Having ridden motorcycles in the past and getting into mountain biking in recent years, I've often complained over the build quality of even relatively high-end carbon-fiber mountain bikes vs. mass-produced Japanese motorbikes.

Last month I had to rebuild the SRAM Guide RSC brake levers on my Ibis Mojo HD3 (~$6k MSRP in 2016) because the master cylinder pistons (plastic!) had swollen up enough to bind up in their bores.

The whole experience had me desperately wishing I could get an MTB equivalent of my old 2004 Yamaha R1. To see the brand entering the e-bike MTB market looks like a significant step towards fulfilling that fantasy. If I could buy the Yamaha R1 equivalent of carbon full-suspension MTBs I'd immediately replace my Ibis with it.

Hopefully they don't limit themselves to motorized variants.