So... I Rode the Alta!

MX Guy
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7/24/2017 9:00am
BobPA wrote:
If you think Formula E sounds good.....
Gonna finish that post or what man? What happened?
500guy
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7/24/2017 9:21am
Everyone talking about costs, how much is the bike ?

I like the idea just from the stand point of no air filters and minimal maintenance.
7/24/2017 9:23am
I rode the ZERO bike several times. They don't really specialize in MX, so the suspension is really crappy but I really liked the feel of the motor.
That was 5 years ago. I'd love to try out an Alta bike, the bikes are probably a lot better now than in 2012.
tingo
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7/24/2017 9:24am
500guy wrote:
Everyone talking about costs, how much is the bike ?

I like the idea just from the stand point of no air filters and minimal maintenance.
$15k. The lack of maintenance cost helps offset the purchase price, but it's still a lot of money for dirt scooter.

The Shop

ben990
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7/24/2017 9:28am
I have had my Alta Redshift MX since early June, coming up on 400 miles on it, and I was easily able to get used to the lack of sound, or mainly the different sounds you hear; tires scrubbing against the dirt, the whine of the engine, and the suspension topping out once in a while. If anything, I think I am more in tune with the traction the bike is getting, and I can adjust accordingly with the throttle as needed.

When I ride an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) bike now, especially a 4-stroke, it makes me realize how loud they actually are, and how much they vibrate! The Alta is butter-smooth in comparison.

I will always have ICE bikes in the workshop, but now the Alta is my favorite.


MX Guy
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7/24/2017 9:28am
crusty_xx wrote:
I rode the ZERO bike several times. They don't really specialize in MX, so the suspension is really crappy but I really liked the feel of...
I rode the ZERO bike several times. They don't really specialize in MX, so the suspension is really crappy but I really liked the feel of the motor.
That was 5 years ago. I'd love to try out an Alta bike, the bikes are probably a lot better now than in 2012.
Totally forgot that ZERO even exists. My apologies if anyone from there reads this. Blush

When those things first came out I thought they were amazing looking. I was certain I'd neve be able to ride one or afford one so I kind of brushed it off as a novelty for the wealthy. My bias is towards Alta simply because they gave me two free laps aboard their machine while the people at ZERO were just sitting around watching business not come to them I guess!

What Alta has done so far with our community is almost reinventing moto if you ask me. They're bringing a huge amount of fun into MX when so many others are trying to take the fun right out of it. I think ZERO had the jump as far as ideas go but it seems to me that they didn't dive quite as deep into the community as Alta has so far.
MX Guy
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7/24/2017 9:29am
ben990 wrote:
I have had my Alta Redshift MX since early June, coming up on 400 miles on it, and I was easily able to get used to...
I have had my Alta Redshift MX since early June, coming up on 400 miles on it, and I was easily able to get used to the lack of sound, or mainly the different sounds you hear; tires scrubbing against the dirt, the whine of the engine, and the suspension topping out once in a while. If anything, I think I am more in tune with the traction the bike is getting, and I can adjust accordingly with the throttle as needed.

When I ride an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) bike now, especially a 4-stroke, it makes me realize how loud they actually are, and how much they vibrate! The Alta is butter-smooth in comparison.

I will always have ICE bikes in the workshop, but now the Alta is my favorite.


Thank you for chiming in, especially being an Alta owner yourself.

I completely concur with what this gentleman has said.
Falcon
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7/24/2017 9:58am
I've been mildly interested for a long time, but now I REALLY want to ride one.
R.EX
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7/24/2017 9:59am
If you are anywhere near Burlington Washington, give Skagit Power sports a call to set up an all day test ride. I was able to take it to a nearby ORV for the day and put about 2hrs on it with about 1/4 battery remaining.

I'm more of an MX guy, so I spent most of my time on the more wide open trails using map 2, as well as a ton of time ripping the fire roads in map 4. Map 4 is no joke!

I'm sold on it, and am working on getting one. I live in canada so it will be close to $19000 when it's all said and done. Worth it to me, as it's the most fun I've had on a dirt bike in a long time. This will be my first brand new bike.
7/24/2017 10:32am
I am one of those who thinks 4 strokes are too expensive, but I would buy an Alta for $12-14K.

