Test Ride: Brammo Enertia

I heard through Hell for Leather (the online mag) that they were going on sale this weekend and that test rides were being offered. I decided to check it out. I've been interested in the electric bike movement, since I used to do electric R/C car racing and it's pretty much the same thing.

No deposit is required, just insurance, a valid moto license. They have some gear provided, but it's limited in size at this time. After about 10 min of minor paperwork the bike is all yours for 15 minutes.

I left the Jansen Beach Best Buy and promptly did some circles in the parking lot. It handled quite naturally, and though there was a bit of lag in the power from a standstill it comes on refreshingly consistent from there on to it's top speed. From there I headed south and hit the Delta Park / PIR exit to see how it handled corners at speed. It does. From that point on a smile never left my face. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

It did that clover no problem. It feels like a small Supermoto. Foot out is the way to go. I then headed north for some minor twisty testing. I took the 99th street exit and took that right there towards the Ross Complex. Holy Cow does it handle like a champ!

I did some more parking lot circles and headed back south. I took the 39th street clover exit to see how it handles with uphill corners... It passed. (I even scraped the peg :ninja:). I then promptly turned back south cuse my 15 minutes was almost up.

As I headed down the on ramp I was behind a particularly slow elderly couple. I was forced due to traffic to stay behind them until I was fully on the freeway. When I took my pass at them I closely followed the passing SUV and gunned the throttle. I saw the speedo tap the 70mph mark for an instant and then drop back down.

Before I left on the test ride I asked what the top speed was, they said 65. I was doubtful I would hit that since my 6'2" bulk was quite the airdam. They Brammo guy was elated when he heard I hit 70mph. Apparently I now hold the land speed record on that bike :mfclap: :nana

Needless to say I was thoroughly impressed. If I had the 12g's to get one I would. It's a freaking blast to ride and would work quite well as a commuter.

Did I mention that it will put a permanent smile on your face? :mrgreen:


Like a bonehead I forgot to get a picture of me on the test bike... I was so excited about the ride that I had a brain fart :tard: so the best I got was a seat on the one in the store:

Wasougal MX

Had a fun day out at the Washougal AMA MX race. Haven't ever seen one live. These guys (and gals) are skilled.

Gundam Astraea

I had some free time on my hands a few days ago. I settled upon drawing as a way to pass the time. I don't draw often enough, though I try to draw something every day. Today it was Gundam Astraea from the Graphic Novel series Gundam OOP (double O P). It's one of my favorites, and I had recently finished assembling the 1:100 model. It seemed as good of a thing as any.
After a few prelim drawings trying to get the perspective/ scale right; this came out:

I kinda liked how it came out. Not 100% accurate, but good enough. I then decided to try out an old technique for coloring/shading. I placed a clear plastic sheet over it and began tracing with a fine Sharpie pen.



So not quite as good as I would have hoped. It was my first attempt, and admittedly rushed. You can kinda tell where I started and where I ended in the drawing as it goes from bad to good. I plan on drawing more to re-hone my skills. It's always good to keep your tools sharp.