Yamaha has revealed what it’s bringing to the Japan Mobility Show later this month. Among the 16 motorcycles, three-wheelers, and motorized wheelchairs is a beautiful electric bicycle called the Y-00B. It was inspired by the 1955 Yamaha YA-1, the company’s very first product, and created to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary.
The Yamaha Y-00B comes in two versions. The Y-00B:Base (above) features a minimalist dual twin frame that looks more like a classic mamachari than a chunky modern e-bike. It has an integrated battery and drive unit and comes with a USB-PD converter for charging on the go.
However, the star of the e-bike lineup is the the gorgeous Y-00B:Bricolage (lead photo), a tribute to the original YA-1 (below) created when Yamaha was still called Nippon Gakki. It had a 125cc two-stroke single-cylinder motor. It was immediately entered in the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race, both of which it won.
At the time most motorcycles were painted black. The YA-1 set itself apart with a dark red and cream finish developed by the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, a school with which Yamaha has had a long-standing relationship due to the company’s roots as a maker of musical instruments. The color earned it the nickname akatombo, or red dragonfly.
With drop handlebars, cargo racks on both ends, and loads of chrome, the Y-ooB:Bricolage oozes retro cool. It even features an opposite lever setup like Japanese bicycles of old, in which the right lever controls the front brake and the left lever controls the rear brake.
This isn’t the first time Yamaha has turned to the YA-1 for modern inspiration. In 2011 Yamaha showed the Y125 Moegi concept, a gasoline-powered 125cc motorcycle capable of 188 mpg, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
Images courtesy of Yamaha.
