Brammo Empulse

I feel like, in the future when I finally have a steady income and money to spend, I will transition over to something like this. It really is the best looking electric machine I've seen. And I'd never have to think about cars passing again....

Invest a couple Gs into building a sizable solar array at home to charge, and that's the future, to me. No dependence on oil, no pollution, clean, quiet, powerful.
 
Hi,

Since Brammo's dealer is Best Buy does anyone have any experience with getting Brammo/EV warranty work done by Best Buy?
 
Torque is the only number that matters to me, and torque wise, I imagine it will be closer to the speed triple than the ninja by a long shot but like you said just WAGing 8) :mrgreen:
 
Here:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news...enertia-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-report

Conclusion

The 2011 Brammo Enertia is the cheapest electric motorcycle on the market today. With a top speed of around 60 mph, and an range of around 40 miles on mixed roads/ 20 miles on fast roads, it should provide most commuters with a weeks' worth of travel. For longer-distance trips, a larger battery pack is available in the $8,995 Enertia Plus -- giving between 40 and 80 miles of travel depending on how it is ridden.

Combining an electric drivetrain, scooter chic and traditional motorcycle driving manners, it would make an ideal first electric motorcycle for a city dweller looking for a way of getting around a motorcycle-friendly city quickly and cleanly.

However, seasoned motorcyclists may find its acceleration and handling characteristics a little too tame to trade in a gasoline motorcycle for. Instead, we think it would make an excellent second motorcycle, giving riders of larger motorcycles a cleaner, cheaper way to get to work in the mornings, saving faster and more powerful gasoline motorcycles for the weekend.
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kinda hard to justify the cost of the bike by saying saving gas LOL, Even a modern 600 cc sport bike will get 30+ mpg city.
 
Empulse 6.0: 6kWh, 60-mile average range, $9,995.

Empulse 8.0: 8kWh, 80-mile average range, $11,995.

Empulse 10.0: 10kWh, 100-mile average range, $13,995.
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So, effectively they are "costing" the battery at $1000 per kWhr,... hence the rest of the bike is "valued" at only $3999 retail ! :shock: .. thats a lot of componentry for $4k ! :eek:

..I wonder if you could pick up a bike without the batts and do your own thing ?

Why would a battery need water cooling at these power levels anyway ?
 
PaulD said:
The battery is not water cooled. Not sure where that info came from.
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From the Engadget article...
Is it just misinformation. ?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/brammo-goes-street-fighting-with-the-100mph-empulse-electric-mot/
The Empulse has rather more traditional styling, only its inclined array of water-cooled cells sitting where the motor should be plus that unusually large rear sprocket giving away its alternative means of propulsion.
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PaulD said:
The battery is not water cooled. Not sure where that info came from.
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I feel your pain buddy.

When it comes to the media, the only thing you can be certain of, is that they will get it all drastically wrong.

Check this article out:

http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/green-wheels-motorcycles-2012-range-electric-motorcycles/


My favorite quotes from it:

The all new stunning Zero is featured to be the world’s first electric motorcycle that has exceeded the UDDS test.

With the ZF9 motors, you can vroom on more than 100 miles without affecting the life of the vehicle.

The other advantage would be that the on-board charger helps to reduce the overall charging time by 75% and thus, help to hit out the 80% capacity; a 3000 complete charge and discharge cycle.

The high energy power packs display 95% performance and deliver up to 300,000 miles with the power pack.

The voltage system is featured with superior cooling levels that enable to the motor to run at longer rpm levels than the previous models.

The maintenance-free, air cooled motor ensures that users are devoid of the constant hassle of having to clean it up for better performance. Nevertheless, the green machine is designed to go the green way.

Despite the various pros, covet for the big money find it a really expensive hunch on their pockets. It is certain that anything good will certainly face an opposition and enthusiasts who are craving to give away opinions, have just caught up the money factor here.
 
liveforphysics said:
I feel your pain buddy.

When it comes to the media, the only thing you can be certain of, is that they will get it all drastically wrong.

Check this article out:

http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/green-wheels-motorcycles-2012-range-electric-motorcycles/
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That's pretty funny, Luke. They even claim it has 9 kWh :wink:
 
emotofreak said:
Actually the comparison is probably pretty close in terms of total performance. i.e. Acceleration and Top Speed. Ninja 250's are a lot of fun, I don't think it's a demeaning comparison. Comparing the Empulse, for which no real test data exists, to a Triumph Street Triple is probably a bigger stretch of imagination. But this is all WAG (Wild Ass Guessing) until we see some impartial test data.

Ninja = 28HP
Empulse = 55HP (claimed, I bet it's more like 40-45, the PMS-156 is only rated to 30kW)
Triumph Street Triple = 105HP!

Also, keep in mind the gas bikes have gears which allows them to use their power more effectively, electric single speed bikes will come out of current limiting at around 30-50% peak RPM and power just drops from there. I totally agree with the rest of your sentiments.

Toshi said:
I think your Ninja 250 comparison is bordering on hyperbole. That 250 has very little low end torque and less than 25 hp. The Empulse has its torque down low, 55 hp to boot when spun up, and is a more substantial machine all around. Comparing to the Empulse to something like a Triumph Street Triple is more fair, and while the ST still "wins" on paper due to power, it uses gasoline, has gears, is noisy, requires oil changes, etc. These things in and of themselves are advantages for EVs.
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I see your point, but where is that maximum power made? Typically, on a sport bike, the peak HP and torque (especially HP) are not going to hit at real world normal driving speeds, i.e. racing speeds is where you will see the 105 HP on that Triumph, where as this Empulse makes that power off the line, and will be much more felt and useful at normal commuting speeds.

