Let’s have one of the dealers explain Hybrid start on the new ‘22 Busto?
First up, and I swear this isn't a sales pitch - if you want one, you better act fast. I was told yesterday distributor/dealer orders have already exceeded what the factory plans to build.
We're a bit in the dark until they arrive, but the full Vertigo press release explains it best. We Vertigo dealers in the US really don't get a ton of info on incoming new models - we often learn things at the same time as the general public. We did know of the incoming battery upgrade, and word is that change will apply to future Nitros as well. Still, we were given no details and basically had to guess why the battery was there. We knew it wasn't for e-start, and after reading the press release this morning along with everyone else - our educated guesses as to its purpose were pretty spot on.
Vertigos are not difficult to start, regardless of what many say. That being said, they definitely have a unique technique - and many people have trouble with it initially. I've never had a properly tuned Vertigo I couldn't start in 2-3 kicks cold, and 1-2 kicks warm - and I'm far from a hulk. It's all technique. The 300 is the only one that's a tad difficult, but that's all due to compression...just takes a bit more grunt to get over the hump, but the technique is the same.
When kicking a Vertigo, a lot is happening on the electric side of things under the covers. Adequate voltage needs to be supplied to both the electric fuel pump and ECU. Absent a proper kick, not only will it not fire - but if you do it too many times unsuccessfully, they DO become a bear to start. Every kick energizes the fuel pump and if it doesn't go in 3-4 kicks, you're now starting to flood it.
The new LiPo is actually supplied by Athena, same manufacturer as the Vertigo ECU. As stated in the press release, one of it's functions is to ease starting - as a constant supply of voltage will exist regardless of kicking technique to energize everything properly. Adequate, steady voltage should theoretically make the kicking technique less critical. And, a battery should benefit things while running as well. As many Vertigo owners will attest to, you can occasionally hear the fan speed dip a tad when RPM's drop very low, either because idle is set too low or too much clutch slipping is occurring at low speed. This is a sign of low voltage, which isn't great for either fuel delivery or modern ECU's. Having a constant and dependable 13+ volts makes sense in these situations.
As an aside, Vertigos shipped to the US will not have the LiPo installed from the factory. Unlike other trials bike importers, virtually all Vertigos come in via air freight. LiPo's will cause problems with that, so the plan is for the US Importer to source the LiPo's directly from Athena and supply them to dealers for installation at new bike assembly time. I've been told it installs very neatly in that nice, new electronics compartment that made its debut on the Nitros.
Lastly, to clear up any potential confusion - while the new JBR does have the Busto moniker, I've been told it's more closely related to previous year's R bikes. No titanium header like Bustos/DL's, and it likely has a map that's closer to the R2/R3 - but that's just a guess based on the target audience. On previous "true" Busto bikes, the mapping has been a tad...extreme? Hard hitting is a phrase that comes to mind, and not many of us ride like Busto - so historically, many owners of these models tame down their mapping with R3/Works/DL maps.
Which BTW, is one of the things I like best about selling Vertigos. Between flywheel weights, throttle tubes/cams and maps - they have far more flexibility in tuning than any other trials bike out there. While the various models certainly have their own personalities, they all can be significantly tamed or made more aggressive with quick and minor tweaks.