You remember Brammo, right? The small Oregon-based maker of electric sportbikes got bought by Polaris this year and absorbed into its Victory Motorcycles brand. The good news is that the Brammo Empulse, a bike we once called “the future of hoonage,” is back under the Victory banner.
Victory says the new Empulse TT “shares some DNA” with the original Brammo, but it’s pretty much the same motorcycle with improved battery life, displays and handling. Those are good things. (Victory also recently ran a Brammo in the Isle of Man TT to show off its racing chops.)
The Verge reports the Empulse TT can do over 100 mph, charge fully in under four hours, and offers a range of 140 miles. Power is rated at 54 horsepower and 66 pound-feet of torque. It uses a proprietary six-speed gearbox where the clutch is only needed to change gears, not to go or stop. It has so much crazy electric torque that a rider can pretty much leave it in third gear all the time. Nice.
The Empulse goes on sale later this year at $19,999, which isn’t cheap. But driving (or riding) the future seldom is.
It’s an impressive machine by any name. I, for one, welcome our new electrified bike overlords. Would you try an electric sportbike?
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.