Brammo Owners Forum
General => Brammo Racing => Topic started by: FreepZ on February 15, 2012, 09:31:26 AM
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Here's the TTXGP North America 2012 Schedule:
Round 1
MAY 4th - MAY 6th
Infineon Raceway
Round 2
June 23rd - June 24th
Portland International Raceway
Round 3
August 31st - September 2nd
Miller Motorsports Park
Round 4
TTXGP WORLD FINAL 2012: October 19th - October 21st
Daytona International Raceway
Woohoo! Daytona is only 47 highway miles from my office! Now if only I could get an Empulse by then, that would be
*>~ Epic! ~<*
I just have to make sure that I can find a charger so that I can get back!
Full details here:
http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=268 (http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=268)
Does anybody know if Brammo plans to be there? I would assume that they would be since this news item is on Brammo's Facebook page (http://www.brammo.com/facebook-brammo/), but who knows for sure?
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I just asked Brammo on their FB page what their plans were, relevant to TTXGP's announcement yesterday of the North American Racing Schedule. They said:
"We plan to contest every North American Round of TTXGP and the World Final in Daytona. Plus the FIM race at Laguna Seca. More details and announcement of our new sponsor coming soon...."
Here's the TTXGP schedule:
TTXGP North America 2012 Schedule
14th February 2012
TTXGP press office
The TTXGP North America 2012 schedule has something for everyone, from major national motorcycle racing weekends to headlining an EV festival the calendar has been designed to offer a broad range appeal to multiple types of audiences in America.
TTXGP is pleased to confirm the following dates and venues for TTXGP North America 2012!
Round 1
MAY 4th - MAY 6th
Infineon Raceway
Infineon has been home to the opening round of TTXGP since inception so we are very pleased to be kicking of the season at one of the greenest tracks in the US. The West Coast Moto Jam weekend is the ultimate 2 wheel fiesta; As well as TTXGP fans will be treated to six AMA Pro Road Racing main events on the road course, Supermoto USA on the karting track and FREE Demo rides in the expanded Motorsports Midway. Ticket are available right now: Book tickets online or by phone: 800-870-RACE (7223)
Round 2
June 23rd - June 24th
Portland International Raceway
The award winning City of Portland; often been referred to as one of the most environmentally friendly or "green" cities in the world and this summer adds to these credentials when it plays host to the region's first zero carbon race series. The TTXGP race will be the highlight of an EV bonanza with displays, demos and making up the OMRRA EV Festival.
For over three decades, the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association has run safe, exciting, and competitive events for motorcycle road racers and their fans. Racers range from club level to professionals with national and international experience. The weekend will be actioned packed weekend and if you are in the Portland area it will be one not to be missed! Tickets will be available from the gate; more information to be published shortly - check back here in the next few weeks for a full line up.
Round 3
August 31st - September 2nd
Miller Motorsports Park
Returning to this prestigious track with AHRMA, TTXGP is excited to return the famous Miller Motorsports Park. Mixing the old with the new and showcasing the historic with the future; the TTXGP race will be hosted by one of the biggest associations in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, now with over 4,000 members; the Miller round represents represents one of its largest and busiest weekends.
Miller Motorsports Park is a state-of-the-art road racing facility for automobiles, motorcycles and karts located just 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah. It is considered the finest race track of its type in North America
Round 4
TBC
TTXGP WORLD FINAL 2012: October 19th - October 21st
Daytona International Speedway
For the first time in TTXGP History, we bring our World Final to the USA. Daytona International Speedway is the home to nine major weekends of racing activity, featuring everything from NASCAR to the Rolex Sports Car Series to the American Motorcyclist Association and the World Karting Association, as well as the booked for more than two solid months each year for testing and development of various race vehicles. As such offers racers and fans a world class venue and the perfect choice for the TTXGP WORLD FINAL 2012.
"The Speedway is a venue that is known throughout the world as a top-line race track - a place where everyone in motorsports wants to claim a victory," said Speedway President Joie Chitwood III.
