Brammo Owners Forum
Brammo Empulse Discussion => Brammo Empulse => Topic started by: littlefreak3000 on February 16, 2015, 03:33:09 PM
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Well, looks like I wont be riding this summer. On Feb 8th we got a warm front through NJ and I thought what a great day to take the bike on a short trip to the deli for a sandwich. In a very standard low speed turn just a block away from home I lost control of the bike. Not sure why the whole event is quite fuzzy. Might have been cold tires or some sand in the road. High sided the bike at about 15mph and rolled the bike over on my leg. Broke my tibula and fibula just above my boot line. Gonna be a long recovery and unfortunately I'm debating even riding again. The bike held up fine. Bent shifter, broken front turn signal and some scuffed slider and bar end. I'm scared to see how the Polaris buyout effects the resale of the bike.
Anyways guys hope your riding season starts out better then mine. Ride safe.
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Sorry to hear that. Was hoping to meet up sometime and ride around West Milford or thereabouts. I love riding on the Greenwood Lake Turnpike.
Best wishes for your recovery.
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I'm so sorry to hear of your off.
Aside from the pain of broken bones and the tedious recovery period, I'm glad it wasn't worse.
It's always difficult to be in doubt about why something like this happened. Makes it hard to learn from it.
Be sure to avail yourself of physical therapy to hasten your complete recovery.
Wishing you speed in your recovery and a restoration of peace in what must be a fear-filled mind right now. (I've been there.)
- Bill
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Sorry to hear, hope you have a speedy recovery.
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Really sorry to hear that, those are some intense injuries for such a low speed crash, hopefully the recovery is relatively quick and easy. I actually took the bike out on the same day (outside of Philly, so same neck of the woods) and remember how sketchy the roads were. Sand, melting snow and salt everywhere. I was just desperate to take the Empulse out, as I hadn't had a chance to ride it since I've gotten it. Get well soon!
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Really sorry to hear that, those are some intense injuries for such a low speed crash, hopefully the recovery is relatively quick and easy. I actually took the bike out on the same day (outside of Philly, so same neck of the woods) and remember how sketchy the roads were. Sand, melting snow and salt everywhere. I was just desperate to take the Empulse out, as I hadn't had a chance to ride it since I've gotten it. Get well soon!
yea southern end of Jersey hasn't had snow or salt down for a 2 weeks so here the roads seemed even less sketchy than that. The severity of the injuries are somewhat my fault hospital said that my vitamin D was a bit low (Probably from not seeing the sun for awhile because of winter work schedules). But even with that it was just to weight of the bike coming down on it. I wish I was going a bit faster and was thrown from the bike. I'm a smaller framed guy weighing only 135lbs. Can't win a fight with a 450lb beast that is the Empulse lol. Maybe the knew Polaris deal will spit out a super motard for me.
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Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident... You know what they say though, its not "if" its "when". Now that you got that under your belt, its time to get back on that fine machine! I certainly would not sell it though, not now anyway... you practically just got it.
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I don't know if you're ready for any "crash analysis", but I was wondering how tall your boots are.
I just read some information about the proper role of moto boots, and, based on that discussion, went out and bought new boots, since my old comfy ones were fine for abrasion, but not for the other 7 functions good boots should perform.
My new boots (AlpineStars Toucans) are 15 inches high and have a 4" tall plastic plate just below the top and on the front surface of the leg portion. The purpose of this plate is to stop a common occurrence in get offs: the foot peg impacts the leg and fractures the tibia and fibula. Do you think that could have happened to you?
Did your pants have knee armor?
Also did you have "frame sliders" attached to the front frame? I had my Empulse fall on me in my garage (don't ask!) and the 4" frame slider probably saved me from a bunch of hurt.
I've also got the Givi side bags on the bike and I know from being rear-ended on a BMW, that side bags can go a long to in protecting your legs.
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I have been doing a crash analysis since I came to on the road. Not having memories of the actual event is fustrating .
I have thought about longer boots. They might have helped. I was riding with Icon 1000 truants. The break is right after the boot ends. Less boot might have been better too as a broken ankle is less worse then a tibula/fibula break but less protection is just silly.
I have pants with armor that I was not wearing as it was just a trip around the block and I wasn't planning on going more then 30mph. Luckily it turns out i really didn't need them in this wreck. Just some slight road rash on my hip plus the surgents would have had to cut them off.
I have 5 inch frame sliders as well. Still makes a pinch point at the lower end of the bike tho. The few times I dropped the bike I had to quick pull my leg out as it went down to prevent getting pinched. I have thought about getting some slightly intrusive axle sliders to increase that lower gap slightly.
The side bags are an interesting thought. How well do they hold up if you drop the bike at a standstill? They are quite expensive and from my understanding hard to find.
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Oh no! I hope your recovery goes well. You've been a great contributor to this forum and I hope you stick around.
