Engage.....Can pre-order now....but....

[Gavin]

Well...

1) Brammofan needs to add a new section to this forum it seems.

2) You can now pre-order the new models at the Brammo website.

3) The downside is the Brammo website has no new info on the Engage or Encite. So you can order, but we don't now the time to production nor the top speed nor the range. Nor the price of a spare battery (since these bikes seem to be made for quick swapping batteries).

Gavin

[Gavin]

For me the questions are...other than the obviously of speed and range and weight and such....

One: Will this be available before, after or the same time as the Plus?

I could see getting one of these as a commuter instead of the Plus if the speed and range are potentially similar (i love a shifty bike...i like that I could hit the dirt from time to time).

To differentiate the models I think Brammo should do this if possible: Empulse: Pure street. pure speed. Enertia is pure city, pure commuter. Now the Engage is a bit of a hybrid...can do city, can do dirt. So to make the Enertia a bit more attractive: BENCH SEAT for 2. City folk like to occasionally have two on a bike more than a high speed ride or a jumping dirt ride.

A two person Enertia would trump a single rider dual sport for me. But if both are single person and both come out at the same time, I could see going dual...maybe.


Gavin

[Liv2xplore]

I can definitely see the 2 seater in the Enertia Plus as an option. It would probably have to be the plus with added battery for the added weight of not only the passenger but also the heavier frame and added foot pegs. It could be an option for the Empulse with it's heavier batteries and racing frame. I can see the 6 speed going into the Empulse as well.

[Gavin]

....S.M.R.E.'s patented Integrated Electric Transmission™ (IET). IET enables Brammo to offer its electric motorcycles with a 6-speed transmission - further improving performance and range. The first application of the new IET will be on the Brammo Engage and Encite, which are being announced today and which will be unveiled prior to competing in the MiniMotoSX race in Las Vegas on Friday, May 6, 2011.

Sounds like Brammo will be offering the shifty on more bikes than just the Engage and Excite...maybe even as an option on all models...cool

Gavin

[Liv2xplore]

I imagine it will depend on the durability of the transmission. The Engage and Entice are good test bikes for it but are definitely less torquey than the Empulse. The increased torque of the Empulse could be too much for the current technology available. Then again, having gears may give more options for a smaller motor on the Empulse which may in turn reduce costs or increase range further. Increasing range is most likely a goal to enter into the cruiser market. It takes a good 300-400 mile range at 80 mph to have a shot at being taken seriously with the cruisers. That's a long way off today, but the improvements I've seen in the last 2 years say it could be sooner than I think.

[Gavin]

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/six-gears-come-to-brammo-e-v-bikes/

“We’re finding that there are customers that like it each way,” he continued. “A commuter, for instance, likes a nice smooth surge of power. But we also get a lot of people who have been riding conventional motorcycles for years, who want it to behave like a regular motorcycle. Our view is that we have both kinds of customers, and we want to have both kinds of products.”

....

Mr. Bramscher estimates that the top speed of these new machines will be 10 to 15 percent higher than that achieved by the simpler, direct-drive system used on previous Brammo models, and on virtually every other electric motorcycle. (For comparison, the Enertia Plus claims a top speed of “over 60 m.p.h.”)

So it sounds like they may offer the shifty on all bikes...but I could be reading it wrong.

If so, the Plus gets a boost in top speed from 60 plus mph to 70 plus mph, which is perfect for me. Now if they make a Plus with 2 person bench and shifty I will be in heaven   I actually don't ride 2 up often, but love the ability to on the rare occasions that my wife is willing to hop on the back...

Gavin