Testing the Alta Redshift
Sprinter Van’s make a great MotoVan. The best MotoVan perhaps. An ever better one is one that’s full of some cool motorcycles. It’s a new year and we had the privilege to not only go and meet up with some friends for a new year moto-ride. But we did it on some amazing machinery. So we filled up the sprinter with some Alta Redshift test bikes from the factory and went to hit the trails.
We’ve worked with a machine shop that was prototyping and testing some ideas on a motorcycle years ago. Fast forward 5 or 6 years later and it’s become a full fledged motorcycle company. Not only that, but they make some mid-blowing motorcycles. MX bikes that have changed some ways an MX bike is identified.
We unloaded our bikes… yes, we had more than one. We unloaded 3 Alta Redshifts at the the Metcalf Motorcycle County Park near Morgan Hill, CA.
We unloaded 3 identical bikes off the back of the Sprinter Van and immediately things felt different yet the same.
Charged?
Yes, we packed up a generator. 😂 The one downfall of the concept of an Electric Motorcycle is that it’s limited on range and access to electricity. So thus, we ironically bring a gasoline powered generator.
The general geometry felt very much like a 2 stroke KTM. The handle bar height. The suspension is found in the same places. the wheels are the same size. Cool… Lets Ride!
There’s more to the Alta Redshift then just it being a motorcycle. It’s a fly-by-wire, race ready electric motorcycle. The power delivery is similar to that of a 250 2 stroke. But wow is it a mind blow experience.
One of the cool things is that there was push button toggle that allowed you to flip between power maps and even how much power you had on tap.
There are really three takeaways.
It feels light and nimble. A very capable motorcycle. As an electric bike we were worried about the weight of the batteries. with the weight all down low where the sump would be found on a typical motorcycle, The Alta felt much lighter somehow. It was very tight and flickable (if that makes sense). It made it a pleasure to ride and even more fun to handle through technical single track.
Range is an issue. If you’re planning on doing some adventure riding or taking on those long trails through Death Valley, think again. This bike will not get you there. BUT, that being said. We rode the bikes quite hard for about 2 solid hours. In all the terrain you can imagine. Fast sweeping fire roads, technical single track, and on the MX track. We still had more than half a charge left when we were done. That’s pretty impressive
No gears. This was the craziest part of the deprogramming we had to do on our own brains. As you twist the throttle, the bike just pulls in a linear way. With no engine noise you hear the whir of the electric motor. and you hear the things you normally wouldn’t. You hear the chain move. You hear the tires deform and grip. Your senses you relied on to tell you the health and prime power band of the engine has been replaces with other inputs. And this is where it really feels different.
We loaded up the bikes at the end of the day, thinking about the time we had on out there on the trails, even if it was for only a morning session. The way we now thought about what a motorcycle could be.
Alta is the future.
And we highly recommend going out buying one.
