Hi from Filadelfia, Paraguay

[Courcheval]

Hi all,

I m Philippe, french biker who has been touring the world on an Yamaha 600 XTE for the last 20 years. I love that bike for its  reliability and the freedom to go almost anywhere i feel like on the planet hasselfree.

This year i m touring Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay and i m writing for the heart of the Menonite country in Filadelfia, Paraguay.

I m interested in Brammo bikes mainly for the summer time i spend in the mountains in France, since the nearest big town is 35 miles away and 5000 ft lower, i m looking for an electric bike with a 80 to 100 miles range that can get on the higway without hindering other vehicules (70 miles/h)

The Inertia plus is the nearest bike i could find on the narrow market of electric bikes to fit those specs. It s not yet enough since i wish i could also go off road on big tracks in the mountains with it as well, and i doubt the inertia was built for that.

My perfect electric bike would be a Yamaha 600 XTE trail bike with a slightly upgraded Inertia plus engine. I dont despair the Brammo team will follow one day Zero s path to dual purpose electric bikes.

That s all for now, Folks...

[Brammofan]

Welcome to the forum, Phillippe - Sounds like you've had, and are having, an interesting life. 

Many here are also wanting a Dual Sport bike from Brammo.  They have a couple prototypes built that have extended forks and knobby tires, but so far, nothing on the consumer market.  Also, it looks like the Enertia Plus is still a few months away from production.  Still, stay tuned, as the CEO has recently suggested some announcements are coming.

[Phantom]

Welcome to the forum. It should just be a matter of time until Brammos motorcycles are imported into France. Your trip to South America sounds interesting.

[Courcheval]

Welcome to the forum. It should just be a matter of time until Brammos motorcycles are imported into France. Your trip to South America sounds interesting.

Actually, i believe the European market has much more potential than the North American one for several reasons :

- Taxes on gas are way higher : 70% of the total against 20% in the US
- Population density is also higher, which makes range limitations less of a handicap. 50 % of work/home commuting distances are below 6 miles in France.
- Public transportation is more developped, an electric commuting vehicule being a perfect complementary vehicule to go to a train station.
- The euro/ dollar change will durably give a competitive advantage to US exporters as long as the Fed will go on  printing dollars in fear of deflation,and, unlike latin american countries, european import taxes are very low.
- You dont need a special licence to ride motorcycles equivalent to 125cc thermic engines.

The E.V market is right now dominated by electric scooters (vectrix alike), but motorcycles are popular in cities since they allow to travel and park much faster. The weight/power ratio makes them far more exciting.

My two cents of a Euro
-

[Richard230]

I think that is a good analysis, Courcheval. It makes a lot of sense and I agree with you. I really want to get the Empulse that I have pre-ordered if for no other reason than to see what kind of reaction I get from other motorcycle riders while riding an electric motorcycle with decent performance. So far my GPR-S has not impressed anyone interested in motorcycles, however I have gotten the "thumbs up" from young children and mothers, presumably concerned about the future environment that their children will be living in.

[Courcheval]

You would have far more chances impressing people with that expensive toy, Richard   :

(12,400 €)

or this one :

(7,800 €)

Who would expect to be passed at 50 mph by...a bicycle...

[Richard230]

Those are some neat videos, Courcheval. Thanks for posting them.

My son-in-law has a 36V, 1100W, hub-motor electric bicycle with a top speed of over 30 mph. Unfortunately, when it runs out of juice (about 5 miles from his work), it becomes a 100 pound push bike.  While upgrading the battery pack is on his things to do, the braking system leaves something to be desired also and keeping the speed down in urban areas is a good idea if you don't want to end up going for a ride in someone's trunk.