The electric bike has arrived
The new Brammo Empulse
Brammo, an Oregon company which introduced a small commuting electric motorcycle last year, has stepped up its game with a battery powered sportbike that promises up to a 100-plus mile range and a triple-digit top speed. The Empulse also looks awesome – you can see a little of Ducati’s trellis frame at the Brammo’s front end.
There are other electric bikes with sporting pretensions, Roehr sells some pricey models from a handful of dealers in California and Wisconsin and I’ve written about Rhode Island scooter manufacturer Vectrix before. But the Empulse seems more fully realized and its dealer network is vast (the company sells through Best Buy).
As a single-speed design, the Empulse resembles a scooter in that it doesn’t require shifting. However, its riding position – you straddle the bike with legs splayed, rather than perch on it with your legs in front of you – is decidedly motorcycle-like.
The Empulse is not yet on the market, but I’m interested to see how it performs. With a modest 50 horsepower and 59 pound feet of torque, it’s not likely to set the world on fire… but then that’s sort of the point with zero-emissions vehicles. Pricing will run from $10,000 to $14,000, though federal and state tax incentives are likely to lessen the hit.
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Any idea if this would fall under the Scooter category or Motorcycle category? I always understood that anything 50cc or under didn’t require a license. This has 0cc. Basically, do you need a motorcycle license to ride one?
Hi Kelsey!
Good question.
Most states classify electric vehicles by capability because, as you correctly point out, traditional displacement measures are meaningless.
You’d need a motorcycle license for something with the Empulse’s capabilities.
For a bike with a traditional combustion engine (whether motorcycle or scooter) you can generally get by with a regular automobile license if it’s under 50cc, but you can’t legally drive anything that small on the interstate or most highways (not that you’d want to anyway).
In NJ, you can take your motorcycle test in your personal vehicle. I believe that’s true for Massachusetts as well.
In response to another comment. See in context »That’s good to know. I’ve been thinking about getting a scooter, but this looks way cooler
In response to another comment. See in context »How about a cool looking automatic motorcycle?
http://trueslant.com/dallegro/2009/04/22/aprilia-mana-review-motorcyclecom/
Or any of the scooters here (especially the Piaggio MP3, which looks like it feeds on the innocent):
In response to another comment. See in context »http://trueslant.com/dallegro/2009/11/29/bad-ass-scooters/
Kelsey, this would certainly require a motorcycle license in all states I am familiar with. I sell Veloteq scooter-style ebikes (Utah eBikes) which do NOT require a motorcycle permit (or even a driver’s license in some states), but they are classified as ebikes or mopeds and, to meet the ebike definition, cannot exceed 20 mph. The Empulse is meant as a serious performance motorcycle, not a neighborhood vehicle.
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