Alta owners - How have the bikes been holding up? Parts/Support?

casper
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casper
Edited Date/Time 10/19/2020 1:07pm
I almost bought an Alta right when they were going out of business so I was wondering how have the bikes been holding up? Are there any issues with getting parts for the electric motor and such? Is the run time dropping on the battery at all? If you sold your Alta, how was the re-sale on it?
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mikec265
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mikec265 10/5/2020 7:04pm
10/5/2020 7:04pm
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers.

About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of a motor failure. So far my battery is good. I will cry like a baby when it dies and can't be fixed. Bought a couple months before they shut down.
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gt80rider
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gt80rider 10/6/2020 7:32am
10/6/2020 7:32am
Why can't you fix the battery?? Now, you might not be able to put in the stock/direct replacement... but... you Absolutely could put in some new, higher output cells to increase performance.... at a price much cheaper than what the stocker would have been.....
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Dirty Points 10/6/2020 7:39am
10/6/2020 7:39am Edited Date/Time 10/6/2020 7:55am
gt80rider wrote:
Why can't you fix the battery?? Now, you might not be able to put in the stock/direct replacement... but... you Absolutely could put in some new...
Why can't you fix the battery?? Now, you might not be able to put in the stock/direct replacement... but... you Absolutely could put in some new, higher output cells to increase performance.... at a price much cheaper than what the stocker would have been.....
Yeah no biggie, Why not just spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars meticulously testing and soldering these grey market cells (and don't forget all those temperature sensors!) into your proprietary, undocumented battery pack on the bike whose biggest selling point is its ease-of-ownership?
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rjw141
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rjw141 10/6/2020 8:18am
10/6/2020 8:18am Edited Date/Time 10/6/2020 8:23am
casper wrote:
I almost bought an Alta right when they were going out of business so I was wondering how have the bikes been holding up? Are there...
I almost bought an Alta right when they were going out of business so I was wondering how have the bikes been holding up? Are there any issues with getting parts for the electric motor and such? Is the run time dropping on the battery at all? If you sold your Alta, how was the re-sale on it?
Our bikes have been a blast. We had one issue with the display but found a guy who repaired it for us. We bought a bunch of extra parts on eBay that we have not needed yet. My brothers rear fender broke but found one on eBay and was a simple fix.

Overall, they still rip and are a ton of fun. I have noticed a slight drop in ride time, nothing major but a small difference. Also, if you ride hard, put it on the rapid charger, then ride hard immediately after, you might over heat it on a warm day. Sucks they went out of business, product had so much potential. If I had to do it over, I still would buy mine, worth it to me, in our situation. Obviously, it is not the best bike for everyone. And no plan on selling them, not sure about re-sale value.

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sandtrack315
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sandtrack315 10/6/2020 11:51am
10/6/2020 11:51am
mikec265 wrote:
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers. About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of...
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers.

About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of a motor failure. So far my battery is good. I will cry like a baby when it dies and can't be fixed. Bought a couple months before they shut down.
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
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kb228
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kb228 10/6/2020 12:20pm
10/6/2020 12:20pm
mikec265 wrote:
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers. About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of...
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers.

About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of a motor failure. So far my battery is good. I will cry like a baby when it dies and can't be fixed. Bought a couple months before they shut down.
sandtrack315 wrote:
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor. Sure...
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
I put 30 hours on my 250f and have hardly thought about checking valve clearance
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theycallmeebryan 10/6/2020 2:49pm
10/6/2020 2:49pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2020 2:53pm
I don't think any Alta owner has had an issue with the electric motor thus far. There is only 1 moving part in it. Both of my bikes have been rock solid. 135 hours on my MXR, 85 hours on my EXR, both perform exactly like the day i got them. Anybody i let ride mine rave about how its the best bike they've ever ridden. Community is tight nit with a lot of smart people in it. A couple owners have had minor battery issues (due to a manufacturing mishap), but they are rare and a majority of them have been fixable. These batteries should hold up just fine for at least another 4-5 years. Pushing hard at SoCal B class pace i can get a solid 20minute moto on 3/4 of a battery. On the EXR i can go do single track riding for 75-90 minutes of actual ride time no problem. Rapid charging, just like your cellphone, warms up the battery, so riding it hard immediately after recharging it can induce thermal limiting (reduced max power) on a warm day. I use a mister fan with a 5 gallon bucket to spray water on the battery casing while its charging to keep the temps down, and it helps a lot.

