Commuting in San Francisco

[HighlanderMWC]

I recently put commute mile #3000 on my graphite Enertia. I've been commuting on a motorcycle every day since 1994. Overall I'm pretty happy with my Enertia and it now feels weird the odd time that I ride my 2003 Honda VTX 1300.

The good:
- Brammo customer service
- only visiting the gas station once since November (couldn't remember how much gas I had left in the tank on my VTX the one day I needed to use it to carry a passenger).
- cool weather (not a lot of hot days, so still comfortable all geared up)
- curious pedestrians/drivers asking about the Enertia
- quiet enough that I feel that I can safely listen to music (one ear)
- lower speed means that the ride is more comfortable temperature-wise
- parking is a lot easier with a thin and light bike (compared to my VTX with hard saddlebags)

The "bad":
- DMV paperwork - a drawback of being the first Enertia sold in the region was that they (Best Buy) messed up the paperwork. After a few delays and miscommunications with the DMV a Best Buy rep picked up the paperwork from my house and hand-delivered to the DMV. Luckily only pulled over once for not having a plate.
- faulty dash - a few situations where the dash would blank out (usually after pressing the black button). A new dash was shipped to my local tech and she came to my house to install it the morning after she received it.
- wet weather - seems we got more rain than I've seen in 16 years of riding daily. On top of this, getting periodic rain further into summer than we have previously.
- contactor waterproofing - seems there was a problem with the way the contactors were being sealed, resulting in one case of getting stranded on the way home at night during a rainstorm. Brammo tech arrived at my house and replaced contactor within 12 hours and came over again once Brammo had worked out a new sealing process with the manufacturer.
- broken saddlebag zipper - the zipper on the left side bag gave way at around the 6 month mark. Brammo tech came to my house and replaced both bags within 48 hours.
- dash clouded - it seems there is some moisture under the glass of the dash that results in periodic clouding. Hasn't reached enough of an annoyance level for me to bother opening it up.
- PG&E rates - more a function of how much electricity my wife and kids use on a daily basis. Hoping the new rate structure actually results in a reduction in my bill.

The ugly:
- still don't like the way the rear fender looks

[Brammofan]

Glad you made it here, Highlander.  Thanks for a thorough review that includes the good, bad, and ugly. 

What kind of rear fender would you want to see on it?

[HighlanderMWC]

It looks (and I think is) weak and not really an integral part of the bike's lines. If kept. I think I would like to see the taillight moved further back, maybe setup so that a rear case can be attached. Appearance-wise bobbing might be good but am unsure of the effect during wet riding.

[Phantom]

Welcome to the forum. Your posts on elmoto.net helped a lot in my decision to get an Enertia.  Customer service is the name of the game and you have certainly seen great customer service from Brammo.

[HighlanderMWC]

The service has been top-notch. I certainly didn't expect next day in-home service (and that's not promised) but it is certainly a benefit of being an early adopter. The Enertia is also light enough that you can throw it on a cheap hitch carrier if you needed to take it to them. Way better than paying for a tow.

It makes me feel even better that my local tech (Jennifer) is a Brammo tech rather than Geek Squad, although for the eletrical components I really wouldn't have much issue with a Geek Squad member doing a replacement and a local motorcycle shop can handle the other components if I didn't want to do it myself. I wonder how long the brakes and tires will last?

[HighlanderMWC]

Just passed the 8k mile mark. Still no significant issues with the bike (outside of a drop, but that was user error).

Just replaced the brake pads for the second time, using the new kevlar pads this time. IIRC the original pads got about 3k miles on them and about 5k on the replacements (which aren't as worn as the originals were). This is front pads only...rear are still stock (and relatively unused).

No issues with the chain since I replaced with o-ring. I don't lube nearly as often and have only adjusted tension once in about 3k miles.

Starting to keep an eye on the wear marks on the rear tire but looks like I still have a little ways to go.

[thespecialonejr]

Wow, what a great milestone for you to have reached. Well done.

Glad to hear how well Brammo have looked after you when problems have occurred. How far do you commute everyday? Far enough to need to charge during the work day?

Jamie

[HighlanderMWC]

About 25 miles most days roundtrip. I haven't charged at work but something is available for emergency use.

[thespecialonejr]

Awesome. I am planning on moving to SF sometime within the next year and will keep my eyes peeled for you.

Jamie