My 2017 Alta Redshift - Long Haul Update...

Hit the rim edges with a magnum sharpie. Makes it look much better

An Alta will most likely be my next bike, once I sell my ‘16 450 in a year or two.

Cool and all but still Fugly!

Looks sharp!

yz133rider wrote:

Hit the rim edges with a magnum sharpie. Makes it look much better

Good idea! Black rims look great ... on the showroom floor. And then after a little while they show every nick and scratch from roost or tire irons, and rim clean marks.

No clutch? How do you turn the power off?

Yea but it doesnt go vroom vroom

Thats gonna be a no from me, dawg

Acidreamer wrote:

No clutch? How do you turn the power off?

I wonder how it would be if it had a clutch system on it so you could feather the power or fan it like a 125 to get it into the "powerband"......

I am aware that an electric motor does not have a powerband......just wondering about the fun factor and possibly making it funner......Imagine giving it half throttle to spool the motor up.......then dumping the "clutch" ?????

rmoto003 wrote:

Yea but it doesnt go vroom vroom

Thats gonna be a no from me, dawg

Oh, you must have missed the memo...

She looks sweet Ben, thanks for the report.

The look is certainly different, it's that way when things are new no one likes them because it is a change from the norm. As time goes by the other stuff looks old and the new looks proper. I'm in the auto business and I see it year after year with new models, especially truck styling rejection, right now people are hating on the new Ford's, because they are the newest.

How has the spring change felt for you?

I love the idea of riding more frequently, don't we all. I notice you haven't been posting as much, when the rest of us are on the interweb at the end of a day you are riding without having to load up the truck and drive. Priceless.

Love it. And that you are riding the heck out of yours. Wish I had 15K in mad money. I'd like to have one also.

Hey Ben, thanks for these updates. I check vital for these as much as anything else. Nothing like practicing out of your own garage! Showed my neighbors this bike and I got the ok for a track! I got great neighbors and won't ride here as I don't need to wreck their life with the noise of my braap mobile. Now it's sell some stuff and I will be good. Probably next spring. Keep the update s coming. Cheers, greatly appreciated.

Torn on them. Cheaper and the pendulum swings to for.

I got cheaper, lighter, longer lasting. doesn't need more power. Then I'm in too. Oh, and along with the lighter thing, better handling. Rear brake on a left hand lever too.

i think aesthetically the bikes are on point.

it'll probably be my next bike…hoping for a slight decrease in price & increase in battery duration.

I wish someone in Ohio had one. I really have the itch.

abomination wrote:

i think aesthetically the bikes are on point.

it'll probably be my next bike…hoping for a slight decrease in price & increase in battery duration.

Aesthetically pleasing huh?

.....Says the guy with the username abomination ha ha

Sure would like to throw a leg over one myself.

The thing is, the sport doesn't 'need' another more expensive option. The sound part, or lack there of, could help with gaining land access and keeping grumpy neighbors quiet. But it keeps coming down to dollars in my eyes. If this thing was sub 5k could you imagine how many they'd sell?! It would be a revolution similar to the bike boom in the 70's.

I'd buy one tomorrow if it were under 10K.

I'm in the suburbs of Atlanta. Our riding spots have basically vanished in the last 10 years. Thank God for Highland Park Resort still existing.

I have several areas that I could ride, within a reasonable distance, on an electric bike.

cool for local quiet riding. it will never replace an engine for me. all electric racing........zzzzzzzz

hellion wrote:

The thing is, the sport doesn't 'need' another more expensive option. The sound part, or lack there of, could help with gaining land access and keeping grumpy neighbors quiet. But it keeps coming down to dollars in my eyes. If this thing was sub 5k could you imagine how many they'd sell?! It would be a revolution similar to the bike boom in the 70's.

Economies of scale with new groundbreaking technology, follows a retail pattern. At the beginning of the cycle, the early adopters pay a premium that companies need to re-coup their start up costs. As demand ramps up, more units are produced and prices go down. Like flatscreens, microwaves, DVD players, etc.

The motor definitely has a sound to it. It's not completely silent. Kinda like a hopped up Pole Position go-kart sound.

