San Fran peeps....

[ttxgpfan]

After last week's race, and interviewing him for a second time due to a technical boo-boo that morning, I got to chat with Steve Atlas.  We talked quite a bit about the Empulse and I asked specifically about the clutch.  He said clutchless upshifts were no problem.  He actually had to think about when he used the clutch, and said only on the downshifts did he find himself using it.  He also said it was pretty much his 2011 race bike, and that he felt it was faster than a 650cc twin, but not as fast as a 600cc 4-cylinder.  But that the handling was at least least as good as either kind of bike.  He said couldn't wait for his.  He really liked the Empulse.

[ttxgpfan]

Oh, and I shamelessly "stole" these reviews. http://esbk.co/2012/10/29/first-hand-account-of-an-empulse-test-ride-via-brammoforums-com/

[Brammofan]

Oh, and I shamelessly "stole" these reviews. http://esbk.co/2012/10/29/first-hand-account-of-an-empulse-test-ride-via-brammoforums-com/

No shame at all. As long as you link back, steal away.

[protomech]

Says quite a bit that he sold his Enertia but can't wait for the Empulse.

I think we'll see both the Empulse and the 2013 Zero S putting in race laptimes very close to the 650cc bikes, at least until the straights where their top speed limitations come into play. My GS500 could hit ~110 with 40 hp, so it seems like the Empulse should be able to do a bit better than 100 mph..

Will be interesting to see if electric bikes with 50 hp can beat gas bikes with 80 peak hp..

[Richard230]

Electric motorcycles seem to have a lot more torque for the same horsepower, compared with IC motorcycles. It will be interesting to see how they perform against IC motorcycles with similar HP, but less torque and how they perform compared with IC motorcycles with similar torque and less HP.  From my experience, I think that the greater torque and wider power range is a much better combination for street riding, whereas peak power may be more useful on a track with long straight-a-ways.  However, an electric motorcycle should be able to clean up on a small tight track with a lot of curves as they should be able to get out of corners really quickly.

[protomech]

Electric motorcycles seem to have a lot more torque for the same horsepower, compared with IC motorcycles.

Motor torque is meaningless without an RPM qualifier.

A motor that revs to 12k RPM and has a perfectly flat 30 ft-lb torque curve is EXACTLY the same powerband as a motor that revs to 6k RPM and has a perfectly flat 60 ft-lb torque curve, and is just geared for half as many turns.

In the case of electric motorcycles, they have much higher torque for the same power because the peak power RPM is much lower.

[Gavin]

Another image up on Brammo's Facebook...from the Touring Van...



If James comes through Albuquerque he better hide that one...If it comes out of the Van it won't be going back in


Gavin

[implovator]

If James comes through Albuquerque he better hide that one...If it comes out of the Van it won't be going back in

No doubt, I'm completely sold on white now.

[EmpulseRider]

If James comes through Albuquerque he better hide that one...If it comes out of the Van it won't be going back in

No doubt, I'm completely sold on white now.

Me too... Im thinking of getting a phone to match, white iPhone or white RAZR-M... decisions, decisions.

[860]

Setting aside the fact that I'd be perfectly happy with any color Empulse if any of them were parked in my garage right now, I'm still up in the air on which color I like the best. 

Is the white part painted white, or is it white colored plastic?  I have had bad luck with white colored plastic yellowing in the sun in the past (not that I have any inside knowledge that this plastic would yellow just because it's happened to me in the past).  I definitely like that color, but I tend to keep things for a long time.

I originally thought I'd want the red.  But if it has big orange wires, I'm thinking red wouldn't look as good as it would with black wires. 

Has Brammo gotten rid of the color matching patches on the seat for the non-R model?  I think that is a good change.  It is really hard to keep a good color match on completely different materials.  Especially as they age.  At one point I decided I wanted the black, because I liked the all black seat compared to the color matched seat patches.  But if they aren't doing that, then that isn't a factor anymore.

