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Many thanks for the QNA, has made for a very interesting read so far.
I have been thinking recently about the rise of electric vehicle technology and what it might do to the moto industry... Do you see electric bikes eventually drowning out the motorcycle market in many years to come or do you think that there will always be a large group of hardcore guys who love the sound, smell and thrill of the internal combustion engine?
In simple terms do you think that in 20 years say, a SX main event will be all electric guys or do you see the electric bikes coming into the scene as a separate class with a separate following similar to Formula E and formula 1?
It is easy to see that at this stage the technology surrounding electric vehicles is moving forward much faster than that of the internal combustion engine so at some point it has to overtake?...
Many thanks
Are there any changes forecasted in the fork department? I believe you are running the 4CS forks, and they have gotten quite a bad rap with racers. Any chance of you guys updating to the newer AER models or another brand? Thanks.
The Shop
No problems getting a green sticker in CA.
The 2018 SM and EX are street legal and eligible for the CA tax breaks of $900-$1000.
The transition to electric will happen in any category where electric has an advantage. So in off road it's top down (Alta) and bottom up (KTM 50). The little bikes are attractive for some of the same reasons the Redshift is selling, very low maintenance and easier to ride.
Best,
Derek
We are currently running all the bikes down the same manufacturing line, it's a traditional Toyota inspired manufacturing line with humans doing assembly. We build the electronics and batteries on a separate line that relies more on automation. Quality systems rely heavily on automotive methodologies and start at design and are focused on supplier quality and our own manufacturing quality. We do in line quality checks for critical to quality steps and collect data for all our in-house manufacturing. TAKT time would not impress you currently (think many minutes) but our systems are solid and we are constantly refining processes and doing our best to add capacity to match demand.
Best,
Derek
We listened to the criticism of the 4CS and made the change to the WP AER48 for the 2018 Alta Redhift MXR, we also went with a much firmer stock setting. The base model 2018 Alta Redshift MX ($10495) still comes with the 4CS.
Please sign up for a demo on the website and try the MXR with the AER48, the 25% more power and better suspension are a huge improvement.
Best,
Derek
Hopefully there are no drownings! We live in a world where climate change is deemed a big risk and legislators are acting on this, as examples, it will be illegal to sell new combustion engines in the Netherlands starting in 2025, in Germany in 2030, and in California in 2040. The motorcycle market is global and manufacturers need markets that are large enough to justify the investments in new things so they end up making models that can be sold in multiple places so these changes will accelerate a switch. In that not so far off future I believe that there will be more electric bikes, that is one reason I co-founded Alta, but as a guy who is committed to making really great electric bikes, ones that are potentially better than their gas counterpoints, that's one way to make sure this sport we love survives.
We want to be in a SX main event next year because we beat the competition in the heat!. If we can't get that we might need to settle for racing other electrics in the same venues and maybe over time, just like is starting to happen in Formula E , the sponsors, riders, and teams migrate. I'd prefer to have electric just be another option and not classified as another thing, after all we are all just trying to find the best way to get around a track or trail.
One technology overtaking another is literally the history of civilization.
Best,
Derek
Great customer service, as my closest dealer at the time was in Alabama. That said, I cant help but feel Alta has dumped on their early believers. I knew going into this technology would improve and it would only get better, but I certainly didn't expect a $4,500 drop in msrp 5 months later for the same product. Do you know how hard it is for me to talk your product up to other racers that are well aware of this price reduction?
As it stands right now, I cant get a day of play riding out of it charging at 220V, so I'm forced to bring my ICE bike and deal with it, or step up and buy your quick charger for $800 more dollars on a bike Ive lost roughly 6K on in 5 months. Very disappointing. I'm not one to ask for handouts, but I firmly believe you owe all 2017 model buyers a discounted rate on that charger at a minimum.
Every year like clockwork I get a call from a certain auto manufacturer asking me if I want to upgrade to the new year model. I would like to think that the original Alta buyers (as opposed to people that were given free bikes) would be looked upon in a similar light. If not now it's certainly not going to happen after Alta grows larger and more bureaucratic. In the big scheme of things it's all good anyway.
First of all thank you for being an early customer of Alta and I'm happy to hear that your are satisfied with the customer service experience and apologies that there was an issue in the first place. We are committed to making sure that you have a great experience with Alta and I would like you to send a message to info@altamotors.co about your concerns. I'll follow up with and make sure you are satisfied.
