Blake Wharton on Alta Electric for Outdoors?

davistld01
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davistld01
Edited Date/Time 4/12/2017 9:29pm
Can anybody confirm or officially deny rumors that Blake Wharton is set to race at least a few of the upcoming Outdoor national series on the Alta Electric MX bikes? I've seen quite a few pics of him "testing" the Alta bikes on IG and Twitter, in Alpinestars gear & 6D helmets. It seems like he's really into the bikes.

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Motofinne
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Motofinne 4/11/2017 1:47pm
4/11/2017 1:47pm
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i assume that they don't have enough bikes for the consumers in dealers for homologation) this year.

My guess is that Alta will have a rider out there in 2018, 2019 or 2020.
rjg
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rjg 4/11/2017 1:48pm
4/11/2017 1:48pm
Hope so. The more exposure the better. Cant wait for full electric moto industry. Just need a price drop and popularity would also increase. 15k USD is like 20k CAD after all the BS. Too much
mmain62
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mmain62 4/11/2017 1:48pm
4/11/2017 1:48pm
I cant imagine they are on the same level as a factory 250 yet but hey maybe Blake is good enough to put them in the show.
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mx617 4/11/2017 1:49pm
4/11/2017 1:49pm
Motofinne wrote:
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i...
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i assume that they don't have enough bikes for the consumers in dealers for homologation) this year.

My guess is that Alta will have a rider out there in 2018, 2019 or 2020.
Anyone know if the homologation rules are the same in Canada?

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KMC440
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KMC440 4/11/2017 1:49pm
4/11/2017 1:49pm
Cards in the spokes will kill the bottom end....
Just say'n Whistling
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APerry151 4/11/2017 1:49pm
4/11/2017 1:49pm Edited Date/Time 4/11/2017 1:50pm
Haven't seen or heard that anywhere but THAT would be interesting. I doubt it's true. I think Alta would probably want somebody else debuting the bike at the pro level - someone who could make me it look good.

EDIT: I know Hill rode it at Straight Rythym but to me that doesn't count.
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hvaughn88 4/11/2017 1:49pm
4/11/2017 1:49pm
Does the rule book address electric bikes?
Motofinne
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Motofinne 4/11/2017 1:51pm
4/11/2017 1:51pm
Motofinne wrote:
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i...
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i assume that they don't have enough bikes for the consumers in dealers for homologation) this year.

My guess is that Alta will have a rider out there in 2018, 2019 or 2020.
mx617 wrote:
Anyone know if the homologation rules are the same in Canada?
I have no idea. But Alta could participate in the GPs(i think) since there are no homologation rules.
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seth505 4/11/2017 1:57pm
4/11/2017 1:57pm
He's testing for Alta, nothin to do with nationals.
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GuyB 4/11/2017 2:01pm
4/11/2017 2:01pm
hvaughn88 wrote:
Does the rule book address electric bikes?
I'm not sure that it currently does. I asked a similar question a few years ago.
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APerry151 4/11/2017 2:01pm
4/11/2017 2:01pm Edited Date/Time 4/11/2017 2:06pm
hvaughn88 wrote:
Does the rule book address electric bikes?


That's on page 21 of the 2017 rule book.
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hvaughn88 4/11/2017 2:10pm
4/11/2017 2:10pm
hvaughn88 wrote:
Does the rule book address electric bikes?
APerry151 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/04/11/187354/s1200_IMG_0178.jpg[/img] That's on page 21 of the 2017 rule book.


That's on page 21 of the 2017 rule book.
Based on that, seems like a pretty gray area.
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thorns 4/11/2017 2:16pm
4/11/2017 2:16pm
APerry151 wrote:
Haven't seen or heard that anywhere but THAT would be interesting. I doubt it's true. I think Alta would probably want somebody else debuting the bike...
Haven't seen or heard that anywhere but THAT would be interesting. I doubt it's true. I think Alta would probably want somebody else debuting the bike at the pro level - someone who could make me it look good.

EDIT: I know Hill rode it at Straight Rythym but to me that doesn't count.
I can see where you are coming from, but realistically, what top level rider is going to give up a top level ride to race a 'potentially' below par bike?

If a top level pro gets on and runs at the back, its a bad look. Put someone like Blake on it, and if it runs near the back, well its not such a big deal as hes not a pro rider anymore, but if he runs top 20 against factory efforts, its pretty impressive.
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lostboy819 4/11/2017 2:19pm
4/11/2017 2:19pm
Wharton is a full time rock and roller now, doubt he would want to give up the easy life to go beat himself up by riding the nationals , but then again if hes on a Electric bike he would only need to ride half a moto anyway before the bike dies. Blush
APLMAN99
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APLMAN99 4/11/2017 2:35pm
4/11/2017 2:35pm
There aren't any supplemental rules addressing classes, etc, so currently it shouldn't be eligible for either national class because both of those require a bike to be within certain cc parameters.
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TriRacer27 4/11/2017 2:36pm
4/11/2017 2:36pm
hvaughn88 wrote:
Does the rule book address electric bikes?
APerry151 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/04/11/187354/s1200_IMG_0178.jpg[/img] That's on page 21 of the 2017 rule book.


