A test ride review of Yamaha Bicycles 2022 Wabash RT pedal-assist gravel bike.
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Introduced earlier in the year is Yamaha Bicycles’ new and improved 2022 Wabash RT gravel bike ($4,199). This is a dual sport–style pedal-assist 700c wheel equipped electric bike from the Tuning Fork brand. This bike is designed for riders who want a road bike that they can ride on pavement and off-highway, on light-duty trails.
It is powered by Yamaha’s proprietary PW generation electric motor. This motor is good for right around 59 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s more than gasoline-powered new motorcycles like Yamaha’s MT-07 and YZF-R7 duo.
The Wabash RT has the same series of modifications as its sister bike, the CrossCore RC (do-it-all, urban pedal-assist bicycle) which we tested during the 2022 Yamaha CrossCore RC MC Commute Review. This particular bike is endowed with a set of flared drop bars, oversize 700c Maxxis tires, and a handy dropper seat which also serves as a type of suspension. For example, say you traverse a big bump. The seat automatically gives a bit of suspension cushion.
For this test we operated a large (60cm) Wabash RT, which has added length in terms of its dropper post height versus size small (54cm) frames. For the majority of our test ride we rode in the Automatic power setting. This automatically adjusts the power level based on cadence, load, and terrain incline/decline. It removes the worry of being in the right power mode based on terrain or the environment you are operating in...
Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/yamaha-wabash-rt-gravel-bike-review-2022/
Photography: Joseph Agustin
Video: Adam Waheed
Pedal-Assist Cycling Gear Worn
Helmet: Bell Bicycling
Jersey: Alpinestars Freeride
Gloves: Alpinestars Ridge Plus Short Finger
Under Short: Alpinestars Tech Shorts
Short: Alpinestars X-Country
Socks: Alpinestars Summer Socks
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
--
Introduced earlier in the year is Yamaha Bicycles’ new and improved 2022 Wabash RT gravel bike ($4,199). This is a dual sport–style pedal-assist 700c wheel equipped electric bike from the Tuning Fork brand. This bike is designed for riders who want a road bike that they can ride on pavement and off-highway, on light-duty trails.
It is powered by Yamaha’s proprietary PW generation electric motor. This motor is good for right around 59 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s more than gasoline-powered new motorcycles like Yamaha’s MT-07 and YZF-R7 duo.
The Wabash RT has the same series of modifications as its sister bike, the CrossCore RC (do-it-all, urban pedal-assist bicycle) which we tested during the 2022 Yamaha CrossCore RC MC Commute Review. This particular bike is endowed with a set of flared drop bars, oversize 700c Maxxis tires, and a handy dropper seat which also serves as a type of suspension. For example, say you traverse a big bump. The seat automatically gives a bit of suspension cushion.
For this test we operated a large (60cm) Wabash RT, which has added length in terms of its dropper post height versus size small (54cm) frames. For the majority of our test ride we rode in the Automatic power setting. This automatically adjusts the power level based on cadence, load, and terrain incline/decline. It removes the worry of being in the right power mode based on terrain or the environment you are operating in...
Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/story/news/yamaha-wabash-rt-gravel-bike-review-2022/
Photography: Joseph Agustin
Video: Adam Waheed
Pedal-Assist Cycling Gear Worn
Helmet: Bell Bicycling
Jersey: Alpinestars Freeride
Gloves: Alpinestars Ridge Plus Short Finger
Under Short: Alpinestars Tech Shorts
Short: Alpinestars X-Country
Socks: Alpinestars Summer Socks
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hey folks, here we are today about to go on a ride on Yamaha Bicycles new and improved
00:07 2022 Wabash RT gravel bike.
00:11 This is a dual sport style pedal assist road bike from the Tuning Fork brand.
00:19 Let's swing a leg over this bad boy and see what it's like to pedal.
00:25 Hey guys there it is Yamaha's 2022 Wabash RT dual sport style pedal assist gravel bike.
00:33 This pedal bike is designed for pedal bike enthusiasts who want a road bike that they
00:39 can ride on pavement and off highway on light duty trails.
00:47 This vehicle costs $4,100.
00:52 It is powered by Yamaha's proprietary PW generation electric motor.
01:00 This thing is good for right around 58 pound feet of torque.
01:04 Isn't that crazy that an electric motor can generate that kind of power?
01:09 Well enough talking about this thing let's swing a leg over and tell you what it's like
01:13 to ride.
