Forum QNA: Derek Dorresteyn - Alta Motors

R.EX
Posts
85
Joined
7/23/2010
Location
CA
3/20/2018 5:06pm Edited Date/Time 3/20/2018 5:06pm
Hi Markbenq, 1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but...
Hi Markbenq,

1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but that is solved with the 2018 Redshift MXR. We redesigned the battery cutting in 1/2 the battery heating rate and increasing power!. The same systems protect the battery but we have not seen much de-rating.

2. Bring it on!! We are not allowed to race SX , GP, and outdoor, maybe then those doors would open.

3. We are increasing production and trying to stay ahead of demand but there is a growing backlog of orders.

Thanks for the note on HD, great to be partnered with them on new stuff!.

Best,

Derek



How are your efforts on get homologated coming along?
StevieTimes
Posts
384
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Location
Saint Bonifacius, MN, USA
3/20/2018 7:03pm
Any plans for a clutch, either stock or as an add-on?

I like them for emergency use, I know I'd get used to just rolling on the throttle, but when I jump into a section and I'm WAY off, and I know I'm going to land off kilter in a bumpy area, and I might accidentally whiskey throttle it, I hold the clutch in, and try to get life slowed down and regain control when able. I suck, I'll own that.

Thanks for bringing the future!
mark911
Posts
358
Joined
3/28/2015
Location
Ashville, OH, USA
3/20/2018 8:01pm
Mr. Dorresteyn,

Hello, I'm one of the few early buyers (s/n 49) who's actually racing the 2017 in local Vet races and some A Class events down here in SoCal. I'm happy to see that Alta addressed many of the issues we encountered during our development effort. Good job!

Our bike draws so much attention wherever we race that frankly I'm surprised that we've yet to see another bike at the races (other than at Alta sponsored events like Slamfest and DITD. In fact, most of the Alta generated social media regarding the MX/MXR seems to be directed towards the freeriding lifestyle instead of MX racing.

Nothing against those guys or their accomplishments (in some cases quite noteworthy in fact), but are you sure that's the demographic and message Alta thinks will lead to local sales?

Thanks for your time. Mark.
dkg
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1885
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Location
Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
3/20/2018 9:27pm
Derek

What does the Harley Davidson investment portend for the future?

The Shop

Phillip_Lamb
Posts
2072
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12/14/2010
Location
ORANGEVALE, CA, USA
3/20/2018 9:38pm
Derek,

I think electric will have a place in moto especially in the realm of inner city areas as well as indoor facilities. but I have issue with mixing bikes of different engine design. In auto racing they have a variety of spec classes specific to a certain engine or chassis V8's vs V8's, miata vs miata. Why not push for an all -electric class instead of competing directly against gas bikes? This could be something similiar to KTM's junior challenge by providing bikes for a spec electric class for all riders involved.
make1go
Posts
905
Joined
2/3/2018
Location
BF
3/21/2018 7:15am Edited Date/Time 3/21/2018 7:15am
Hi Derek,

Congratulations on being the first to bring a competitive e mx bike to market, an astounding achievement just there.
As others have asked, what are your plans for expansion across the globe?
Im Australian but living in SEA and heavily involved with off road mocys with mechanical ,engineering and electronic experience, and would love to be part of Altas future.
Any advice on who, what, where I should approach.
Sorry if this sounds like im asking for a job.
I live and love tech stuff and this is as tech as it gets..
No matter your reply or not, hope you succeed and become part of the main stream motorcycling market..
Cheers
frothol
Posts
1
Joined
3/21/2018
Location
Kent, WA, USA
3/21/2018 9:27am
Hi Derek,

Great to see you guys getting a good head of steam in the market! Test rode your bike a month ago and it's amazing how good the bike is. True testament to you and all your engineers.

My question is what did you do to the new battery on the MXR? It looks like you increased the "C" rating/decreased resistance within the battery?

Second and most important is...I'm somewhat new to racing and have started racing hare scrambles up here in the Northwest. Would the MXR last a full 1.5-2 hour race in tight woods?

