I think I am ready to go electric

[jtarkany]

I am sure that many of you have seen or heard of the 100% Electric Brammo Empulse, 100 miles to a charge, governed at 100 mph, Brammo Empulse All Electric Motorcycle coming out this year to the public.

Well I have wanted an electric vehicle for years, however due to price, range and sheer ugliness factors, I have held off on indulging this little pet fantasy of mine. Well no more! This will be my next vehicle.

The only drawback is I am coverting my FZ6 to the world's most wicked streetfighter and with all of that work I was afraid that the Empulse could never look as cool as what I am taking the FZ6 to.

With that worry in mind, I did a little Photo Chopping to see if I could increase the coolness factor of the Empulse and I think I have arrived...

This is what I will do to my Empulse:

Check out this test track video: http://www.brammo.com/racing-video/

 

[champion221elite]

The feeling of instant torque from an electric motor on a motorcycle would certainly make for interesting riding.:rockon:

 

[VEGASRIDER]

What kind of aftermarket exhaust will be available for that bike?

 

[Motogiro]

What kind of aftermarket exhaust will be available for that bike?

What kind of fuse does it use! :rof:

Cool looking!

 

[stevesnj]

Im converting a 1983 Nighthawk to all electric, this is a nice ride though, what is the expected price on this?

Nevermind found it here

http://brammo.com/store/empulse10/

 

[deeptekkie]

I've been keeping up with their development as well and IMO you are spot-on. If I were getting one this would be the bike! If it happens, keep up posted!

 

[deeptekkie]

What kind of aftermarket exhaust will be available for that bike?

Lightning rods? =:-O

 

[mrphotoman]

I wonder how long the batteries will last and what the cost for replacement would be? The bike looks great though and I bet it would be a lot of fun.

 

[Botch]

I've been looking at the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, but their cost is just too high for something "experimental". An electric bike, OTOH, I'd be willing to try.

EDIT: Meant to tell you, jtarkey, your proposed redesign is HAWT!!!

 

[stevesnj]

I wonder how long the batteries will last and what the cost for replacement would be? The bike looks great though and I bet it would be a lot of fun.

The batteries it uses are LithiumIon Phosphate, they are very tolerant to many recharge cycles. The batteries on this should last the life of the bike. The motor should last 10x longer.

 

[mxgolf]

It does look pretty cool. I just don't like being limited as to how far I can go. Although I don't think it's designed for long cruises anyway. It would be fun to try one? :rockon:

 

[psnbye]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am still not sold on electric bikes. I know we need to do something green but I still cant get enough of that WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVROOOOOOOMROAR-ing sound. And the smell of two stroke gas. Sorry, just my two cents.

 

[jtarkany]

I wonder how long the batteries will last and what the cost for replacement would be? The bike looks great though and I bet it would be a lot of fun.

This was also one of my big concerns over the years, however, based on the Nissan Leaf (5-Year Warranty on Batteries) and the Chevy Volts (8-Year Warranty on Batteries), both using the same Lithium Ion Phosphate, that Stevesnj mentioned, I am fairly confident they would last 5 years with regular riding before dropping to 80%, and who knows how much farther and cheaper battery technology might be in 5 years when it is time to replace them?

It does look pretty cool. I just don't like being limited as to how far I can go. Although I don't think it's designed for long cruises anyway. It would be fun to try one? :rockon:

Yes, I too suffer range anxiety. The good news is I rarely do more than 50 miles a day with normal commuting, and for the longer trips I will still have my FZ. In addition with the Leaf and Volt coming into the main stream I am hoping to see more fast charge, charging stations come into play, which should give the Empulse an 80% + charge in under 20 minutes.

Im converting a 1983 Nighthawk to all electric, this is a nice ride though, what is the expected price on this?

Nevermind found it here

Brammo All Electric Motorcycle : Online Store

Have you already started the project? What range and top speed do you anticipate?

I have been looking into conversion for the past couple of years but most of the rides I've found were getting 15 - 30 miles per charge and lucky to crack 50 mph.

Please post up a thread on the project I would love to hear more :thumbup:

What kind of aftermarket exhaust will be available for that bike?

:rof::rof::rof: Aftermarket??? Hah! You know I'll fab my own...maybe some playing cards in the spokes

 

[The Toecutter]

I love it!! I want one !! and so does my wife ! Thats another realy cool aspect of the electric bike the lack of noise makes rideing a two wheeler way less intimadating to a begginer and way easier to control ,no clutch,no gears to change ,no vibration from the engine,and no exhaust tone growling at you.I am willing to bet that these electric bikes will be very popular in the next decade or so. :BLAA: :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[mrphotoman]

A few more years and there should be several options out there, I am looking forward to see what is to come. I love anything electronic, gadgets ,etc lol.

 

[stevesnj]

Have you already started the project? What range and top speed do you anticipate?

I have been looking into conversion for the past couple of years but most of the rides I've found were getting 15 - 30 miles per charge and lucky to crack 50 mph.

Please post up a thread on the project I would love to hear more :thumbup:

Here's a pic of it now, gonna make it Cafe look as much as I can. It's a rusted heap now but the frame is a good size for components. I will be using similar motor as the Brammo but just standard Lithium Ion batteries which i got for free

I'm hoping 60-70 mile a charge. I dont go above 60 mph on my way to work, about 22 miles each way. It will just be a daily commuter and I will have the FZ6 for longer more 'sprited rides'

 

[Erci]

I definitely love the electric idea, but I'm curious how much the drill-like whine (or complete silence with ear plugs?) will take away from riding experience.
And while having no clutch or shifter will technically allow you to concentrate more on perfect lines and everything else, I know I'd miss both.

 

[tcmalker]

Here's my questions:

1. Is the different between the 3 models just the battery size (weight)?

2. If so, does that justify the difference in price?
6.0 - $9995 360 lbs
8.0 - $11995 390 lbs
10.0 - $13995 420 lbs

3. All things being the same, wouldn't the 6.0 be the most powerful because it's the lightest??

 

[The Toecutter]

I definitely love the electric idea, but I'm curious how much the drill-like whine (or complete silence with ear plugs?) will take away from riding experience.
And while having no clutch or shifter will technically allow you to concentrate more on perfect lines and everything else, I know I'd miss both.

The sound difference will be an issue for some people without a doubt. I personaly like it. The difference between my nitro vs my electric r/c was strange to me at first,but now when I hear a nitro engine fire up,I'm like dang that thing makes alot of racket hurry up and turn that off ! LOL :BLAA:

 

[The Dude]

I love the idea of electric motorcycles and can't wait to own one. I am still concerned about the cost though. Battery technology is still the bottleneck and it doesn't look like that is going to change in the short-term. Recently, I've been even more interested in high-performance electric bicycles.

Check out the Stealth Bomber electric bike from Australia. I would love it if these went into mass production and their prices came down to a few grand.

Stealth Electric Bikes - Stealth Bomber