01:14 Yeah!
01:15 Alright folks here we are at the helm of the 2022 Yamaha Bicycles Wabash RT.
01:28 This is a 700c equipped gravel bike designed for use on the road and off of it too.
01:41 This 2022 Wabash RT has the same series of modifications as its sister bike the Cross
01:54 Core RC which is a dual purpose do it all urban pedal assist bicycle.
02:06 Now this particular bike is endowed with a set of flared drop bars, big wide 700c tires
02:22 and a nice dropper seat which also has suspension integrated into it.
02:30 So let's say you hit a big bump the seat will automatically give you a little bit of suspension
02:37 cushion.
02:39 Now we are operating a size large Wabash RT which has a little bit more length in terms
02:48 of its dropper post.
02:50 I believe the small is I think an inch and a half of drop and this large has a little
02:58 bit more.
03:01 Now this Wabash RT is powered by Yamaha's PW series electric motor.
03:11 This motor is good for around 59 pound feet of maximum torque.
03:16 Alright you should go ahead.
03:17 Which is pretty good.
03:18 It's all good you were doing great.
03:20 So that's what this motor is good for.
03:23 We are operating in the automatic mode which automatically adjusts the power level based
03:32 on the demand inside the crank, the cranks, the incline and that kind of stuff.
03:46 So it kind of takes the worry out of selecting power.
03:51 Wow this is fun.
03:53 Whoa!
03:54 It takes the worry out of selecting power.
04:00 Right now we have the seat post in its low mode because we are navigating slightly precarious
04:07 terrain for a road bike or a gravel bike I should say.
04:13 Now the cool thing about these Yamaha pedal assist bicycles is you buy them, you swing
04:21 a leg over them and you get to experience the thrill and excitement of cycling outside
04:30 but you don't have to worry about being in really top physical condition.
04:37 You know I'm a little bit round, packing a little bit of extra pounds, blame it on COVID,
04:44 blame it on being lazy, blame it on whatever.
04:47 But I can still haul butt and experience the thrill of cycling without having to worry
04:55 about my lungs exploding or my legs starting on fire.
04:59 And I like that.
05:05 Cycling purists might call you a weakling for operating this type of vehicle but realistically
05:13 if you are a really good cyclist this kind of bike will just allow you to travel even
05:21 farther.
05:23 You'll be able to achieve much farther distances because you have power behind you or underneath
05:31 you.
05:32 Now this vehicle has a range of right around 100 miles in its lowest power setting.
05:45 You charge this vehicle via Yamaha's proprietary charging adapter which you plug into the frame
05:54 here on the left.
05:56 Right here, right there, right down there.
05:59 Takes a few hours to charge the battery from 0% and you have nearly 100 miles of range.
06:06 Alright folks, we are back on the 2022 Wabash.
06:14 Now for this 2022 MY, Yamaha has fitted a larger cassette.
06:22 This bike now has an 11 speed cassette.
06:25 Up one speed from the previous 10 speed design.
06:32 Now the great thing about these pedal assist gravel bikes is you can ride them in all sorts
06:39 of terrain.
06:41 You can ride them on the street, you can ride them off road, you can ride them basically
06:48 anywhere.
06:49 The only caveat is you can't really ride these things on super gnarly terrain just because
06:55 they don't have the suspension travel nor the wheel and tire setup.
07:04 But you can certainly get off the beaten path and explore your neighborhood beyond where
07:15 the pavement lies.
07:23 And away we go again boys and girls on the off road path.
07:30 And I really enjoy the extra width and extra sidewall of these tires.
07:39 They make this terrain much more passable even though we don't have a traditional suspension
07:48 setup like you would on a mountain bike.
07:58 Now some people might not like this forward road bike style ergonomics.
08:05 For me it's not that bad, I like it because it keeps my back nice and straight.
08:09 But still it could be an unusual seating position for some.
08:17 It's crazy how much butt we're hauling.
08:24 We're going 18 miles per hour right now off road on our road bike.
08:29 That's pretty gnarly.
08:44 It is pretty boss to ride road bike at 20 miles per hour off road.
08:48 That's kind of boss.
08:49 I'm not going to lie.
08:52 Alright folks we are back on the pavement.
08:57 And I really like how seamlessly this thing transitions on and off pavement.
09:02 I also like how well this bike pedals.
09:05 There's been a few times where we stop and we pause for a while and the motor shuts off
09:12 and then we start riding again and I always forget to turn the power on which is right
09:17 here the power button.