Thanks!
3/21/2018 9:44am
Derek - Any intern opportunities for someone studying IT/Business analyst positions? It'd be badass to work for a company on the cutting edge of tech. Thanks!
JMX82
Posts
1579
Joined
5/9/2013
Location
Hyllykallio, FI
3/21/2018 12:58pm
Greetings from cold Finland! Does you bike work in freezing temperatures like - 10 Celcius (14F)?
Kenny Lingus
Posts
1088
Joined
9/9/2016
Location
Watkins Glen, NY, USA
3/21/2018 1:39pm
Will there be any demo rides in Western NY? Looked on your website and didn't see anything listed.
mxaddicted
Posts
90
Joined
5/19/2008
Location
Aliso Viejo, CA, USA
3/21/2018 3:19pm
Hi Derek,

Are there any plans to have a dual sport MXR? I had the chance to ride the alta at milestone and was very impressed!!
Already the best american dirt bike ever made!!
3/21/2018 4:21pm Edited Date/Time 3/22/2018 9:45am
Hi Markbenq, 1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but...
Hi Markbenq,

1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but that is solved with the 2018 Redshift MXR. We redesigned the battery cutting in 1/2 the battery heating rate and increasing power!. The same systems protect the battery but we have not seen much de-rating.

2. Bring it on!! We are not allowed to race SX , GP, and outdoor, maybe then those doors would open.

3. We are increasing production and trying to stay ahead of demand but there is a growing backlog of orders.

Thanks for the note on HD, great to be partnered with them on new stuff!.

Best,

Derek



R.EX wrote:
How are your efforts on get homologated coming along?
Hi R.EX,

Homologation into AMA amateur racing has gone fairly well, while we are not allowed to race as a 250 as we thought would be fair we are allow to run in classes were displacement is open, like Vets, Womens, College boy, etc. As time passes and the world becomes more familiar with our bikes and electric propulsion in general we hope to get back to a CC equivalency test. Expect to see a handful of Alta's at the qualifiers and hopefully some at Loretta's this year!.

Homologation into professional racing (SX, US Outdoors, and MXGP ) is another story. The conversations are happening but things are not moving nearly as fast as we would like. We are very sympathetic to concerns about getting it right but in the end we are very sensitive to not putting things out of balance and just want an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities our products like the other brands and if you believe like I do that electric will be an ever growing part of motorcycling the time to act is sooner and not later as more brands get involved and want to participate. Ready to Race? SO ARE WE!

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 4:25pm Edited Date/Time 3/21/2018 5:45pm
Any plans for a clutch, either stock or as an add-on? I like them for emergency use, I know I'd get used to just rolling on...
Any plans for a clutch, either stock or as an add-on?

I like them for emergency use, I know I'd get used to just rolling on the throttle, but when I jump into a section and I'm WAY off, and I know I'm going to land off kilter in a bumpy area, and I might accidentally whiskey throttle it, I hold the clutch in, and try to get life slowed down and regain control when able. I suck, I'll own that.

Thanks for bringing the future!
StevieTimes,


We have had conversations about the need for a clutch since day one and all the testing, racing, and riding still supports the idea that if the torque is always there when you need it, you don't need a clutch. Please go for a test ride and see if it works for you.

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 4:35pm
mark911 wrote:
Mr. Dorresteyn, Hello, I'm one of the few early buyers (s/n 49) who's actually racing the 2017 in local Vet races and some A Class events...
Mr. Dorresteyn,

Hello, I'm one of the few early buyers (s/n 49) who's actually racing the 2017 in local Vet races and some A Class events down here in SoCal. I'm happy to see that Alta addressed many of the issues we encountered during our development effort. Good job!

Our bike draws so much attention wherever we race that frankly I'm surprised that we've yet to see another bike at the races (other than at Alta sponsored events like Slamfest and DITD. In fact, most of the Alta generated social media regarding the MX/MXR seems to be directed towards the freeriding lifestyle instead of MX racing.

Nothing against those guys or their accomplishments (in some cases quite noteworthy in fact), but are you sure that's the demographic and message Alta thinks will lead to local sales?

Thanks for your time. Mark.
Hi Mark,

Thank you for your support and for being an early customer, that means a lot to me and I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of the machine and the tech. I hope you see more Alta's in the near future, we can't make them fast enough now and that means more bikes out there!.

I totally hear you on the marketing message, the freeride guys have pulled us in and we have had a lot of fun working with them, the bike has a special appeal for that kind of riding for sure. The Alta Redshift since it's inception has been a focused competition machine and be sure we will not deviate from that vision. You should expect to see Alta getting more involved in amateur MX, Endurocross , and Extreme Enduro in the near future, not to mention more professional MX/SX later this year.

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 4:41pm
dkg wrote:
Derek

What does the Harley Davidson investment portend for the future?
Hi Dkg,

We are working on some new products in partnership with Harley and that will help keep Alta growing and delivering more bikes and better technologies.


Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 4:57pm
Derek, I think electric will have a place in moto especially in the realm of inner city areas as well as indoor facilities. but I have...
Derek,

I think electric will have a place in moto especially in the realm of inner city areas as well as indoor facilities. but I have issue with mixing bikes of different engine design. In auto racing they have a variety of spec classes specific to a certain engine or chassis V8's vs V8's, miata vs miata. Why not push for an all -electric class instead of competing directly against gas bikes? This could be something similiar to KTM's junior challenge by providing bikes for a spec electric class for all riders involved.
Hi Phillip_Lamb,

I agree 100% on urban and indoor, those are great applications for electric drive.

When we founded Alta the problem statement was not to build a quiet bike or a clean bike, those are great and worthy things, but we set out to build a "better" bike. This was and is an audacious goal and we are in large part delivering on it. We are pushing to race against gas , and I agree that it's a tricky homologation problem, because we want to race in the real race, not the side show. Our first professional race was the 16' RBSR and we qualified and beat factory supported equipment before being knocked out, that was a big moment for Alta and motorcycle racing and it mattered because we were up against the best and advancing the state of the art. We will continue to push for inclusion in displacement class in amateur and professional racing and I believe we have something to contribute to the sport.

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 5:01pm
make1go wrote:
Hi Derek, Congratulations on being the first to bring a competitive e mx bike to market, an astounding achievement just there. As others have asked, what...
Hi Derek,

Congratulations on being the first to bring a competitive e mx bike to market, an astounding achievement just there.
As others have asked, what are your plans for expansion across the globe?
Im Australian but living in SEA and heavily involved with off road mocys with mechanical ,engineering and electronic experience, and would love to be part of Altas future.
Any advice on who, what, where I should approach.
Sorry if this sounds like im asking for a job.
I live and love tech stuff and this is as tech as it gets..
No matter your reply or not, hope you succeed and become part of the main stream motorcycling market..
Cheers
Hi Make1go,

Thanks for your support and interest to be more involved! We will be in Europe later this year but I'm not sure when Australia is planned. Please email info@altamotors.co and someone will be in touch.

Best,

Derek
StevieTimes
Posts
384
Joined
12/27/2010
Location
Saint Bonifacius, MN, USA
3/21/2018 5:09pm
Any plans for a clutch, either stock or as an add-on? I like them for emergency use, I know I'd get used to just rolling on...
Any plans for a clutch, either stock or as an add-on?

I like them for emergency use, I know I'd get used to just rolling on the throttle, but when I jump into a section and I'm WAY off, and I know I'm going to land off kilter in a bumpy area, and I might accidentally whiskey throttle it, I hold the clutch in, and try to get life slowed down and regain control when able. I suck, I'll own that.

Thanks for bringing the future!
StevieTimes, We have had conversations about the need for a clutch since day one and all the testing, racing, and riding still supports the idea that...
StevieTimes,


We have had conversations about the need for a clutch since day one and all the testing, racing, and riding still supports the idea that if the torque is always there when you need it, you don't need a clutch. Please go for a test ride and see if it works for you.

Best,

Derek
I believe you, I'm not arguing that point... it's for emergency use, like I said. I get it, the really good riders won't need one. I am not that good yet, I still make mistakes and end up jumping too far or not far enough at times.

This past summer, I jumped into a rhythm section, cased one, bounced off, ended up in the weeds going down a hill towards water. I pulled in the clutch with my feet in the air as I was bouncing out of control. With the clutch in and the engine revving, it slowly coasted out of the bumps enough for me to regain control and get her stopped.

Your way, I'm whiskey throttle and oh man things are going to go really bad quickly.

Thanks for your consideration, I know you're not changing the bike for one guy, but it's kind of a deal-breaker for me until I stop jumping into the weeds. Smile

I will go electric, just not sure if I'll do another 250F first, or go right there.
3/21/2018 5:12pm
frothol wrote:
Hi Derek, Great to see you guys getting a good head of steam in the market! Test rode your bike a month ago and it's amazing...
Hi Derek,

Great to see you guys getting a good head of steam in the market! Test rode your bike a month ago and it's amazing how good the bike is. True testament to you and all your engineers.

My question is what did you do to the new battery on the MXR? It looks like you increased the "C" rating/decreased resistance within the battery?

Second and most important is...I'm somewhat new to racing and have started racing hare scrambles up here in the Northwest. Would the MXR last a full 1.5-2 hour race in tight woods?

Thanks!
Hi Frothol,

Thanks for the props!. I've got an amazing team of dedicated pros, most of which are out riding every weekend or weekday!.

We went deep on the MXR, the pack is new from the cell on out with 20% of the parts on the bike being changed or upgraded. The cell is lower resistance but much more was done to increase thermal overhead and to safely support the 25% increase in peak power from 40 to 50hp.

I would like to think we could go the distance for you as a new racer but we probably would not have the range for the higher discharge rate of an A rider for that duration. The answer is depends on discharge rate!. We regularly do 2-3 hours of trail riding.

