Bad news on Alta

Moto96
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Moto96 10/18/2018 6:18am
10/18/2018 6:18am
Motofinne wrote:
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta? I think it would be a smart move and they have already a...
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta?

I think it would be a smart move and they have already a relationship with Alta through WP. Unless KTM already has a big E-bike program that they are working on.
They already have some E bikes. They can build their own far cheaper than buying another company.


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KennyT
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KennyT 10/18/2018 6:18am
10/18/2018 6:18am
mxracer816 wrote:
That sucks, hope they get it figured out as they are the future of this sport.
newmann wrote:
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the...
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the future of the sport. Cool bikes, neat tech, but a bit soulless for a sport that revolves around gear heads. All the idiots ( and there were/ are many)who proclaimed the 2 stroke dead in MX have been forced to face the reality that the sport was floundering in the 4 stroke era. If we aren't willing to give up on the 2 stroke, even less people will be willing to give up gasoline altogether.

I'd still like the option of an Alta to terrorize the neighborhood on. Stealth does have its benefits.
I have not seen one, are they completely silent other than a little buzz? How could you watch a SX/MX race with silence? Clothespins and playing cards in the spokes might help.

I think they are a great idea for urban/neighborhood/backyard moto but I sure hope they don’t take over the sport completely, I need brapps or brumps
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KDXGarage
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KDXGarage 10/18/2018 6:18am
10/18/2018 6:18am
SCAM124 wrote:
Removed post.
Chicken Little. Economy is going better of late.
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Motofinne
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Motofinne 10/18/2018 6:21am
10/18/2018 6:21am
Motofinne wrote:
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta? I think it would be a smart move and they have already a...
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta?

I think it would be a smart move and they have already a relationship with Alta through WP. Unless KTM already has a big E-bike program that they are working on.
Moto96 wrote:
They already have some E bikes. They can build their own far cheaper than buying another company.


The current KTM E-bike is basically a trailbike or something for people in cities. You can't compare that to the Alta bikes aimed at the racing scene.
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early
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early 10/18/2018 6:27am
10/18/2018 6:27am
I don't see KTM or a Japanese company buying them but I do see Polaris or Bombardier as an option.
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Moto96
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Moto96 10/18/2018 6:27am
10/18/2018 6:27am
mxracer816 wrote:
That sucks, hope they get it figured out as they are the future of this sport.
newmann wrote:
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the...
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the future of the sport. Cool bikes, neat tech, but a bit soulless for a sport that revolves around gear heads. All the idiots ( and there were/ are many)who proclaimed the 2 stroke dead in MX have been forced to face the reality that the sport was floundering in the 4 stroke era. If we aren't willing to give up on the 2 stroke, even less people will be willing to give up gasoline altogether.

I'd still like the option of an Alta to terrorize the neighborhood on. Stealth does have its benefits.
But anyone could buy a 2018 RMZ 450 or KXF 450 for 5500 dollars and turn it into a full on Supermoto bike for 3-4 K less still.. Or you could dual sport it for 1500 bucks, and ride it to the track and race it.





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Fourth_Floor
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Fourth_Floor 10/18/2018 6:42am
10/18/2018 6:42am
mxracer816 wrote:
That sucks, hope they get it figured out as they are the future of this sport.
newmann wrote:
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the...
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the future of the sport. Cool bikes, neat tech, but a bit soulless for a sport that revolves around gear heads. All the idiots ( and there were/ are many)who proclaimed the 2 stroke dead in MX have been forced to face the reality that the sport was floundering in the 4 stroke era. If we aren't willing to give up on the 2 stroke, even less people will be willing to give up gasoline altogether.

I'd still like the option of an Alta to terrorize the neighborhood on. Stealth does have its benefits.
Can you give an example of how the sport was/is floundering because of 4-strokes? Please don't say it's because how expensive they are because a brand new KTM 65SX is $5,000.........Is the average working class dad going to cough up that kind of dough so junior can ride on the nearest track that's an hour away or is he putting the kid in baseball.
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Moto96
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Moto96 10/18/2018 6:43am
10/18/2018 6:43am
Motofinne wrote:
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta? I think it would be a smart move and they have already a...
What are the odds of KTM Group sweeping in and taking over Alta?

