a heckler in Italy that had a Shimano motor. Both felt very similar tbh. What I can say is I've done 1850 miles on my giant reign e1 in the last 5 months and its never missed a beat. Also is impressive is I can do 50k and 2k of vert if I ride in eco. Great motors imo
Had my giant ereign for 2 years now, it's worked pretty much as it should, it did cut out a couple of times in that time, both times in proper monsoon weather and came back to lift 10-20 minutes later without any issues later on, i think this was more a controller issue rather than motor or battery though.
This bike replaced a Gen4 Bosch which i had for a month before it failed completely and refunded, the reason i say this is that all motors do seem to have their Friday afternoon specials, so biggest tip is to buy as local as you can, or make sure you have a route to warranty to cover any niggles.
Power wise, as @bikenski said, it has a different output for the power, the Bosch in full turbo was just like being on a motorbike at times, the giant seems to be a little more about giving you the power you need, i'll be honest, i don't tend to use anything but the power settings 1-3 on the giant, 4 and 5 i struggle to feel a difference with over 3, but i believe this is down to me not backing off enough to let the motor do the work.
On fireroad climbs the Yamaha is good as the power assist can be adjusted on the app to get just the right amount of assist for the type of climbing you do and its easier to do longer/steeper climbs on lower assist.
I think Bosch also has this function, but you need to have the Kiox display unit*.
*Could be wrong, frequently am.