Frodus's Brammo Empulse R #24

[frodus]

HOLY SHIT that was fun!

Brian had to do some stuff up here in Portland so he brought my bike with him. He gave me a very detailed overview of the bike, showed me the diagnostic ports, gave me my bag-o-goodies, showed me the new charger (with Brammo Logo) and handed me the keys.

I rode up to this breakfast place near me so we could grab a bite to eat and chat. The ride over.... well, All I can say is WOW. I still have a grin on my face. This thing outperforms my SV650 in my opinion (butt dyno). I barely noticed any of the transmission lash. I figured out how to reduce/eliminate it by just easing the throttle a bit when I'm at a stop until I feel the gears push the bike ever so slightly. Power shifting through the gears is easy and I only use the clutch to downshift. As a beginner, it was simple and easy to get on the bike and start riding. I felt completely comfortable.

It rides smoothly, shifting is FUN and I see why it's great.... I can keep the motor RPM's wherever I want them, I could haul a passenger and get the same performance by wisely choosing my gear and If I wanted, I could just accelerate like a bat outta hell in first gear up to about 45-50mph.

Breakfast was fun.... we chatted about the bike, racing, friends we have in common and their plans for expanding the dealer/service network.

It was a very pleasant experience from a buyers point of view.

So It's downstairs charging on the L1 charger that Leviton (my Employer) gave me. I'll probably take that one to work and store it there for charging, and leave the Brammo charger here at home.


I'll be doing a bit of riding today. Gotta do some chores around the house first, but then I'll go out with a buddy of mine and take a nice ride.

Final words: Damn this bike is fun

[Gavin]

Holy shit I'm jealous!!

Sounds great...can you imagine, getting your bike deliveried and getting riding advise from the lead designer?!?!

Hey Brian, ever been to New Mexico?   

Have a blast and ride it like you stole it

Gavin

[kingcharles]

The white Empulse in the photo you posted seems to have a different dashboard, or is the screen of my tablet playing tricks with my eyes?
Is that your bike in the photo?

[frodus]

Nah its just some card to protect it.

And yah that is mine.

[Shinysideup]

Final words: Damn this bike is fun

I got a contact grin from reading your post, remembering my first day on the Empulse. Guess what, the fun continues to build and the grin gets bigger. I'm hitting 2K miles and still learning, and enjoying.

Congratulations and report back on your experience after you turn on Sport mode for a day of riding!

[kingcharles]

Thanks for explaining. And the more I see the Empulse in white the better looking it becomes!

[Brammofan]

Congratulations, Travis. Ride it in good health.

I'm a little bit jealous, especially about the shakedown with Brian.

[ttxgpfan]

Rock on dude! 

[frodus]

Some new pics:










I rode about 40 miles on Saturday with my buddy on some twisties nearby my house. It was such a blast. The bike takes off when I want it to, the transmission is easy to power shift (Brian showed me how best to do that). I only really use the clutch to downshift. It was nice not having the loud hum of the exhaust right behind me. I could hear my buddy behind me in my old SV650 (He bought it).

Sunday I only got about 10 miles before it started to rain (no raingear yet)... then I had a Portland Timbers soccer game to go to.... so not much driving Sunday.

Last night, Chelsea Sexton was in town promoting theelectricgeneration.org so I went down with some Oregon Electric Vehicle Association (OEVA) members to Bridgeport Brewery and had dinner (no beer for me though). Total ride was about 15 miles... and it was pretty dark on the way back. I think I need to adjust the light a little, but it was pretty cool, out there in the dark.... just cruising on the back-roads.


So I think I've put maybe 65 miles (would've been more, but I've not had the time). I can't wait to put more miles on the bike!


So my 3rd day impression (note, I have limited riding experience on my old eVFR and my 2000 SV650):
- The bike handles well for my weight/height. The suspension seems fine, but I'd like to take to a tuner to get a second opinion
- I only use the clutch to downshift. I blip the throttle/shift up for higher gears
- I mostly use second gear around town
- The bike is pretty flickable and easy to ride around turns
- Charging is so easy and I think pretty reasonable from a 15A 120V socket. I haven't tried L2 yet
- Regenerative braking is awesome. Need to make sure to ease into regen around a corner since it's on the rear tire. I can slow to almost a stop with Regen, usingvery little of my brake
- The build quality of the bike is great. I'd like a quick release for the seat, but I carry an Allen wrench. I store an emergency tire inflator and pressure gauge under the seat.
- I thought I'd want more information about the batteries voltages, motor/battery current but what I've found is that the dashboard displays exactly what I need while riding. The rest can hopefully be downloaded off of the memory card and analyzed later.
- I ignore the range on the dash and keep an eye on the battery SOC.
- The "thunk", "lash", "clunk" etc is almost negligible if you just ease the throttle forward while at a stop to take up the transmission slack. The only other time is coming off throttle and into regen. It's no more or less than my old SV650 coming off throttle into engine braking before a turn. It's a non-issue for me.
- This bike gets a LOT of looks as I pass by people.

