Bad news on Alta

Moto96
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Moto96 10/22/2018 10:00am
10/22/2018 10:00am
Curious, how does it compare to the 450 class Russian Electro bike?
ga_pike
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ga_pike 10/22/2018 10:47am
10/22/2018 10:47am
CASH476 wrote:
Yep and no clutch, so off the line it produces very little horsepower until the motor gets some revs up. As we all know horsepower is...
Yep and no clutch, so off the line it produces very little horsepower until the motor gets some revs up. As we all know horsepower is the measure of work being done.
So, would a trans brake work for an electric bike? Basically have it in the same spot as the clutch lever would be and dump and immediate response.
Squirrelings 10/22/2018 11:07am
10/22/2018 11:07am
Bry145 wrote:
We will have electric dirt bikes from Japan shortly, correct? If so, Alta may disappear but the concept will live on. I think the idea of...
We will have electric dirt bikes from Japan shortly, correct?

If so, Alta may disappear but the concept will live on.

I think the idea of urban/suburban motocross on a safe/basic track could be a lot of fun and a good way to get more people involved. When I lived in Vegas we had KLX110 supermoto races in a parking lot in a suburban park. What a hoot!

Not everyone has the time or spending money to drive and hour to and from NIMBYland to get a moto fix. I have mountain bike trails 5 minutes from my suburban home. I only see my YZ250 when I go to the garage to grab my Kona 134. It costs virtually nothing to ride the MTB. A day of moto is easily $50, and of course one has to earn $80 to spend that $50.

Here’s the thing though. Riding a mountain bike isn’t riding a dirt bike. I ride the mtb during the week and still get out once or twice a week on the 450 and my closest tracks are about 45 minutes away. That’s just how it is these days and it’s not going to get better with electric bikes.
BBTwin831
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BBTwin831 10/22/2018 1:46pm
10/22/2018 1:46pm
chase4372 wrote:
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel...
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel that the electric technology is not in their (Petrol Power) best interest. I would not be surprised at all if we see Polaris ind. (AKA Victory Motorcycles) acquire Alta. Victory was already several years into development of their own electric street bikes, which were race and televised at the Isle of Man race, at least one year I know they made a big deal of it. Not to mention Polaris has a bit of a reputation of acquiring other brand ( Indian ) motorcycles I am quite sure is owned by Polaris, and their a company that has grown massively in the past 10 years or so. ( I happen to live in Wyoming, MN which is where they have their R&D facilities, they actually purchased the 600+ acres that it sits on from my old employer, we used to use the land as our wastewater treatment facility. Anyway, I anticipate plenty of you saying “ Polaris doesn’t make dirt bikes” and things of that nature, but they didn’t make UTV’s or motorcycles either, and now they have two major motorcycle brands, and are a leader in the UTV and ATV and snowmobile industries.
Victory is done. Polaris shut the brand down after they purchased Indian.

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Tarz483
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Tarz483 10/22/2018 2:45pm
10/22/2018 2:45pm Edited Date/Time 10/22/2018 2:46pm
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion
But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other
I want to see 450f vs other 450f
250f vs others on 250f
125 two stroke against other 125 two stroke .
And same for electric, I would only want to see others on electric, the point of a race to me is to put 2 or more people on similar equipment and then race to see who is the better rider or who is the better rider that day , am I the only one that thinks this way ?
Btw to clarify I'm not talking bad about any bikes
And I would like there to be electric personally
I just think they should have there own class
And then they will get out of the gate the same way.
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loftyair
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loftyair 10/22/2018 2:57pm
10/22/2018 2:57pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other I...
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion
But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other
I want to see 450f vs other 450f
250f vs others on 250f
125 two stroke against other 125 two stroke .
And same for electric, I would only want to see others on electric, the point of a race to me is to put 2 or more people on similar equipment and then race to see who is the better rider or who is the better rider that day , am I the only one that thinks this way ?
Btw to clarify I'm not talking bad about any bikes
And I would like there to be electric personally
I just think they should have there own class
And then they will get out of the gate the same way.
I think the support class(es) should be like that. But, the premier class should be run what ya brung. 650, 375, 225, 2.5kW, nuclear, whatever.
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Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 10/22/2018 3:06pm
10/22/2018 3:06pm Edited Date/Time 10/22/2018 3:12pm
This sport is already a niche inside of a niche with races that start at sun up and beyond sundown under the lights with 30+ classes. Adding more classes gets a no vote from me. I just want to see who is fastest, and there can only be 1 on a given day. Everybody else should get to enjoy close racing and full gates.

I sure am looking forward to something good coming of this, I know there are some private investors talking, but would love to see Polaris, Torrot, the KTM group and others get involved talking money about a great opportunity and keep this ball moving forward. I imagine Marc's phone is busy this week.