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The side bags hold up well from a parking lot drop. Their attachment system seems really solid, especially compared with the BMW system which dropped one of my cases after hitting a pothole.
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I might look into the cases. It be nice to not have to carry the charger on my back and have a place for a passenger helmet. How hard are they to take off for some spirited riding? Also notice any range reduction with the extra drag?
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Holy crap dude! I'm sorry to hear that. Glad it wasn't worse and I hope you heal up quick.
Since I have related experience . . . having crashed twice, once on the Empulse:
What I consider my absolute minimum for moto boots is something that has a hard armored armature (can be internal or external) that prevents the ankle from rotating the wrong way -- while possessing a hinge to allow it to rotate the correct way (i.e. walking). I currently have these Dainese boots (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-tr-course-out-boots):
(http://i.imgur.com/GpUAdGgl.jpg)
Note the hinge. I refuse to ride in any boot that does not have something like this. Quite a lot of boots might be made of leather and/or have tough plastic-looking bits on them, but if you can pick them up in a store and bend them sideways in half with your hands . . . that's what your ankle will likely do when you hit the ground.
When I crashed, the Empulse came down pretty hard on my right ankle. I had a bruise for a few days and that was the extent of it. It's true that it could have been luck or other factors, but I believe pretty strongly that if I hadn't been wearing those boots, I'd be much worse off.
It's also true that there are boots that are even more protective (e.g. crazy motocross boots (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sidi-crossfire-2-srs-boots)), but they're not really comfortable to walk in or practical for daily usage. The Daineses are easy to walk around in and very comfortable.
Also, obligatory pitch for get an Aerostich (http://www.aerostich.com/suits/one-piece-suits)! Mine certainly saved my bacon, especially in the case of the freeway crash.
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Terrible news! I hope you have a speedy and full recovery.
And what doesn't kill you makes you a better rider!
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Terrible news! I hope you have a speedy and full recovery.
And what doesn't kill you makes you a better rider!
I hope so man, but you can expect its got me a little put off to ride again. Hopefully my nerves recover as quick as my leg.
As for the boots I'm definately gonna look into a higher boot. The boots o have ICON 1000 truants have great ankle support they just aren't high enough to protect my shin. One of my major usages of the bike is a commute to work. Once at work I switch my boots for shoes in my bag. My truants would barely fit in my bag for carrying them into work. Any suggestions for taking knee high boots around with you? Maybe those givi bags will come into play.
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The Givi cases come off easily (unlock, push a button and lift) and go back on even more so: push onto the frame, done (with a positive snapping sound as it locks up).
I got a windshield about the same time as the cases and my mileage improved, so I can't tell you about their drag effect, but they're sculpted with plenty of rounded borders and probably sit inside the slipstream made by my legs.
I just went into the garage and one of my A* Toucan's size 11 boots will fit in each case, but not two in one case. (They're huge boots, but light.) Jeff's above look more sleek.
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I wanted to give an update. Leg seems to be healing up fine. Still not walking with out a crutch yet tho. Still not sure if I'll be back riding this summer or not. I've been quiet about everything since I submitted a claim to Brammo to investigate the possibility if the recent recall is what led to the accident. After reviewing my telemetry from the USB drive they felt like it was not the cause. I don't think I am going to be following up with an attorney. So I'm left with no idea why the wheel stepped out at 10mph/half throttle on a clean road on a 50F day. I think I'm gonna have to get a GoPro to record every ride from now on just in case.
As for the after math of everything besides my physical injuries. I got a decent pile of bills to get through. The tow and holding of the bike is one of the most ridiculous and nothing my insurance will reduce. They held the bike for a full week as they wouldn't release it to my family without a notarized letter from me which was difficult as I was bed ridden and drug at the hospital for the first week. Medical bills are pretty steep too. The bike is getting taken care of by my insurance.
So to be honest I'm debating selling the Empulse R and getting a the new Yamaha R3. The price difference between the two will help me pay off my bills and still leave me with a bike. Maybe if Polaris releases a new Empulse I'll pick that up in a year or 2 time since this bike and its range will only get better with time. But who knows, I've still haven't made my discussion.
Finally here are some pictures of the damage and my new hardware.
[smg id=410]
[smg id=409]
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I had a little excursion with mine about 2 weeks after I got it. Part of the damage was a bent shift lever as you mentioned, additionally the post on my shift lever snapped off. I ended up welding on a folding dirtbike post after I straightened and annealed the bent lever. It will have been on there 2 years in August and has worked great. I'll post a picture when I get home.
I hope from your other post about the rearsets you're thinking about getting back on the road. Cheers!
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See attached
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Just had an incident with my Empulse in my neighborhood. An industrial lawnmower for the HOA pulled out into the street right in front of me. I jammed the brakes, but hit him and my bike went over on the right. Have you been successful in getting replacement parts for the bike? Looks like I might need a new headlight cowl (carbon set), brake fluid cover, hand brake lever, grips, right rearset, mirrors and maybe dash cover (scratched).
