Posted on 07/31/2015 2:08:25 PM PDT by Red Badger
(Photo: Victory Motorcycles, website)
A Minnesota company appears to have beaten Harley-Davidson to the punch by unveiling its first electric street motorcycle.
Medina-based Polaris Industries, makers of Indian and Victory motorcycles, has this week revealed its “Empulse TT” high-performance sport bike, which runs without gas and has a top speed of 110mph.
The Pioneer Press reports that with the Empulse appearing in Victory dealerships by the end of the year, Polaris has secured a key advantage over competitors Harley, whose Project LiveWire motorcycle won’t be brought to market until battery technology has improved enough to allow for longer driving distances.
“We wanted to get in early, and so we are,” Victory Motorcycles product director Gary Gray told the newspaper. “At Polaris, we are pretty proud of our speed to market. We think it gives us a big competitive advantage.”
You can take a closer look at the Empulse TT here.
According to the Business Journal, the bike has a range of around 65 miles for “typical” riding, but those easier on the throttle might be able to get more than 100 miles out of a single charge.
The key to Polaris’s success getting the bike to market so early, Bloomberg reports, was its purchase in January of electric vehicle company Brammo, which provided the battery-powered technology that could be incorporated by Polaris’ Victory designers.
“Brammo is very, very good at electric technology and we are very, very good at motorcycle engineering, so there was a good marriage there,” Polaris VP of motorcycles Steve Menneto told Bloomberg, which says that the full recharging of the Empulse battery will take four hours on a 240-volt outlet, or nine hours on a standard 120-volt plug.
The bike will have a suggested retail price of $19,999, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Polaris isn’t resting on its laurels either, as it says it will continue to improve its products in tandem with Oregon-based Brammo.
“The day is coming when you’ll be able to ride 300 miles [on a single battery charge],” energy consultant Mike Cornwell told the Journal Sentinel.
VIDEO AT LINK........................
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3317926/posts
they’ll get sued by a blind person who steps out in front of one...
‘only’ $20k for the production model
http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/electric/empulse-tt-titanium-silver-havasu-red/specs
https://youtu.be/inc9cGasgsA
But, But, what about the extension cord........
When I'm driving, I try to be alert for motorcycles but the roar of their engines usually alerts me that one is nearby. Without that roar, it becomes much easier to switch lanes or otherwise make a traffic change without realizing that a motorcycle is near you.
It's that way with cars too. I was walking my dog down the street one night and I usually pay attention to approaching automobiles and get out of the way. There are no sidewalks in my neighborhood so I have to get off the road to let them by safely - usually by walking onto somebody's yard or driveway. However one early evening, when there was little light, one of those electric cars passed my by inches. I had no idea it was there until it was already alongside me and all I heard was a gentle "whoosh" as it went by. I don't think the driver even saw me. Almost got Stephen Kinged.
Yep! For street and track performance, the R1 is the only way to go! I almost bought another a few months ago. I just couldn’t justify it since I needed a dual purpose bike right now. The R1 is THE performance road bike, and the only way to go for dirt is the XR650. IMHO Just came back from a ride to the mountains where I do my weekly practice with my carry pistol. Love that bike! They can keep their battery operated bikes for now, but I’ve heard tell that some ATV’s now have enough range to silently get to a target and back in the wee hours of the night....
...
They also annoy a lot of people.
And I like the sound of my horn!
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“You have to make the motorcycle noises with your mouth. “
Couldn’t you also use clothes pins to attach a couple of cards to the frame so they go whap, whap, whap against the wheel spokes? Otherwise, your lips are gonna get tired REAL quick.
Indeed. If you can’t afford petrol, you have no business on a bike.
The tires will probably get 5k miles, tops.
not when they’re going uphill
sounds like Jawn Kerry trying to answer Ted Cruz
uh uh uh
Nah, baseball cards in the spokes :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
I have ridden and owned at least 50 different motorcycles of brands ranging from BSA to HD to everything Japanese. 90% of them cannot be heard from the front by people driving cars.
I’ll buy the complaint that pedestrians and bicyclists will be less likely to hear them. That holds water.
If you are in a car, you can’t hear my Goldwing, Zuma or Stella. You might hear my Panhead, but probably not, because you have your radio on.
In any case, a 20K bike that goes 60 miles is not going to sell. Even my Goldwing gets more than 42mpg. The cost of gas would have to go over $10 a gallon before electric bikes even become a consideration.
At least not without a *spare tank* battery the size of a 5-gallon gas can or smaller to use to get home or to the next recharge point with.
On the other hand, a fossil-fueled auxiliary power unit to both power the electric drive motors and recharge the battery/ies might be worked into a usable hybrid. I know a fella who's done just that with his electric wheelchair.
That's awesome.
I reckon you're aware that the English-language translation of Vespa is wasp!
Weedeater motor [I think] turning an alternator from a motorcycle. Maybe, like the Moeller Aircar, multiples thereof.
...and some bright spark came up with the idea of adding a Stinger to go with the buzz. A shoot and scoot concept.
;>)
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