Hope that helps.

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 5:14pm
Derek - Any intern opportunities for someone studying IT/Business analyst positions? It'd be badass to work for a company on the cutting edge of tech. Thanks!
Hi Apple_and_the_tree,


We are hiring. Please look here for recent reqs:

https://www.altamotors.co/careers/#mission-1


Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 5:37pm
JMX82 wrote:
Greetings from cold Finland! Does you bike work in freezing temperatures like - 10 Celcius (14F)?
Hi JMX82,

We tried some ice racing last month! Internal resistance in the batteries does increase as temperature decreases but the pack is operational to -20C, power is limited until the internal heating brings the pack up to temp so starts are better if the pack is not starting the race at -20C.

Jeff Fredette on the Alta Redshift is 2018 AMA Ice Race Grand Championship National #1 - Vet 40 GP

Best,

Derek

3/21/2018 5:39pm
Will there be any demo rides in Western NY? Looked on your website and didn't see anything listed.
Hi Kenny Lingus,

Sign up for a demo on the website, Altamotors.co and between our demo team and the dealer network we will get you on a bike!.

Best,

Derek
3/21/2018 5:44pm
mxaddicted wrote:
Hi Derek, Are there any plans to have a dual sport MXR? I had the chance to ride the alta at milestone and was very impressed...
Hi Derek,

Are there any plans to have a dual sport MXR? I had the chance to ride the alta at milestone and was very impressed!!
Already the best american dirt bike ever made!!
Hi Mxaddicted,

I'll get in trouble if I talk about future product plans!. If you have not ridden the MXR yet, please do it's like the MX but much better, we listened to customers, racers, and testers and made a lot of really meaningful changes. Between the extra power, the lower cost, and the better suspension you won't recognize the bike.

Best,

Derek
motoBRD
Posts
408
Joined
6/7/2012
Location
Rochester, NY, USA
3/21/2018 5:57pm
Hey Derek,

I appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to do this QNA. I've been following Alta carefully and am very interested in all the bikes. I've been away from racing and bikes for a few years (current 250f is in pieces needing engine work). What is the pitch to someone like me to buy the current model now? The recent price drop is helping, but I've read on this forum from other's who are waiting back for improvements (run time, weight, 250 homoglation, etc.). It's not like a smartphone, where if you miss a feature, you just upgrade to the better model (not that I do that anyway - as I type this out from my Galaxy S4). Why should I stop lurking and pull the trigger?!

Thanks,

Corey
3/21/2018 6:18pm
motoBRD wrote:
Hey Derek, I appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to do this QNA. I've been following Alta carefully and am very interested in...
Hey Derek,

I appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to do this QNA. I've been following Alta carefully and am very interested in all the bikes. I've been away from racing and bikes for a few years (current 250f is in pieces needing engine work). What is the pitch to someone like me to buy the current model now? The recent price drop is helping, but I've read on this forum from other's who are waiting back for improvements (run time, weight, 250 homoglation, etc.). It's not like a smartphone, where if you miss a feature, you just upgrade to the better model (not that I do that anyway - as I type this out from my Galaxy S4). Why should I stop lurking and pull the trigger?!

Thanks,

Corey
Hi MotoBRD,

Thanks for your note and interest. We have a team of people working every day to make better bikes and to maintain our lead in electric but it's not likely to happen at quite the same pace as cell phone tech, the cadence of improvement should happen every few years and be somewhat incremental. What will change rapidly is the firmware that runs your bike, it will continue to improve, adding features, control, and maybe even a little more range. We live in a world where the future will always have a better mousetrap just don't forget that all the living is happening now!.One thing that we keep hearing from Alta owners is that they are riding more, having far less maintenance is giving these owners more time and more opportunities to ride. Get signed up for a demo, the bikes are really great right now, and you can be riding all the way to that better future bike!.

Best,

Derek
R.EX
Posts
85
Joined
7/23/2010
Location
CA
3/21/2018 6:26pm Edited Date/Time 3/21/2018 6:36pm
Hi Markbenq, 1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but...
Hi Markbenq,

1. The battery is passively cooled. The 2017 bike could experience power limiting (thermal de-rating) in very high power applications like supermoto racing but that is solved with the 2018 Redshift MXR. We redesigned the battery cutting in 1/2 the battery heating rate and increasing power!. The same systems protect the battery but we have not seen much de-rating.

2. Bring it on!! We are not allowed to race SX , GP, and outdoor, maybe then those doors would open.

3. We are increasing production and trying to stay ahead of demand but there is a growing backlog of orders.

Thanks for the note on HD, great to be partnered with them on new stuff!.

