I just finished watching this 20-minute video with Brammo's CEO:
http://www.brammo.com/video-ceo/He talks about his company and how and why they designed and developed the Empulse the way they did. A couple of things caught my attention. You get the feeling that they are not cutting corners on the Empulse R in order to keep the selling price low. Also, he mentions that the bike will be offered to the motorcycling press for their tender testing and review sometime this summer. That leads me to believe that the bikes might not be delivered to their customers until at least then - if not later. I also wonder how many bikes their factory in Oregon has the capability to manufacture each day. They didn't exactly spew the Enertia out in great numbers when it was being built in Ashland.
Finally, I can clearly tell that I am not their target customer. Brammo's target customer for the Empulse is a long-time motorcycle rider (which I am), who likes to shift gears and wants a motorcycle that has high performance and can travel over 100 mph (which I am not). I just want to get down the road quietly, reliably and without using gasoline. I love the technology and quality components that are going into the Empulse R (I don't know about the regular Empulse), but I really don't need them for my transportation purposes. I think my Zero S and I should be able to get along for the next three years and then I'll see what is now.
I recommend watching the interview. It is interesting and informative.