MotorcycleUSA.com compares the Brammo Empulse...

[Brammofan]

to the Zero.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/795/19347/Motorcycle-Article/2014-Brammo-Empulse-R-Comparison.aspx

[Richard230]

I would say that review is very accurate and seems to cover all of the bases.

However, I will make one correction to Zero's charging length estimates.  A Zero 14.2 (the version with the max battery pack installed, like I own) will take 15 hours to fully recharge if you run the battery pack down to empty. It seems to take about 8 hours of charging to get from 0% to 30% charge, then the charging rate speeds up from there and 7 hours later the bike will be fully recharged.

[Adan]

Another good article from the folks at MUSA.  I was pleased to see him stating the case for the ebike as the ultimate commuter, since I've been feeling that way for quite a while now.  Every day I ride the Empulse to work I just feel sorry for everyone else, even people on ICE bikes, because they have to stop for gas and are missing out on the day-in-day-out serenity of electric ambulation.

I haven't seen discussion on this forum about the 2015 Zeros.  For me it's mostly academic because I'll be riding my Empulse for a few more years before I even think about what my next ebike might be.  But it's not completely academic, because I'm invested in Brammo and want to see them succeed or at least survive.  Zero has been upping its game every year, and the 2015s with Showa suspension and ABS, is another example of that. 

[Shinysideup]

Balanced article, though I have no idea where they came up with a 40 mile range for the Empulse on the highway. Is that at 100 mph?? If I were shopping the brands, that number would be a big turnoff. 

[littlefreak3000]

I barely made home on a 46 mile trip that was about 70% @ 70mph on a highway. So 40 miles at 70mph makes sense to me. Its sad but true because I love going fast on this bike but it eats the batteries.

[Adan]

At 70 mph a windscreen makes a big difference, I would guess more than 10%.  Not to mention tucking in and wearing some slick leathers instead of a textile sail.

[protomech]

The Empulse is rated at 58 miles @ 70 mph. That's steady travel on flat ground with little or no wind.

Under adverse conditions - think headwind or crosswinds, heavier rider or riding two-up, significant elevation climb, cold temperatures (starting probably at 50F), aggressive riding in the twisties - the range could certainly be shorter. 40 miles seems atypically low, but any discussion about range requires consideration of conditions.

[littlefreak3000]

So by the sounds of it 58 isn't real world at all since those conditions wont exist. I'm only 130lbs (probably including all my gear). I did the run decently tucked since at 70mph on a naked bike its just more comfortable to be pulled in towards the tank a bit. I plan on getting on the the low Brammo windscreens when they are avaliable for this exact reason. Also thinking about clip-ons to make tucking a bit more natural.

My daily work commute (including a trip to WaWa for lunch) according to Google Maps is 22.7miles and I normally get home with 50% left. Now because it's a short route and I know I have plenty of charge to spare and its all throw country roads, so my commute is pretty spirited. So anything that can add to my mileage I'm looking into because I can chew through the batteries pretty fast. Sometimes for longer trips ya gotta turn off the BrammoGrin to save some mileage. Which is probably the only downside with the bike.

[BrammoBrian]

Balanced article, though I have no idea where they came up with a 40 mile range for the Empulse on the highway. Is that at 100 mph?? If I were shopping the brands, that number would be a big turnoff. 

Gabe was always going to give the nod to Zero as he's CityBike's "scooter" tester and has a history of positive reviews for Zero motorcycles as one of their preferred journalists for test bikes in the Bay Area.  The reason there are other journalists on this article is that his editors wanted a more balanced review. 

The 40 mile claim was not tested - he was just throwing out a number "around 40 miles of high speed travel".

Here are my favorite quotes:

At lower speeds, the Zeros' weaker brakes and budget suspension don't matter so much – they're more scooter like, and in dense, crowded, slower conditions that's a good thing.

The Brammo has the clear edge in terms of brakes, suspension, power delivery and riding position.

But you could probably talk me onto a Brammo, too. It's the expert's choice and the better choice for racers and trackday enthusiasts. It also has the most interesting tech and is a very pretty motorcycle, and not just by electric-bike standards.

The Brammo is a better motorcycle – proper suspension, high-quality components all around, “real” tire sizes. And I prefer the gritty, mechanical look of the Empulse R, so much that when I got an email telling me that Brammo was cutting deals on leftover Empulses, I started cooking up schemes to get my wife on board with yet another bike.