Team updates and ticketing information will follow over the coming weeks... follow us @TTXGP or on facebook at TTXGPOfficial
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Full details here:
http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=268 (http://www.egrandprix.com/news.php?id=268)
Does anybody know if Brammo plans to be there?
Thanks for the confirmation, Brammofan.
I'm going to be at the final in October, since Daytona is only a 45 minute drive away for me. w00t! I just hope that I will be getting there on an Empulse. ;D
Is anybody else planning on being there?
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Is anybody else planning on being there?
Skadamo and I are already plotting our escapes to Daytona. :D
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Daytona's the closest to me, by far. Nice to see the TTXGP show up on the east coast.
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Is anybody else planning on being there?
If this is going to turn into an official Brammo Owners Forum get together, I might have to start making plans to go to Daytona.
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Wow, I am located as far away as possible from all but the Miller Motorsports Park event... I will have to shoot for that one. I imagine I will have my Empulse by then...
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I'd better start making plans I'm 1100 miles from the closest of these.
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Some TTXGP insight from, quite appropriately, ttxgpfan:
Brammo is all in for 2012 TTXGP. Lightning has a dance partner! (http://ttxgpmatters.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/brammo-is-all-in-for-2012-ttxgp-lightning-has-a-dance-partner/)
Share and enjoy!
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interesting comment:
Jensen Beeler
Knowing what’s coming down the pipe from Brammo, I think fans of the Ashland, Oregon company are going to be pleased, as will electric motorcycle racing fans in general. Our little sport is growing up.
Dang....I would like to be "knowing what's coming down the pipe from Brammo" too....
gavin
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I think that he may be referring to the new motor.
I have been told to expect a motor that is twice as powerful of the 2011 motor.
It could also be a better battery pack, and perhaps the transmission. However, after listening to that interview with Brian Wisman, I wouldn't be surprised of the 2012 RR didn't have a transmission, since operating the motor at very high voltage allows for a lot more torque over a wider range of RPM, and the RR does run at a high voltage.
Gavin's right though. All this is speculation -- I would like to know!
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ROAD TRIP ;D
I'm SUPER excited about TTXGP World Final Daytona! Especially with the recent news of possibly ??? having my Empulse by that time. I'm located in Palm Beach County just 220 miles south of Daytona International Speedway. I would like to make the road trip on my Empulse but Charge Points according to Plugshare.com could be a logistical challenge up the east coast of FL. Of course this bike ride is contingent upon the range of the bike at interstate speeds and if a Nissan dealership along the way would let me bum a charge...
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If we manage to get Empulses before October, perhaps we could meet up and be a biker gang! I have a house in Melbourne, which is about 85 miles south of Daytona. If you could make it up to there the night before, you could charge up and stay over, and then we could both head over to Daytona the next day. :)
85 miles is cutting it a bit close, so we would either have to ride pretty slow, or fill up along the way. We might get some sympathy from Nissan, but I heard that their chargers are only for Leafs. Alternatively, there are probably some restaurants along the way that would not begrudge us some power.
Of course, all of that is contingent on bikes being ready by then. :-\ If this thing firms up, and you're up for it, send me a Private Message and we can work out the details.
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8) Awesome!
I will definitely be in touch!
Now the Empulse has two seats the Mrs. will be along for the ride. :-*
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One thing with electric bikes in particular is the faster you ride, the slower you charge (in terms of miles charged per hour).
At 45 mph you use charge at approximately 100 Wh/mile, or 4.5 kW average draw. You charge at 3 kW, or about 30 miles charged per hour. Therefore you will spend about 1.5 hours charging per hour riding. Total time with replenishment is 2.5 hours to go 45 miles, or 18 mph average.
At 55 mph you use charge at approximately 120 Wh/mile, or 6.6 kW average draw. You still charge at 3 kW, or about 25 miles charged per hour. Therefore you will spend about 2.2 hours charging per hour riding. Total time with replenishment is 3.2 hours to go 55 miles, or 17 mph average.
