Author Topic: many questions to ask !! wish someone can help  (Read 916 times)

plukcc

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many questions to ask !! wish someone can help
« on: January 25, 2014, 09:47:57 AM »
what % remain should i recharge the battery is the best for maintaining the battery, i guess it is no good to run out the battery, right?

if i ride the bike using 6th gear all the time, even when starting the bike from all stop (of cause i will increase the speed of the bike in a very very gently way, instead of hard throttle it)
will i gain longer riding distance?

what actually is the different between normal and sport mode?
power output
power consumption
motor stopping torque, etc.



00049 (AKA SopFu)

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Re: many questions to ask !! wish someone can help
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2014, 11:09:39 AM »
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what % remain should i recharge the battery is the best for maintaining the battery

I would not worry about this at all. Your battery will lose more capacity from aging (time) than from misuse. However, the manual does recommend storing the battery at between 50 and 70%. If you always use it for short trips, I would recommend riding with the battery close to full charge than closer to empty. Li Ion has a higher risk of damage when doing things at the extreme - i.e., discharging with the battery dead or charging with the battery full. The control unit on the bike won't let it damage itself, but you could theoretically help it by only riding with it in the middle to upper part of the SOC. Honestly this should not be a concern unless you plan on running it to 100k+ miles, and even then the calendar life would have a much bigger impact!

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if i ride the bike using 6th gear all the time, even when starting the bike from all stop, will i gain longer riding distance?

No. You will draw higher current with it in a higher gear, and drawing more current is less efficient than drawing less current. The most efficient way to accelerate is to accelerate slowly and use every gear. Depending on conditions, the motor is most efficient between 4,500 and 5,000 RPMs. It is best to keep it spinning between those two numbers. For me, that means I never use 6th gear. However, I find I accelerate much more quickly when banging through the gears because it is fun, which probably offsets any efficiency savings...

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what actually is the different between normal and sport mode?

Put in on a dyno and tell us  ;)

The display will give a general idea on what the bike is doing, and you can decide for yourself what to believe.
'03 SV650
'13 Empulse #49
Wheaton, IL

plukcc

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Re: many questions to ask !! wish someone can help
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2014, 07:17:01 PM »
Tks for the answer
Regarding the full time 6th gear matter
I keep on reading the power drawing display and I find an interesting thing
It draws around 7-9 klw when I start the bike using 6th gear with a smooth throttle
While it draw same current if I use 1st gear
Therefore I thought 6th gear with smooth throttle is same as 1st gear


00049 (AKA SopFu)

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Re: many questions to ask !! wish someone can help
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2014, 10:20:09 PM »
Tks for the answer
Regarding the full time 6th gear matter
I keep on reading the power drawing display and I find an interesting thing
It draws around 7-9 klw when I start the bike using 6th gear with a smooth throttle
While it draw same current if I use 1st gear
Therefore I thought 6th gear with smooth throttle is same as 1st gear

It could be that you are accelerating more slowly in 6th than you are in 1st, and therefore are using less energy. That doesn't necessarily translate into efficiency if you could have gone further or faster using the lower gear.

I actually get better range with a passenger on the back than I do riding solo because I leave it in 2nd and accelerate so much more slowly for their comfort.

Obviously there are a lot of factors in play when trying to make the ride as efficient as possible. General consensus from everyone on this board (including employees of Brammo) is to shift through all of the gears around 5k. I've tried leaving it in lower gears and higher gears while cruising and haven't noticed a significant effect on range one way or another, so who knows. But I can guarantee starting in first is more fun  ;D
'03 SV650
'13 Empulse #49
Wheaton, IL

Shinysideup

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Re: many questions to ask !! wish someone can help
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2014, 01:50:37 PM »
According to my "butt dyno", Sport mode gives somewhat more acceleration than "Normal" mode but a lot more regen braking effect.

I get better range in Sport mode because of the regen contribution of electrons and generally prefer it most of the time, even in city riding. I LOVE cruising along a boulevard at 50 mph, coming to a corner, downshifting and making the turn without touching the brakes.

IIRC, the Sport regen curve was set up by one of  Brammo's racers and I think he nailed it just right. It does take a bit more finesse in throttle control than Normal mode, but becoming a smoother rider overall is one of the benefits I've derived from the Empulse.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2016, 06:29:03 AM by Shinysideup »