City Driving Poll. To Shift or Not To Shift, that is the poll question.

[Gavin]

Ok...so just wondering. For city driving below 40mph I have been just starting off and driving around in 2nd gear. It works great. Fast as heck take off and RPMs below 5000 on speeds up to 40mph.

For the city are others shifting, using 2nd gear, using 3rd gear or other?

Gavin

[frodus]

2nd is what I start in around town, and slowly roll on the throttle so I don't suck Amps, although it does just fine accelerating. I use 1st when I want to really accelerate to get ahead of traffic, or show off I sometimes get to third, but not usually until at least 35-40mph. I shift between 3rd/4th/5th on the highway depending on traffic.

I do like the transmission! I can get into the max power RPM range when I need the power, or get into the high-efficiency (~5k) range when I'm just cruisin around.



I've had a single speed elmoto too (my eVFR was working with lead acid and a series wound motor). One gear ratio was ok, but a few more ratios would have been nice. I had to build it to both hit top speed (highway), and put a large enough motor on it that it would accelerate acceptably and safely. If there was a transmission, I could have put a smaller motor on it, had good acceleration and top speed.... but the costs, weight and complexity of a DIY solution was too much, so I decided on a larger motor.
/end tangent

[Gavin]

Sucking Amps is my middle name.

G

[Shinysideup]

I use 1st most of the time. But then I've got hills and regen in 1st Sport is great. First is good for 40 mph easily and I occasionally hit second on boulevards where I can go 50. Using the lower gear allows me to get the RPM's up in an efficient range faster.

[Jeff]

Around SF I nearly always use 1st, and always am in Sport.  I enjoy the sharper regen, and I enjoy accelerating like an idiot.  Like Shiny said, there aren't many places in the city where you'll be going over the speeds of which 1st is capable, so I never really shift at all.

Anywhere outside the city I'll shift around and be in whatever gear, but if we are talking solely city streets I treat the Empulse as basically just the angriest scooter ever.

[Shinysideup]

... if we are talking solely city streets I treat the Empulse as basically just the angriest scooter ever.

Yes! Sort of a Vespa Streetfighter with 'tude. On steroids.

[Gavin]

Yeah...today I was trying out 1st for city riding instead of 2nd...If I know I'm going under 45 I think I prefer 1st...Hella smooth. And you get to 5000 rpms a bit faster.

Sooooo, mostly 1st gear now

Who knows for tomorrow though.

And I plan to hit the ride up to the top of Sandia Mountain this weekend...so sport mode and multiple shifting is in store...should be a blast.

Can't wait to get her out of the city limits.

Gavin

[Shinysideup]

And if you run out of juice, you can always put it in the cable care for the ride down!