Brammo Owners Forum

Dash lights up but does not draw current, according to the readout.  This happened at my work, where there are several Level II chargers in the garage, so I tried a few of them, and then tried to charge at home off Level I, always with the same result. 

So my first question is an extremely basic one.  When I go to check the fuses, I notice they're not like other fuses I've seen that are transparent so that a blown fuse is visually evident.  These are opaque.  How do you know if it's blown?  I just haven't encountered this before.  The 3 charging fuses all appear the same visually.

If it's not a fuse, then I've got a big problem, because Scuderia no longer does Empulse-specific work and I doubt there's anyone else in the Bay Area now that does.  I suppose I can get on the phone with Polaris and try to talk to someone who will look at the data.   But this could turn into a huge inconvenience. 

On the positive side, I'll get more riding time on my Nine T.

Taking up Skuzzle/ShinySide's conversation from another thread, some folks have had their Empulse for well over a year.  Have you noticed any loss of range? 

I'm at 10 months and 5500 miles, and my barometer is my daily commute, but there are so many variables, the primary one being traffic congestion.  My observations are also skewed because I put a windscreen on about 5 months into it, which increased my range by about 10%.  I "feel" like I may have lost about one percentage point since putting on the windscreen, based on average daily commuting results, but it's difficult to be conclusive.

Fellow Brammophiles:

Because I purchased my standard Empulse in September, 2013, I'm eligible for what Brammo called the "Trade Program," which means I can get full MSRP value in trading for either a standard or R 2014 model.  I'm considering doing this, but it's not a no-brainer.  To swap a standard for a standard, I'd have to pay $3,400, which includes destination, setup, other fees and (here's the kicker) sales tax on full MSRP.  California is apparently one of a few states that doesn't allow deduction of trade in value when figuring sales tax.  If I move up to the R, that figure is $5,400.

Now if I had regretted getting the standard and really wanted to move up to the R, this would be a nice way to do it.  But that's not the case.  The standard empulse is quite a bit less torque than the R, but it makes no difference in my real world riding.  The Standard suits my needs in every way.

So putting that aside, does it makes sens to pay $3,400 to replace a 1-year old 2013 for a new 2014?

As you know, the improvements are nice but not dramatic.  Mainly:

1)  Increased range of about 5%.
2)  Redesigned dash that is probably more waterproof.
3)  weighs 10 lbs less, though my understanding is that some of this weight reduction is from the new tires.

These changes aren't going to drastically change my enjoyment or use of the Empulse.  My daily commute and wanderings are well within its range.  Occasionally I go longer distances and then the extra 5% of range would of course help (I've already reaped the range benefit from adding a windshield).  But even then it isn't a matter of whether I can get somewhere or not, but rather whether I have to stop for some charging.

So aside from all that, there is simply the benefit of renewing the entire bike tip to tail.  This of course includes the batteries.  I'll probably have 7,000 miles on the bike by the time I'd be trading it in, just in time for new tires.  Then there is everything that suffers from wear and tear: chain, sprockets, brake pads, etc.  There's value to renewing all these things, but I'm not sure I could quantify it.  Maybe $700-800?

As far as battery life, how much range have I lost in 1 year and 7,000 miles?  My uneducated guess would be 2-3%.  If you add that to the 5% advantage of the 2014's, it starts to sound like a significant number.

I plan to keep my Empulse for a long time, but if those plans changed in the next few years, a 2014 would have at least slightly better resale value.  In, say, 5 years, the difference in resale value probably won't matter.

I welcome your thoughts and advice.  For sure, this is what they call a "first world problem."  I'm very happy with my Empulse and will continue to be whether it's the one I have now or a new 2014. 

Oh, I should add something to help you understand what $3,400 means to me.  As a family, we're not rich or poor, we're doing fine.  But I am subject to some pretty severe budget restrictions when it comes to motorcycles.  I'm socking away pennies for my next gas bike, which might end up being something like an Aprilia Dorsoduro.  So the way it shakes out is that money spent to renew the Empulse effectively puts the Dorso acquisition further off in the future.  First world problems!

