Brammo Enertia TTR Revealed!

Wow! The first photos we've seen of the actual Enertia TTR race bike in Best Buy livery. It's on!

Great article on Wired, Autopia with all the details on the bike, more photos, and the Best Buy relationship. More to come...

Source: Cycle World's Matthew Miles, and Brammo's Craig Bramscher via Twitter

Enertia TTR Race Bike Spec Sheet Released

Brammo has released the specification sheet for the Enertia TTR on their website: www.Brammo.com.

They have included two detail photos on the sheet. They mostly focus on the upper mounting area of the rear shock. You can clearly see that the bike will have a full fairing that is spaced away from the chassis... but that's about it! Hopefully we will see more soon...

Source: Brammo

Late Breaking: Brammo Sends Aaron Gobert and 2 Enertia TTR's to Isle of Man

Check out the press release via Twitter or AutoblogGreen!

Photo and Source: AutoblogGreen

Best Electric Motorcycle News of the Week Revolves Around: Mission Motorcycles

Asphalt and Rubber: Mission Motors CEO Interview – Electrification is Coming
- A great interview with Mission Motors CEO and co-founder Forest North. Some good insight into Mission’s approach and direction in electric motorcycles.

RoadracerX: Backmarker column by Mark Gardiner: Run, Forest, Run
- Gardiner gets inside Mission Motors and interviews Mission’s President, Edward West, and CEO and co-founder Forest North. Some great biographical information on North as well. Gardiner also got some of the inside scoop on the Mission One TTXGP bike during it’s Infineon Raceway shakedown a few weeks ago. Yes, Mission has an experienced TT rider, Tom Montano, and enough brainpower to make nearly anything work.
- This article is the third in Mark Gardiner’s detailed series on electric motorcycle manufacturers. Make sure you read the previous two on Zero and Brammo.

Mission Motors: Mission Motors Preparing for the TTxGP: Photoset, by Edward West
- This blog entry is a little bit dated now, but does link to photos and video of the Mission One TTXGP in action.

Source: As noted

Electric Culture: Rockers versus Mods

Rockers (loosely defined): A post-war British motorcycle subculture defined by their black leather jackets and rough looks, love of early American rock and roll music, and a penchant for powerful performance bikes. Fierce rivals of the Mods.

Mods (loosely defined): A post-war British scooter subculture defined by their clean-cut business suits, taste for R&B music, and bent for step-thru scooters of the day. Fierce rivals of the Rockers.

To avoid any confusion, EnvironMoto is a Rocker blog for the electric bike scene. We’re interested in the baddest EMs. We proudly lean toward the most evil side of green motorcycling, notably sportbikes and racing. We love the machines that race, have incredible performance, and look the part.

We’re not going to diss electric scooters, minibikes, electric bicycles, or even their riders. We’re certainly not going slip-on the brass knuckles and bust their heads in on the streets. Truth is, the Mods of the electric motorcycle world are doing great things for motorcycling and the environment. They are making machines like the Oset that get kids on bikes and open up riding areas, or powered bicycles that possibly make the transition from bicycle to real motorcycle more palatable for Joe Commuter.

We appreciate the more gentle side of electric motorcycling for sure… we can’t even guarantee that we won’t ever comment on a particularly cool bicycle or scooter. But rest assured that our focus will be on the slickest and most aggressive motorcycles the green motorcycle industry has to offer.

Stay tuned.

Sphere of Influence: TTXGP

The June 12th, 2009 inaugural TTXGP is, according to www.TTXGP.com, “the world’s first zero carbon, clean emission Grand Prix.” The definition of “zero carbon” and “clean emission” is arguable, but TTXGP truly will be the first REAL green motor race with tangible environmental benefits.

Motor racing in any form can be quickly dismissed as frivolous and a waste of resources, no matter the guise. After all, fossil fuels in some form will still be burned to generate electricity for the construction of race bikes and the recharging of batteries. Tires will be quickly worn out and disposed. Transportation will be required to move people and equipment to and from the venue. Etc. All for the purpose of seeing who the faster rider is, or who has the best machine.

Maybe the immediate results of a motorcycle road race like the TTXGP don’t appear to justify the means. However, the long term benefits will have the potential to change how all humans traverse the planet.

Motor racing drives technology that ultimately trickles down to production vehicles and puts those benefits in the hands of the people. Motor racing teaches competitors how to maximize their use of resources and eventually improves all aspects of personal transportation.

The TTXGP re-writes everything we knew about motorized competition, even environmentally friendly competition.

Most eco-races are distance or economy competitions. They do push technology, but are typically relegated to ‘freak’ races to see how far a car can travel powered by sunlight or a teaspoon of fuel. The real world application of many of these races is a bit diluted. How safe or practical is a car riding on bicycle wheels and carrying a single emaciated driver several thousand miles at 15 miles per hour?

Of course the TTXGP generally is far from the reality of your daily commute. But strength, endurance, durability, power, and performance are all tested in harsh conditions on real roads, and in real conditions. Conditions which the daily driver or commuter will experience.

The TTXGP is a REAL roads race, held in real conditions, being contested by competitors who are developing and building motorcycles for real people to ride. The bikes we’ll see racing at TTXGP will be the parents of zero carbon and clean emission bikes we will all be able to buy for ourselves within a few years, months, or even weeks.

TTXGP provides an honest, direct, and nearly instantaneous trickle-down of useable green transportation technology to the masses. That is what truly sets TTXGP apart from any other eco-race ever held before.