That last one was the strangest as he picked Zero as the bike he would buy, then stated that the Brammo was a better motorcycle and he had been trying to convince his wife to allow him to buy one... 

[kingcharles]

What I would like to add to that is that even in it's 3rd model year (no real new design after 2013), the materials used on the 2015 Zero's still is not up to the quality standards that Brammo has used.
I had a good look at the 2015 Zero bikes during the Intermot show a few weeks ago. And yes they are gradually improving and have added ABS but the finish and material quality is simply not as nice.

As an example I am thinking that in normal conditions an Empulse will still have a shorter brake distance than the 2015 Zero S range. Just speculating of course and I hope some bike reviews will do these tests sometime soon but just by looking at the disc and calipers I feel they are less powerful and would give less control of the braking power.

Another example, I took the below picture and it shows that Zero is still using cheap parts on their (expensive) machines.



If anybody is interested, here is a link to the flickr album of all the e-bikes and other stuff I liked at Intermot.
I used a poor quality old camera sorry for this.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4cJfdC

[Adan]

The article makes a lot of insightful observations which could help a potential purchaser make a choice.  Then it concludes by saying the Zero is slightly better, but if you're a rational motorcycle shopper (and if you're spending this much money, you certainly should be), you'll pay more attention to the specific reasonings than to the conclusion.

One of the points the article makes is that, if the Empulse range works for you, then you don't really benefit by the added single-charge range offered by the Zero.  And this is how most people should think about ebikes, is how they will function for a repeated task like commuting.  If you need to cover 80 miles a day some of which is at high speed, and don't have easy access to charging, that might push you towards the Zero.  But if the Empulse can handle your typical range needs, then why trade away Brammo quality for range you won't use on a day to day basis.  Or so the argument goes.

For awhile, I really wanted to make it work with a one motorcycle garage, so I thought a lot about how I would handle longer trips on Brammo -- where I could charge up, what kind of cord to bring, etc. . .  Then I decided to stop worrying and bought an air cooled Multistrada.  Having a gas bike and an ebike in the garage is a great way to go.

[Shinysideup]

So by the sounds of it 58 isn't real world at all since those conditions wont exist.

OK, I had some free time in nice weather today and decided to carry out my own little real-world test. Not very rigorously instrumented...

Bike: 2013 Empulse R
         42T rear sprocket
         MRA Vario windscreen with laminar lip
         Pannier racks in place, bags removed for test
         Tire pressure 40 psi front and rear

Rider:
            6"1" tall
            190 lbs in full riding gear
             Schuberth C3 helmet

Environment:
          72F
          Cross wind of 10-15 mph
          Sunny with high clouds
          Terrain of rolling hills on multi-lane Interstate 280 between San Bruno and San Mateo California
          Traffic: moderately heavy

Method:
   1) Drive on freeway to 75 mph.
   2) Wait for percentage SOC to flip to the next lowest digit.
   3) Immediately press and hold the trip meter button to reset the meter to zero.
   4) Try to hold a constant 75 mph (observed range was 72 to 78 mph).
   5) Drive about 10 miles.
   6) Stop and repeat going the other direction on the same freeway.
   7) Divide miles driven by delta of state of charge from beginning percent to ending percent to determine how    many miles per percent point. Multiply this number by 100 to determine computed range.

Result:
   Southbound range computed to be 56 miles.
   Northbound range computed to be 60 miles.

Conclusion:

   Average range at 75 mph: 58 miles, which is 31% more than the 40 mile range at 70 mph stated in the article.

Discussion:

   Author should print a correction or go frack himself.

[Brammofan]

  Author should print a correction or go frack himself.

Excellent conclusion. Feel free to send this to the author. Probably ought to leave out the frack part, though. I would cc: the "letters to the editor" address as well.

[protomech]

Nicely done. Reversing directions on the freeway will help to compensate for headwinds/tailwinds.

How accurate is the Empulse speedometer? The Zero speedometers tend to run 5-10% high.

Regardless, your test backs up Brammo's highway range spec.

[Shinysideup]

How accurate is the Empulse speedometer? The Zero speedometers tend to run 5-10% high.

Compared to my GPS, the speedo tends to run about 2 mph faster.