TY-E 3.0 and Kuroyama Make History with First IA Super Title on an Electric Trials Bike

November 5, 2025

November 5, 2025—On Sunday, November 3, 2025, the final round (Round 8) of the 2025 All Japan Trial Championship season, the City Trial Japan event, was held in front of Osaka City Central Public Hall in Osaka Prefecture. In the event, Yamaha Factory Racing Team rider Kenichi Kuroyama, competing on Yamaha Motor’s TY-E 3.0 electric trials bike, took his fourth win of the season, and in doing so secured the first ever title win on an electric trials bike in the IA Super class, Japan’s premier class of trials competition.

The first-generation TY-E came about in 2018 as part of Yamaha’s research and development on trials bikes, aimed at overcoming key challenges for electric motorcycles going forward. The goal was to produce a machine with components that are compact and lightweight yet produce high output, and to make it intuitive and effortless to handle in trials competition. To confirm the development results, Kuroyama competed with the TY-E in the Trial World Championship’s TRIAL E class in 2018 and 2019. After finishing 2nd overall two years in a row, competitive activities for the TY-E were suspended.

In 2022, Yamaha resumed development on the TY-E, considering it one approach toward achieving carbon neutrality. Using the original model as a base to start from, TY-E 2.0 was developed and ridden in a wildcard entry in the Trial2 World Championship. Then in 2023, Kuroyama and the updated TY-E 2.1 contested a full season in the All Japan Trial Championship in the premier IA Super class with two major goals in mind. The first was to accumulate technology toward developing electric motorcycles with more fun and enjoyment than gasoline-powered motorcycles, and the second was to win the IA Super title within three years (by 2025).

Kuroyama’s first podium finish came in 2023 with 2nd place at Round 4, the Yuasa Grand Prix in Wakayama. At the following round in Hokkaido, the TY-E 2.2 made its debut, with which Kuroyama scored consecutive podiums through Round 7, climbing to 3rd in the overall standings by the end of the season. In 2024, Kuroyama formed a two-rider lineup alongside Seiya Ujikawa, who claimed his first victory at Round 3 in Motegi and his second at Round 4 in Hokkaido. For the season, Kuroyama bettered his result from the previous year, finishing 2nd overall while showing that the TY-E’s performance could rival gasoline-powered bikes.

In 2025—the final year of the three-year plan to win the title—the new TY-E 3.0 was introduced, and Ujikawa rode it to a win Round 2 in Oita. At Round 3 in Motegi, Kuroyama took his first win on an electric trials bike, then repeated the feat at Round 4 in Hokkaido. At Round 5 in Hiroshima, Fumitaka Nozaki rode the TY-E 2.2 to victory. Round 6 at SUGO saw Kuroyama secure his third win of the season, making it five consecutive wins for the TY-E. Kuroyama finished a provisional 3rd at Round 7 to move into the championship lead.

At the final round, the City Trial Japan event in Osaka, Kuroyama made steady progress through qualifying, the semifinals, and the main event. In the main event, he was in close contention with his teammate before coming out on top to take his fourth win of the season. The win earned him the 2025 IA Super championship crown, as he and the TY-E 3.0 made history by winning the first ever premier class title on an electric trials bike. For Kuroyama and Yamaha, it was the first title win in 13 years, and was Kuroyama’s 12th career All Japan title.

Kenichi Kuroyama
“I’m so happy to win the All Japan title in my third year on an electric trials bike. It’s all thanks to the development team around me here who are wearing the championship T-shirts. It wasn't just about me, the rider, because if this team hadn't worked so hard on development, the TY-E 3.0 wouldn't exist. I truly believe this is the result of their dedication. So I have to say a big thank you to all of the team.
Next year and beyond, I don't know if we can make it back-to-back wins, or how many records we can set, but I definitely want to keep competing on Yamaha's electric trials bikes. So I ask everyone to keep supporting us. Thank you all so much.”

Team Manager Yoshiyuki Sato
“This marks our third year competing in All Japan with the TY-E, and we had a three-year mission, so we absolutely had to win the title this year. Everyone worked very hard to achieve that goal, and I think it was down to the riders and everyone who worked so hard on development. Just like last year, this win was deeply moving for me. I'm also thankful to all the fans who supported us at the events this year, waiting to cheer on the riders until the very last moment, even after it got dark. I believe everyone’s strong support for Yamaha riders is how we got this fantastic result. While we haven’t announced our plans for the future yet, we want to do our best again next year, so please keep cheering us on. Thank you very much.”

*Results for Round 7 in Wakayama are currently under review and remain provisional.