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. They can also be found here.  

There's also a full gallery of pictures of the new Empulse TT at the bottom of this story.

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:

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