I had the chance to test one out at milestone for the first time. The bike is such a blast to ride and I'd easily be competitive on it with some tweaks. I had two complaints. First, the suspension on the test bike I rode was crap. The 4cs forks are garbage, and the shock was just ok. If they go with the AER 48 the bike will be much better. Second, there was a lot of "play" in the throttle on all 3 of the demo bikes I rode. One time I laid the bike over in a turn because I was expecting that instant reaction of power from a minute twist of my hand (that instant reaction you get from a cable throttle that's properly adjusted) , but there was an excess amount of play, just like a very loosely adjusted cable throttle on our gas bikes.

The power is amazing. The bike just pulls and pulls and pulls, the kind of power that puts a smile on your face. Map 2 is enough for most riders put there. Map 4 is just ludicrous, tire spinning power that probably wouldn't be necessary. I don't see why you would want to mimic the torque curve of a gas bike because the best thing about an electric motor is that instant, smooth power. There is a literal linear connection between throttle % and power output with the electric motor.

Here's a clip during one of my sillier sessions: https://www.instagram.com/p/BY3eA4jgk2t/

What sort of top speed can you get out of these with gearing/sprocket changes?

So do you have to do anything to maintain these? or do you just hop on and go?
Does the engine require any new parts over time or is it fairly maintenance free?

hellion wrote:

The thing is, the sport doesn't 'need' another more expensive option. The sound part, or lack there of, could help with gaining land access and keeping grumpy neighbors quiet. But it keeps coming down to dollars in my eyes. If this thing was sub 5k could you imagine how many they'd sell?! It would be a revolution similar to the bike boom in the 70's.

kzizok wrote:

Economies of scale with new groundbreaking technology, follows a retail pattern. At the beginning of the cycle, the early adopters pay a premium that companies need to re-coup their start up costs. As demand ramps up, more units are produced and prices go down. Like flatscreens, microwaves, DVD players, etc.

I'm aware of this too. I just hope this follows the electronics model where prices drop drastically. More likely though, it'll be just like the four strokes, where the consumer needs to pay dearly for the latest technology.

Has anyone used one in sand? Most of the videos I see are on harder dirt. I've only seen one of these bikes in Florida so far but it was at a harder base track and the guy only did a few laps and left so I didn't get to talk to him. I really want to get one of these!

The first thing I would do with that bike, is put a 09-17 RMZ front fender on it. Would look a million times better.

To answer a few questions:

There is no clutch or gears.

There is a kill button on the right side of the handlebars, and a key on the left hand side of the bike. The display flashes when the throttle is live when you are stopped or going less than 3 mph, to, well, let you know it is live.

This thing is a blast to ride, and as I have said before, I can ride it right out of my workshop and on the track in the woods behind my house, at any time of the day, because no one can hear me. I have raced it in several races and it is very competitive. I have ridden more in the last 3 months I have owned this bike than at any other time in my life, except for maybe when I was about 9 years old and my parents gave me a 1974 Honda XR75 for Christmas - I rode the wheels off of that bike!

Spring change? I put heavier springs on it, both front and rear, and it works way better for me, a 220 pound 51 year old B rider. I can charge harder now with more confidence. With the stock suspension, it seemed good at some tracks, while at others it held me back some. I still don't "send it" on some jumps, but that is more the self-preservation side of me, not the bike.

Top speed? I don't know, but way fast enough for any motocross or GP race I have done. The display does show you MPH, but when I get going fast I don't feel comfortable looking down to see how fast I am going. Maybe this week I will do a speed run on smooth pavement for my own curiosity.

Maintenance? None, beyond the normal consumables, such a tires and grips because I tip over occasionally. Once the riding season ends here, I will replace the chain and sprockets, and put on new brake pads, and grease some stuff, but besides that, there is no real maintenance. I have read that there is a small amount of oil in the gearbox that you need to replace after 500 hours, and that the battery is good for 1000 charges. Based upon this, and how much I ride the bike, I might have to replace the oil in 7-8 years, and the battery in 10 years! :-)