Empulse starts but throttle does nothing

[tkthompson]

Hi Guys,

I figured I would post my issue and then update it when and if the issue is resolved by the dealer. A few months ago I was riding to work and stopped at a red light. When the light turned green I twisted the throttle and the bike just sat there. I turned the key to the off position and then back on. I went through the normal start-up operation and still nothing. I just sat there. Then I thought maybe it was in a false neutral so I put it in second gear, still nothing. I started looking around at the bike and kept giving it blips of throttle and all of a sudden it just frickin' leapt forward. Luckily I got the bike under control and continued to work.

For the next few months I rode and never experienced the issue again, until this past Friday. I came out of work and turned the key on the Empulse-R. It started normally. I held the start button in and put up the kickstand. The green lights flashed and I gave it some throttle.....nothing. I restarted it about 5 more times to no avail. I called my dealer to see if I could have it towed to the shop. While on the phone with the dealer I turned the bike back on and let it sit there. After it was sitting for a bit, I went back over and held the start button and pulled up the kickstand. I gave it a little throttle and it started rolling, although it was a little rough, and I was able to make it home.

So, yesterday I took it into the dealer and hope that there is data on the stick drive that will help pinpoint the issue. No error codes ever showed on the screen and the starting procedure always seemed fine. I'll update this thread with anything I find out from the dealer about the issue. I hope it doesn't take too long to find since the issue seems intermittent.

-Tammie

[Athlon]

maybe is just a loose trottle connector  or some humidity getting into the connector and blocking the controller with some false reading.

[Richard230]

I had a similar problem with my 2012 Zero S when it was new, although not nearly as bad.  It turned out to be a defective throttle assembly.  Once the throttle assembly was replaced I never had a problem and the bike (now owned by my daughter) is still running fine without any further issues. 

[Shinysideup]

A dealer checkout is certainly in order.

For starters (no pun), I'd spray (or have them spray) some WD-40 into the throttle assembly and blow it out with compressed air.

After a bunch of rain, I had my throttle stick in a WOT position upon take-off. Scary. The WD-40 trick was suggested to the dealer by Brammo and worked like a charm.

After I returned safely home, I taped up the throttle housing with black vinyl electrical tape to keep out any moisture.

Oddly, Brammo had none of these issues in Oregon where it's been known to rain a bit.

[EmpulseRider]

I have had a few times where I was at a light and got a system fault because I was slightly on the brake when I tried to accelerate from the light. The Empulse doesn't like that at all. Turning off then back on would always clear the issue. Certainly not similar to your issue, just thought I would mention it.
I have also had a few situations where I could not get the bike to move from a parking spot until I turned it off then back on again, sometime several (3-5) times. In these cases twisting the throttle would make a ticking noise from the motor, like the bike was saying, "I know you want me to go but Id rather not". After a few attempts I would get a clunk, and the bike would spring to life (sometimes to my surprise). It happens only occasionally, the bike operates perfectly 99% of the time.

[Shinysideup]

I have also had a few situations where I could not get the bike to move from a parking spot until I turned it off then back on again, sometime several (3-5) times. In these cases twisting the throttle would make a ticking noise from the motor, like the bike was saying, "I know you want me to go but Id rather not". After a few attempts I would get a clunk, and the bike would spring to life (sometimes to my surprise).

Hmm... the mention of "clunk" suggests to me that there might be something amiss in the sensors/circuitry that send transmission data into the bike's brain. Or not.

So... it might be revealing to kick it into another gear when you hear the ticking noise and then try the throttle again.

[Shinysideup]

[duplicate deleted]

[tkthompson]

The two times this has happened to me the bike finally responded to throttle input after trying to turn it off/on a few times and then just leaving it on and sitting for a few minutes. This isn't very helpful when in traffic! I did put the bike in second gear both times the issue occured, thinking maybe it was in a false neutral.

The dealer called yesterday stating that they completed the recall but did not find any errors. They are going to have someone from Brammo log into their system remotely to run diagnostics. Hopefully I will hear from them soon. The bike has about 8500 miles.

[tkthompson]

Well they didn't find anything at the dealer but I guess a firmware upgrade just came out so the are going to upgrade the firmware and we'll see what happens.

[skuzzle]

My Empulse is doing the same thing.  I tried cycling the power at least 20 times.  Turning the throttle during initial startup doesn't throw any errors, so I think it might be a throttle sensor.

[kingcharles]

Kill switch on?

[skuzzle]

Kill switch on?

No kill switch or side stand.  There is a slight noise coming from somewhere below the "tank" and above the batteries when I twist the throttle.  Ended up having the wife pick me and the bike up.  Glad I have a trailer.  I don't think that this is a moisture issue as the bike hasn't seen rain for months.  I've been riding it for the last two weeks in sunny weather.  Before that it was sitting in the garage waiting for parts to replace the chain and sprockets.  The strange thing is that for the last week I was getting the best range ever according to the SOC.

[tkthompson]

Mine was a water issue, I ride in SoCal. I barely know what rain is except that I grew up in Oregon 

They did do a software upgrade when I took mine in and I haven't had it happen since then (knock on wood). I hope they get it figured out for you. Let us know if they find anything.

-Tammie