At 70-75 mph you use charge at approximately 180 Wh/mile, or 12.6 kW average draw. You still charge at 3 kW, or about 17 miles charged per hour. Therefore you will spend about 4-4.5 hours charging per hour riding (and note with the Empulse 10.0 you will probably only get about 60 miles at these speeds on a full charge). Total time with replenishment is 5.5 hours to go 70 miles, or 13 mph average.
Note that the Empulse 6 vs Empulse 10 doesn't affect the replenishment figures, you can just go for longer between charging stations and you have a larger buffer to start.
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Here's an example trip plan. You'll want to update it for addresses at your start location and FreepZ's location, of course.
Assume: 10.7 kWh Empulse, 3 kW charger, 120 Wh/mile @ 55 mph.
Trip Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=palm+beach+county,+fl&daddr=946+S+Us+Highway+1+Vero+Beach+FL+32962+to:melbourne,+FL+to:1128+S+Hopkins+Ave+Titusville+FL+32780+to:1801+W+International+Speedway,+Daytona+Beach,+FL+32114+(Daytona+International+Speedway)&hl=en&sll=27.931327,-80.57373&sspn=4.740559,6.696167&geocode=FTqrlgEdAxM3-ynz1qDOrrreiDEDkCCGqBeaiQ%3BFTjrpAEdwI01-ymNu5_l-fXeiDHDQWoQ19wcGA%3BFauFrAEdkwQy-ylNmXFHLA7eiDGo0gypVLLNiw%3BFVBztAEdyvIu-ykBEMglLbPgiDFmRBD2qzPf3A%3BFQJsvQEdrf8q-yE0EBLngB6DHQ&dirflg=h&mra=ps&safe=strict&t=m&z=8)
Ft. Pierce Nissan is about 55 miles north on US 1 (6.6 kWh, +1 kWh reaching US 1). If you can safely travel at 50-55 mph then that's probably doable on the Empulse 10, though I'm not sure how riding two-up may affect the energy consumption per mile. Melbourne, FL is about 38 miles further north, so you need at least 5 kWh plus some reserve to make it there safely. Call it 6 kWh.
Energy consumed: 6.6 kWh + ~1 kWh in Palm Beach. 1.5 hour charging: 4.5 kWh back, 7.6 kWh remaining.
Ft. Pierce Nissan
4815 South Us Highway #1
Fort Pierce FL 34982
(772) 464-4645
Stop at FreepZ for the night (delicious electricity!). Should take around 6-8 hours to fully charge on 110V, but you'll be getting a good nights sleep then.
Energy consumed: 4.7 kWh + ~1 kWh in Melbourne. 8 hours charging: 8.8 kWh back, 10.7 kWh remaining.
Daytona Beach is about 86 miles away, that's just baaaarely inside the theoretical range of the Empulse at 55 mph. Stop off at Pat Fischer Nissan in Titusville. If they have two J1772 ports you can use then you can probably stop for an hour, grab food, stretch, get back on the road.
Energy Consumed: 4.7 kWh, 1 hour charging = 3 kWh back, 9 kWh remaining.
Pat Fischer Nissan
1128 S Hopkins Ave
Titusville FL 32780
(321) 268-2000
Daytona Beach is 51 miles away, you'll probably use around 6-6.5 kWh reaching there. Should not be a problem.
Energy Consumed: 6.5 kWh, 2.5 kWh remaining.
Total Energy Consumed: around 24.5 kWh to travel ~210 miles. 29-30 kWh at the wall.
The above are very rough figures. Definitely call ahead to make sure the Nissan chargers are accessible to the public - there are alternative "community" chargers available on plugshare if Nissan reserves their charges for Leafs, but the level of service there is a complete unknown.
In particular you may find that two-up riding is much higher consumption - possibly as high as 150 Wh/mile at 55 mph. Definitely test this and find out what YOUR consumption looks like before you start making hard plans.
Anyhow, I hope you two can make it on Empulses : ) If I come I will almost certainly be driving down (600 miles), but we'll see.
