Powercycles for Power Rangers

Ali Afshar is a man of many talents.  He’s an actor, a racer, a Brammo Babe wrangler, owner of ESX Motorsports, producer of the upcoming movie “Born to Race” and an owner of one Ferrari Red Brammo Enertia.  I met Ali at the Laguna Seca race and can report that he’s an approachable, friendly, and genuinely funny man who truly believes in the mission behind Brammo – Saving the World, Two Wheels at a Time.  Saving the world is a pretty big proposition when you think about it.  But Ali has powerful friends – close, personal and powerful friends.  In Ali’s listing on the Internet Movie Data Base is the “Power Rangers Turbo” television show.  He was the voice of the Phantom Ranger.

This would explain the ringtone on Ali’s phone, which was very busy that July weekend:

Here’s the priceless pictures:

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And a bonus video of Ali at Morphicon, the Power Rangers convention:

Follow Ali and his various ventures here:

www.borntoracemovie.com
www.AliAfshar.com
www.facebook.com/aliafsharesx
http://twitter.com/aliafsharesx
www.ESXmotorsports.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0230058/
www.youtube.com/esxmotorsports
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24603552@N02/sets/

Motorcycle.com’s Best Electric Motorcycle, and MPP motor news

Congratulations to Brammo for having its Enertia crowned as Motorcycle.com’s Best Electric Motorcycle. Read all about it here. You’ll find it toward the bottom of the article, right above “Best Technology” — which went to “Electric Motorcycles.”

Even if electric motorcycles are not convincing some traditionalists just yet, it’s hard to argue against facts. 2010 was the year Brammo and Zero began hitting their stride, Honda, KTM and other major manufacturers announced stirrings from abroad, and we wrote the world’s first electric motorcycle shootout. Electric motorcycles can offer economy costs equivalent to 400-plus mpg – or pennies per mile, pick your standard – which means there are people willing to tolerate 20-55-mile ranges from yet-pricey, first-generation machines.

I’m not going to extract the whole paragraph from the section of the article about the Enertia, but this was a notable highlight:

Brammo’s Enertia is the most thoroughly developed example of a new type of motorcycle – the Electric Motorcycle – for which Motorcycle.com this year created an additional category on its home page. The Enertia won our first Electric Motorcycle Shootout in part because it comes with high-quality components throughout and costs 20% less than its next closest competitor, the Zero S/DS.

And this great picture from their site:

Brammo Enertia, Motorcycle.com's Best Electric Motorcycle.

MPP Motor News

Meanwhile, an interesting article in yesterday’s DesignNews.com, contains some information about a new motor design that will be used in the Empulse (and the RR racebike):

A new all-electric motorcycle built by Brammo Inc. is using a MPP series traction motor and innovative cooling technology to maximize power density and peak torque output. The motor technology yields up to 40 percent higher torque per unit size than conventionally constructed permanent magnet motors, and delivers 20 to 350kW of power with 97 percent efficiency.

More information to satisfy your inner-geek can be found here and on Parker Electromechanical’s blog, here.

Also, it looks like Brammofan’s buddy, Ted, has written about the motor over on his blog, the Electric Chronicles.

Quiet Whirring Sound at Thunderhill

Just received this picture of Brammo’s Brian Wismann at Thunderhill Raceway Park near Willows, California*:

Wismann whirring.

That appears to be some sort of data logger installed just behind him.  Wouldn’t mind seeing some output from that little package, in addition to the camera that is mounted on the bike just below his chin.

More pictures from Thunderhill here.

Another question arises — what are they preparing for?  Guesses in the comments, as always.

*Thunderhill Raceway is about 3.5 hours drive south of Ashland, Oregon, headquarters of Brammo.

Deer Crossing

Riding my Enertia can be a purposeful journey, like my daily commute; or a meditation on escape, like my ride yesterday evening.  Each type of ride has its own degree of usefulness, but lets talk about escape, today.

Early in the ride.

What’s going on in your life?  Think about that question for a few seconds.