Best,

Derek



R.EX wrote:
How are your efforts on get homologated coming along?
Hi R.EX, Homologation into AMA amateur racing has gone fairly well, while we are not allowed to race as a 250 as we thought would be...
Hi R.EX,

Homologation into AMA amateur racing has gone fairly well, while we are not allowed to race as a 250 as we thought would be fair we are allow to run in classes were displacement is open, like Vets, Womens, College boy, etc. As time passes and the world becomes more familiar with our bikes and electric propulsion in general we hope to get back to a CC equivalency test. Expect to see a handful of Alta's at the qualifiers and hopefully some at Loretta's this year!.

Homologation into professional racing (SX, US Outdoors, and MXGP ) is another story. The conversations are happening but things are not moving nearly as fast as we would like. We are very sympathetic to concerns about getting it right but in the end we are very sensitive to not putting things out of balance and just want an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities our products like the other brands and if you believe like I do that electric will be an ever growing part of motorcycling the time to act is sooner and not later as more brands get involved and want to participate. Ready to Race? SO ARE WE!

Best,

Derek
The time to act IS now, that's why I'm always bugging you guys about getting to Canada. Grinning

There is plenty of interest at every race I've taken it to, and it was a little disappointing to find out the manufacturers managed to get you shut out of the Canadian Pro class this year.

They didn't have a problem with Cannondale testing pre-production bikes here back in the day. The fact that they don't want you racing against them confirms that you guys are really on to something!
motoBRD
Posts
408
Joined
6/7/2012
Location
Rochester, NY, USA
3/21/2018 6:31pm
motoBRD wrote:
Hey Derek, I appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to do this QNA. I've been following Alta carefully and am very interested in...
Hey Derek,

I appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to do this QNA. I've been following Alta carefully and am very interested in all the bikes. I've been away from racing and bikes for a few years (current 250f is in pieces needing engine work). What is the pitch to someone like me to buy the current model now? The recent price drop is helping, but I've read on this forum from other's who are waiting back for improvements (run time, weight, 250 homoglation, etc.). It's not like a smartphone, where if you miss a feature, you just upgrade to the better model (not that I do that anyway - as I type this out from my Galaxy S4). Why should I stop lurking and pull the trigger?!

Thanks,

Corey
Hi MotoBRD, Thanks for your note and interest. We have a team of people working every day to make better bikes and to maintain our lead...
Hi MotoBRD,

Thanks for your note and interest. We have a team of people working every day to make better bikes and to maintain our lead in electric but it's not likely to happen at quite the same pace as cell phone tech, the cadence of improvement should happen every few years and be somewhat incremental. What will change rapidly is the firmware that runs your bike, it will continue to improve, adding features, control, and maybe even a little more range. We live in a world where the future will always have a better mousetrap just don't forget that all the living is happening now!.One thing that we keep hearing from Alta owners is that they are riding more, having far less maintenance is giving these owners more time and more opportunities to ride. Get signed up for a demo, the bikes are really great right now, and you can be riding all the way to that better future bike!.

Best,

Derek
Thanks for the response Derek. I will for sure be signing up for a demo this year, another for western NYer.
3/21/2018 6:31pm Edited Date/Time 3/21/2018 6:32pm
HenryA wrote:
When will it be available in europe?

Do you have any cool super secret concept parts that you can show us? Cool
Hi HenryA,

We will be in Europe late this year, stay tuned!.

Super secret parts need to stay secret! We spend a lot of time testing and have a full CNC machine shop that is invaluable for developing race parts, we will be offing some cool new stuff soon!.

Best,

Derek
Ted722
Posts
4575
Joined
9/21/2011
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
3/21/2018 6:52pm Edited Date/Time 3/21/2018 7:03pm
Derek,
Thanks for doing this. Any OHV challenges? Particularly here in California...getting it approved for Off-Road Green sticker program, etc. Would seem like it would have been a no-brainer, but just curious if you guys ran into any issues.

It also appears you have a few models that will have tax breaks here in California in 2018 (and beyond I presume). Good stuff.

Last, but not least, KTM's talking about doing away with their 50's and replacing with electric. What's your take on this? A bottom-up transition to electric? An easier motorcycle to learn on?

Thanks again and congrats on the success of Alta.
mxtech1
Posts
1968
Joined
7/21/2011
Location
Galesburg, IL, USA
3/21/2018 7:12pm
From a manufacturing perspective....

How universal are your assembly lines and stations?

Is it a mixed model line for all offroad models?

Can you share the TAKT time?

What type of quality initiatives differentiate your product from your competition?

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