Yamaha offers free repairs to motorized bicycles

Tokyo: Yamaha Motor Co offered free repairs for 221,000 of its motorized bicycles, saying a motor defect could cause some to lose control and hurt cyclists.

A defect in the hybrid motors of Yamaha’s PAS Smile series of bicycles, which are powered by a nickel metal-hydride battery, means the bike could roll forward even after the cyclist stops pedaling, the Shizuoka-based company said in a statement.

At least seven people who lost control of their bicycles were injured between 2005-2007, three seriously, according to company official Kenichi Oyama.

Of the defective bicycles, about 80,000 were sold by Bridgestone Cycle Co. and 13,000 by Miyata Industry Co. None of the models are sold overseas, Oyama said.

Motorized bicycles are popular in Japan which is a leader in environmental technology and in promoting new and novel ways of cutting costs in ways which are environmentally friendly.

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