Firstly, WOW! For my taste, the Empulse R is a near perfect machine. Kudos, Brammo!
With that said, I plan on owning it for a long while. I knew the Enertia was a bit of a stop-gap for me, and so mine's still bone stock. I plan on doing a little tinkering with the Empulse R. Here's my todo/wish list:
1. New, radial master cylinder for the front.
I can't tell from the photos what master cylinder they're using. From my experience though, master cylinders with coffin-style reservoirs just underperform and fade when ridden in anger.
2. Folding, bar-end mirrors.
Really no option here once I replace the front master cylinder since it appears that the mirrors mount to the levers.
3. Clip-ons.
I'm still on the fence a bit about this one, but it's easy enough to try and then to go back if I don't like it. I haven't had a bike with proper clip-ons in a couple of years now and I dearly miss them...or so I seem to think. Maybe I just need to admit that I'm old and learn to appreciate standard bars more. Clip-ons feel great when you're cranked over, but I do love ripping through traffic in a more upright position.
4. Non-folding, adjustable rearsets.
It looks like they've provided ample clearance for mountain hooliganism, but I feel like the pegs may need to be moved back just a tad. By itself, that's certainly no reason to justify trying to fabricate something to accommodate aftermarket rearsets. But the added benefit of non-folding pegs and possibly running a GP shift pattern would definitely make it worth it. I wonder what they're running on the RR?
GP shifting brings up another interesting question for me. I wonder if the new transmission will even be capable of clutchless upshifts? Did I just void my warranty for bringing this up in a public forum?
5. Fender eliminator.
The new subframe and seat is beautiful. I'm so excited about the redesign. The front of the seat looks much lower allowing for much better positioning in corners. And the knife-edge looks are stunning...except for that fender. I'm thinking that relocating the plate and brake light will do wonders. And then maybe integrating the turn signals into the passenger pegs. Normally I'm against relocating/replacing lights since they often hurt visibility and safety. But that tail is so hot, it deserves something sexy. Another idea might be to keep the position of the plate/lights but to fabricate a smaller fender/arm to connect it to the subframe.