There are a lot of good people hurt by this, from design, manufacturing and marketing and dealers. I wish them the best and hope for a quick resolution.
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Tarz483
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Tarz483 10/22/2018 3:07pm
10/22/2018 3:07pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other I...
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion
But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other
I want to see 450f vs other 450f
250f vs others on 250f
125 two stroke against other 125 two stroke .
And same for electric, I would only want to see others on electric, the point of a race to me is to put 2 or more people on similar equipment and then race to see who is the better rider or who is the better rider that day , am I the only one that thinks this way ?
Btw to clarify I'm not talking bad about any bikes
And I would like there to be electric personally
I just think they should have there own class
And then they will get out of the gate the same way.
loftyair wrote:
I think the support class(es) should be like that. But, the premier class should be run what ya brung. 650, 375, 225, 2.5kW, nuclear, whatever.
Problem I see with that is one will always be better and everyone will end up on it anyway.
zehn
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zehn 10/22/2018 3:20pm
10/22/2018 3:20pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Problem I see with that is one will always be better and everyone will end up on it anyway.
Hence the death of the 500 2T and the emergence of the 250 (now 450) class as the premier class.
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Fog 25
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Fog 25 10/22/2018 3:25pm
10/22/2018 3:25pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other I...
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion
But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other
I want to see 450f vs other 450f
250f vs others on 250f
125 two stroke against other 125 two stroke .
And same for electric, I would only want to see others on electric, the point of a race to me is to put 2 or more people on similar equipment and then race to see who is the better rider or who is the better rider that day , am I the only one that thinks this way ?
Btw to clarify I'm not talking bad about any bikes
And I would like there to be electric personally
I just think they should have there own class
And then they will get out of the gate the same way.
So do you want individual races for each brand of motorcycle?
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loftyair
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loftyair 10/22/2018 3:53pm
10/22/2018 3:53pm Edited Date/Time 10/22/2018 3:54pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Problem I see with that is one will always be better and everyone will end up on it anyway.
I know it could end up that way, but, take Joel Smets, against a Zach bell. For arguements sake, lets say they are pretty equally fast. Put them both on a 750, then a 100cc, its easy to see who's advantaged. that's where it differs. Also, bambam vs. Pourcel, smooth power vs. explosive, again, 1 gets the advantage.
Sir Roostsalot 10/22/2018 3:55pm
10/22/2018 3:55pm
chase4372 wrote:
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel...
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel that the electric technology is not in their (Petrol Power) best interest. I would not be surprised at all if we see Polaris ind. (AKA Victory Motorcycles) acquire Alta. Victory was already several years into development of their own electric street bikes, which were race and televised at the Isle of Man race, at least one year I know they made a big deal of it. Not to mention Polaris has a bit of a reputation of acquiring other brand ( Indian ) motorcycles I am quite sure is owned by Polaris, and their a company that has grown massively in the past 10 years or so. ( I happen to live in Wyoming, MN which is where they have their R&D facilities, they actually purchased the 600+ acres that it sits on from my old employer, we used to use the land as our wastewater treatment facility. Anyway, I anticipate plenty of you saying “ Polaris doesn’t make dirt bikes” and things of that nature, but they didn’t make UTV’s or motorcycles either, and now they have two major motorcycle brands, and are a leader in the UTV and ATV and snowmobile industries.
This
Sir Roostsalot 10/22/2018 4:05pm
10/22/2018 4:05pm
chase4372 wrote:
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel...
This is the sad reality of business, especially when the business you’re building is relying on funding from Harley Davidson, who at any point could feel that the electric technology is not in their (Petrol Power) best interest. I would not be surprised at all if we see Polaris ind. (AKA Victory Motorcycles) acquire Alta. Victory was already several years into development of their own electric street bikes, which were race and televised at the Isle of Man race, at least one year I know they made a big deal of it. Not to mention Polaris has a bit of a reputation of acquiring other brand ( Indian ) motorcycles I am quite sure is owned by Polaris, and their a company that has grown massively in the past 10 years or so. ( I happen to live in Wyoming, MN which is where they have their R&D facilities, they actually purchased the 600+ acres that it sits on from my old employer, we used to use the land as our wastewater treatment facility. Anyway, I anticipate plenty of you saying “ Polaris doesn’t make dirt bikes” and things of that nature, but they didn’t make UTV’s or motorcycles either, and now they have two major motorcycle brands, and are a leader in the UTV and ATV and snowmobile industries.
If Polaris is financially stable, and they might be, then they are breaking every rule in book. When they diched watercraft 15 years ago rumor was that it cost them 13 million $. When they ditched Victory God only knows what it cost them. But there current (?) CEO was voted CEO of the year in America a few years ago. Sounds fishy but then again Wtf do I know.Dry
Crossup
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Crossup 10/22/2018 6:37pm
10/22/2018 6:37pm
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.
The cost of building an engine and a chassis is astronomical and hard to amortize in such a short time. See Cannondale.
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newmann
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newmann 10/22/2018 6:59pm
10/22/2018 6:59pm
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.
Crossup wrote:
The cost of building an engine and a chassis is astronomical and hard to amortize in such a short time. See Cannondale.
Cannondale kept trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just improving upon it. I watched that website of theirs for damn near two years waiting for the release of that bike. I wanted it to be a success so that a 250cc version would soon follow. Damn shame it ended up being an overweight, underpowered and ill handling pig coming from Cannondale. They had some neat ideas and over time could have successfully integrated them into the bike. But all of them at once on a brand new venture? Too much, too soon.
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Tarz483
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Tarz483 10/22/2018 8:40pm
10/22/2018 8:40pm
Tarz483 wrote:
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other I...
Im wondering if I'm alone on this opinion
But I have no interest in Seeing Different types or sizes of bikes race against each other
I want to see 450f vs other 450f
250f vs others on 250f
125 two stroke against other 125 two stroke .
And same for electric, I would only want to see others on electric, the point of a race to me is to put 2 or more people on similar equipment and then race to see who is the better rider or who is the better rider that day , am I the only one that thinks this way ?
Btw to clarify I'm not talking bad about any bikes
And I would like there to be electric personally
I just think they should have there own class
And then they will get out of the gate the same way.
Fog 25 wrote:
So do you want individual races for each brand of motorcycle?
No just same 250 two strokes vs 250 two strokes
125 two stroke vs 125 two stroke
450 vs 450. 250f vs 250f , and electric vs electric
Brand is Fine imo
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1
mikec265
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mikec265 10/22/2018 8:58pm
10/22/2018 8:58pm
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.
Crossup wrote:
The cost of building an engine and a chassis is astronomical and hard to amortize in such a short time. See Cannondale.
newmann wrote:
Cannondale kept trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just improving upon it. I watched that website of theirs for damn near two years waiting for...
Cannondale kept trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just improving upon it. I watched that website of theirs for damn near two years waiting for the release of that bike. I wanted it to be a success so that a 250cc version would soon follow. Damn shame it ended up being an overweight, underpowered and ill handling pig coming from Cannondale. They had some neat ideas and over time could have successfully integrated them into the bike. But all of them at once on a brand new venture? Too much, too soon.
The Cannondale was overpriced and it sucked. I didn't want more than 1 lap on the one I tried out.
The Alta is awesome and kept me wanting more.
Oh and that Doug Henry guy I saw last weekend was talking the Altas up like we may see him on one. The bike is too good to disappear like the Cannondale.
CASH476
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CASH476 10/22/2018 9:34pm
10/22/2018 9:34pm
Derpin' DJ wrote:
Dunno, you're both kinda wrong. 1) It doesn't have max power at 0 rpm, it has max torque. 2) Yes, power is the measure of the...
Dunno, you're both kinda wrong.
1) It doesn't have max power at 0 rpm, it has max torque.
2) Yes, power is the measure of the work being done, but not what is being transferred to the ground. You're really after the driving force, which is torque. Building up revs with the clutch is just getting the ICE into the torquey part of the curve, and is only transferring part of that power to the ground, either due to clutch slipping or wheel slipping. You could achieve the same thing on the Alta if you get the rear wheel spinning, but you'll only ever be able to get down the max torque the bike can produce
You're getting your wires cross DJ (pun intended). As soon as anything starts moving, what you are seeing or feeling is glorious power. Years of idiot motoring journalists feeding us with bullshit and have muddied the waters and have everyone talking about torque Wink