Also, IIRC, it has a 6 speed gear box, so it's not your typical E-Motorcycle that has a more limited useful power curve (i.e. geared for speed at either top or bottom of the spectrum, much like the limitations of a hub motor vs mid-drive with transmission) than most E-Motorcycles.

I used to own a 250 Honda Interceptor, and even with my friend riding on the back, it had pretty impressive performance for it's size, but it would never have near the torque of this Empluse.

I would guess it would have power similar to a large V-Twin with out the extra weight, probably would perform closer to that of a Honda VFR850, or similar bike that is tuned more to make it's power at normal traffic speeds rather than racing speeds.

Sure it's not going to approach the power of a top performing liter class sport bike with the motor wrapped out near maximum RPM, but give it time, I believe with-in the next 10 years the electrics will start to match the ICE bikes in raw performance, maybe not range, but the motors are getting pretty close in racing form, only a matter of time before that same performance becomes affordable enough to end up on the showroom floor. 8)
 
I would agree Lightcycle.

ICE has been developed for over a century, it's still getting better, but it's likely plateauing compared to how much EV tech can grow in the future. The part about the 100% torque/power at normal speeds is very important and worth a lot I bet.
 
If you follow the Zero forum, it appears the 114 mile range and 88 mph is optimistic. The couple of people who have reviewed their new bikes are having a hard time hitting 80 mph and nothing close to 100 miles of range. One person estimated at highway speed of 70-75 mph, you would have a range of 33 miles with the big battery. Actually, a 25 mile commute by interstate going 75 mph sounds pretty good if you can recharge at work for the return trip, but anything below 70 puts you in the right lane with the trucks and people entering and exiting in my area which is still OK, but not my idea of interstate riding. It may take one more improvement in the battery and motor until the Zero keeps up with cars on the interstate. It does appear that each year this motorcycle gets better....faster and a longer range. The Brammo looks interesting as well. Competition is a good thing.
 
dkw12002 said:
If you follow the Zero forum, it appears the 114 mile range and 88 mph is optimistic. The couple of people who have reviewed their new bikes are having a hard time hitting 80 mph and nothing close to 100 miles of range. One person estimated at highway speed of 70-75 mph, you would have a range of 33 miles with the big battery. Actually, a 25 mile commute by interstate going 75 mph sounds pretty good if you can recharge at work for the return trip, but anything below 70 puts you in the right lane with the trucks and people entering and exiting in my area which is still OK, but not my idea of interstate riding. It may take one more improvement in the battery and motor until the Zero keeps up with cars on the interstate. It does appear that each year this motorcycle gets better....faster and a longer range. The Brammo looks interesting as well. Competition is a good thing.
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Does luke have a comeback for this? :mrgreen:
 
I wonder why they are not selling in Canada... It appear that only Zero have dealers here

I might be looking for a zero or a brammo or a diy for this summer.

Luke if you have any deal, Pm me!.. i'm serious. I'm looking for a model WITHOUT BATTERY and WITHOUT CHARGER and if it'S the only condition.. i can accept NO WARRANTY... and you know why... :D

or if possible.. just asking for a replacement motorcycle that come with the charger and the battery :lol:

the combo battery and charger for the 2010 model cost 3000$.. so i guess it reduce the price alot.. and also for the shipping...

The Zero S seem really interesting with the brushless motor!

Sorry Brammo.. no dealer based in Canada.. :roll:

Doc
 
I own a 2012 Ninja 250, and a 2011 Zero S. Now those two bikes are very different. The weight, size, shifting, sound, handling and top speed are obvious differences. My Zero is under 300 lbs, and the Ninja with the big gas tank and much wider seat, and 375 lbs....80 lbs. heavier. It is significant moving them around the garage. The Zero flits, but the Ninja is more boat-like with a sluggish front-end in comparison.

The previous comparison of a Brammo to a Ninja is much closer with the shifting, size, looks and weight of the Brammo. The new Ninja is 32 hp and goes 95 mph actual. Since I love my Ninja, I would probably also love a Brammo, although I must say, NOT-shifting is a fantastic thing, except for reaching for the clutch and finding out there isn't one (which coincidently means you have likely also forgotten the rear brake is by your right foot for a moment), and then getting on a scooter and slamming on the brake thinking it's a clutch. If Brammo can really get 90 mph or so out of it, or more importantly a comfortable 80 mph on the interstate with a range of at least 30 miles at 75 mph, that would be fantastic at $14,000. I do like the looks of the new Zero better though and prefer not-shifting. I see they have a 1 year warranty on the Inertia. They should have a 2-year warranty like Zero, though. The real comparison will be between Zero and Brammo if they ever get their Empulse out.
 
My only question is: why not to make the seat a little bit longer, to put the stop light in the proper place
just over the plate? 8)
This comment is valid for the Enertia too... but here we are talking of a proper
e-bike with nice range and decent power .... Why not to allow a passenger to fit? :evil:

have fun!
 
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