I get around pro/main tracks here just fine. In fact, i'm faster on my MXR than i am on my 450 because it handles so well, i make less mistakes, and its easier to go fast on.

In terms of resale, think supply and demand. There are just shy of 1000 of these bikes in existence, with nothing else that even comes close in performance. They seem to hold their value much better than gas bikes since not much can go wrong with them.

Some of the most fun you'll have on a dirtbike.


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Ramrod
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Ramrod 10/6/2020 7:39pm
10/6/2020 7:39pm
Cool to hear about some great experiences on these bikes.

Maybe guys will hit 300 hours on the bike and if it craps out it would be worth it perhaps? Bike performed great, lots of hours on it and doesn't owe you anything anymore?
Alex.434
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Alex.434 10/6/2020 7:48pm
10/6/2020 7:48pm
Have an MX and EX. Absolutely love them. So good to just hop on and rip. I have to go out and clean the carb on one of our other bikes and I love not having to do ANY of that with the Alta.
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queen of spodes 10/7/2020 6:28am
10/7/2020 6:28am
sandtrack315 wrote:
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor. Sure...
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
Battery tech hasn't improved significantly in the past 10-15 years. Repowering from ebay cells is super risky, you'd probably want to go through a LOT of testing beforehand.

Eventually the oem cells will drop off it happens with every battery sold in hybrid/electric cars. Aftermarket companies such as bumblebee just sell rebranded chinese junk cells that are good for a few years if that.

Once the market develops/adopts an easier and standardized battery cell tech, and we can get reliable and long lasting replacement cells, I'm all in.
flynryan
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flynryan 10/7/2020 8:03am
10/7/2020 8:03am
Long time lurker but had to throw in a +1 for support of the Alta and its fun factor. I'm only at 18 hours so far. Like rjw141 I bought some extra plastics, subframe, and a few other parts when Alta was liquidated. On track days I'll usually bring a 450 and switch between the bikes. Alta is on the charger while I'm on the other bike. Here's a shot from Club MX Open House last weekend.
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mikec265
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mikec265 10/7/2020 8:19am
10/7/2020 8:19am
Ramrod wrote:
Cool to hear about some great experiences on these bikes. Maybe guys will hit 300 hours on the bike and if it craps out it would...
Cool to hear about some great experiences on these bikes.

Maybe guys will hit 300 hours on the bike and if it craps out it would be worth it perhaps? Bike performed great, lots of hours on it and doesn't owe you anything anymore?
It's been reported that Josh Hill has over 400 hours on his with no maintenance beyond tires, suspension, and brakes. I'll also add that these bikes were assembled with more grease and thread lock than any brand of bike I've ever seen. I was first impressed by riding mine, then impressed again during basic maintenance seeing how well they were built. I've had 125s,250s, 250fs, 450fs and 500s over the last 23 years, and my Alta MXR is by far the best bike I've ever owned.
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JW884
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JW884 10/7/2020 7:12pm
10/7/2020 7:12pm
Another Alta owner here and I gotta agree with these guys. Only had my bike for a few months but it's absolutely great. Bought it used with about 45hrs, put on about 15hrs already of everything (moto racing, trails, backyard motos, and sandpits) and not a single issue. I bring the Alta and my 250 to the track and switch to the 250 while the Alta charges. Parts like plastics and such are available on Ebay. I bought a spare throttle, some plastics, a display guard, and I'm confident that the bike will be fine for a long time. As long as I'm still riding the bike when the payments are done, anything more is great.
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Spudnut
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Spudnut 10/7/2020 8:21pm
10/7/2020 8:21pm
mikec265 wrote:
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers. About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of...
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers.