Was your answer a quick list of to-dos and the basics, like “work” or “school” or “finish that project”?  I asked myself that question yesterday when I had a few moments to reflect, and my answer became a behemoth – a massive jumble of emotions (mostly sadness, following the death of my dog after a long battle with cancer) and tasks, and responsibilities.

I knew I had to get out and enjoy a ride in the suddenly bearable Missouri outdoors, as temperatures hovered in the low 80s for a change.  I suited up and rolled down my suburban street, noting that people were surveying the damage of the recent heat wave on their brown lawns, washing their cars, and taking their dogs for a walk.  I needed to get out of the neighborhood and explore some of the country roads that haven’t had the intrusions of suburbia thrust upon them yet.

I headed north, appreciating the smooth throttle response of my Enertia, and enjoying the tug of torque when I gave it a little flick — 35 mph soon became 55, before I had to back off.  I was in what passes for rural when you’re this close to Kansas City, and I had to watch out for speed traps, tractors, and wildlife.

The roads around here are hilly and curvy, following the land that used to be river bluffs before a meander a few thousand years ago moved the river about 10 miles south.  These roads are often covered by a ceiling of green trees, making your trip seem like a voyage though a verdant pipeline.  It’s hypnotic, really, and relaxing, and beautiful, and cool, and WHAT TH-…

Not the actual deer, but a close representation of my wake-up call.

Not aware of my oncoming bike, a lone deer walked out onto the road in front of me.  She was about 50 yards ahead when I first noticed her, plenty of time to stop before smacking her broadside . . . if I’d been covering the brake with a couple fingers, instead of dreaming about green pipelines.  I did manage to brake – hard – and hit the horn a split second later.  It was going to be pretty close unless the deer helped me out.

The deer moved – bolted, actually, when it heard my horn.  And it even moved the right direction, away from the spot I was steering toward.  I didn’t lock up my wheel or lose control, but it made me appreciate the traction of my tires (Avon Road Riders) and the strength of my brakes (Brembo).  I had probably been moving at about 55mph when I saw the deer, so it was good that this “lesson” didn’t result in any negative consequences for me . . . or the animal.

Instead of making me ‘deer shy,’ though, the averted disaster ended up giving me more confidence in my riding and in the bike.  Truth be told, after not riding for three decades, I’d had some trouble rediscovering my nerve.  Remembering back to my days riding in t-shirts and shorts, helmet-less when I had the opportunity, had left me thinking “What a lucky idiot” rather than, “those were the days.”  Now, I ride with gloves, armored jacket, helmet, and boots, even when it’s 105 degrees, like it was last Friday.

The confidence felt good – and the level of my riding probably increased a notch or two.  When I headed home and realized I had enough juice left over for a few more minutes of riding, I went to an abandoned development near my house — great streets, no traffic, lots of curves — and practiced some turns and hard braking.  Too much fun for a grown man to be having.

When I got home and parked the bike, I plugged it in, started charging it, and noticed the tires:

Some new wear.

It appeared that finally, I’d put some wear on the side of the tire that, prior to this ride, had been new and pristine.

I took one last look at the bike before I headed back into my house.

The massive size of my answer to “What’s going on in my life” was still there, but after that ride, it seemed more manageable.  Like a sleeping elephant instead of a stampeding one.  And it made me think of one of my favorite sayings: “How do you eat an elephant?”  – One bite at a time.

HellforLeatherFan Pool of Doom

As of 3:30pm Central Time today (Friday, August 13, 2010) it’s been over 19 hours since the last contact from Hell For Leather Magazine’s two champions, Wes Siler and Grant Ray. They’re currently on a journey through a foreign nation north of the United States, known as Canada.

I suggested on Twitter that the fans of Hell for Leather start a pool, guessing on the reasons for the lack of contact from our friends. Add your own contributions in the comments.  Voting (and betting) will take place once we get a significant number of scenarios.

a) out of range

b) hit a moose

c) eaten by bear

d) Brokeback Mtn.

e) alcohol (submitted by kvads)

f) looking for the Labrador ladies room (submitted by kvads)

g).in jail (submitted by dankastner)