It's not that I technically can't afford a new 4-stroke, it's that every year that they get more expensive, the new features driving the cost aren't really adding much value for me. Yes they are faster, but I'm not trying to be the Chicken Licks Raceway champ. Ti footpegs? Dual exhaust? I just don't care about those things because to me, I'm just paying more for the same experience.

However, an Alta changes the game for me. I could ride in my backyard instead of having to load up and drive to a track or OHV trail. As a dad with little kids, I don't get a whole lot of opportunities to take off for the whole day to go riding, but with an e-bike, I wouldn't have to. From my understanding, registering it for road use wouldn't be very difficult either so I could use the bike for short trips into town. That changes everything. It goes from having an $8K motocross bike that maybe gets used once a month to a $15K bike that I would use just about every other day, or certainly every week.
ben990
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7/24/2017 10:57am
I just checked my log book where I keep track of all of my workouts and riding. I got my Alta on June 1, and since then, I have ridden it 31 times, including 6-7 races on it, over the past 54 days. It would probably be even more but it seems like it rains every other day here in upstate NY.

Like TriRacer27 said, it changed the game for me. I can sneak out for a 30-40 minute ride behind my house any time I want, and my neighbors don't know I am there.


ben990
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7/24/2017 11:00am
Oh yeah, and I haven't had to clean an air filter or change gearbox oil in 54 days either!
LoudLove
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7/24/2017 11:01am
Can engine mapping be changed on-the-fly? Would be a tremendous asset in off-road areas with a mix of technical and open areas. Or a mapping unit that allows for near-infinite levels of adjustment, perhaps controlled by a small wheel on the bars and operated by the rider's left thumb.

Also, does the battery have a "reserve"? Extended woods rides will require preflight planning anyway, and a standby low-power "get home" mode would seem mandatory.
MX Guy
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7/24/2017 11:10am
LoudLove wrote:
Can engine mapping be changed on-the-fly? Would be a tremendous asset in off-road areas with a mix of technical and open areas. Or a mapping unit...
Can engine mapping be changed on-the-fly? Would be a tremendous asset in off-road areas with a mix of technical and open areas. Or a mapping unit that allows for near-infinite levels of adjustment, perhaps controlled by a small wheel on the bars and operated by the rider's left thumb.

Also, does the battery have a "reserve"? Extended woods rides will require preflight planning anyway, and a standby low-power "get home" mode would seem mandatory.
So to answer your first question, yes the four maps can be changed on the fly very easily. I changed it mid air. Not exactly "engine" maps, but you know. Tongue

For the battery reserve question I'm not sure, I was never told if it had reserve probably because it was charged enough for a full moto.
vikingBoy
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7/24/2017 11:17am
The whole going out and riding whenever and not worrying about the neighbors is very intriguing, but what would happen if you crashed hard and you were stuck out on the track or in the woods? No one would know you were out there, and no one would come to your rescue.

My brother just a had a scary situation like I'm speaking of. Now, in my family I was always taught that you NEVER ride alone, for obvious reasons. Our practice track that is at my brothers house is very, gnarly with tons of hills and the track is over 2 miles long. My brother was doing some testing in the morning and usually his wife and kids are always listening for him from the house. Well, his daughter had to go run an errand and went up to talk to my brother and didnt see his bike and realized that she didnt hear anything. Startled she went looking and found him up on the track on his back barely conscious and barely breathing. He ended up collapsing his lung, lacerating his liver, breaking ribs and fracturing a vertebrate. He ended up in the ICU for 3 days and is on the mend. He will be fine thank goodness, but we still have know idea how long he was up on the track before his daughter found him.

I guess my point is that it would seem that a quieter MX/offroad bike would make this kinda situation worse or maybe even more of a common thing. Guys and gals getting off work and thinking,"i'll blast around for a few minutes" when they wreck themselves hard, or hit an animal in the wild and effe themselves up! How are they going to get help???

Just a thought that I think everyone needs to think about.
ben990
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7/24/2017 11:37am
Good point, vikingBoy. My neighbors don't know I am out there riding on the track behind my house, but my family does. If they aren't watching me ride, then they have specific instructions to come out at a certain time to check on me.

