Yamaha Exiting US E-Bike Market

[Soundwatts]

My dealer was notified by Yamaha that they are no longer selling e-bikes in the US. However they will continue to provide service and parts for the 5 year warranty. I don’t know where this leaves previous model owners. They are high quality bikes and we bought 4 in this fire sale period hoping they will last, only concerned about batteries down the road.

 

[J.R.]

My dealer was notified by Yamaha that they are no longer selling e-bikes in the US. However they will continue to provide service and parts for the 5 year warranty. I don’t know where this leaves previous model owners. They are high quality bikes and we bought 4 in this fire sale period hoping they will last, only concerned about batteries down the road.

This has happened before. I have an orphaned BH. Yamaha intends to end sales at the end of the year, but they will support owner's bikes for 5 years. It's hard to compete with cheap, direct to consumer imports from China.

Yamaha throws in the towel, pulls out of e-bike market in North America

Yamaha has announced to its dealers that it will be pulling its e-bikes out of the North American market at...

electrek.co

 

[Greentween]

Yamaha doesn't provide the warranty support directly, the dealer does. There is no one to talk to at Yamaha customer relations. Letter states "YMUS will continue to provide parts, service, and customer support in the United States both now and in support of our limited 5-year warranty". But they do not provide service or support. That is a lie! So really there is no 5 year warranty. Interpreting the letter above, if that is correct information, they just fired all the dealers.

Time to make dispute with CC company.

 

[J.R.]

Yamaha doesn't provide the warranty support directly, the dealer does. There is no one to talk to at Yamaha customer relations. Letter states "YMUS will continue to provide parts, service, and customer support in the United States both now and in support of our limited 5-year warranty". But they do not provide service or support. That is a lie! So really there is no 5 year warranty. Interpreting the letter above, if that is correct information, they just fired all the dealers.

Time to make dispute with CC company.

In the US, bikes and ebikes are consumer products. The FTC requires manufactures to support consumer products for 4 years. 4 years, if the company is still in business in the US. Yamaha should fall under this requirement. Enforcement would fall under civil law. I doubt that support will be free under warranty. Ebikes used to fall under USDOT, and US Federal law requires 10 years support for transportation vehicles. Having ebikes classed as consumer products offers less protection to the consumer, but there are far fewer regulations to follow for their manufacture.

I wonder if the sales contract for all the ebikes Yamaha has sold at deep discount was changed to add "AS IS" to the final sale. I rarely (~never) read all the fine print with the purchase of a consumer product. The devil is in the details. I don't think we have as many protections as we think we do. Hopefully support will not be needed.

In the 10+ years I've owned ebikes, I have only needed the warranty twice. Once for spokes and the other was much more significant, being an electronic issue. Two different bikes, from different makers, and both times I performed the labor with parts provided by the manufactures. Fingers crossed!

 

[BlackHand]

No, the extended warranty was a big visible component of the promotion and is still listed online. The exclusions look like the standard wear and tear, misuse, modification, accident, etc exclusions. Interesting to note that the warranty is transferrable if taken to a dealer for inspection.

Effective on models purchased on or after 12/01/2023, the drive unit (including the motor assembly, housing cover, internal gears, motor control unit assembly, drive axle assembly, and torque sensor assembly), battery, rigid frame, and rigid front fork will be warranted for a period of five (5) years from the Date of Purchase, subject to exclusions noted herein. All other Yamaha Power Assist Bicycle components, unless expressly excluded hereunder, will be warranted against defects in material or workmanship, for a period of one (1) year from the Date of Purchase, subject to exclusions noted herein. Replacement parts used in warranty repairs will be warranted for the balance of the applicable warranty period.

Yamaha E Bike Warranty Overview | Yamaha E Bikes

Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles gives you peace of mind by standing behind your purchase with a limited warranty that covers the drive unit, battery and frame for 3 full years.

www.yamahabicycles.com

 

[Grueso]

Yamaha doesn't provide the warranty support directly, the dealer does. There is no one to talk to at Yamaha customer relations. Letter states "YMUS will continue to provide parts, service, and customer support in the United States both now and in support of our limited 5-year warranty". But they do not provide service or support. That is a lie! So really there is no 5 year warranty. Interpreting the letter above, if that is correct information, they just fired all the dealers.

Time to make dispute with CC company.

So, what's broken on your bike? Or are you just trying to stir the pot a little bit?

 

[Greentween]

Many bought under fan appreciation sale because 5 year transferable warranty on the motor and battery. I called my dealer and they explained you can bring the e-bike VIN and purchase paperwork to any Yamaha motorcycle dealer and they can do the warranty transfer to the next owner.

But for warranty claim, will need to bring bike to your local e-bike dealer. Which if just happens to be a motorcycle dealer too, then you should be OK.

 

[FreDJ]

This has happened before. I have an orphaned BH. Yamaha intends to end sales at the end of the year, but they will support owner's bikes for 5 years. It's hard to compete with cheap, direct to consumer imports from China.

Yamaha throws in the towel, pulls out of e-bike market in North America

Yamaha has announced to its dealers that it will be pulling its e-bikes out of the North American market at...

electrek.co

Fully agreed about competing with Chinese imports. Over the years I've seen good products cancelled under a similar scenario. Then, once "they" own that market, prices increase; quality may be lower and good brand names may disappear.

As Yamaha makes motors for other eBike manufacturers, I'm expecting that motors and motor parts should be available into the future.

