Yamaha Booster Easy

The increasing environmental pollution, rising fuel prices, and congested roads provide many incentives for a switch to sustainable mobility concepts - ideally those that are emission-free. A good example of this is the Booster Easy, Yamaha's latest urban e-bike, which plays a key role in their "Switch On" strategy. (Note from the editor: In 2022, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer presented under the motto "Switch On" an electric strategy for Europe, aimed at developing an innovative generation of environmentally friendly means of transportation.)

In contrast to a regular bicycle, the Booster Easy allows the general public to effortlessly complete longer or more elevation-rich routes in urban areas. Furthermore, in comparison to electric scooters or motorcycles, the city e-bike is relatively inexpensive to purchase, requires no registration, insurance, or § 57a inspection, and can be used in road traffic extremely "flexibly" (no harm meant for thinking otherwise). Even transport on public transit, taking it in the elevator, and parking in the anteroom are possible - and those who are absolutely serious, charge the battery with green electricity from renewable energies.
By the way: The CO2 emissions generated during the production of the battery are already pedaled off after about 100 kilometers - if it replaces car trips with corresponding CO2 output (Source: www.aok.de).

Yamaha's Booster Easy is more than just a practical, electrically assisted step-through with a rear luggage rack and optional attachable baskets. It presents itself as a lifestyle bike for urban adventurers and is already affectionately referred to in Austrian media as the modern electric reincarnation of the legendary Puch Maxi. Even if the Austrian moped icon was certainly not directly the model for the city e-bike developed together with Fantic Motor, it's undeniable that the Yamaha Booster Easy establishes a certain nostalgic connection.

We couldn't resist and snagged a model for this showroom and for an upcoming practical test.

Besides the 20-inch wheels with their ultra-wide 4-inch tires, one immediately notices the unusually open, honeycomb-shaped design of the aluminum frame, which we already know from the Fantic Issimo E-Bike. Although both manufacturers share basic components such as the frame, wheels, and fork, Yamaha relies on its own PW-S2 engine and a continuously variable bicycle transmission from Enviolo with planetary CVP technology.

The quiet 250 W motor with a powerful 75 Nm and with a removable 630 Wh battery, which is integrated into the frame at the seat tube, has an automatic support mode that takes into account torque, riding speed, cadence, and the angle of incline in its calculations.
The result is consistently powerful, delay-free, and smooth assistance, making riding feel completely natural.

Yamaha's Display A control unit has three buttons on the bottom - one each for quickly switching the drive system on or off, for the front and rear lights, and for the walk mode. With the two buttons on the top, you can set the level of assistance.
The large-format LCD display includes a speedometer, a battery capacity indicator, the setting of the assistance level, a trip odometer, an odometer, and a range indicator.

Starting off is very pleasant; the assistance kicks in immediately and smoothly as soon as you start pedaling, even on inclines. At higher speeds, the power noticeably decreases, which however fits well with the balanced riding behavior of the motor.
Yamaha claims a range of up to 120 kilometers.

The stepless Enviolo planetary gear system inside the robustly dimensioned trekking hub allows for continuous adjustment between the gear ratios at any time and offers a wide range of 380%. Instead of shifting in predefined gears, one uses a twist grip to seamlessly vary the desired cadence.

Thanks to the continuously variable Enviolo planetary gear system, the riding behavior becomes extremely smooth after a short adaptation period, and annoying issues such as gear-shifting interruptions, blocked gears, empty pedaling, or loud noises are a thing of the past.

Technical Specifications

* 35 kg manufacturer's specification

The standard equipment includes color-coordinated fork covers, a Roxim LED front light, and a Koso LED rear light. Additional features include integrated cables, a rear luggage rack with a load capacity of 25 kg, and a height-adjustable Royal Orbis saddle.

Optional, the extensive accessory program from Yamaha offers baskets for the front and rear, inner bags for baskets and side bags, as well as high-quality pedals. Additionally, there is a mounting system for smartphones on the handlebar.
Furthermore, covers in various colors are available, which can be attached to the sides of the aluminum frame and give the e-bike a new overall impression.

While the baskets at the front and rear have been excellently resolved from a design perspective and more than fulfill their purpose, the stylish pannier bags already showed some weaknesses during the photo shoots. For example, there are no valves for releasing air, so that the content can be compressed after the bag is closed. Also, securing them with the sewn-on straps is somewhat cumbersome - not to mention that the front light is usually covered by the closure of the front bag.

Adjusting the saddle height and inclination as well as the handlebar angle can be set exemplarily. In other words: All screws are easily accessible, very sturdily made, and the chances are good that they will last an entire e-bike lifetime.

For the attachments of the bicycle baskets at the front and rear as well as their respective panels, it's a different story. The screw heads are somewhat delicate, and the matching threads are not always precisely accessible. The 'quick & dirty' installation in dim light, while stooped over and with a worn-out multitool, could sometimes turn into a nerve-wracking test of patience.

Our tip: Make a decision regarding the baskets (buy them, because they're good), use a proper tool for the assembly and then don't touch the fixings anymore. Once in place, the baskets give an extremely stable and durable impression.