Sold.  Is there a way to delete the post?  I don't see it.

Bill and I met for a brief ride this morning.  It was a fine, sunny Halloween Eve's day in San Francisco.  We traded bikes and rode from midtown out to Treasure Island and then back to the Panhandle.  Not a very rigorous or scientific comparison test, but enough to form some solid impressions.

Bill's bike is modified by, among other things, suspension adjustments and a taller, more cushioned Bill Mayer customed seat.  His bike soaks up bumps much better than my stock E1!  I didn't particularly like how the taller seat seemed to affect handling -- I would only make that change if I really couldn't take the normal ride -- but I have to admit that his bike is far more comfortable, especially on the pitted streets of San Francisco, and it still handles extremely well compared to most motorcycles.

Comparing the ride of the E1 to what I can remember about the test rides I did on the R, they do not seem all that different, so I think the differences between mine and Bill's bike must be mostly due to his customizations.

I did not notice the need to shift gears less on the R as compared to the E1.  I'm pretty sure there is some difference there, but it did not leap out at me going from one bike to the other. 

The difference in torque is very noticeable, however.  Normal mode on the R seems to be roughly the equivalent of Sport mode on the E1, and sport mode the E1 cannot achieve the arm-pulling torque of sport mode on the R.

The difference in regen is likewise fairly noticeable.  Regen in sport mode on the R will practically bring you to a stop all by itself, not so on the E1.

The difference is fairly dramatic, but in my opinion it will only matter to folks who want to exploit the hooligan potential of the Empulse.  Granted, that may be lots of folks.  But for me, I still feel good about choosing the E1.  My background is not in sport bikes, but in standards and adventure bikes.  Normal mode on the E1 is quite enough performance for my daily riding, and the uptick to Sport is a good match for my most spirited riding style.

It was fun playing hooky with Bill for about an hour.  The Bay Area riders should do a broader meet up sometime.

I've had my Plus for one day, which has been enough time to get a feeling for the differences from the Classic.  I rode my classic for a year and half and had planned on keeping it several more years, but then we moved out to the suburbs and I needed more range.  Considered and test drove the Empulse as well as the various Zeros, but decided that I liked my Enertia so much, what I really wanted was the same thing just with more range.

The Plus is that, and more.  First, to address range, I haven't really tested it yet but based on extrapoloations from my brief time on the bike, yes, it does seem to have at least twice the range.

I really like the changes to the powerband.  The Plus is slower off the line and up to about 15 mph, but from there it has a very noticeable advantage over the Classic.  If this was merely a gearing change and a trade off, then I would say it makes a great deal of sense.  It's still fast enough off the line to stay ahead of the taxis, but now there is more power and torque where you spend most of your driving time. 

On the Classic, a roll on from 50-60 mph takes seemingly an eternity to happen.  Roll on from 50 on the Plus and you feel a satisfying and effective surge of speed.  Nothing to rival the Empulse, of course, but enough to make the Plus a much more effective high speed commuter.  This is a welcome development for me, as I now have several miles of freeway commuting that I did not have before.  The Plus will give me a level of confidence on that stretch that was rather lacking on the Classic.

The regen on deceleration is also a welcome change, emulating engine braking and giving more confidence.  Freewheeling through twisties on the Classic always felt kind of bizarre and "unnatural," from the standpoint of a longtime ICE bike rider.  With regen, the Plus comes much closer to feeling like a real motorcycle in that respect, which is a very good thing.

The change in fork geometry and a broader steering lock make the Plus significantly easier to maneuver in tight quarters.  Very nice.  And it is not noticeably less stable than the Classic at higher speeds.

That's about it for the major points.  In summary, though the changes may be small in scale, they make the Enertia feel like a much better motorcycle. 

I have a windshield and Givi bags on order.  I'll report on them when they're on.