First Ride: EMPULSE TT Electric Motorcycle
Victory EMPULSE TT (2016) Glendale, Arizona, United States
Remember Brammo? Victory bought the electric motorcycle company (I want to say) about a year ago.
Victory EMPULSE TT 2016
Test riding an electric bike was on my list for a long time. I finally had the chance in Phoenix today. Sunday, the sun was beating down at about 75 degrees, which is unseasonably warm for this time of year.
At about 1pm no one was around, so I borrowed a helmet and 10 minutes later we were on our way out of the parking lot!
You may have heard that a supped up version of the EMPULSE TT placed second at the Isle of Man electric TT from which it gets its name. It doesn't matter who came first, this electric felt awesome to ride.
On the EMPULSE TT 2016 in a Victory helmet which felt pretty good.
Victory EMPULSE TT 2016
There's 6 gears. First, second, neutral, third and up from there. As advised I stayed 'mostly' in 3rd. The clutch is used to change gears, but you don't need the clutch to stop, only to shift which takes getting used to.
Clearly, the largest amount of power is in first gear; think of it as the power launch. The ride was smooth and zippy and I did not feel heat off the battery engine.
On the EMPULSE TT, I could hear the electric wine but off the bike it's near silent. Interesting. This thing totally put a smile on my face.
The battery is comprised of 7 Lithium Ion modules, each with 72 batteries about the size of an iPhone 6+. The cells communicate with each other to distribute power. At 220v it's about 4 hours to charge delivering a 60 mile range.
It surprised me to see the diversity of riders who test rode the EMPULSE TT. Every one loved it from cruiser riders to dirt riders to hooligans.
Cruiser riders on their second ride on the Victory EMPULSE TT 2016
My demo ride compatriots in Victory EMPULSE TT 2016 unfortunately only straight roads and no highway
Two up on the EMPULSE TT 2016 not bad!
Hey you guys (remember Electric Company)! If you want one, it will cost you U$19,000 which includes a five year warranty on the battery. Enjoy the ride #EatSleepRIDE.
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99 months ago
I was just discussing this bike with a gentleman in Tucson. Here I am sitting in a bar constructed inside a fallout shelter just a stones throw from one of the largest Air Force bases in the USA when he rides up on a Desmo. Naturally motorcycles becomes the first topic out of his mouth when he saw my Arai sitting on the stool next to me. After about a 15 minute discussion where I describe watching these little suckers rocket around Glendale during the IMS show, he is on the phone with the dealer scheduling a test drive for the next morning... Thanks for the article Marina I really enjoyed it. Great pictures as well!!!
99 months ago
@marina Victory asking just under $20k for the Empluse TT seems high to me. I've been looking into Zero Motorcycles for some time and the Zero S starts at $11k for 121 miles of city range and similar power and torque to the Empluse TT. You can also step up to more range (nearly 200 city miles) and still be almost two grand less than the Empulse TT. I haven't seen range numbers for Empulse TT, so that could change once I see the range.
To really put the price in perspective, the Zero SR optioned up with the same near 200 miles range, brings the power up to just over 100 lb/ft (61 for Victory) and MSRP is $18,699.
I applaud Victory for bringing the bike the market and hoping that this nudges Harley along to build the LiveWire. My opinion is that the Empulse TT needs to in the $15k range, else I would be taking my money to the Zero dealer.
99 months ago
@macdracer not sure what's different but it's fast. What do you think of the price at US$19,990?
99 months ago
Marina, did you ride the prior Brammo Empulse? Just wondering what Victory changed for the good or bad. I've had a chance to ride the Zero DS and FX, both a ton of fun to ride. I generally feel electric bikes are not realistic for some, but after riding Harley's LiveWire, I'm leaving space in the garage for one.
99 months ago
@unclemac totally agree. It's not practical, but there's something about the smoothness of the electric boost that makes you feel like Tron will be possible one day. The tech engages the imagination and all you need to do is ride an electric to be shocked (couldn't resist).
99 months ago
I love the idea of an electric motorcycle but that's a lotta money for a short ranged and how long will those batteries last? 5 years and 2 days?
99 months ago
@closerpower how do you describe the ride?
99 months ago
Hey @clowerpower hope to stay in touch!
@Jordan love to get your take on the Empulse TT this summer if you want a test ride. They have a heater plug-in for cold temperature geos!
@slyck255 looking forward to seeing your pics from the show.
99 months ago
I saw an e-bike on the road last fall, a Brammo I think. I thought it looked pretty cool, and for city riding it's all most people will need.
100 months ago
Hi Saw one at the Victory booth at Toronto Motorcycle Show this past weekend (sorry I didn't take a pic...)
100 months ago
That was such a blast and so great experiencing it with you Marina!
100 months ago
http://www.rdubstudios.com/loudpipes/24
100 months ago
That's Awesome Marina! Here's a few links where the Loudpipes.net did a episodes about them .http://www.rdubstudios.com/loudpipes/21http://www.rdubstudios.com/loudpipes/36http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/isle-of-man
100 months ago
@vrscdx Neither did I. Victory has it on the down low or they're just not ready to market the machine yet. One of the techs let me know they're not ready to service the machines yet.
100 months ago
I didn't even know they existed until just now 🙂