Victory’s first all-electric production bike

VICTORY Motorcycles has unveiled its first fully electric production model but don’t get too excited: it’s a revised and re-branded version of the Brammo Empulse R.

Called the Empulse TT, it’s also currently set to go on sale in the US only, until Victory completes a ‘process of determining global demand’.

Victory’s parent company Polaris bought Brammo in January this year.

The Empulse TT shares DNA with the Empulse R but Victory and Brammo engineers have been working on improvements including battery capacity according to a press release.

However, official specifications for the new Victory Empulse TT give it a longer recharge time and shorter combined range than the Brammo Empluse R.

Brammo claimed a range of 80 miles for the Empulse R on combined motorway and city roads while Victory is claiming 57 miles for the Empulse TT. The Empulse TT takes 3.9 hours to fully recharge from flat using a special ‘Stage 2 charger’ which is sold as an accessory. The Brammo Empulse R could fully recharge in a claimed 3.5 hours using the Stage 2 charger.

Claimed peak torque is also down, at 61lbft compared to the Empulse R’s 66lbft. Peak power is the same, at 54hp.

The Brammo Empulse R’s top speed was a claimed 110mph while Victory claims ‘over 100mph’ for the new Empulse TT.   

We’ve pasted the full specifications of the Empulse R below those of the Empulse TT, at the bottom of this story, for comparison purposes.  

Victory's release said:  

‘The Empulse TT shares some DNA with the original Brammo Empulse R motorcycle. Victory has been working with Brammo since 2011, but in January 2015 Victory’s parent company, Polaris Industries, acquired Brammo’s motorcycle assets. Since then, Victory engineers worked with the Brammo product team to achieve improvements in battery capacity, display function and handling.

The Victory Empulse TT is capable of top speeds over 100 mph and it has a high-capacity 10.4kWh battery. The bike has a built-in battery charger and an easily accessible SAE J1772 plug atop the bodywork to the front of the seat.

The bike’s Brammo Power Lithium Ion battery fully charges up in just 3.9 hours using a Stage 2 charger (available as an accessory utilising a 240V outlet).

In typical riding, the Empulse TT battery provides riders with a range of about 65 miles and a range of 100 miles is possible with throttle management and use of the bike’s regenerative charging. In preliminary testing, the bike demonstrated a Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) city range of 94 miles. The bike delivered an MIC “combined 70 mph highway and city range” of 57 miles.

Riders can make the most efficient use of the battery’s 10.4kWh of electricity by using the six-speed gearbox. Shifting and downshifting helps to create regenerative power (when the bike is under deceleration) and also produces a feeling similar to the compression braking that riders experience on petrol-powered motorcycles.

The clutch only needs to be used when shifting between gears, not for taking off or coming to a stop. To take off from a stop, the rider simply needs to twist the throttle to unleash the liquid-cooled electric motor’s impressive torque.

In the Empulse TT’s proprietary transmission, neutral is found between 2nd and 3rd gears and a rider can leave the bike in 3rd gear for most riding speeds and conditions. To begin riding, a rider can simply turn the bike’s power on, select 3rd gear (without the clutch), twist the throttle and go.

Not all competitive electric motorcycles have gearboxes, so the Empulse TT gearbox gives the bike a significantly sportier feel and it enhances a rider’s engagement with the bike.

In everyday riding conditions, the Victory Empulse TT can be operated in ECO mode, but it also has an optional SPORT mode for high-performance riding. In SPORT mode, 20 percent more battery power is released to the motor, resulting in enhanced acceleration.

SPORT mode also increases the amount of regenerative braking – or “regen” – that further increases the feeling similar to compression braking when the rider rolls off the throttle. Regen uses the inertia of the motorcycle to return energy from the motor back into the battery pack. To select SPORT mode, a rider presses and holds the start button for 1 second.

The bike’s LCD data display features a speedometer, tachometer, gear indicator, and clock. It also displays the battery level as a horizontal bar accompanied by the percentage of battery energy remaining and provides an estimate of remaining riding range.

Genuine Victory Accessories immediately available for the Empulse TT include Victory performance forks, frame sliders, tall and short windscreens and panniers.

The new Victory Empulse TT electric motorcycle is scheduled to be available for purchase in the United States in late 2015.

Victory is in the process of determining global demand for the bike before announcing its sales plan for the EMEA region.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

ENGINE

ELECTRIC MOTOR                       Internal Permanent Magnet AC Induction
PEAK MOTOR POWER               54hp
PEAK TORQUE                          61ftlbs
TRANSMISSION                         6-speed gearbox with multi-plate, hydraulic activated wet clutch

BATTERY PACK

BATTERY                              Brammo Power Lithium Ion

BATTERY CAPACITY                  10.4 kWh
BATTERY VOLTAGE                    103.6V / 117.6V (max)
CHARGE TIME                          3.9 hrs (at Level 2 / 0% to 100% SOC)
8 hrs (at Level I / 0% to 100% SOC)
EMISSIONS                            None