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scott_nz
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scott_nz 10/22/2018 10:28pm
10/22/2018 10:28pm
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.
Crossup wrote:
The cost of building an engine and a chassis is astronomical and hard to amortize in such a short time. See Cannondale.
The cost of building a company able to mass produce is also massive and the bigger the company the bigger the bill , look at Tesla for how much cash it is eating and they are selling a lot of vehicles
F150Motocrosser 10/23/2018 6:30am
10/23/2018 6:30am
I'm planning on attending this upcoming demo day and thought for sure Alta was off the table now. However one of my buddies attended this "demo day" tour in Ohio over the weekend, and they were still demoing Alta. I just called Carolina KTM and the guy sounded kinda clueless about it, but did say the shop has their own demo bike.. so we'll see. Who knows what could change between now and November 11th..


byke
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byke 10/23/2018 9:51am
10/23/2018 9:51am
MrKnowNothing wrote:
Their gay, the end
motomike137 wrote:
^pure undistilled .Vital commenting at its best
Hahaha, Vital's version of the "get a brain morans" meme.
1
yamaharider471 10/23/2018 10:49am
10/23/2018 10:49am
If someone would have just given that one dude Harley Davidsons CEO contact info we wouldn’t be in this mess
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Tarz483
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Tarz483 10/24/2018 8:39am
10/24/2018 8:39am
yamaharider471 wrote:
If someone would have just given that one dude Harley Davidsons CEO contact info we wouldn’t be in this mess
Where can i find that thread ?
I must have missed it, sounds like a good one.
BobPA
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BobPA 10/24/2018 9:27am
10/24/2018 9:27am
We wanted to become an Alta dealer. Got the run around for months. Then we were told the market in our current area was not large enough to warrant a dealership...How the fuck would they know what we could sell? Then it all comes full circle when they went belly up. Turns out, THEY did not have enough market share to stay a float...
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