[AJ Nin]

There is a drawback to racing electric bikes and that is the lack of engine braking. ICE bikes will be able to come into the corners faster and brake later than the Empulse...especially a lighter bike. Coming out of the corners onto the straightaway is where Empulse should do well. The Empulse specs indicate it would go head to head with the new Ninja 300. The 300 should be able to pass the Empulse coming into corners using later braking, but the Empulse should then regain the lead coming out of the corner using higher torque. Then on the straightaway they should be equal. 

[BrammoBrian]

Is the white part painted white, or is it white colored plastic?  I have had bad luck with white colored plastic yellowing in the sun in the past (not that I have any inside knowledge that this plastic would yellow just because it's happened to me in the past).  I definitely like that color, but I tend to keep things for a long time.

Has Brammo gotten rid of the color matching patches on the seat for the non-R model?  I think that is a good change.  It is really hard to keep a good color match on completely different materials.  Especially as they age.  At one point I decided I wanted the black, because I liked the all black seat compared to the color matched seat patches.  But if they aren't doing that, then that isn't a factor anymore.

All of the body panels are painted with an automotive grade paint and clear coat. The colors will not yellow in sunlight.  They also have a very subtle, but nice (IMHO) pearlescence or shimmer to them in real life, even the black.  The finish is top notch. Even the matte black parts are painted for a more even, durable, and better aesthetic finish deserving of a $18k bike.

The seat on the white and black Empulse and Empulse R have a small grey insert at the back on the side of the "passenger" portion of the seat.  The red Empulse and Empulse R have this panel in a very nicely matched red.  For the record, our "red" is much more of a red/orange and quite vibrant in real life.  The red you'll find on Ducatis and Hondas tend to be more of a crimson or "blood" red.

[BrammoBrian]

There is a drawback to racing electric bikes and that is the lack of engine braking. ICE bikes will be able to come into the corners faster and brake later than the Empulse...especially a lighter bike. Coming out of the corners onto the straightaway is where Empulse should do well. The Empulse specs indicate it would go head to head with the new Ninja 300. The 300 should be able to pass the Empulse coming into corners using later braking, but the Empulse should then regain the lead coming out of the corner using higher torque. Then on the straightaway they should be equal. 

Where have you been recently?  The Empulse has a very noticeable amount of off-throttle regen or "engine braking".  You can trail brake and rail the bike into a corner harder than most gas bikes I've ridden.  Definitely harder than a Triumph Street Triple R.  Having ridden multiple bikes to benchmark the performance of the Empulse and Empulse R, I don't think the new Ninja 300 would stand a chance.  Sounds like we need to film some shoot-out videos... sweet!;)

[Gavin]

Now that I am looking forward to....

With racing season over*, lots of time to ride and record shoot outs and comparison videos. If the weather is too nasty in Oregon this time of year, I volunteer Albuquerque....It is a beautiful time of year for riding hard...

Gavin

*and yes I know racing season is never really over...I'm sure Brammo is already making adjustments and changes to the RR

[EmpulseRider]

There is a drawback to racing electric bikes and that is the lack of engine braking. ICE bikes will be able to come into the corners faster and brake later than the Empulse...especially a lighter bike. Coming out of the corners onto the straightaway is where Empulse should do well. The Empulse specs indicate it would go head to head with the new Ninja 300. The 300 should be able to pass the Empulse coming into corners using later braking, but the Empulse should then regain the lead coming out of the corner using higher torque. Then on the straightaway they should be equal.  

Ninja 300? NO WAY. The Empulse is more in the class of the Ninja 650 in terms of performance.

2012 Ninja 650:
Claimed HP: 72HP
Claimed Torque: 47.2 lbs/ft
Curb Weight: 461 lbs

Empulse:
Claimed HP: 54HP
Claimed Torque: 46.5 lbs/ft
Curb Weight: 470 lbs

Power delivery is much more linear on the Empulse. I would put money on the Empulse in the twisties against the 650. Another advantage of the Empulse, at least here in Colorado, zero performance loss due to thinner air.