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I was able to replace all of those things although I didnt have to do the rearset or the instrument cover. It was not cheap but can be done. You should be able to get the brembo parts pretty much anywhere, they are common. I converted to woodcraft clipons at that point and it makes a huge difference in the aggressiveness of the bike. I also went with a bar end mirror.
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Parts still available: my headlight switch developed problems and a replacement came in today. A month or so ago, I received steering head bearings.
OTOH, I have no word when an out of stock set of front fork bushings will come in. I hope Polaris comes online soon.
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Dropped my bike off at Eurosports in PA a month ago. Needed a new handle bar (was bent a little from the accident), left side rear set. Been meaning to shoot them a call to get an update but keep putting it off. They didn't seem to feel like there would be an issue getting the parts, but its been a month so not sure what the hold up is.
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Where did you get the parts for your Empulses? Did you call Brammo directly or were you able to get them through your old dealer or from a new Victory dealer? I ask because my dealer just told me since they were dropped from the network, they can no longer get parts.
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Took it to my old dealer. Talked to a local Victory dealership and they arn't ready yet to handle the bike.
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Unless your dealer was dropped before the sale for some business or personal reason, all dealers were "dropped." Yet my local dealer still has microfiches, still communicates with Oregon, and can still get parts and has expressed a responsibility to do so.
If your dealer is indeed unable to get parts (and not just shirking), you may want to get in touch with Scuderia in San Francisco, or contact Brammo directly and explain your dilemma.
If Polaris is, in fact, going to release the Empulse TT in the year of 2015 as they've stated, the wait shouldn't be too much longer for a working parts supply chain and qualified technicians.
As an early adopter of the Empulse, I've learned not to hold my breath. ::)
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I've talked to my local Victory Dealer already about getting some parts. They said they will be ready to order at the start of October (nowish). So they seem to be moving at a decent pace to get ready to handle the bike. Gonna get me the windscreen and sliders on the victory website and maybe see if I can get my hands on the seat from the Victory Empulse.
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I've talked to my local Victory Dealer already about getting some parts. They said they will be ready to order at the start of October (nowish). So they seem to be moving at a decent pace to get ready to handle the bike. Gonna get me the windscreen and sliders on the victory website and maybe see if I can get my hands on the seat from the Victory Empulse.
Who's this dealer out of curiosity, since you're local-ish.
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Deptford Honda in NJ. http://www.dhy.com/ (http://www.dhy.com/)
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Deptford Honda in NJ. http://www.dhy.com/ (http://www.dhy.com/)
Sweet, here's hoping. Btw, let me know if you want to link-up for a ride before winter imposes itself, I'm just north of Center City.
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Deptford Honda in NJ. http://www.dhy.com/ (http://www.dhy.com/)
Sweet, here's hoping. Btw, let me know if you want to link-up for a ride before winter imposes itself, I'm just north of Center City.
We'll see idk if I'm gonna have my bike back before its cold. Plus I gotta work on my nerve of getting back on since I messed myself up so bad the last time I was on it.
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You should buy this video and watch it. I did and doing it again and again.
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Vol-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021 (http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Vol-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021)
A few of the videos are on youtube videos..
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Yea I've seen some of his stuff on youtube while I was looking into how I handled my situation wrong that resulted in my wreck. I should grab one of his videos to get the whole lesson.
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I might look into the cases. It be nice to not have to carry the charger on my back and have a place for a passenger helmet. How hard are they to take off for some spirited riding? Also notice any range reduction with the extra drag?
The hard cases take only 30 seconds to take off,,, super easy
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I might look into the cases. It be nice to not have to carry the charger on my back and have a place for a passenger helmet. How hard are they to take off for some spirited riding? Also notice any range reduction with the extra drag?
The hard cases take only 30 seconds to take off,,, super easy
Yea not the question is price and how hard they will be to find since Brammo dropped supporting the bike and I've had issues just getting sliders from Victory.
Also took my bike out this week for the first time since my accident. It was a bit nerve racking but I'm working on getting comfortable on the bike again.
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I've been waiting since feb 22nd,, to get my bike fixed,, my old BRAMMO dealer can't get any parts any more, and the new dealer (victory dealer) will let me know when they get the PRICING on the parts,,,
The can't even get part numbers yet for "legacy" Empulse's,,,
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I just walked into my local Victory dealer and asked for a part that Victory has listed on their website (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/accessories/frame-sliders/pid-2881606 (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/accessories/frame-sliders/pid-2881606)). Still waiting for them to come in after 2 weeks.
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I just walked into my local Victory dealer and asked for a part that Victory has listed on their website (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/accessories/frame-sliders/pid-2881606 (http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/accessories/frame-sliders/pid-2881606)). Still waiting for them to come in after 2 weeks.
Make sure you double check their service parts, they had the front wheel spacer listed in the rear wheel assembly, hopefully corrected now. Additionally the wheel items were on back order.
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