BRAKES

FRONT BRAKING SYSTEM       Dual 310mm Brembo floating discs with twin 4-piston radial mounted Brembo brake calipers

REAR BRAKING SYSTEM          Brembo single disc with dual piston hydraulic Brembo brake caliper

PERFORMANCE

MAX SPEED                          100mph
REGENERATIVE BRAKING        Extends riding range and provides familiar rider feedback

SUSPENSION

FRONT SUSPENSION                 Adjustable 43mm Inverted Forks

REAR SUSPENSION                    Adjustable Direct-Acting Shock

CHASSIS

CARRY CAPACITY                       167 kg
DRY WEIGHT                           213 kg
GROUND CLEARANCE              18.54 cm
LENGTH                                    206.5 cm
RAKE/TRAIL                           24° / 7.62 cm
SEAT HEIGHT                          80.0 cm
WHEELBASE                            147.32 cm

OTHER COMPONENTS

INSTRUMENTATION                    LCD display; speed, tach, odometer, gear position, energy consumption, battery status, estimated range and system status

TYRES                                            Continental Sport Attack II

Front tyre is a 120-70 ZR17 58W  and the rear is a 160/60ZR17 69W

WHEELS                                         Front is a 17” x 3.5” / Rear is a 17” x 4.5”'

Claimed specs of the Brammo Empulse and Empulse R:

‘Motor
Motor Type	Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC) – Empulse Parker GVM IPM – Empulse R
Motor Controller	Sevcon Gen 4, Size 6 (650A peak)
Peak Motor Power	40kW, @ 6,000 rpm (54 hp) – Empulse 40kW, @ 4,500 rpm (54 hp) – Empulse R
Peak Torque	63Nm (46.5 foot pounds) – Empulse 90Nm (66 foot pounds) – Empulse R
Final Drive	Direct Chain Drive (14/48) 520 O-ring chain
Transmission	IET™ 6 speed gearbox with multi-plate, hydraulic activated wet clutch.
Emissions	None

Battery Pack

Battery Type

Brammo Power™ BPM15/90 Lithium-Ion (NCM Chemistry)

Battery Pack Capacity

9.31 kWh (nominal), 10.2 kWh (max)

Battery Pack Voltage

103.6 V (nominal), 117.6 Vdc (max)

Recharge Time

2.0 hrs (typical, Level II charging from 20 to 80% SOC)
3.5 hrs (maximum, Level II charging from 0 to 100% SOC)
8.0 hrs (maximum, Level I charging from 0 to 100% SOC)

Battery Life

1,500 cycles (approx.100,000 miles) to 80% initial capacity

Performance

Max Speed

110 mph / 177 km/h

Driving Range

City: 128 miles* / 206 km
Highway: 58 miles** / 93 km
Combined: 80 miles*** / 129 km

*SAE City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles
(variable speed, 19 mph / 30km/h average)
**SAE Highway / Constant Speed Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles
(70 mph / 113 km/h sustained)
*** SAE Highway Commuting Cycle (.5 City weighting, .5 Highway weighting)

Regenerative Braking

Under deceleration, energy is returned to the battery system to both extend driving range and provide familiar rider feedback.

Data Collection

Brammo DDC™ (Dynamic Data Collection) records key motorcycle parameters at 1Hz (1 sample/second) for analysis and service support.

Key Components

Frame

Brammo E-Beam Aluminum, Fabricated by Accossato in Italy

Sub-Frame

Tubular Steel, Fabricated by Accossato in Italy

Swing Arm

Tubular Steel, Fabricated by Accossato in Italy

Suspension – Front

Fully Adjustable 43mm Marzocchi Forks
(Empulse uses Semi-Adjustable 43mm Marzocchi Forks)

Suspension – Rear

Fully Adjustable Sachs Shock (Empulse uses Semi-Adjustable Sachs Shocks)

Brakes – Front

Dual 310mm Brembo floating disk with twin four piston Hydraulic Brembo Brake Calipers, Radial Mount.

Brakes – Rear

Brembo single disk with dual piston Hydraulic Brembo Brake Caliper

Wheels – Front / Back

17” x 3.5” Marchesini / 17” x 5.5” Marchesini

Tires – Front / Back

Continental 120-70 ZR17, 58W / 180-55 ZR17, 73W

Instrumentation

LCD display; speed, tach, odometer, gear position, energy consumption, battery status, estimated range and system status

Dimensions

Weight

460 lbs / 213 kg

Seat Height

31.5” / 80.0 cm

Width

31.8” (bar end-to-bar end) / 80.77 cm

Height

42.6” (highest portion of the dash) / 108.2 cm

Length

81.3” / 206.5 cm

Ground Clearance

7.3” / 18.54 cm

Rake/Trail

24° / 3.8"

Storage Capacity

Optional Brammo hard side bags by GIVI.

Carrying Capacity

Cargo Capacity 368 lbs / 167 kg
(838 lbs / 380 kg total combined motorcycle, rider, passenger and cargo)

Wheelbase

58.0” / 147.32 cm’

Source: Visordown