Possible 6 speed for the Empulse!

[Richard230]

You can add me to the list of people who could be very happy with a single-speed Empulse. I don't need to accelerate hard or go really fast. For me a real-world 80 mile range, with a top speed of 80 mph would be perfect for my use. Having enough acceleration to keep up with most autos is also good enough for me. I'll take the simple single-speed version and let the sport riders wait for the better performing 6-speed model. I use my motorcycles mostly for transportation and not for thrills.

I also agree that it is tough enough to get a new vehicle with new technology on the road and reliable, without adding the additional complexity of a untested (in the hands of the public) transmission and clutch system. Both transmissions and clutches have a long history of failures and it has taken a long time to prefect them. A few years ago even BMW had problems with their transmissions, which caused them to go to another manufacturer for a redesign and a replacement. These things can be a headache.

[1lesscar]

BUT, the manual trans will help with range, hill climbing, and battery life.  

And believe me, the extra acceleration may save your life when cars try to kill you.  


Motorcycles riders are unlikely to "walk away" from accidents.  

 If I can move out of the way faster and avoid a car I will do that.  

You can add me to the list of people who could be very happy with a single-speed Empulse. I don't need to accelerate hard or go really fast. For me a real-world 80 mile range, with a top speed of 80 mph would be perfect for my use. Having enough acceleration to keep up with most autos is also good enough for me. I'll take the simple single-speed version and let the sport riders wait for the better performing 6-speed model. I use my motorcycles mostly for transportation and not for thrills.

I also agree that it is tough enough to get a new vehicle with new technology on the road and reliable, without adding the additional complexity of a untested (in the hands of the public) transmission and clutch system. Both transmissions and clutches have a long history of failures and it has taken a long time to prefect them. A few years ago even BMW had problems with their transmissions, which caused them to go to another manufacturer for a redesign and a replacement. These things can be a headache.

[Richard230]

As I was walking past the Brammo tent at the Infineon Racetrack today, Craig Bramscher came up to me and said "hello". We had a very pleasant conversation for 5 minutes, mostly about the future of the Empulse (well I did sort of steer the conversation in that direction). Craig is clearly very enthusiastic about Brammo's new 6-speed gearbox technology. He said that it would give the Empulse substantially improved acceleration and performance, compared to a single-speed drive. I am pretty sure that you can expect the Empulse to have this new gearbox system when it hits the market.

Thinking further about the revised Empulse, I can see how it will vault the Brammo past all other (that we know of) production electric motorcycles when it comes to quarter-mile performance - and that is what the sportbike market is focused upon - and has been for just about forever. Right now the motorcycle magazines hardly mention the acceleration performance of electric motorcycles due to their slow speed up to 30 mph, or so. If the 6-speed Empulse can rack up some quarter mile times comparable to current IC sportbikes, it could be a game changer for the EV industry. Craig Bramscher has high hopes that the Empulse will become the "motorcycle of the year" when it arrives on the showroom floor.

Unfortunately, until that happens, it looks like we will just have to wait a little longer to get our hands on one.

[EmpulseRider]

As I was walking past the Brammo tent at the Infineon Racetrack today, Craig Bramscher came up to me and said "hello". We had a very pleasant conversation for 5 minutes, mostly about the future of the Empulse (well I did sort of steer the conversation in that direction). Craig is clearly very enthusiastic about Brammo's new 6-speed gearbox technology. He said that it would give the Empulse substantially improved acceleration and performance, compared to a single-speed drive. I am pretty sure that you can expect the Empulse to have this new gearbox system when it hits the market.

Thinking further about the revised Empulse, I can see how it will vault the Brammo past all other (that we know of) production electric motorcycles when it comes to quarter-mile performance - and that is what the sportbike market is focused upon - and has been for just about forever. Right now the motorcycle magazines hardly mention the acceleration performance of electric motorcycles due to their slow speed up to 30 mph, or so. If the 6-speed Empulse can rack up some quarter mile times comparable to current IC sportbikes, it could be a game changer for the EV industry. Craig Bramscher has high hopes that the Empulse will become the "motorcycle of the year" when it arrives on the showroom floor.

Unfortunately, until that happens, it looks like we will just have to wait a little longer to get our hands on one.

Good stuff! I am a little bummed that we have to wait until next year, but I realize its for a good reason. The Empulse will put electric motorcycles (and Brammo) on the map in a big way. The Empulse will go nicely with my Ford Focus EV .

[1lesscar]

  I hope Brammo will keep me updated with info. It is the only thing that will keep me from spending my money on another gas burner. 

As I was walking past the Brammo tent at the Infineon Racetrack today, Craig Bramscher came up to me and said "hello". We had a very pleasant conversation for 5 minutes, mostly about the future of the Empulse (well I did sort of steer the conversation in that direction). Craig is clearly very enthusiastic about Brammo's new 6-speed gearbox technology. He said that it would give the Empulse substantially improved acceleration and performance, compared to a single-speed drive. I am pretty sure that you can expect the Empulse to have this new gearbox system when it hits the market.

Thinking further about the revised Empulse, I can see how it will vault the Brammo past all other (that we know of) production electric motorcycles when it comes to quarter-mile performance - and that is what the sportbike market is focused upon - and has been for just about forever. Right now the motorcycle magazines hardly mention the acceleration performance of electric motorcycles due to their slow speed up to 30 mph, or so. If the 6-speed Empulse can rack up some quarter mile times comparable to current IC sportbikes, it could be a game changer for the EV industry. Craig Bramscher has high hopes that the Empulse will become the "motorcycle of the year" when it arrives on the showroom floor.

Unfortunately, until that happens, it looks like we will just have to wait a little longer to get our hands on one.

Good stuff! I am a little bummed that we have to wait until next year, but I realize its for a good reason. The Empulse will put electric motorcycles (and Brammo) on the map in a big way. The Empulse will go nicely with my Ford Focus EV .

[oobflyer]

The advantage will be to take advantage of more of the powerband of the electric motor. Even though an electric motor has a much wider powerband than an ICE engine, it can still benefit from gearing down for acceleration and gearing up for cruising speeds.

I'm betting that the transmission will be a 5-speed.

[Richard230]

I wonder if the real advantage of the transmission for Brammo will be the potential for reducing the size and cost of the motor, thereby reducing heat and weight and improving efficiency - while maintaining the performance design envelope of the motorcycle.