As MX Guy wrote, you can easily change maps on the fly. In one race I did, I started in map 4, and then switched to map 3 after the first corner. At another race, I switched from map 3 to map 2 mid-race because the track got extremely rough towards the end of the day and I thought map 2 made it a little easier to ride.

The bike will go into a conservation mode if you run the battery down far enough. The display will also flash and light up an exclamation point: "!".

7/24/2017 1:09pm
I hear ya viking, but relying on someone realizing they don't hear you anymore probably isn't the best either.

I always carry one of these when I go by myself, and highly recommend it. Hit one button and your friends or wife get your exact location. I carry it on the shoulder strap of my camelback and it's never given me problems. It's really cheap right now too. Seriously, get one.

RangerLee
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7/24/2017 1:27pm
I do want one, I do not believe I have a seller near me. One of these days though...
dirtdog36
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7/24/2017 1:33pm
TriRacer27 wrote:
I hear ya viking, but relying on someone realizing they don't hear you anymore probably isn't the best either. I always carry one of these when...
I hear ya viking, but relying on someone realizing they don't hear you anymore probably isn't the best either.

I always carry one of these when I go by myself, and highly recommend it. Hit one button and your friends or wife get your exact location. I carry it on the shoulder strap of my camelback and it's never given me problems. It's really cheap right now too. Seriously, get one.

I wear one of these even when I am on my street bike

also on my mountain bike...

piece of mind
colintrax
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7/24/2017 1:41pm
RangerLee wrote:
I do want one, I do not believe I have a seller near me. One of these days though...
Highland park in Cedartown Ga. Camp out there and spend the weekend riding your new bike. Call it a honeymoon for the new bike lol
RangerLee
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7/24/2017 1:43pm
A bit of a hike from PA for me, though it sounds like a good idea.
mark911
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7/24/2017 4:01pm
The Alta is an easy bike to go 70-80% speed with, even with all the unique characteristics. Most folks can hop right on and feel pretty comfortable, particularly on a demo ride where you don't want to be "the guy" who wadded up someone else's new bike. From personal experience I can say that the transition from 80 to100% speed takes a bit longer as it's only at your personal "edge" where you'll uncover the true nature of the bike. This goes for any new bike but the Alta takes it to the next level as you discover how no gears, no clutch, no sound, different power, added weight, less engine inertia, and all the other differences net out in how comfortable and confident you feel at pushing it. I don't feel the Alta is inherently superior to its counterparts, it's just different (at this point in time). Like any bike, its up to the rider to adjust their style to leverage the good and mitigate the not so good. And if you can't or don't want to you switch brands!
MX Guy
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7/24/2017 4:12pm
mark911 wrote:
The Alta is an easy bike to go 70-80% speed with, even with all the unique characteristics. Most folks can hop right on and feel pretty...
The Alta is an easy bike to go 70-80% speed with, even with all the unique characteristics. Most folks can hop right on and feel pretty comfortable, particularly on a demo ride where you don't want to be "the guy" who wadded up someone else's new bike. From personal experience I can say that the transition from 80 to100% speed takes a bit longer as it's only at your personal "edge" where you'll uncover the true nature of the bike. This goes for any new bike but the Alta takes it to the next level as you discover how no gears, no clutch, no sound, different power, added weight, less engine inertia, and all the other differences net out in how comfortable and confident you feel at pushing it. I don't feel the Alta is inherently superior to its counterparts, it's just different (at this point in time). Like any bike, its up to the rider to adjust their style to leverage the good and mitigate the not so good. And if you can't or don't want to you switch brands!
I mostly agree. If you haven't ridden one, or haven't been riding dirt bikes for twenty years, it would seem that way. That it's just different and not superior. I for one kept reaching for a clutch lever and even just adjusting my left hand's grip to not have to account for having my index finger on the clutch was a bit of a challenge. It's such a habit to only grip with three fingers.