[Gavin]

very nice.

I loved the enertia classic for night riding. no regen or engine braking...so you would get up to speed and let off the throttle and coast along in silence. You felt like the nose cone of an airplane.

Gavin

[frodus]

Been too rainy the last few days and I don't yet have rain gear.

Anyone have recommendations for some decent All season tires good in the rain? I'll keep my stock tires and throw them on in the summer.... but I do want something for the cooler/potentially wet season we get here in portland.

I did get some swingarm spools (Shogun Motorsports Spool/Sliders) for when I want to work on the bike. I already had a nice swingarm stand that has both the spool style and the platform support. I got the 8mm version of the spools (fits SV650) and they went right in and aside from the spools being tilted forward due to the design of the swingarm, they function well.
http://www.moto911.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_32_171&products_id=375&osCsid=j5854enninerifea0oe0rcqtb6

Had to pick up some warmer waterproof gloves. The ones I had were summer riding gloves and useless on the cold morning rides. Even with temps in the 50's, the windchill on my hands in summer gloves was a no-go.

Also picked up a used Ogio No Drag backpack on Craigslist. Has some nice reflective seams on it which are great because I've got a black leather jacket with no reflective strips on it. The backpack is pretty nice and can fit a laptop, shoes, pants, raingear, pressure gauge/tools fairly easily. Even has a nice Helmet hood that holds your helmet in a sling on the back of the backpack so you can carry it around. Nice and aerodynamic for riding too.
http://ogio.com/no-drag

[Richard230]

I don't think any tire manufacturer makes a "rain" tire for street use.  They probably figure that most riders are not deliberately going to ride in the rain and sales would be minimal.

So I think your best bet would be to look for a 10/90 "dual sport" tire, if you can find one to fit your wheels.  I have been very impressed with Michelin tires in the past and particularly their Anakee line.  Michelin just came out with a new Anakee 3 tire that looks more like a sportbike tire than something for use in the dirt.  I talked with one of their reps this weekend and he said that, in spite of the looks of its tread, it works really well, lasts a long time and is great in the wet.  This tire will be installed on the new 2013 BMW R1200GS water-cooled bike.

If you can't find a dual sport tire to fit your rims, your only other option is to go with a "sport touring" tire. Most of these tires are fine on wet pavement, but (in my experience) they do not last as long as a dual sport tire and their tread is not as pronounced or as deep as you see in a dual sport.  Stick with the major brands for the best wet weather performance.

[implovator]

Also picked up a used Ogio No Drag backpack on Craigslist. Has some nice reflective seams on it which are great because I've got a black leather jacket with no reflective strips on it. The backpack is pretty nice and can fit a laptop, shoes, pants, raingear, pressure gauge/tools fairly easily. Even has a nice Helmet hood that holds your helmet in a sling on the back of the backpack so you can carry it around. Nice and aerodynamic for riding too.
http://ogio.com/no-drag

That's a nice looking pack. I was just watching some videos on Revzilla.com (love Anthony's videos) and the whole lineup looks pretty neat. I've never considered a "sportbike-syle" packpack before, since I've always used courier bags. But something with good aerodynamics really makes sense on an Empulse.

[frodus]

I don't really want to ride in wet, but I don't think the AVON tires are going to be great if it DOES rain. Would like something for March-May and Sept-Nov riding.... Thanks Richard, I'll look into those a bit. I don't plan on going out when it's pouring, but I'd like to be able to get home safely if It does, and be able to ride on roads that might be damp. Oregon is beautiful, but it does get a little rainy this time of year.

[Gavin]

I know Brammo has done a ton of testing in S. Oregon, so I know they have done plenty of rain driving...I would ask Brian what he thinks.

I've driven the Enertia in rain, snow, hail and thunderstorms and had no problems...of course I wasn't railing the turns, just commuting to work and back.

Gavin