That's on page 21 of the 2017 rule book.
Aren't all AMA rules really interpreted through their "supplemental, non-written" rules?
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305FC250 4/11/2017 2:39pm
4/11/2017 2:39pm
As cool as it is I hope it doesn't catch on. Checked out a few in person and saw them being ridden and the fact that they were nearly silent, and have no gearbox (therefore no clutch and no shifting) kills it for me. I love the way internal combustion engines sound, operate, smell, ect. so I'm never going to jump ship. Not to mention the price in a market where new bikes are already expensive to begin with.

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TriRacer27
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TriRacer27 4/11/2017 2:43pm
4/11/2017 2:43pm
Motofinne wrote:
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i...
I think that would be a surprise. It would mean that Alta would use their one year that they don't have to follow the homologation rules(i assume that they don't have enough bikes for the consumers in dealers for homologation) this year.

My guess is that Alta will have a rider out there in 2018, 2019 or 2020.
Actually, for them it might be better to go ahead and use up their exclusionary year this year if they feel the bike is competitive and can put together a team/rider for the season. Here is why - in order to meet homologation rules, they have to move I think between 500 and 1000 units. That may be difficult to do at their current price point. That would require creating the supply prior to the demand.

If, instead, they decided to go ahead and race to prove the bike is competitive, even while limiting sales well below demand or production capacity, they could 1) iron out pre-production issues and 2) substantially increase demand. Even if they didn't race again the following year, that boost in image could help them reach a lower price point through higher volumes, which would help them sustain their homologation requirements.

It's a risk, but I think that might be a better way to approach it than to wait for demand to support homologating the bikes.
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bayodome 4/11/2017 3:14pm
4/11/2017 3:14pm
Per his IG account, it's just for a Racer X test. But it's interesting to know that the rule book mentions anything about electric bikes... even if the rule basically says "The rule is we will come up with a rule if anyone wants to enter an electric bike in a race."

Still, I didn't know they had any language for E-bikes at all. Interesting.
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BroFoSho 4/11/2017 3:45pm
4/11/2017 3:45pm
Two questions...

Can an Alta bike go 30 +2 on a single charge?

Can they recharge it quick enough for moto 2? Or would they just need to swap out battery packs?
TW85
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TW85 4/11/2017 4:23pm
4/11/2017 4:23pm
Pretty sure he is doing supercross testing/development for them.
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GuyB 4/11/2017 4:44pm
4/11/2017 4:44pm Edited Date/Time 4/11/2017 4:44pm
BroFoSho wrote:
Two questions... Can an Alta bike go 30 +2 on a single charge? Can they recharge it quick enough for moto 2? Or would they just...
Two questions...

Can an Alta bike go 30 +2 on a single charge?

Can they recharge it quick enough for moto 2? Or would they just need to swap out battery packs?
I think that was one of their design parameters, to be able to do a full moto.
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Starcrossed 4/11/2017 4:59pm
4/11/2017 4:59pm
Even if the bike is capable of 30+2, it would seem likely that the power would be down by the end of the moto. It would be nice to see what they are claiming for HP, and the drop off over time, in a graph presentation.
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GuyB 4/11/2017 5:13pm
4/11/2017 5:13pm
Blake will be by later to fill in some details.
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jasonward73 4/11/2017 5:20pm
4/11/2017 5:20pm
305FC250 wrote:
As cool as it is I hope it doesn't catch on. Checked out a few in person and saw them being ridden and the fact that...
As cool as it is I hope it doesn't catch on. Checked out a few in person and saw them being ridden and the fact that they were nearly silent, and have no gearbox (therefore no clutch and no shifting) kills it for me. I love the way internal combustion engines sound, operate, smell, ect. so I'm never going to jump ship. Not to mention the price in a market where new bikes are already expensive to begin with.
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and bought a fully loaded P100D Model X. 2 electric cars in garage now. Never looking back.



Braap19
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Braap19 4/11/2017 5:27pm
4/11/2017 5:27pm
jasonward73 wrote:
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and...
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and bought a fully loaded P100D Model X. 2 electric cars in garage now. Never looking back.



Thats a sweet car. Does it pull bitches for you? Cause it aint haulin a dirtbike
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harescrambled 4/11/2017 5:38pm
4/11/2017 5:38pm
jasonward73 wrote:
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and...
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and bought a fully loaded P100D Model X. 2 electric cars in garage now. Never looking back.



Could you drive it from Florida to upstate New York, or Florida to California?
a22
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a22 4/11/2017 5:39pm
4/11/2017 5:39pm
jasonward73 wrote:
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and...
I thought the same thing about cars until I bought my wife a Tesla. A couple years later I sold my 500hp supercharged Range Rover and bought a fully loaded P100D Model X. 2 electric cars in garage now. Never looking back.



^^There was a guy on here a while back who had some nice cars abit like that.. he also ordered Pizzas. took naps and none of it really mattered really... Dry
Interesting car though, never seen one before.
OldYZRider1
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OldYZRider1 4/11/2017 5:45pm
4/11/2017 5:45pm
I think the younger crowd is gonna roll over to these electrics pretty quickly if they can afford them. They've been programmed their whole lives through public school education and kids television shows to embrace the green initiative. I also think alot of the younger crowd just doesn't have the mechanical skills or desire to develop the necessary skills to maintain an IC engine with all its moving parts. Some of that may come from knowing it's a power plant that's damaging the environment so they don't want a "commitment" to it.

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