Photo: Wade Boyd at Isle of Man TT, from: Link

Brammo: The Enertia and Racing are First Steps to Performance Electric Motorcycles

EnvironMoto has gushed about Brammo, the Enertia electric motorcycle design, and the paradigm shift which will result from selling motorcycles at Best Buy in past posts. The Enertia is a cool commuter motorcycle designed to be a stylish, rider-friendly, alternative to a bicycle or scooter for the aesthetically-inclined, green urban commuter.

In an excellent (as always) Backmarker article on RoadRacerX.com last week, Mark Gardiner spoke with Brammo founder and CEO, Craig Bramscher. Bramscher explains how the original intention of Brammo was to design and build an American, V-12 supercar, but that impetus evolved into the more environmentally responsible Enertia electric motorcycle. Bramscher also states that Brammo sees their involvement in competition as the way to develop viable long distance technology for future production performance electric motorcycles.

Gardiner also interviews recently hired Brammo PR Guy, John Harris in his May 7th Backmarker column. Both articles provide a glimpse into Brammo’s marketing and sales direction. Best Buy will be the vessel that places the Enertia and future models in front of the masses. A boutique style, store within a store dedicated to Brammo motorcycles takes away some of the powersports shop intimidation, and introduces electronics and media shoppers to electric motorcycles.

Source: RoadRacerX via skadamo (ElectricMotorcycleForum) via AutoblogGreen

Sound and Fury Update!

Michael Czysz updated the MotoCzysz blog on Wednesday with a sweet video of their electric racebike on the dyno. The incredible banshee scream the bike lets out is pretty amazing! Check it out: MotoCzysz Blog

Also, note that TTXGP Blog has removed the music from the TTX01 test run video mentioned in our last post, so now you can get a much better idea of what that machine sounds like on the track.

The future of motorcycle roadracing is bright indeed.

The Sound and Fury of Electric Roadracing

Video released this week of the TTX01 electric road racing motorcycle in action poses an interesting question: What is the future of motorcycle racing going to sound like?

The video is set to music and leaves a lot to conjecture (go to AutobloGreen to see/hear it).

Take into consideration that under relatively quiet electric power, we will be hearing sounds that are normally masked by the barely silenced succession of internal combustion explosions in a conventional racing motorcycle. Breaking down the mechanical aspects of an electric motorcycle in a roadracing environment, there are several elements which will combine to create a unique sound:

Wind Sound – the whistle or roar of air being displaced by a bike and rider at speed
Tire Sound – the cyclic slip and grip sound of a slick forced to the limits of adhesion
Brake Sound – the vibration of brake pads contacting a rotor while aggressively shedding velocity
Chain Whir – the sound of rollers impacting sprocket teeth
Motor Hum – the sound of air and electricity moving through a motor as the rotor spins
Gearbox Whine – the sound of helical or straight-cut involute gear teeth engaging and disengaging each other at various RPM

A bellowing staccato or a high RPM scream is the natural byproduct of tuning an internal combustion engine for maximum performance. A sound appreciated by most enthusiasts.

The electric race bikes being built for the inaugural TTXGP are essentially typical of any racing machine. They are being built for shear speed and aggressive handing. Any sounds that result are those of pure purpose, not audible aesthetics.

Builders of road-going, production electric motorcycles will have the more complicated job of taking these elements of sound into consideration. They will have to craft a palatable symphony from them. Then again maybe the collection of sounds emanating from an electric race bike will become the accepted sounds of speed and power that street riders will lust for, just as they do with gasoline-powered machines. The result may be the most realistic race replica motorcycles that street riders have ever seen.

Source: AutoblogGreen via TTXGP

Barefoot Motors: Ely Schless Design to Compete at TTXGP

Barefoot Motors will compete at the inaugural TTXP with an Ely Schless designed chassis. Schless is famous as the former CEO of Electric Moto and creator of the Blade XT electric dirt bike (pictured above).

Schless' TTXGP racebike design should be very interesting. To really understand what a modern inventor/genius Schless really is and how much clout he has in the industry you must know a little bit about his background.

The Ashaland (Oregon) Daily Tidings had a great interview with Ely Schless in 2007 that is well worth a read to gain some insight into the man's background and focus.

Source: AutoblogGreen

Electric Motorsport Unveils TTXGP Entries!

US-based electric motorcycle manufacturer, Electric Motorsport Inc., has released it's Open Class and Pro Class entries for the June 12th TTXGP at the Isle of Man.

The GPR-S (pictured above) will race in the Open Class and the Yamaha R1 based, R144 will race in the Pro Class.

Perfomance details have not been released but it does look like Electric Motorsport will be ready to rock in 39 days!

Source (and more photos): TTXGP or Electric Motorsport

Bombardier EMBRIO

This is a blast from the past. Okay, a blast from only three years back but that is an eternity on the web. The Bombardier EMBRIO is still a fascinating concept. If you don’t remember it, or haven’t seen it before, check out this article on Gizmag from “back in the day”.

We’ve dug up the EMBRIO to post on EnvironMoto because it’s a great concept that still looks cool and is still relevant in the ‘green’ (or ‘blue’ if you are reading this in Europe) motorcycle world. The intentions of the concept were to offer a cooler and sportier counterpoint to the amazingly lame Segway Personal Transporter. Bombardier did not intend for the Embrio to be a high performance sport motorcycle like the Mission One or EV-o RR.

The EMBRIO concept is enticing and you have to wonder what it would be like to ride a high performance mono-wheel sportbike. As electric motorcycle design continues to evolve, maybe we will see the EMBRIO or a machine like it come to fruition.