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Messages - implovator

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1
Brammo Empulse / Re: Time for new tires!
« on: February 16, 2014, 05:54:56 PM »
Finally found time the change the tires. It's a bit cold, but I managed to scrub the new Diablo Rosso Corsas in. I'm following Pirelli's recommendation for tire pressure, using the upper end of the range due to the cold and the Empulse's girth. I put in 35/32 and it felt pretty nice once up to temp. When pulling out of the neighborhood, they were still pretty cold and the wheels felt a little "square". The profile of these tires is a little taller than the Avons. This gives them a nice side contact patch, but it means that they want to be all full lean. I'll have to see how they do once it gets a little warmer out, but so far they feel a little loose in the transitions, but they feel great once cranked over.

Couple of tips I picked up:

Even though the forks have holes in the bottom to accept a front stand with studs, you don't want to use them. My cheap front stand uses hex head cap bolts as the studs, and the hole in the right fork leg is so shallow that the stud form the stand hits the axle. This made the axle a pain to get out, and it scored the axle a little. Well that scoring did a number on the inside of the fork as the loose material worked its way through. I managed to clean the burrs out just fine, so no harm done. I ended up ordering a new front stand that lifts under the forks but without studs.

The caliper bolts do not appear to be treated with anything from the factory. I had to break them loose with with some PB Blaster and my big impact wrench. I cleaned the corrosion from the threads on a wire wheel and then used some anti-seize on them. I'm not too worried about them coming loose, but if they do I'll just retorque them and then safety wire them.

2
Brammo Empulse / Re: Time for new tires!
« on: January 19, 2014, 06:22:28 PM »
So what's everyone running for their second set of tires? My Avons are at the wear bar and I have to get a yearly safety inspection soon. Irritates me, because I'd run them another 500-1000 miles. Alas safety inspections are a good idea. Keeps idiots from running wasted tires...see example below. :)

I just ordered some Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas. These are actually the first sportbike tires I've bought in 10 years so I had no idea what to get. I used to run takeoffs on the street before. Really dumb idea, BTW. After a bunch of heat cycles they grip about as well as cardboard. They're usually fine...unless you're trailbraking into a corner hard. That one hurt.

Anyhow, I always rode Pirelli on the track, so I figured I'd give their street tires a go. I usually take my cage or my gas moto when it's wet, so I was looking for something with good dry grip. I considered their Diablo Supercorsas SP (street compound), but I couldn't justify the extra money. So I went with a step down, which I think should be worlds better than the Avons. And heck, I liked the Avons. I guess I've been putting too many miles on dual sport tires lately. I figure if I go through a set of tires a year, then I can probably experiment with quite a few tires. I'll let people know that I think of these after I spoon them on next weekend.

3
Brammo Empulse / Re: Empulse accident(?) on the bay bridge this morning?
« on: January 19, 2014, 06:00:05 PM »
Quote from: 00049 (AKA SopFu) on January 19, 2014, 10:56:36 AM
I don't think I've ever gotten more than 60 miles, even drafting trucks at 65mph in good weather...

Yeah, I think I was probably exaggerating there on second thought. I know I regularly get 55 mile range on my long commute but that's going 70mph with some drafting and short easy stints on surface streets. My short commute is a lot more aggressive with half interstate at 75-80 mph with shorts stints at 100 mph (my favorite sweeper) and then surface streets. And that chews up 35% which comes out to about a 35-40 mile range. I have a surface street route for my short commute. It would be interesting to see how I would do if I hypermiled it.

Anyhow, I should probably shut up about range until I have some proper experiments. A) I don't want to mislead future buyers and B) no one likes a fishing story. Besides, I'm not really a good data point since I rarely run the Empulse low. Consequently I'm in the throttle a lot.

4
Brammo Empulse / Re: Empulse accident(?) on the bay bridge this morning?
« on: January 18, 2014, 11:17:19 PM »
'Tis the Season. I added a risky leg to a trip last weekend and nearly paid for it. I was so confident in my calculations on the way home that I spaced out and flogged it like I normally would. SoC went from 10% to 0%. The temperature was in the mid 30's. Thank goodness for the flashing lights! I noticed it and actually crept home about 4-5 more miles at 0% SoC.

Anyhow, I'm far from complaining. I just thought I'd share a little range anxiety. Heck, that's the first time I've really even come close on the Empulse. We e-moto riders have a huge advantage of our 4-wheel'd counterparts. It's far easier to hypermile; relatively speaking. My friends in their Leafs are suffering this Winter. They try to hypermile, but it just doesn't pay off for them. Since the Empulse is far less aerodynamic and way harder to accelerate slowly, we sort of get used to a total range of 55 miles with speeds around 80-100mph. Then as soon as we start doing a little simple math at around 40% SoC; we cut it back to the speed limit, accelerate slowly, and start drafting trucks...and we get another 30-35 miles. :)

5
Brammo Empulse / Re: Tail Untidy: WARNING!
« on: August 14, 2013, 02:40:17 PM »
Quote from: 7racer on August 07, 2013, 11:40:08 PM
did they say why the tail tidy (short kit) was no longer available?  Wonder if I have to worry about mine.

Nah, but I didn't ask either.

I got my new tail today. It looks great from above, but I don't like the side profile as much. I do like the shorter length, so that's a big plus. I like the original tail tidy the most, but I'm not motivated enough to change it.