The weight of the bike was not noticeable one bit compared to my KX250F an even the 2017 CRF450R that a friend of mine let me spin a few laps on. I felt the Alta was extremely nimble for how heavy it's "supposed" to feel.
7/24/2017 4:39pm
Why can't a tiny gas engine be added as a charging unit so that you never have to plug it in until your finished riding? Say a 25cc 4 stroke weedeater-sized engine. Is this not possible? You could leave it off the mx track bikes, but it would rule for trail bike use.
LumpDog841
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7/24/2017 5:47pm
MX Guy wrote:
I hit the 110 out to milestone today to ride and stumbled upon a dealership set up with a test ride tent for the new Alta...
I hit the 110 out to milestone today to ride and stumbled upon a dealership set up with a test ride tent for the new Alta MX machine.

Upon throwing a leg over, I got the feeling that I was on one nimble, quick motorcycle. Not having to kickstart the bike in 95 degree heat was obviously a gift from God, and getting going was as easy as one, two, three (literally)

There were four map settings available, two trail settings and two MX settings. The standard moto setting was very comparable to what I'd say would be a mix between a 250 and 350 four stroke. The only other map I decided to try was the fastest setting, or "hooligan" setting as the lovely representative called it. The hooligan setting was gnarly my dudes. Ever want to feel the torque of Eli Tomac's KX450F? Sign up to ride the Alta and put it on into that fourth map. I was spinning the rear everywhere, these things are fast and I don't care what anyone else says, they can compete. With correct body positioning and weight transfer it plants the rear very well and takes off like a damn missile.

The suspension was not set up for a 250 novice rider so it was damn soft but with some tweaks it would have been perfect. Solid suspension given the circumstances. Braking was insane, definitely one of the hardest stopping bikes I've ridden.

Overall if you've never checked one out I would definitely suggest riding one if given the chance, a high price tag maybe true but for two laps to feel it out there's no reason not to!

Thank you to the people who were there at the stone today and thank you Alta for making moto great again!
What was it like not having to shift?? Great review btw, would like to try one myself someday.
MX Guy
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7/24/2017 6:46pm
LumpDog841 wrote:
What was it like not having to shift?? Great review btw, would like to try one myself someday.
Not having to shift wasn't as big of an adaptation as not having a clutch. I haven't ridden an automatic motorcycle for longer than I can remember so not having my finger out was very weird. The power was so direct that I never felt like it needed another gear, so to speak.
BobPA
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7/24/2017 6:59pm
This thread really makes me want to ride one. I feel like they would be incredible on single track.
mark911
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7/24/2017 7:06pm
MX Guy wrote:
I mostly agree. If you haven't ridden one, or haven't been riding dirt bikes for twenty years, it would seem that way. That it's just different...
I mostly agree. If you haven't ridden one, or haven't been riding dirt bikes for twenty years, it would seem that way. That it's just different and not superior. I for one kept reaching for a clutch lever and even just adjusting my left hand's grip to not have to account for having my index finger on the clutch was a bit of a challenge. It's such a habit to only grip with three fingers.

The weight of the bike was not noticeable one bit compared to my KX250F an even the 2017 CRF450R that a friend of mine let me spin a few laps on. I felt the Alta was extremely nimble for how heavy it's "supposed" to feel.
With respect to the weight, yes, since you only did a handful of laps I can see how you could feel that way. It's only when the bike gets a bit (or more) out of shape do you feel the weight. For me, if I'm not getting a bit out of shape at least a few times a lap I'm not trying hard enough. I've got over 220 lap hours on my Alta at various Socal tracks and I can definitely feel the difference in weight coming off a YZ250F. There's simply not enough tech trickery currently available to hide 270 lbs of motorcycle. Yes, I weighed mine, it was exactly 50/50 (136lbs/136lbs). That being said, it feels much better than my old Husky TE450 which was about the same weight.
Alex.434
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7/24/2017 7:09pm
Glad you had fun MX Guy. I passed the comments along to the 'lovely representative' Smile
R.EX
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7/24/2017 7:20pm
I have been riding motorcycles for over 20 years. I also have spent a great deal of time over the years on xc and dh bicycles.

Although I haven't ridden a bicycle for a couple of years, once I got over the urge to downshift going into corners (about it 15 minutes) having no clutch or gears felt rather natural for me.

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