Yesterday Yamaha Motor unveiled [JP] their PAS Brace, a new electric bike with an assistance system that adopts to the gear position and the driver’s running speed. The 8-gear bike will be available in black, red or white for an MSRP of $1,150.

Yamaha says the bike’s so-called S.P.E.C.8 mechanism is the main selling point. The system automatically recognizes when a driver shifts gears or changes the speed and adjusts the level of electric assistance accordingly.

If the bike runs faster than 15km/h, the auxiliary power unit starts to reduce its output, depending on which gear is currently put on. If the bike reaches a speed of 24km/h or faster, electric assistance will be stopped. Owners can choose between 3 modes: automatic, “power” and “auto-eco plus”.

The Yamaha bike is powered by a 4.0Ah lithium-ion battery with a rated voltage of 25.9V. With one charge, the assisted travel range can reach up to 39km when riding in automatic mode (power mode: 23km, auto-eco plus mode: 61km). The PAS Brace is sized at 1,760×530×820-1,000mm and weighs 22.2kg.

Yamaha has set a sales target of 2,500 units for its bike, which hits Japan August 8. Panasonic presented their own high-end model earlier this month but both companies don’t seem to have plans to export their bikes.