Victory's first electric bike

Victory has launched the Empulse TT electric bike, based heavily on the original Empulse R produced by Brammo — the company that fell on its knees earlier this year and was then acquired by Polaris, the parent company of Victory.

The Empulse TT — the TT part drawing inspiration from Victory's appearance in the 2015 Isle of Man TT electric race — will initially go initially go on sale in America, but not in Australia just yet. Instead, Victory Australia will go through a "local evaluation process with riders" before announcing its plans for the model.

Compared to the original Brammo Empulse R, the Empulse TT has a slight improvement in battery capacity, up by 0.2kWh, as well as an enhanced display function.
“The Empulse TT was developed primarily as an electric motorcycle delivering a sporty ride,” said Victory Electric Product Manager Joshua Katt, “but with dual ride modes — ECO and SPORT — to choose from, and the addition of a gearbox, the Empulse TT is a versatile motorcycle that can be used for impressively sporty riding or as a casual commuter.”

The Empulse TT features an aluminium beam-frame, fully adjustable suspension featuring a Sachs shock and Marzocchi upside-down forks, Brembo brakes, cast aluminium wheels, and a sports bike riding position. Weight is 213kg.

The Empulse TT is capable of top speeds of over 160km/h. The bike has a built-in battery charger and an easily accessible plug atop the bodywork in front of the seat. The bike’s lithium ion battery fully charges in 3.9 hours using a stage two charger (available as an accessory utilizing a 240V outlet).

In typical riding, the Empulse TT battery provides a rider with a range of about 104km. The motor produces 64hp and 82Nm of instant torque.

The rider only needs to use the clutch when shifting between gears, not for taking off or coming to a stop. When coming to a stop, a rider can leave the bike in gear, or choose to click the shifter down (without pulling in the clutch) to put the bike in neutral. To take off from a stop, the rider simply needs to twist the throttle to unleash the electric motor’s torque.

In the Empulse TT’s proprietary transmission, neutral is found between second and third gears, and the transmission can be left in third gear for most riding speeds and conditions. To begin riding, a rider can simply turn the bike’s power on; select third gear (without the clutch), twist the throttle, and go.

In everyday riding conditions, the Empulse TT can be operated in ECO mode, but it also has an optional SPORT mode for high-performance riding. In SPORT mode, 20 percent more battery power is released to the motor, resulting in enhanced acceleration. SPORT mode also increases the amount of regenerative braking.

The bike’s LCD data display features a speedometer, tachometer, gear indicator, and clock. It also displays the battery level as a horizontal bar accompanied by the percentage of battery energy remaining, and provides an estimate of remaining riding range.

Accessories include forks, frame sliders, tall and short windscreens, and side luggage bags.

We'll keep you up to date on Victory's evaluation process.