Best,
Derek
I can think of nothing better than the early Alta customers all riding around on the latest and greatest that would be a testament to what we are trying to do for sure. I'll pass your idea on about the MXRs and I suggest you also sent in a note about it to info@altamotors.co.
Thanks again for your support.
Best,
Derek
I'm one of those people that can't stand aluminum frames, they don't offer the same feedback as a steel frame does and most of them make me feel very uncomfortable on the track. Kinda like riding with arm pump.
I test rode an Alta and was very impressed with the frame. Didn't have the dead feeling I get from most. However I can't help but imagine y'all would've made it even better with steel. Was there any reasons for aluminum other than cost and ease of casting/machining? Have y'all tried a steel frame with the electric drivetrain? Is there any plans for steel frames in the future?
Whats the primary goal with the future models? Lower weight, more power and so forth.
Thank you!
I hear you and for sure there are big differences in the flex characteristics of Aluminum vs. Steel MX frames. Finding the right solution to what is a complex multi variable problem was not easy and we did a lot of competitive research on both steel and aluminum chassis in the development of the Redshift before going down the path we did. Our chassis is functionally similar to a other MX frames out there in that it has ergos, flex characteristics, and geometry that riders feel immediately comfortable on but how we achieved that is novel.We had a few brand new problems to solve, led by accommodating the largest battery pack ever put into a production off-road motorcycle, creating a cooling loop for the motor and inverter that sinks heat into the chassis, and using a stressed casting as the main frame element. Inspired by the words of the late motorcycle designer John Britten "every part needs to do at least two jobs", we took this to heart, especially in our cast frame structure that we call the "rear bulkhead" it's the outer water jacket of the motor and inverter, the gear box housing, the central structure of the frame with swing arm, front frame section, rear subframe, and battery all connecting to it. This tight integration was done while maintaining the desired CG and having material and form that carries the immense loads generated during MX all while driving the lowest system mass.
Glad to hear you like the result, we tried to pull in desirable elements into the design from both the aluminum and steel strategy camps. Certainly building something that could be serially produced was important from the beginning.
Best,
Derek
It is/was a daunting task to build a new MX bike from scratch and coming up with a successful methodology to understand what is working and why and then incorporate that into our design was a big task. In answer to your question "did we get help" I'd say yes but it mostly came from the deep base of knowledge that exists here on refining race bikes and the fixing problems that the OEMs create . Since we have a large concentration of very high levels of racing in the US we also have a lot of really knowledgeable and skilled individuals who know what works and why. The deep product development skills and knowledge are still mainly in Japan and Europe but we are doing our best to attract some of that talent to our team, consult with experts when we can, and to develop the deep understanding of structures and vehicle dynamics that it takes to build great motorcycles. An ongoing example of these efforts has been Dave Arnold's (former Honda team manager) involvement with our chassis and suspension refinement for SX racing, Dave has been a big part of the development of the modern MX bike and his insights, intuition, and experience really help us to get to results faster. Are we done with development and refinement? never but the approach to date and the results are getting very good reviews. At the recent product launch of the MXR I heard more than once that we had probably build the best handling motorcycle ever made.
Best,
Derek
Curious what (if any) procedures off-road racing organizations are using for dead engine starts and Alta's.
Ted
Pit Row
First off, well done and a credit to you all at Alta.
The product you offer is obviously state of the art and continuing development costs must be extreme,
Where does the finance come from to allow Alta to continue and push towards the future, assuming that you in no way sell enough bikes to fund the entire project,
Lottery, drugs or fantastic investors other than yourselves?
This has not been a problem to date, you still need to push a start button , like hitting the starter on some bikes.
Best,
Derek
I confirm that we are making large investments into development and R&D, this is an indication of both how much we believe in the space and how much we think electric will be a growing part of it, we are really fortunate to have found a group of individual and institutional investors that share the same vision.
Best,
Derek
I've enjoyed every minute of it, there has been a lot of thoughtful questions and a great discourse. Thanks for the opportunity and keep up the great work you do at VitalMX.
Best,
Derek
Thanks for coming on here and doing the QNA.
Chris
Post a reply to: Forum QNA: Derek Dorresteyn - Alta Motors