Brammo Shifts Gears

BRAMMO SHIFTS GEARS

THIS PAST MAY, BRAMMO, MAKERS of electric motorcycles, announced several new 2012 models divided into two families. The first, called Engage, consists of the MX, SMR and SMS, which stand for Motocross, Super Moto Race and Super Moto Street. These bikes are quite differently styled than what we have seen previously from Brammo. Instead of shouting, “I am electric!” they proclaim, “I am first and foremost a motorcycle.” Add to that the surprising fact that these machines are each equipped with a six-speed, foot-shift gearbox and conventional manual clutch.

I spoke with Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher about this innovation. “One of the common beliefs is that electric motors give their best ‘out-of-the-gate’ at zero speed,” said Bramscher. “But peak motor efficiency—the place where the motor is happiest—is not down at zero. On a motorcycle, part of the deal is that we want to be able to smoke the tire, lift the front wheel.” That requires torque multiplication, which is what gears do.

“Our research turned up a company in Italy with experience here, continued Bramscher. “ft turns out that with [six] traditional motorcycle gear ratios, the bike starts to feel regular, and motorcycle riders know just what to do. And it revs very quickly. We’ve been working on this [gearbox and clutch] for six months.

“Our first products definitely still have a market; our ‘on-ramp’ was the Enertia [which was primarily aimed at non-motorcyclists]. But there is a lower sales threshold for experienced riders, because they already have the license, the clothing, the helmet. A first-timer has none of those things.”

Brammo calls its second family of new models “Encite,” which consists of the MMX Pro and MMX mini-motocrossers.

As to how all the new elements fit into the picture, Bramscher said, “The integration is where the magic is going to be. Part of that is making the components work together, and part is the human interface. Our overall ambition is to one day be among the top 10 motorcycle manufacturers on the planet.”

—Kevin Cameron