I think it would be a smart move and they have already a relationship with Alta through WP. Unless KTM already has a big E-bike program that they are working on.
Moto96 wrote:
They already have some E bikes. They can build their own far cheaper than buying another company.


Motofinne wrote:
The current KTM E-bike is basically a trailbike or something for people in cities. You can't compare that to the Alta bikes aimed at the racing...
The current KTM E-bike is basically a trailbike or something for people in cities. You can't compare that to the Alta bikes aimed at the racing scene.
Like it would be hard for KTM to build one? They probably already have.
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JustMX
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JustMX 10/18/2018 6:49am
10/18/2018 6:49am
Fourth_Floor wrote:
Man, this legitimately sucks. Like when Cannondales motorsports division went belly up I 100% understood it because their bikes and quads were piles of garbage. These...
Man, this legitimately sucks. Like when Cannondales motorsports division went belly up I 100% understood it because their bikes and quads were piles of garbage. These guys put out a solid, competitive motorcycle that opened up the possibilities for more places to ride. I'm in the process of buying a house and there is enough land for a small practice track and the only way that would ever be possible due to neighbors and noise ordinance is if I bought an electric bike which was my goal within the next few years. Horrible horrible news............fuck. Who could possibly buy them up? Might be a far stretch but would a company like Tesla be a possibility? If I'm reading that article correctly, did they get the screws put to them by Harley?
Harley pulled the plug when alta couldn't produce a prototype that leaked enough oil tp pass as a harley
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Brad460
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Brad460 10/18/2018 6:52am
10/18/2018 6:52am
If they need capital- Go public!
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Moto Mofo
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Moto Mofo 10/18/2018 6:58am
10/18/2018 6:58am
Alta is so far ahead of the e-bikes that KTM offers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like KTM purchase them (if the price is right). Remember when Husabergs were still super trick, and KTM bought them out and used a lot of their technology when creating the RFS motor?
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BAMX
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BAMX 10/18/2018 6:58am
10/18/2018 6:58am
Premix wrote:
Not shocking. Operating in one of the worst states to own a business in, breaking into a market that has deep roots in completely different technology...
Not shocking. Operating in one of the worst states to own a business in, breaking into a market that has deep roots in completely different technology, offering an inferior product to what the market currently produces. What could go wrong?

Looking forward, one of the OEM’s will scoop this up.
Obviously, they didn't have the same friends that guys like Musk have. They needed the government to wrap cash around them like they did for Tesla. That being said, someone wll buy them. If it is to actually produce bikes is another question.
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FuzzyLogic
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FuzzyLogic 10/18/2018 7:01am
10/18/2018 7:01am
Brad460 wrote:
If they need capital- Go public!
The article says that they declined an offer to be bought. Would be curious if it was the obvious - not enough money or if the buyer didn't have the same goal / direction in mind as the current owners. Regardless of reason, that decision has brought them here.

I (hope) don't think that this is the last we will hear of them. Everyone who has ridden one has given rave reviews.
brocsdad
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brocsdad 10/18/2018 7:02am
10/18/2018 7:02am
Brad460 wrote:
If they need capital- Go public!
You still need investment bankers or underwriters to take the risk of going public. With the current track record it would be a hard sale.

What about the people who bought Alta's? Where does that leave them for parts, batteries, etc.
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Muezh
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Muezh 10/18/2018 7:03am
10/18/2018 7:03am
Muezh wrote:
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my...
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my year to make the switch.
49weasel wrote:
The bikes weren’t selling. That’s the problem. I ride almost every weekend and at a lot of different tracks .... I’ve yet to see one.
They were selling here in Michigan. I rode one at a local track. The guy let me take it for a couple laps. These bikes are legit. I jumped off my ktm 450 and onto the Alta and turned laps with a smile on my face.
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seth505
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seth505 10/18/2018 7:03am
10/18/2018 7:03am
Muezh wrote:
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my...
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my year to make the switch.
49weasel wrote:
The bikes weren’t selling. That’s the problem. I ride almost every weekend and at a lot of different tracks .... I’ve yet to see one.
That wasn't the problem at all really....what a bummer though.
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theycallmeebryan 10/18/2018 7:03am
10/18/2018 7:03am
brocsdad wrote:
You still need investment bankers or underwriters to take the risk of going public. With the current track record it would be a hard sale. What...
You still need investment bankers or underwriters to take the risk of going public. With the current track record it would be a hard sale.