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Yeah, when I was thinking I might ride the Enertia out to the LA event (Empulse release party thingy) I was, "Dang that would be much easier and faster if I had a Plus)...
but not really...sure I could drive twice as far, but then I would have to stop and charge twice as long...it all worked out the same for longer trips...
Of course the Plus is much better than the Enertia Classic for long "commutes" and day rides over 40 miles...but neither are made for trips from Albuquerque to LA....at least not fast...5 1/2 days about :)
Think I will either fly out or truck the Enertia a heck of a lot closer...
Gavin
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I was definitely looking at that route and an alternative scenic route along the coast line with charge points that are "J plugs" and not Nissan.
I will definitely put some hours in the seat before hand to get a good feel for the range of the bike in the various driving conditions with the Mrs. Together we are approximately 300 lbs plus gear.
Plan B is to buy a trailer, tow the bike to Daytona and ride around there...
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I have to say; the folks at Brammo have been pretty gracious.
Last week I had inquired about the possibility of having an Empulse to ride over to see the TTXGP race in Daytona, and if I could meet up with them over there.
They said that since my order number was so high, there would be little chance of getting a bike by then if everybody who pre-ordered went ahead and followed through with the purchase. So they won't be able to build (and ship) 935 bikes before October 19. :(
(Of course, if, as protomech has suggested, only 1 in 4 pre-orders turn into firm sales, maybe I will have a bike by then. :))
Here's pretty much what they said:
Yes we will be at Daytona in October. Yes, it would be great to meet you and yes you would be most welcome to visit us in the paddock.
Wether you will have your bike by then is another matter, it really depends on how many people in front of #935 either cancel or defer their orders…..
If no one does then its unlikely we would get to #935 by October………. Sorry I can’t be more precise, once the specs are announced then We should get a much better feel for delivery dates.
If you don’t have your Empulse by Daytona I will certainly bring one for you to ride :)
Woohoo! So one way or another, I'm gong to be sitting on an Empulse in October. :P And I'm going to be able to to see what's going on at the paddock. w00t! :D
I'm guessing that once the specs (and the price!) are announced, we will get a much better idea of who's really going to be buying an Empulse. Perhaps the specs will also determine how quickly the bike can be built (although I would be surprised if that hasn't already been pretty well decided by now).
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Yep...I bet 1 in 4, maybe 1-5 or lower....
A) many people signed up for both a Plus and an Empulse...but will likely only buy one.
B) since no money was needed, some might just be trying to win a Plus or Empulse and won't put down money when asked.
C) Some will have bought a different ICE motorcycle or another EV...like a Zero.
D) Some will no longer be in the market for an electric motorcycle (too old, ill health, no money, spouse threatening to murder them before they kill themselves on a bike...etc etc)
E) There is no E...
Gavin
and yes, I can attest that the folks at Brammo, though sometimes tight lipped, can be very VERY accommodating....such as giving a stranger a bike to ride for 5 months and longer (5 months so far...they don't want it back till I get my Plus)
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Gavin, I've got a Canadian address you can slap on that crate when it comes time for you to send it back. Really, Brammo needs some wheels on the street to advertise for them here in the great white north!
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B) since no money was needed, some might just be trying to win a Plus or Empulse and won't put down money when asked.
I've been thinking about that... It would make sense that only people who pressed the "Yes, I want to confirm" button will be in the drawing. Of course that won't necessarily weed out too many people, as there is still no obligation to put any money down. (If lottery tickets were free, how many people would get one?)
On the other hand, why should there be any requirement to only have "real" buyers in the drawing? The purpose of the free bike promotion was to encourage pre-orders, which is what they got.
In any case, I'm perfectly willing to slap down 14k (and more, after tax, delivery, and any cost increases are added) for an Empulse. If I get one for free... heck, I might have to buy a second one! :P (Although it would be a lot smarter to buy some solar panels with the extra cash instead!)
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I had those same thoughts....