Batteries? There's discussion over the development of a standardized battery form and connector for use with multiple eBike manufacturer's future products. That won't do much to help existing owners of eBikes, and it may not happen anytime soon or at all. Yet this is an area for an ambitious entrepreneur to tackle by offering a battery rebuild and/or replacement service. Additionally, the 'engineer-in me' envisions production of empty battery cases shaped to fit any specific eBike. Such a case may then be sold to be fitted with readily-available, standard-sized cells from well-known battery cell manufacturers.

Just my 'two cents' for a first post.

 

[GenXrider]

Wow, just heard they aren't honoring the free battery promotion and now this.

Purchasing a Yamaha e-bike is my biggest regret.

 

[FreDJ]

Wow, just heard they aren't honoring the free battery promotion and now this.

Purchasing a Yamaha e-bike is my biggest regret.

I never saw anything in the promotion about a hard cut-off date. The website led one to believe it would extend beyond 10/21.
Has there been any response to the 'Open Letter to Yamaha' or has anyone learn anything from their dealers? I expect it may take awhile to receive a response from them.

I'm a current owner of two models including one I recently received.

 

[EMGX]

There are quite a few Yamaha ebikes in the couple local dealers when I recently checked their inventory. If they are indeed going to stop selling/supporting the bikes, especially now that a second battery isn't included in the deal, I'm wondering if they will have further steep price cuts in the upcomming months. It seems unlikely that the dealers would accept inventory unless they have a plan with Yamaha to unload any current stock. 5 years ago when BH exited the N.A. market they used Bicycle Blue Book to unload their unsold bikes listed as "used" with no warranty even though they were new in box. Prices for the MSRP $3400 Gravel X dopped steadily down to sub $1000.

 

[GenXrider]

I never saw anything in the promotion about a hard cut-off date. The website led one to believe it would extend beyond 10/21.
Has there been any response to the 'Open Letter to Yamaha' or has anyone learn anything from their dealers? I expect it may take awhile to receive a response from them.

I'm a current owner of two models including one I recently received.

Yeah, apparently the phrase "while supplies last" was mentioned some places. I don't know of any response to the open letter, and when I clicked on the form in the other thread, it said, "Thanks for all the responses. The form is now closed. See the original postings for updates."

 

[FreDJ]

I called Yamaha and learned that they intend to honor the 5 year warranty but I didn't get a definitive answer on the second battery-- except for being told that batteries are covered under the 5 year warranty. The rep said he could only speak for this region (USA) as exiting the RETAIL eBike biz.

So I have mixed feelings. On one hand the bike actually was a very good value at this price. (I consoled myself by looking at websites such as Giant's and Trek's showing bikes that would have cost much more for similar quality.) On the other hand I'd have felt better if I was sure of receiving the second battery--also sure of what the future holds for Yamaha-specific eBike replacement parts, a larger concern for many.

Mentioned above, I tend to believe that motors and parts should be available as other manufacturers utilize similar Yamaha motors. Possibly also replacement-specific batteries will be available. None-the-less this is an area that needs a better solution for most ALL eBikes: standardized batteries between manufacturers and/or replacement battery "shells" that permit insertion of standard, readily available cells from the major battery manufacturers. Many benefits would result!

 

[J.R.]

None-the-less this is an area that needs a better solution for most ALL eBikes: standardized batteries between manufacturers and/or replacement battery "shells" that permit insertion of standard, readily available cells from the major battery manufacturers. Many benefits would result!

This is something many of us have said on this forum for more than 10 years. Manufactures do not want it, it would appear. The founder of Zero Motorcycles, Neal Saiki patented a pack with replaceable cells back in 2014 or 15. He intended to launch a new ebike, but that fell through. I had invested in the crowdfunding, but when Neal pulled out, most of us backers did as well. Now with most governments beginning to require UL Listing, I don't think packs with replaceable cells will ever be legal to sell.

As for battery packs for bikes. I have a buddy who owns a 2017 Haibike, with the Yamaha system. Back in Spring '24 he was able to buy a Yamaha pack at a Giant dealer. This dealer never sold Haibike or Yamaha branded bikes, but due to Giants using a Yamaha system, they were able to order a battery for him. You are probably safe for parts, for years to come.

 

[FreDJ]

This is something many of us have said on this forum for more than 10 years. Manufactures do not want it, it would appear. The founder of Zero Motorcycles, Neal Saiki patented a pack with replaceable cells back in 2014 or 15. He intended to launch a new ebike, but that fell through. I had invested in the crowdfunding, but when Neal pulled out, most of us backers did as well. Now with most governments beginning to require UL Listing, I don't think packs with replaceable cells will ever be legal to sell.

As for battery packs for bikes. I have a buddy who owns a 2017 Haibike, with the Yamaha system. Back in Spring '24 he was able to buy a Yamaha pack at a Giant dealer. This dealer never sold Haibike or Yamaha branded bikes, but due to Giants using a Yamaha system, they were able to order a battery for him. You are probably safe for parts, for years to come.

Thanks for some history on this. I read on another forum related to electronics repair that someone in Europe (France?) was working on a standard battery pack. I believe crowdfunding was involved; my memory is vague. Developing a standard battery could be a good first step. Seems to me that a dedicated manufacturer focused on making replacement packs could be a good market, one that could include making new battery packs for several bike manufacturers--and even upgrade packs (and chargers?) as technology advances. Such a market could also expand beyond eBikes into other mobility areas, cordless power tools, etc. I'd expect that a dedicated manufacturer would be able to readily obtain UL certifications. Possibly such manufacturer(s) already exist as subcontractors to eBike manufacturers? If so, they only need branding and expansion into the replacement market.

Happy to hear that you believe as I do that we Yamaha eBike owners should be safe for years to come. There will be more on the road now. Another possibly is for Giant to pick up future support for Yamaha eBikes while continuing to utilize their motors...