Author Topic: The 19 Thousand Dollar Question (Read 1604 times)

EmpulseRider · « **on:** May 10, 2012, 08:55:03 AM »

So who is buying an R? Its out of my price range so Im saving funds so I can get a base one for next riding season... I have sent my appeal to get an Empulse this season to Brammo via email, I will let you know when I hear back from them.

On a side note, the white one on facebook looks AMAZING, I may go with white, instead of black when I finally get to order one. Wow...

On a second side note... look out for an update to the TCO calculator in the next week... the Empulse and Empulse R will be added along with a few ICE bikes in the same price range.

Gavin · « **Reply #1 on:** May 10, 2012, 09:12:45 AM »

Yeah, the white is sweet...lovely contrast...

as for the "bulk" of the bottom....it has grown on me...it gives it a powerful look and a bit more symmetry...

Good luck with the appeal....I will add my voice to yours (not that i have any power) and send an email Brammo's way...

hoping you are EmpulseRider soon...

Gavin

Phantom · « **Reply #2 on:** May 10, 2012, 09:18:58 AM »

I am planning to update my pre-order for a white Empulse. The R version is out of my budget for now.

I am looking forward to your updated TCO calculator, EmpulseBuyer.

Virtually Yours · « **Reply #3 on:** May 10, 2012, 09:34:53 AM »

When it comes to financing theRe is only a slight difference in the monthly payment between the two models. So as long as a can get the best rate available I'm going to order the R when they call me for the deposit.

Richard230 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 10, 2012, 09:46:03 AM »

If I hadn't bought my Zero, buying the Empulse would have been an tough decision. I like the quality, design, looks and performance of the R, but the California out-the-door price (around $21K) would have put more of a dent into my bank account than I was prepared for. Waiting until next year for the base model to come out would have been even tougher and the $2K saved is not that much at that price level. I just don't know what I would have done.

But at least I don't have to make that decision now.

implovator · « **Reply #5 on:** May 10, 2012, 09:57:48 AM »

I'm getting the R. $19k is a tough pill to swallow, but I'm not the first on the forum to say that I've been saving for 1.5+ years now. Selling the Enertia will certainly help. Financially, it's going to hurt. But when I look at the differences between the two, $2k seems reasonable.

I still want to get more detailed specs though. For instance:

How adjustable is "fully adjustable"? Preload with high/low-speed for compression and rebound (i.e. a 4-way)? Or just preload and simple compression/rebound?
How light are the wheels compared to the base wheels? They look like simple 5-spoke OEM wheels from Marchessini. Definitely not as nice as their 10-spoke forged or magnesium stuff.
And, will carbon fiber make me popular with the ladies?

Richard230 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2012, 10:12:44 AM »

I am pretty sure that Marzocchi does not make forks with both high and low-speed compression adjustments, just low-speed adjustment. I also believe that is true for Sachs. If you want that level of adjustment, you need to look to Ohlins or one of the other premium brands and those will set you back several thousands of dollars for each component. But, to be frank, I doubt most riders will need, or be able to use, that level of adjustment on the street. It is too easy to get lost when spinning those adjustment knobs and screwing up your ride as the result.

EmpulseRider · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2012, 10:48:22 AM »

Thanks for the support Gavin, I appreciate it!

Yeah, $2k isnt much when shopping $17-$19K price points, but I had budgeted for $15k to begin with and Im a pretty stubborn guy... especially when money is involved

. I cant stand financing, anything... period. I think this stems from my college days of ramen noodle diet resulting from complete personal finance mismanagement, tuition costs, all compounded by the financial punishment I was receiving from my bank for being a poor, stupid college student. Thats another story... so no, financing is out of the question for me... cant pay cash = cant afford it.

I dont think Brammo has to worry about people like me though... the R will sell very well.

skuzzle · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2012, 12:19:42 PM »

I'm on the fence with the R. I hardly need the barely visible carbon fiber bits and fancy suspension for my 20 mile commute to work. There also is no word about hard bag prices or if they will even work on the R bike. I need to have enough storage to hold the 120V plug adapter and gloves. I don't like the look of the bike relative to the original prototype, although I have warmed up a bit since I saw the first spy shots. There is also a chance that some tax incentive might come back if a wait a year (there's always hope).

I would gladly pay $19K for the non-R bike with a fairing (to cover the radiator if possible) and twin headlights. Frankly I'm a bit irritated at having to pay an extra $2K for the upgraded bike to get it this year after waiting 2 years.

Gavin · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2012, 12:25:44 PM »

Yeah....I do think Brammo should go ahead and take new orders on the R only if they want, but should offer the R and Non R to long time pre-order customers...

bikes on the road--good. happy customers---good. taking care of loyal fans who then go out and brag and show off their beautiful new bikes---Priceless....

but I don't have any power over that other than to add my voice...

Gavin

FreepZ · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2012, 01:08:58 PM »

I have the same mindset as EmpulseBuyer (no financing if I can avoid it), and I agree with skuzzle about the extra bits.

I have no intention of using that bike for anything other than commuting 80 miles per day. Adjustable suspension? I don't even know what that's for (I assume racing). Carbon bits? Plastic will do just fine for me. Fancy wheels? As long as it gets me there on a battery change, I'm not too fussy about appearances.

It would be a lot easier for me to decide if I was certain that I would be able to ride those 80 miles going 65-70 mph all the way, but right now I'm not even 100% if I could get all the way there at 55 mph. Yeah, it's got a range of 120 miles, but only if I ride at 19 mph. I would hate to have forked over that huge pile of cash* only to find out that the bike didn't fit my needs.

The only good news about the high price is that it's going to knock out most of the 900 people that are in front of me in the queue. If I want to pony up $19k, I'm confident that I'll get that bike pretty quickly.

* At 0.44 mm thick, 19,000 dollars bills would make a stack that was over 27 ft (8.36 m) high.

protomech · « **Reply #11 on:** May 10, 2012, 02:27:06 PM »

The average speed for the UDDS test is 19 mph, but that's averaged over the entire test period which includes several segments where the bike is standing still.

Most of the moving bits are at 30 mph .. so the UDDS is probably fairly applicable if you want to ride at 30 mph for 4 hours.

I think 80 miles @ 55 mph is going to be really tight.. but still, I wish I could do that on the Zero. It's 83 miles to mom's house, about 70 of that is on state highways with 50-65 mph speed limits.. just barely possible on the Empulse. On the Zero it would take an extra 1-2 hours for an intermediate charge.

Still going to do it sometime. Just to say it's done : )

machone · « **Reply #12 on:** May 10, 2012, 04:50:10 PM »

Agree with all that's just been said.

However I would be prepared(foolishly, perhaps) to get the finance but the two big questions for me are

1. What price will it be in Europe
2. When will the two models be available here

If, like some products, a 1:1 exchange rate is used, I'm out. If it is just exchange rate plus taxes and similar finance is available I'm in.

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