About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of a motor failure. So far my battery is good. I will cry like a baby when it dies and can't be fixed. Bought a couple months before they shut down.
sandtrack315 wrote:
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor. Sure...
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
It’s not 2005 anymore.
Leeham
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Leeham 10/7/2020 8:33pm
10/7/2020 8:33pm
mikec265 wrote:
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers. About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of...
Altaownersforum.com has all those answers.

About 125 hours on mine. All I've done is change tires, chain and sprockets, and brake parts. Have not heard of a motor failure. So far my battery is good. I will cry like a baby when it dies and can't be fixed. Bought a couple months before they shut down.
sandtrack315 wrote:
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor. Sure...
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
kb228 wrote:
I put 30 hours on my 250f and have hardly thought about checking valve clearance
Lol same, 51 hours on my 250f and the only reason I opened up the motor was to do a top end because I was bored out of my mind with a broken arm lol. Checked valves and they were perfect
mikec265
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mikec265 10/7/2020 8:34pm
10/7/2020 8:34pm
motoarmageddon wrote:
Alta circle jerk
Judging by your most recent posts, you seem to be a very positive person. I wish the rest of us were more like you!
Xoxo and goodnight!
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sandtrack315
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sandtrack315 10/8/2020 4:09am
10/8/2020 4:09am
sandtrack315 wrote:
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor. Sure...
This is why I am excited about electric. You put 30 hours on a 250F and you should start thinking about opening up the motor.

Sure, some parts will wear down even on an electric model, but there is just less crap to break.
kb228 wrote:
I put 30 hours on my 250f and have hardly thought about checking valve clearance
Leeham wrote:
Lol same, 51 hours on my 250f and the only reason I opened up the motor was to do a top end because I was bored...
Lol same, 51 hours on my 250f and the only reason I opened up the motor was to do a top end because I was bored out of my mind with a broken arm lol. Checked valves and they were perfect
How hard are you on bikes? I know a 250F piston is probably totally fine up to 50-60 hours, but it’s still nice to not even worry about it.
Motogoof
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Motogoof 10/8/2020 5:59am
10/8/2020 5:59am
My friend had an alta A few summers ago and I rode it several times. Absolutely love the bike. Also was going to be my next purchase actually. The only drawback was recharge time between Moto’s was a little slow. It was OK for open Practice on Saturday at a track somewhere where you had all the Time in the world. But, if you were trying to squeeze in three motors on a Tuesday night after work it was a little tough. I wish someone would hurry up and come out with one.
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Leeham
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Leeham 10/8/2020 7:40am
10/8/2020 7:40am
kb228 wrote:
I put 30 hours on my 250f and have hardly thought about checking valve clearance
Leeham wrote:
Lol same, 51 hours on my 250f and the only reason I opened up the motor was to do a top end because I was bored...
Lol same, 51 hours on my 250f and the only reason I opened up the motor was to do a top end because I was bored out of my mind with a broken arm lol. Checked valves and they were perfect
sandtrack315 wrote:
How hard are you on bikes? I know a 250F piston is probably totally fine up to 50-60 hours, but it’s still nice to not even...
How hard are you on bikes? I know a 250F piston is probably totally fine up to 50-60 hours, but it’s still nice to not even worry about it.
Im fairly hard. I have to do a lot of clutch work to keep my bike from sliding out and I bang off the limiter often. 2-3 hour oil intervals keeps wear to mininum. Yes it would be nice just to have a motor that takes forever to wear out but it is what it is
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byke
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byke 10/8/2020 11:05am
10/8/2020 11:05am
gt80rider wrote:
Why can't you fix the battery?? Now, you might not be able to put in the stock/direct replacement... but... you Absolutely could put in some new...
Why can't you fix the battery?? Now, you might not be able to put in the stock/direct replacement... but... you Absolutely could put in some new, higher output cells to increase performance.... at a price much cheaper than what the stocker would have been.....
Dirty Points wrote:
Yeah no biggie, Why not just spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars meticulously testing and soldering these grey market cells (and don't forget all...
Yeah no biggie, Why not just spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars meticulously testing and soldering these grey market cells (and don't forget all those temperature sensors!) into your proprietary, undocumented battery pack on the bike whose biggest selling point is its ease-of-ownership?
You could definitely spend a hundred hours rebuilding a pack, but not thousands of dollars. If you're resourceful enough you can get a ncr18650a as low as ~50c to 60cea and I think there are ~504 of them in there? It could be only $300-$400 in parts to rebuild a pack.