What about the people who bought Alta's? Where does that leave them for parts, batteries, etc.
Yeah, pretty worried about battery warranty and parts and general future support of the bike. Kinda nervous, but i have faith they will get another investor and the business will push forward.
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Ramptester
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Ramptester 10/18/2018 7:04am
10/18/2018 7:04am
Being excluded from racing against 450s also didn’t help. Rules that exclude small companies like TM or innovators like Alta from American racing are going to kill the sport even more
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Jbulz
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Jbulz 10/18/2018 7:05am
10/18/2018 7:05am
What a bummer to hear, it looked like they were growing fast and made some impressive leaps in dealer coverage as well as technology improvements. Hopefully they find an investor to fund them, because I don't see how they can be bad for the sport. Still a little too expensive for me, but the product seemed solid and performed well. I could see myself owning one in a few years if the price came down a bit.

I'm surprised at how many people have never seen an Alta in person. I've seen 4 this year in NY, but Motivate a local dealer for them, so maybe that skews things for me.

I actually race against a guy every once in a while that rides one. The only shot I have of it blurry, but that's the Alta on the left - the bike rips, and has out accelerated me out of corners on my 450 when I have to shift.


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Motofinne
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Motofinne 10/18/2018 7:05am
10/18/2018 7:05am
Moto96 wrote:
They already have some E bikes. They can build their own far cheaper than buying another company.


Motofinne wrote:
The current KTM E-bike is basically a trailbike or something for people in cities. You can't compare that to the Alta bikes aimed at the racing...
The current KTM E-bike is basically a trailbike or something for people in cities. You can't compare that to the Alta bikes aimed at the racing scene.
Moto96 wrote:
Like it would be hard for KTM to build one? They probably already have.
"Unless KTM already has a big E-bike program that they are working on."

Maybe i should've added "aimed towards competition/racing".
Muezh
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Muezh 10/18/2018 7:06am
10/18/2018 7:06am
BAMX wrote:
Obviously, they didn't have the same friends that guys like Musk have. They needed the government to wrap cash around them like they did for Tesla...
Obviously, they didn't have the same friends that guys like Musk have. They needed the government to wrap cash around them like they did for Tesla. That being said, someone wll buy them. If it is to actually produce bikes is another question.
haha. GM got a far bigger bail out from our tax dollars than Tesla. And Tesla paid it back with interest. Govt says it lost 11.2 billion on that GM bailout.
JM485
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JM485 10/18/2018 7:08am
10/18/2018 7:08am
Muezh wrote:
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my...
How does this even happen? Bikes were selling and dealerships kept opening. wow. talk about being shocked. Such a bummer because 2020 was gonna be my year to make the switch.
49weasel wrote:
The bikes weren’t selling. That’s the problem. I ride almost every weekend and at a lot of different tracks .... I’ve yet to see one.
seth505 wrote:
That wasn't the problem at all really....what a bummer though.
No, it wasn’t. They were literally sold out of MXRs, to the point where we couldn’t even get a demo unit for our hillclimb project, we ended up using an EXR.

I don’t get it, these guys did everything right as far as I’m concerned. Great product, great group of people behind it, and probably the best marketing I can think of. The fact that these guys couldn’t stay afloat is scary to me. Anyone who thinks this was just a novelty or a passing fad obviously never rode one, they were the real deal and could have been a huge hit. Not to mention anyone could have owned one of these, it made owing a two stroke seem like a PITA maintenance wise in comparison.
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TXDirt
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TXDirt 10/18/2018 7:14am
10/18/2018 7:14am
Although the news is disappointing, there is still a glimmer of hope they find new investors. They have ceased operations currently to stop the cash burn-rate while they look for a new investor group. They have not shuttered the business as of yet.
Moto96
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Moto96 10/18/2018 7:19am
10/18/2018 7:19am
JM485 wrote:
No, it wasn’t. They were literally sold out of MXRs, to the point where we couldn’t even get a demo unit for our hillclimb project, we...
No, it wasn’t. They were literally sold out of MXRs, to the point where we couldn’t even get a demo unit for our hillclimb project, we ended up using an EXR.

