Yamaha’s Self-Riding Motoroid2 Concept

Admin · October 16, 2023

Yamaha’s Motoroid2 concept will be shown at the Japan Mobility Show Next week. (Yamaha/)

The Tokyo Motor Show has been rebranded as the Japan Mobility Show this year, but it’s still the preferred launch pad for some of Japan’s craziest concept bikes, and Yamaha has already announced its potential stars of the show ahead of the event.

Opening on October 26, the Japan Mobility Show will display concepts and engineering prototypes from all of Japan’s big brands to the public, but they’ll have to try hard to be more extreme than Yamaha’s Motoroid2, unveiled in advance of the event via the Tuning Fork brand’s dedicated Japan Mobility Show microsite.

The Motoroid2 can pick itself off its sidestand and follow its rider while self-balancing. (Yamaha/)

The original MOTOROiD—yes, Yamaha writes it like it has a sticky caps-lock key—was unveiled in 2017, building on the self-riding technology that was previously debuted on the company’s Motobot and incorporating it into a vision of an electric superbike of the future. The Motoroid2 features a similar look and the same self-balancing abilities as the original, but expands the technology with a face recognition system, gesture control, and an enhanced version of the AMCES (Active Mass Center Control System) that tweaks the steering to maintain balance even when there isn’t a rider onboard.

The electric-powered Motoroid2 features Yamaha’s Active Mass Center Control System for self-balancing abilities. (Yamaha/)

The Motoroid2 can lift itself off its sidestand and follow its owner at walking speed. It has also gained what Yamaha describes as a “Leaf structure unlike any motorcycle before” that allows it to react to interactions like some sort of sci-fi robot.

The upper part of the Motoroid2 pivots up with lighting underneath in what Yamaha calls a “Leaf structure,” and brings the <i>Transformers</i> idea to life as the machine reacts to interactions with the rider. (Yamaha/)

It might all seem a bit meaningless, but self-riding tech developed via Motobot and the original MOTOROiD has already started to filter toward production bikes. Earlier this year Yamaha showed its Advanced Motorcycle Stabilization Assist System (AMSAS), adding an electric motor to the front wheel of a YZF-R3 along with a steering servo to create a bolt-on system that could give almost any bike a limited self-riding and self-balancing ability. The same tech is behind the development of advanced rider-assist systems and crash avoidance technology, all key elements of Yamaha’s stated intention of ending fatalities on its motorcycles by 2050.

Yamaha’s Elove scooter also features AMSAS technology. (Yamaha/)

The same AMSAS tech appears in another JMS show concept from Yamaha. Called Elove, it’s an electric scooter that incorporates AMSAS in a much more production-style manner than the original R3-based prototype, with Yamaha suggesting it could be used by inexperienced riders or those with physical disabilities that make conventional bikes hard or impossible to operate.

Another concept is the TMW, a three-wheel-drive hybrid with a pair of electric motors in the front wheels and an internal combustion engine driving the rear. (Yamaha/)

Another Yamaha making its debut at the event is the TMW, an after-hours project conceived by volunteers from the company’s Motorcycle Testing Division. Based on the engine and rear end of an old Yamaha TW125, it’s an off-road three-wheeler that uses the “LMW” (leaning multi-wheel) tilting front suspension setup from the Niken and Tricity models. Those balloon-tire front wheels each incorporate a hub-mounted electric motor, so the TMW is a three-wheel-drive hybrid with a combustion engine powering the back wheel and electricity driving the two fronts.

Related: Making Sense Of The Yamaha Niken, A Motorcycle With Two Front Ends

The headlights and front carrier remain horizontal even as the rest of the bike leans, and the concept is intended to show how the LMW system and electric tech could be used to create a motorcycle that’s capable of doing the same jobs as an ATV.

The E-FV mini racebike concept is based on the TY-E electric trials bike. (Yamaha/)

Another side project created by Yamaha volunteers is the E-FV, an electric mini racebike created around the powertrain from the company’s TY-E electric trials bike. It’s been made by a team of young engineers working at the company, with the innovation of a built-in sound system that uses a speaker under the “tank” to mimic the exhaust notes of conventional internal combustion engine motorcycles.

A top view of the Motoroid2. (Yamaha/)
A view of the hub-mounted motor and beautiful swingarm. (Yamaha/)