09:19 And it doesn't even feel like you can just start pedaling it and there's no, I mean it
09:26 doesn't feel like there's a lot of mechanical drag through the cranks.
09:31 So it's almost like you have the power on even though the power is off.
09:35 And this thing weighing in at 40 some pounds, yeah it's heavy for a road bike.
09:40 It's not nearly as heavy as the Cross Core RC and it pedals pretty good even with the
09:45 power off.
09:46 It's more off road.
09:49 I really like this bike.
09:54 Like motorcycles I'm an on road, off road fella.
09:57 I like to ride in all conditions anywhere in the world.
10:02 And this Wabash RT Pedal Assist bicycle from Yamaha is right up my alley.
10:11 Oh yeah baby.
10:19 Oh yeah.
10:22 Oh yeah we're climbing up these hills like it's nothing.
10:28 Oh I am enjoying this right now.
10:34 Who needs suspension?
10:36 Who needs a traditional mountain bike?
10:38 Not us.
10:39 Alright folks the off road riding just never ends and it's a good thing because this Yamaha
10:47 Yamaha Wabash RT is a capable little off roader for being a road bike.
10:59 I really like these Maxxis dual sport style tires.
11:05 They're almost like a trials motorcycle tire where they have real soft compound and the
11:12 knobs are real fine almost like a fine tooth comb which gives surprisingly good grip in
11:22 the loose terrain.
11:27 How neat is this that we're riding a road bike down this kind of terrain.
11:32 I think it's really cool.
11:34 Whoa.
11:35 A little drop down here.
11:40 Very nice.
11:43 Alright folks we are now entering this town and just another segment that the Wabash RT
11:53 can tackle.
11:54 We are still riding in the auto power setting which automatically alters the power mode
12:00 based on demand from the cranks and incline.
12:10 I like the auto setting.
12:11 I don't really know why you'd ever use another setting to be honest with you unless you were
12:15 really training and you wanted a lower power output to put more manual muscle through the
12:22 pedals.
12:24 Alright folks here we are at elevation 1600 feet.
12:29 Right there is the Carlsbad California Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.
12:34 Over there is Oceanside.
12:36 Over there is where I live.
12:38 Over there is the desert.
12:39 And we have ridden this whole loop on Yamaha's 2022 Wabash RT road and gravel bike.
12:48 How cool is that?
12:49 The places you get to see and the things you get to do on Yamaha pedal assist bicycles.
12:55 Pretty neat.
12:56 So this Wabash RT has a top speed of 28 miles per hour with pedal assist.
13:04 Above that speed the vehicle operates like a traditional pedal bike.
13:10 We hit a speed of 38 miles per hour.
13:14 Oh yes!
13:16 These disc brakes do a marvelous job of shedding speed.
13:22 I love these disc brakes.
13:25 Well folks that was a nice afternoon ride on the 2022 Yamaha Bicycles Wabash RT.
13:35 This is a fun and fairly versatile drop bar style road bike.
13:41 Covered a lot of ground.
13:42 Climbed a lot of hills.
13:44 This thing is a real killer.
13:49 I really like how easy it is to pedal.
13:53 I like how stable it is at speed.
13:55 I like these big fat tires which make going over bumps and curbs and off road stuff and
14:03 rocks a lot more forgiving.
14:06 I like the responsive actuation of the disc hydraulic disc brakes.
14:13 I know I said cable disc brakes earlier but these are actually hydraulic.
14:17 They are nice and responsive.
14:20 Kudos to Yamaha to make a fun gravel bike for all of us to ride and experience.
14:29 Well folks if you couldn't tell I had a really good time riding Yamaha Bicycles Wabash RT
14:36 pedal assist gravel bike.
14:37 It's the dual sport equivalent of a road bike.
14:42 You can ride it on road.
14:43 You can ride it off road.
14:44 You can cover some serious mileage on that thing and see the sights and sounds of your
14:50 town in a really fun way.
14:53 It's definitely a good addition to the garage for the avid power sports enthusiast.
15:00 Alright folks that's a wrap from today's review.
15:03 Make sure to surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com.
15:06 That's where all of our content comes to life.
15:09 Give this video a thumbs up if you liked it.
15:11 Thumbs it down if you didn't because we love to hear from the naysayers.
15:14 And we'll see you guys next time.
15:15 Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to ride with us.
15:19 [Music]