6
Brammo Empulse / Re: Downshifting from 2-1
« on: August 07, 2013, 07:07:09 PM »
On the subject of clutch engagement, mine has been sticking pretty badly for the last few hundred miles. I could literally start up cold, roll down the street in 1st at redline and then pull the clutch in. Despite the strong engine braking (Sport mode) the clutch wouldn't break loose for the first two to three attempts. I've owned many wet clutches but I've never had a splash oil system so this behavior is totally new to me. I think I only started to notice it recently because it's been worse. I just changed my oil early at 2700 miles and it was pretty thick with clutch material. I think the added viscosity was creating stronger suction between the plates and that's exacerbated the problem. After getting the fresh oil in there, it's much better but it is still a bit sticky when I first start up the bike.

7
Brammo Empulse / Re: Tail Untidy: WARNING!
« on: August 07, 2013, 06:57:19 PM »
Thanks for the update. I was thinking of forgoing the replacement and just paying for the super short kit. Well, looks like the short kit is unavailable, but Adam said that indeed the replacement tail is shorter and looks really nice. So I'm going to get mine done someday soon. Although I probably won't need it for a while since my riding around here is way smoother than the warfare you go through everyday. NC was known as the "Good Road State" for many years afterall. :)

8
Brammo Empulse / Re: How to Reverse without the Reverse Gear?
« on: June 19, 2013, 06:49:02 PM »
This is what I do...



For garage maneuvering:
1. Right hand on left rear grab handle. Left hand steering on the left side of the bar. Walk it back pushing mostly with legs and a mostly stiff right arm.
2. When you're in a tight spot. Walk around to the front of the bike while it's on the kickstand. Grab handlebars (left hand to right grip and right hand to left grip since you're facing it). Lift bike up and shove it back on the garage. You end up straddling the front wheel a little. Set it back on the kick stand

On the road or a parking lot:
3. Feet (toes) on the ground. Pull clutch in. Grab front brake. Throw your weight forward with stiff arms, compressing the fork. As the fork rebounds release front brake and push backwards with feet and don't pull up on the bars too much. Keep the clutch in. This technique helps you get started rolling, but more importantly it means that you don't have to push with your feet so hard to get it started. For us short dudes that tip-toe a lot, pushing with the feet and pulling on the bars too much will bring up the ride height which means we're on our toes even more.

I always park my bike going up hill. Often times I'll pull up to a spot, get off, and use technique #1 to push it back into the spot.

9
Brammo Empulse / Re: custom license plate!
« on: May 25, 2013, 11:18:41 AM »
Quote from: Brammofan on May 22, 2013, 08:57:36 PM
Quote from: #47 (formerly 9 of 30) on May 22, 2013, 08:41:07 PM
BRAMFAN
\Unfortunately, I just checked and Missouri only allows six letters.  "BRAMMO" works and maybe "BRMFAN" but that's pretty obscure.  I'll have to think about this.  :-\

Maybe BRMOFN?

10
Off Topic / Re: Mil-spec Zero introduced
« on: May 08, 2013, 10:55:10 PM »
Ah man, you had me going. I thought they finally achieved Mega-Force spec!



Or at least Delta Force spec.


11
Off Topic / Re: Dead Battery Left Me Stranded
« on: May 03, 2013, 08:34:50 AM »
Yeah, my gasser is a R1200GS. Thanks for the advice. I'm considering an odyssey, but it requires a few mods. I look into it more and see if it's something I want to get into.

12
Off Topic / Dead Battery Left Me Stranded
« on: May 02, 2013, 07:02:40 PM »
I hopped on the bike to ride to campus today. I stopped off at a gas station, and the bike wouldn't start back up. Just like the controversial New York Times article on Tesla, my bike rode home in the back of my pickup truck later in the day.

Thing is, it was my ICE bike. Bloody hell, I figured the Empulse would strand me with a dead battery before my ICE would. :)

13
Off Topic / Wired's Review of Zero DS
« on: April 22, 2013, 07:44:48 AM »
http://www.wired.com/reviews/2013/04/zero-ds/

Reading about the DS for months has made me think a little about Brammo's decisions for the Empulse. Well after reading Wired's review, I'm certain that Brammo nailed every decision from the Level 2 onboard charging, the best-in-class street chassis, and the gearbox. The Zero app that lets you set regen sounded nice, but then I realized that they absolutely have to do that because they don't have a gearbox. Empulse owners, on the other hand, use the years of riding experience to set the regen based on current speed and gear selection. Brilliant!

14
Off Topic / Paddle Shifters on E-Autos?
« on: April 18, 2013, 09:32:12 AM »
I was watching the the video on the Cadillac ELR's "Paddle Shifters". Seems they're trying to put a little more control on the driver's hands. They took away the transmission, so this is a way of giving back a tool to the driver (as Brammo might say). Mercedes is doing something similar with their electric SLS. I can't help but think that they have it all wrong. Empulse owners have something way better. Firstly, we've got six regen settings over two modes yielding 12 total settings. Furthermore, the computer-controlled regen resembles actual engine braking dynamics, which many people are already very familiar with.

Is it just me, or are cars getting boring? I'm so glad that I'm a motorcyclist.



OK, so this SLS isn't that boring, but still... :)


15
Brammo Racing / Re: Shelina's New Ride
« on: April 17, 2013, 01:18:24 PM »
Ohhhh. So that's Eric's seat then.  ;D

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