I don’t get it, these guys did everything right as far as I’m concerned. Great product, great group of people behind it, and probably the best marketing I can think of. The fact that these guys couldn’t stay afloat is scary to me. Anyone who thinks this was just a novelty or a passing fad obviously never rode one, they were the real deal and could have been a huge hit. Not to mention anyone could have owned one of these, it made owing a two stroke seem like a PITA maintenance wise in comparison.
2 stroke maintainance is so hard that a 8 year old with some hand tools and a measuring cup can maintain one.

And a Honda generator needs oil changes too. So there is that.

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Moto96
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Moto96 10/18/2018 7:22am
10/18/2018 7:22am
Brad460 wrote:
If they need capital- Go public!
brocsdad wrote:
You still need investment bankers or underwriters to take the risk of going public. With the current track record it would be a hard sale. What...
You still need investment bankers or underwriters to take the risk of going public. With the current track record it would be a hard sale.

What about the people who bought Alta's? Where does that leave them for parts, batteries, etc.
Alta 500 2 stroke conversions. They already have decent suspension parts.
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brocster
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brocster 10/18/2018 7:22am
10/18/2018 7:22am
kb228 wrote:
Had a feeling that was going to happen when harley put their hands on it. Went in, learned the technology, left, let alta go out of...
Had a feeling that was going to happen when harley put their hands on it. Went in, learned the technology, left, let alta go out of business, open their own factory. I called it months ago.
Hopefully Alta was smart enough to include a no compete clause in their contract/partnership with HD
crf250pilot
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crf250pilot 10/18/2018 7:22am
10/18/2018 7:22am
I think they would have been a lot better off making a UTV model for hunting. Bigger market for those right now.
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mxracer666
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mxracer666 10/18/2018 7:37am
10/18/2018 7:37am
Id HAVE to think KTM (and others) have electric bike programs that are very developed. Just waiting for the market to sort itself out. Being the first always has its price. The others get to critique your tech , and improve on it...
brocster
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brocster 10/18/2018 7:37am
10/18/2018 7:37am
mxracer816 wrote:
That sucks, hope they get it figured out as they are the future of this sport.
newmann wrote:
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the...
Never understood this point of view. Too many people out there unwilling to give up their IC powered motorcycles for an e-bike to be considered the future of the sport. Cool bikes, neat tech, but a bit soulless for a sport that revolves around gear heads. All the idiots ( and there were/ are many)who proclaimed the 2 stroke dead in MX have been forced to face the reality that the sport was floundering in the 4 stroke era. If we aren't willing to give up on the 2 stroke, even less people will be willing to give up gasoline altogether.

I'd still like the option of an Alta to terrorize the neighborhood on. Stealth does have its benefits.
Fourth_Floor wrote:
Can you give an example of how the sport was/is floundering because of 4-strokes? Please don't say it's because how expensive they are because a brand...
Can you give an example of how the sport was/is floundering because of 4-strokes? Please don't say it's because how expensive they are because a brand new KTM 65SX is $5,000.........Is the average working class dad going to cough up that kind of dough so junior can ride on the nearest track that's an hour away or is he putting the kid in baseball.
This^^^ the only kids getting into the sport are offspring of people already in it. $5000 for a 65 is not entry level. We are going to price ourselves right out of a sport. Their are far more Vets (guys that weee kids in the 70’s and 80’s) at anytrack that I have been to recently and when they are gone this sport will be a hell of a lot smaller than it is today.

Also, Altas not being allowed in the current race format also limits exposure of the actual possibility. Either include them or give them their own class and let it develop into it’s own niche. i.e Pro 250, Pro 450 and Pro E all individual and seperate.
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