Today I ran the battery down to 15% for the first time, and, when accelerating up a long hill, I noticed some brief, partial cut outs. No cut outs, really, but more like a brief, subtle rapid stutter, with no degree of power loss that was concerning me, just noticeable. Probably some low voltage sensor getting tweaked at the current I was demanding. If this is something that shouldn't have happened, please let me know. Otherwise I can easily live with it.
So what I would like to know is how to adjust the suspension so it is the softest possible, reacting as quickly as possible to sharp changes. On the rear shock and the front forks there are screws with + and - signs on them. I turned everything as far as possible toward the negative and the ride was a bit smoother, less harsh. Any suggestions on how to turn this magnificent sporting machine into a water bed? A Gold Wing? OK, something softer than it came to me?
Thanks for all the answers, and maybe we should move this to a new topic, like "Newbie Empulse Rider Questions".
Given that the ambient temperature is still rather low, meaning the batteries will be relatively cold, and you were accelerating up a hill with low SOC, I would guess what you felt was the low voltage protection kicking in. If you are at a low SOC (State of Charge), then the voltage on the battery pack is also low. For the same power, you now require the pack to deliver more current. When you deliver this current, the pack voltage "sags" or drops. If any of the cells reach below about 3.0Vdc for more than a short period of time, then the motor controller will start reducing current to prevent the pack from being damaged. I'm guessing that once you made it to the top of the hill or to a flatter section, the issue went away as the current demand (and thus battery voltage sag) were not as high. Managing the battery at low SOC becomes quite difficult as the capacity remaining depends heavily on how it will be drawn out. We, of course, try to leave a safety margin there so you do not experience the protection scheme above single digit SOC, but it is difficult to account for every situation. When you return to Scuderia for your first service, they can pull the log file and verify this is what was going on. They will be able to see recorded ambient temperature, speed, battery voltage, current, motor controller parameters, throttle position, and any error codes or flags. The diagnostic tool set for the bike is pretty impressive (IMHO).
Point taken on the streets in SF. The Empulse R does have adjustability in the suspension, but it's still on the "sporty" side rather than the "plush" side. Getting the bike to the Goldwing setting may not be possible. Next steps I would recommend would be looking at dropping tire pressures ever so slightly or changing to a less sporty, year-round tire that has a bit more compliant side wall. In the meantime, I'll ask Aaron Bland, suspension guru, if there's more that could be done on the settings from what you've already described.
Agreed that all these comments should probably reside in another area of the forum for the benefit of all Empulse owners. Point me there and I'll gladly go...
