Call it the Empulse — or maybe the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Oregon-based electric-motorcycle manufacturer Brammo is showing off a new
model that looks, and should nearly perform, like a gas-fed naked sport bike.
The company says the Empulse will hit 160 km/h and weighs in at a slim 390 lb (177 kg). It’s fitted with full-size tires, good quality brakes and suspension, and is powered by a 55-hp motor that’s water-cooled (a first, they say, for an electric streetbike) that will develop 59 lb-ft of torque from one throttle stop to the other.
The bike was developed following a fairly successful foray into racing at last year’s Isle of Man TTXGP all-electric road race, in which they finished third.
There’s the usual limit with these things — range — but this one comes in three battery-pack versions, the 6.0, the 8.0, and the 10.0 — for 60 miles (about 100 km), 80 miles, and 100 miles before the juice runs out. Each version will hit that 160 km/h mark, they say, and recharging is a matter of plugging an ordinary electrical cord into the bike’s socket, located where a gas cap would be on an old-fashioned motorcycle.
Prices will range from $10,000 for the
6.0 to $14,000 for the 10.0, when the bike goes on sale next year. In
the U.S., green incentives will lower that price by a few thousand
dollars.
They seem to be getting closer and closer all the time with EV bikes for performance, range and the all important cost. It seems just a mattter of time. The IOM TT electric race is a great modern example of racing imnproving the breed!
How does the insurance cost for electric motorcycles get calculated as cost is often related to the size of the engine?
Cool! A little pricy but still intriguing all the same. Now make a true standard with some classic looks in the mix and I might actually buy one. I don’t need a lot of range or sport bike top speeds, as long as it’s reliable, clean, and looks nice.
BTW, with all the EVs coming to us now, maybe it’s time for Canada to go 220 volt. It makes charging a LOT faster.