Victory Empulse TT -- a jolt of volts from Polaris

The Victory Empulse TT, from power sports giant Polaris, is the latest entry in the increasingly exciting electric motorcycle market.

Like the Zero, its closest competitor, the Empulse is sleek, silent and fast. The acceleration is swift and sure. Like all electric motorcycles, it’s all torque and power without any noise, vibration or engine heat.

It’s just pure riding excitement – a magic carpet, with handlebars.

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The Empulse’s ancestors were made by Brammo, which was recently acquired by Polaris’ Victory brand. So the new Victory Empulse TT is still in essence a Brammo. Many of the parts and much of the performance are the same. Even the key still has the word “Brammo” stamped onto it.

But it differs in one critical way from the Zero and the LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s concept electric bike. It has a transmission.

Most electric bikes supply power directly to the rear wheel, usually by a belt. With so few moving parts, nothing is lost in the transfer of power to pavement.

The Empulse TT has modified that by adding a more traditional clutch and transmission, with a traditional chain driving the rear wheel. The idea is to maximize battery life and increase performance.

In a lower gear, the engine turns more slowly while getting more revolutions to the rear wheel. In sixth gear, on the freeway at 80 mph, that means the motor has to put out much less energy than it would in second gear – just like on a traditional motorcycle.

Shifting is done in the traditional way too. You go up through the gears as you accelerate. Downshifting increases engine braking, just like on a regular bike.

But it’s optional. Like the Zero and the LiveWire, and the Italian electrical contender the Energica Ego, the Empulse TT can be ridden without ever using a clutch or a gearshift. It can be ridden all day long in first gear, for maximum torque and acceleration. Or it can be ridden in second or third, for less acceleration but longer battery life. It can be shifted to fourth or fifth at higher speeds and so on.

In addition to extending battery life, this is also a way of reaching out to consumers who may need a more “mechanical” electric bike that feels a little more like a traditional machine.

Helping address the syndrome known as “range anxiety” – the fear that you’re going to run out of juice before you get back to a power source – is a range indicator in the minimal dash area.

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But the information can be confusing. Range is calculated in more or less real time, based on actual usage. So, I got on the bike and saw I had 90% battery charge and a range of 135 miles. Great! Then I zoomed onto the freeway and 10 minutes later had 88% battery charge and a range of 40 miles. Ten minutes after that, when I’d left the freeway and was cruising along a side street, I had 85% battery charge and a range of 135 miles again.

Victory said there will be further refinements that will smooth out that range meter, and perhaps changes to the machine as it gravitates away from its Brammo past and toward its Polaris future.

The company also expects to sell a lot of TTs, despite the $19,999 price tag. Unlike Zero, or Energica, the Empulse TT is backed by a power sports powerhouse. Fellow products Indian and Victory have a wide North American dealer network. That alone could help spread the popularity of electric motorcycle technology. Victory could end up dominating volume within the electric motorcycle scene - at least until Harley’s LiveWire becomes a reality.

Twitter: @misterfleming

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