Only people that put down the deposit should be in the drawing...
But then Brammo loses a sale by giving a free bike to somebody who was going to pay for one...(though Brammo then likely gains a life long fan :) )
So maybe Brammo should only draw from people who showed interest, but then didn't follow through...a bike gets on the street that wouldn't have normally, and Brammo makes a life long fan....
But that isn't really fair to the "paying" customers...
So likely Brammo should just pull from the names they have....
Though I do like your thought of pulling just from the people that clicked confirmed. that one extra step would weed out the people who weren't really interested in Brammo...I like it even more if they pull from the people who confirmed on the first day of the newsletter :) that would likely be me and about 2 other people ??
Gavin
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So maybe Brammo should only draw from people who showed interest, but then didn't follow through...a bike gets on the street that wouldn't have normally, and Brammo makes a life long fan....
Me! Me! Me! Pick me! ;)
I am still struggling with the economics here. The fact that Virginia sucks for not having any incentives makes the bike really expensive (more so than my car). I hope Brammo can come up with some way to help those in "sucky" states to get the Empulse. If not, I will have to wait to buy an used one from someone who lives in a cool state with around 50% total incentives... Now, I don't expect anyone getting tired of the Empulse any time soon, though. I need a no-interest-whatsoever payment plan...
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I thought about that (Florida doesn't have any incentives either :(), but the person who buys the bike has to keep it for a number of years (2?) before they can sell it, else they have to give the money back.
That would make sense, since state incentives (which cost the state money) should benefit the state that is paying for them.
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Also painful in Illinois where incentives for anything but cars were not renewed for 2012. I'm hoping something changes or that I am misinformed but I don't think so. With no Federal tax rebate I will have to pay full price for the bike including any vehicle tax Illinois wants making this a very expensive purchase. How can I feel good about writing a 15K+ check for an Empulse that others are paying thousands less for or that I might have paid thousands less for if the bike were just released three months ago. This will be a rock in Brammo's shoe especially if the price goes up before release.
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Yep...New Mexico, 0 incentives...just north of us in Colorado...tons of incentives.
I've contemplated buying a 1/4 acre of really cheap land up there and using that as my address... But seems like a lot of work that could end up backfiring....
Gavin
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Gavin
I got quite a chuckle from your response because I was contemplating the exact same thing. So how would it go? Buy a cheap $500 acre in the middle of nowhere, register the address as your residence, register the bike to that address, license the bike there and drive it back to Chicago. Wow too many legal questions there to stop the whole process. Besides all that I haven't any idea how insurance would be worked out.
I also would have to somehow live with the idea that I scammed the system which is something I would not typically engage in. Years from the purchase I would be doing the "My name is Earl" Karma repair thing.
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I don't know guys. If we all chip in on the same 1/4 acre, rent a post office box (with forwarding), we could make some serious dents in the price of either the E + or the Empulse. Maybe we could even build virtual Brammo-condos and sell them to folks who want that tax credit.
Of course, it might not be exactly what you'd call "legal," but then again, I'm no tax attorney.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
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Yep...I bet 1 in 4, maybe 1-5 or lower....
A) many people signed up for both a Plus and an Empulse...but will likely only buy one.
B) since no money was needed, some might just be trying to win a Plus or Empulse and won't put down money when asked.
C) Some will have bought a different ICE motorcycle or another EV...like a Zero.
D) Some will no longer be in the market for an electric motorcycle (too old, ill health, no money, spouse threatening to murder them before they kill themselves on a bike...etc etc)
E) There is no E...
Gavin
and yes, I can attest that the folks at Brammo, though sometimes tight lipped, can be very VERY accommodating....such as giving a stranger a bike to ride for 5 months and longer (5 months so far...they don't want it back till I get my Plus)
Ah-hem.
E) Someone signed up praying to god they had a real job by the time they were asked to put money down.
I have no idea what kind of person would do such a foolish thing though. Oh, hey, look at that . . .
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Anyone else going to PIR in June?
Would like to meet up with people.