I know a guy that's into old Harley's, old like turn of the century. They don't make parts for those anymore. He's in the shop sand casting parts, machining, heat treating, all that good stuff. It's just what he has to do to keep his bikes going.
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Dirty Points 10/8/2020 11:14am
10/8/2020 11:14am Edited Date/Time 10/8/2020 11:22am
byke wrote:
You could definitely spend a hundred hours rebuilding a pack, but not thousands of dollars. If you're resourceful enough you can get a ncr18650a as low...
You could definitely spend a hundred hours rebuilding a pack, but not thousands of dollars. If you're resourceful enough you can get a ncr18650a as low as ~50c to 60cea and I think there are ~504 of them in there? It could be only $300-$400 in parts to rebuild a pack.

I know a guy that's into old Harley's, old like turn of the century. They don't make parts for those anymore. He's in the shop sand casting parts, machining, heat treating, all that good stuff. It's just what he has to do to keep his bikes going.
Authentic, new NCR18650a from Panasonic or a reputable manufacturer? There's a lot of fake stuff out thee.
byke
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byke 10/8/2020 11:37am
10/8/2020 11:37am
Who's to say. I don' event know if they even have enough in stock to build one Alta pack. Point being, resourcefulness with owning...pretty much anything, when parts aren't available used to be a super old school American trait and you can choose to let all the broken things turn to garbage, or put in some effort and do something about it, but the last thing we should do is crap on people that put in the effort to keep their bikes going.
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Dirty Points 10/8/2020 12:08pm
10/8/2020 12:08pm Edited Date/Time 10/8/2020 12:32pm
byke wrote:
Who's to say. I don' event know if they even have enough in stock to build one Alta pack. Point being, resourcefulness with owning...pretty much anything...
Who's to say. I don' event know if they even have enough in stock to build one Alta pack. Point being, resourcefulness with owning...pretty much anything, when parts aren't available used to be a super old school American trait and you can choose to let all the broken things turn to garbage, or put in some effort and do something about it, but the last thing we should do is crap on people that put in the effort to keep their bikes going.
But the thing is, 50 cents is well below a third of what Ring would've paid for those batteries wholesale. The same seller retails that battery for $5 each. Just because I bought some parts at a closing dealership once, doesn't mean Yamaha pistons are 10 bucks.
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byke
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byke 10/8/2020 12:35pm
10/8/2020 12:35pm
I realize that. That's where the "resourcefulness" part comes in. Resourcefulness isn't going to a Yamaha dealer and having to choose between their price, or nothing. Resourcefulness is finding another option. You can get on CL right now and buy that super clean RM250 in Mission Viejo for $7k, or you can put in some effort and expand your search and be willing to drive and find one for half of that.
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Dirty Points 10/8/2020 12:53pm
10/8/2020 12:53pm Edited Date/Time 10/8/2020 12:54pm
byke wrote:
I realize that. That's where the "resourcefulness" part comes in. Resourcefulness isn't going to a Yamaha dealer and having to choose between their price, or nothing...
I realize that. That's where the "resourcefulness" part comes in. Resourcefulness isn't going to a Yamaha dealer and having to choose between their price, or nothing. Resourcefulness is finding another option. You can get on CL right now and buy that super clean RM250 in Mission Viejo for $7k, or you can put in some effort and expand your search and be willing to drive and find one for half of that.
Agree completely, and I was being resourceful when I bought some Yamaha parts including a $10 piston.

But saying that Yamaha pistons are 10 bucks for "resourceful people" would be disingenuous... I know damn well that is an exceptional price, that isn't representative the actual cost.
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byke
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byke 10/8/2020 1:02pm
10/8/2020 1:02pm
But I never presented it that way. I said, "if you're resourceful enough...".

I get your general point though, it just doesn't work aimed at myself, because I presented it correctly.
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