Brammo Empulse RR Racebike Photos

Just posted on Brammo’s new photo site are some pictures of the Empulse RR Racebike being ridden by Aaron Bland, Brian Wismann, and Andy Leisner.  If you’re a regular reader of Brammofan, you know that Aaron Bland is the Mechanical Engineering chief at Brammo, and Brian Wismann is the Product Development Director.

But who is Andy Leisner? Here’s how he describes himself in his Twitter bio: Former professional motorcycle racer, current motorcycle industry executive, competitive bicycle racer and Type-1 diabetic of 33 years.

On LinkedIn:

After racing motorcycles in National and World-Championship competition into my early 20s, I have worked in motorsports and action sports for my entire career. I am currently the Managing Partner of Hardcard Holdings LLC, a sports representation, consulting and management firm. I am also the COO of Hardcard Systems, an RFID-based sports timing and scoring system and event-management company.

Andy – if you’re among the millions, thousands, dozens of Brammofan readers, we’d love to hear your impressions of the RR.  How was the ride?  How did it handle?  Furthermore, if you could explain why you burned out the motor the day before the Laguna Seca race, we’d love to hear that explanation as well.

Andy Leisner riding the Empulse RR at Thunder Hill, near Willows California.

Andy Leisner, again.

Andy Leisner, probably right before he ruined my weekend.

Thanks to Brammo and Brammo Fans

Mine.

It’s been a very Happy Enertia Day in Kansas City.

If you’ve been following this post, then you know that my Brammo Enertia has arrived.  Ride reports, videos, and pictures will follow, but first I want to emphasize that amazing days like this don’t happen by accident.  I wouldn’t be able to caption that photo the way I did without some hard working people, some luck, some friends, and some major patience by my family.

My biggest thank you goes to the people who made this possible: all the folks at Brammo in Ashland, Oregon.  Craig Bramscher, Brian Wismann, Adrian Stewart, Aaron Bland, Bruce Gilpin, Ron Hom, Dave Lawson, Laura Frantz and a bunch of others I’m too addle-brained to recall right now.  You have built a fantastic machine, a well-executed dream on wheels, and THANK GOODNESS for the fact that it doesn’t have an unlimited range, or I might never see Ms.Brammofan and the Brammokidz again.

There’s a host of others who have helped me reach this point, and I’m not going to be able to remember all of them, either, but if you follow me on twitter (and curses to you if you don’t), then you know the great folks on there among the “Brammofan mutual admiration society.”  Top thanks to John Adamo, a/k/a @skadamo a/k/a Plugbike.com who helped me figure out that my dear wife was wrong, and that Twitter was not a “complete waste of time” (this would be one of the only times Ms.Brammofan was even marginally wrong, by the way.)  Without him, I might have given up long ago, and certainly, there would be no Brammo Owners Forum.

And yes, humongous thanks to Ms.Brammofan and my kids, who have had to endure my obsession for many months and who I’ve probably ignored a few times while searching for more Brammo photos or reTweeting the latest news.  It’s not easy to be the Brammo Evangelist of the Year, but it’s really a challenge to be related to him.  They were more patient with me than I deserved, and more loving than I could wish for.  This Enertia’s for you, family!… except no, you may not ride it or touch it.

Pictures from AMA Article

I just came across the following pictures from a photoshoot the Brammo Boys did for the magazine that gets delivered to members of the American Motorcycle Association.  Brammofan is not a member of that venerable organization, so I will have to wait until it posts the article on its website before I’ll get to read it.  But we can all enjoy the pictures right now, as I don’t discriminate between members and non-members of the Brammofan Secret Society:

Brammo Lead Designer Brian Wismann, after borrowing Adrian Stewart's bike (with permission, we hope).

Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher, while Brian Wismann silently approaches from behind.

Lead Engineer Aaron Bland, showing off the Enertia frame.

Lead Assembly Technician, Richie Tatum builds an Enertia that comes with the optional Oregon license plate (?)

Brammo goes SoCal

Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development at Brammo, just posted some pictures from a trip he and Lead Engineer Aaron Bland took to Southern California over the last couple of weeks.

Just got back from a fun road trip to SoCal with Lead Engineer, Aaron Bland. Had some great meetings + brought our Enertias with us for some riding around Santa Monica and Palos Verdes. Man… I thought Ashland was the perfect spot for an Enertia, but boy was I wrong!

Here are the bikes parked in front of the Rose Cafe in Venice beach…

Stealing a charge from Trump’s golf course on the penninsula… They didn’t get a round of golf out of us, but they did charge us a pretty penny for breakfast! I think we’re even…

You never know where you’ll find a “charging station”… it certainly never hurts to ask! The bikes were all back up to near 100% SOC by the time we finished up breakfast.

And then there’s this picture, which Wismann tweeted last Friday.   

That’s Aaron Bland on the Bramm TTR, which raced in last year’s TTXGP race on the Isle of Man.  I wonder why they took it along on their trip?

New Video posted from TTXGP Archives – Brammo at Jurby Airfield

This video, which was posted yesterday by the TTXGP on its YouTube Channel, has just about everything:

1.  Aaron Bland unloading the Brammo Enertia TTR race bike at the Jurby Airfield on the Isle of Man.

2. Brian Wismann, watching nervously, as the bike is handed over, first, to Roy Richardson, and then to Mark Buckley.

3. Wismann talking with Buckley after his practice laps about softening up the suspension, making adjustments “back at the paddock,” and other performance-related chatter.

4.  Multiple shots of the bike from strategically-placed cameras, complete with audio of the whine as it approaches and passes. (Specifically, the whine of the motor and chain, not the whine of the cameraman, wanting his turn).

5. At 3:30, the suspense of watching a jackrabbit and a bird on the track, not knowing whether one or both of them will escape in time.

Silly rabbit. Tracks are for Brammos!

With that introduction, here’s the video:

Thanks to TTXGP/eGrandPrix for posting this!

UPDATE: TTXGP/eGrandPrix just posted the following video, highlighting an interview with Mark Buckley, the rider of the #26 TTR, which came in third at this year’s TTXGP