Yamaha’s YDX Torc e-mountain bike has a quick, nimble XC feel and a powerful battery/motor combo that will leave you feeling like a hero. Photos by Mark Tuttle.

As motorcyclists, we probably know Yamaha best as a manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles powered by the good old ICE (internal combustion engine), but the tuning fork company was also a pioneer in the development of another form of two-wheeled transportation: electric-assist bicycles, or e-bikes. It created its first prototype e-bike in 1989, and has sold more than 2.5 million electric bicycles since then. As one of the few manufacturers of the electric drive motors themselves, Yamaha also supplies other bicycle makers with powertrains (including Giant, the world?s largest bicycle manufacturer ? read our review of its Liv Thrive e-bike here), with 4.5 million and counting Yamaha-built drive units sold worldwide so far.
While the rest of the world (mainly Asia and Europe) have been riding the e-bike wave for a while now, Americans are only just recently figuring out how much fun they are, and in 2018 Yamaha began selling e-bikes in the States. Today it offers five e-bike models, one of which is the hardtail mountain bike dubbed the YDX Torc.

The Torc has five power assist settings, ranging from the barely-there ECO+ to “holy cow, I’m a superhero” EXPW.

Jenny’s Gear
Helmet: Liv Infinita SX MIPS
Jersey: Marmot
Gloves: Fly Racing
Shorts: Troy Lee Designs
Shoes: Five Ten
Knee Arm...