Brammo's Empulse Video #1

[Brammofan]

Really does a good job of wrapping up the whole launch evening.

[protomech]

*grumbles something about live stream*

Nice wrap-up video. I would have stuck out like a sore thumb there, that's about two classes fancier than I'm comfortable at ; )

[Virtually Yours]

Great video but I would like to see the entire show and maybe more of the interviews.  
Live stream was a little rough around the edges (ok, my Mother always told me that if I don't have anything nice to say then shut up).  
 

[FreepZ]

I'd like to see the video they put together and showed at the launch party. There were a few glimpses in the Launch Event video, but where's the rest of it?

On a side note: Can someone explain the purpose of hanging off the bike when it's going through a curve (4m27s)? I presume that this is done to avoid tipping the bike too much, but would tipping too much cause the body to hit the ground, or would it cause the wheels to grip less, or something else?

[Brammofan]

On a side note: Can someone explain the purpose of hanging off the bike when it's going through a curve (4m27s)? I presume that this is done to avoid tipping the bike too much, but would tipping too much cause the body to hit the ground, or would it cause the wheels to grip less, or something else?

From a Kawasaki forum (but just google "dragging a knee, motorycle"):

The reason they do it is because it is a good marker as to how far they are leaned (compared to how far they CAN lean)...
They are not using it to support the bike but simply as a marker so that they can snap into the lean faster. Keith Code says some world class racers start and finish the lean in .5 seconds while a lazy street rider can make it take 2 seconds... The shorter time it takes to lean the faster you can enter a turn, having a mark of when you are leaned aids in the snap of their turns.

It's about keeping the bike as upright as possible (making the contact patch of the tires larger?) to keep it from low-siding (sliding out from underneath you).

[flar]

Nice wrap-up video. I would have stuck out like a sore thumb there, that's about two classes fancier than I'm comfortable at ; )

Somehow I doubt that.  Don't look at the press people with the microphones, look at the people in the background, especially the line out front, it was fairly casual when you got away from the cameras.  I actually was self conscious about potentially sticking out so I wore some nice slacks and shirt (not quite formal, but a little more stylish than business wear) and I sort of felt like I stuck out next to the people I was chatting with who were in jeans and business casual or less.

(D'oh!  You see me right at the 4:00 mark pointing out differences between the models to one of the other attendees with a drink in my hand (what a lush) and then immediately following that in a huddle collaborating on finding a good angle for a photo.  There are worse shots they could have caught me in, I guess, what with the strange positions I had to get in to use the Lytro.  Sadly, my choice to show up dressed like the Empulse didn't net me a free bike like I'd hoped...)

They didn't care what you were wearing to give out the free drinks, so hey, what's the worry? 

[machone]

I'd like to see the video they put together and showed at the launch party. There were a few glimpses in the Launch Event video, but where's the rest of it?

+1

Like the interviews on YouTube, but why are they split into tiny segments?

[Brammofan]

(D'oh!  You see me right at the 4:00 mark pointing out differences between the models to one of the other attendees with a drink in my hand (what a lush) and then immediately following that in a huddle collaborating on finding a good angle for a photo.  There are worse shots they could have caught me in, I guess, what with the strange positions I had to get in to use the Lytro.  Sadly, my choice to show up dressed like the Empulse didn't net me a free bike like I'd hoped...

So YOU'RE the guy who had the foresight to coordinate your outfit with the Empulse.  Now I can refer to you as "flar" instead of "red-shirted blond-haired goatee man".  Now I just have to figure out who "horn-rimmed glasses bow-tie wearing Asian business man" is and I'll have the full credits completed for the IMDB list of cast and crew.

[protomech]

You see me right at the 4:00 mark pointing out differences between the models

Ahem. Pig

On a side note: Can someone explain the purpose of hanging off the bike when it's going through a curve (4m27s)? I presume that this is done to avoid tipping the bike too much, but would tipping too much cause the body to hit the ground, or would it cause the wheels to grip less, or something else?

...

It's about keeping the bike as upright as possible (making the contact patch of the tires larger?) to keep it from low-siding (sliding out from underneath you).

Another way to think of it is the tire has a certain maximum lean angle (deviation from straight up = 0 degrees). On street tires this is around 45 degrees, on race tires it can approach 60 degrees (rough numbers). As Brammofan says, if you exceed this maximum lean angle then you will low-side the bike.

You can take a corner at a higher speed the farther your center of mass is inside the turn.

Therefore, if you're at the tire's maximum lean angle (with a reasonable safety boundary), you can increase your corner speed by moving your center of mass inwards .. eg leaning off of the bike into the turn.

[ttxgpfan]

If I might add to this.  What Protomech is talking about can be seen if you watch a motorcycle race in the dry vs the rain.  In the rain they don't lean over as far, so they tend to hang off further.  Actually motorcycle racing for 10 years ago would be a better example.  The tires and bikes are so good now they're dragging knees in the rain.  But I digress.

I also suspect the Empulse is designed to be ridden by normal Americans, not Leprechauns who weigh half what most of us do.  So, the bike might be a bit more reluctant to turn in, being a street bike the steering would definitely be heavier (read: more stable), and he is trying to look good for the camera.

I have seen Steve-O race the RR in person, and he can rail a corner, but he doesn't look like that on the track.  I found it odd too.  Also, the bike doesn't look like it fits him very well, as in the reach is too far.  It doesn't look like a proper position at all. This also might explain the exaggerated style.

You see me right at the 4:00 mark pointing out differences between the models

Ahem. Pig

On a side note: Can someone explain the purpose of hanging off the bike when it's going through a curve (4m27s)? I presume that this is done to avoid tipping the bike too much, but would tipping too much cause the body to hit the ground, or would it cause the wheels to grip less, or something else?

...
It's about keeping the bike as upright as possible (making the contact patch of the tires larger?) to keep it from low-siding (sliding out from underneath you).

Another way to think of it is the tire has a certain maximum lean angle (deviation from straight up = 0 degrees). On street tires this is around 45 degrees, on race tires it can approach 60 degrees (rough numbers). As Brammofan says, if you exceed this maximum lean angle then you will low-side the bike.

You can take a corner at a higher speed the farther your center of mass is inside the turn.

Therefore, if you're at the tire's maximum lean angle (with a reasonable safety boundary), you can increase your corner speed by moving your center of mass inwards .. eg leaning off of the bike into the turn.