Electric bike firm Alta says its new 2018 MXR is designed to compete with a modern 350 four-stroke as it has 50bhp, and the price has now dropped to £8400 thanks to more efficient production processes. That makes it around a grand more expensive than a 350 KTM.
The new bikes comes with Performance Maps to allow riders to change the power delivery, and that a charge will be enough for a 30-minute race. The bike has 147 lb-ft of torque, and a recharge time of 1.5 hours, and weighs 117kg – that’s around 17kg more than a Husky 350 but only 9kg more than a Yamaha YZF450. Alta, the brainchild of ex-Tesla car bosses from Silicon Valley in California, is the only bike to race against factory four-strokes at pro-level events and win, but has always been very expensive.
As it’s electric, the MXR requires no air filters, oil changes, or top end rebuilds. The new bike has top-quality WP suspension, including AER front forks, Brembo brakes and Acerbis plastic.
Last year Josh Hill, proved an all-electric bike could not only compete, but beat some of the best petrol-powered bikes at the Geneva Supercross, and the year before he beat some factory 250Fs in the Red Bull Straight Rhythm. Kurt Nicoll also took the bike to an Endurocross win against conventional bikes.
The firm’s official info about the lower-sped models says:
The Redshift Reaches Price Parity
Cost has been one of the biggest barriers to adoption for the electric lightweight vehicle sector, so reaching price parity with competing gas-powered vehicles represents a major milestone for Alta and the industry alike. Alta Motors designed the Redshift to compete head to head with gas-powered vehicles, while placing a premium on performance. Now, Alta’s award-winning Redshift will be more accessible without compromising on performance.
- Redshift MX($10,495): Designed as the electric equivalent of a modern 250, the Redshift MX is just as capable as a trail and woods bike as it is a MX2/Lites class motocrosser.
- Redshift EX($12,995): An ideal ratio of motocross speed, single-track prowess, and urban capability, the Redshift EX offers drivers versatility.
- Redshift SM ($13,495): The ultimate urban commuter bike, the Redshift SM is Alta’s lightest bike with 42 horsepower and 120-ft-lbs of torque.
Over the lifetime of each Redshift vehicle, riders save thousands of dollars, because unlike gas bikes which need frequent service and consumables, the Redshift requires little to no regular maintenance other than taking a moment to adjust the chain and check tire pressure.
Capable of traveling up to 60 miles on a single charge, the Redshift can take off-road riders for 40 miles. The electric motor makes the bikes virtually silent, allowing riders to travel discreetly any hour of the day or night.
“While the costs of combustion vehicles are essentially flat to purchasing power, electric is still moving down the cost curve and is now a clear contender in terms of performance,” said Alta Motors Chief Product Officer, Marc Fenigstein. “Now that we’ve reached price parity and our vehicles outperform combustion in nearly every category, our plans are to bring electrics into the mainstream by making them more accessible to a more diverse set of riders and future motorcycle curious audiences.”
The 2018 MXR takes riding to the next level with our upgraded R5.8 Battery Pack. Alta’s new R-Pack demonstrates uncompromising commitment to super-dense battery systems for high-performance electric motorcycles. The R-Pack takes advantage of state-of-the-art cell chemistry delivering extended full-power range at cooler operating temperatures. The R-Pack sets Alta apart from the rest, delivering the most exciting motorcycle experience available off-road or in the city.
THE MOTOR
Alta’s water-cooled 14,000 RPM motor is pound for pound one of the most powerful in motorsports. It is optimized to the narrow width of the Redshift’s bulkhead and is precisely located at the roll center of the bike. This placement coupled with a very low counter-rotational mass allows for the lowest polar moment of inertia in motorcycling – drastically minimizing any gyroscopic impediment to handling. The Redshift’s motor weighs 15lbs and puts out 50 HP at the countershaft and pushes power through a 3.5:1 gear reduction to deliver 147 ft-lbs of torque from a dead stop at 0 RPM.
REDSHIFT BULKHEAD
The Redshift Bulkhead—the chassis core—functions as the outer motor casing, and the cooling circuit for the motor and inverter, as well as the transmission case for the gear reduction. Additionally, it is the main structural hub, connecting to the rear suspension, the airframe, the forged chassis, and the trellis skidframe. All of this integration is coordinated with very specific strength, weight, and stiffness goals to produce the best-handling motocrosser ever made.
Since 1973 Acerbis has been producing high-quality plastic bodywork and the company has worked with everyone from legends like Preston Petty to OEM manufacturers such as Yamaha. We’re proud to partner with them to ensure that the Redshift’s bodywork meets our world-class standards in durability, quality, fit and finish.
WP is a proven performer across every discipline of off road racing from amateur to international venues. Alta selected the WP AER suspension, which we believe to be the best air-sprung fork on the market, for the MXR for a significant weight savings and infinite tunability. The MXR also features an upgraded rear shock with improved valving and linkage dynamics, and additional weight savings from the short-body reservoir.
Brembo S.P.A. is the gold standard for high performance brake systems on motorcycles. Founded in 1961, the Italian company produces a range of products that can be found on motorcycles on the street and the trail. The Redshift MXR employs cast and machined Brembo calipers.
Warp 9 Racing is an American manufacturer of high performance motorcycle wheels. In a short amount of time Warp 9 Racing has gone from a boutique upstart to an OE supplier, offering some of the highest quality wheels on the market. We chose to work with Warp 9 Racing because their wheels are produced here in the US, and their exacting demands for quality and performance match our own.
With more than a century of innovation and racing heritage, Dunlop is the go-to for performance off-road motorcycle tires.
FRAME
Forged & Welded Aluminum
SWINGARM
Permanent Mold Aircraft Aluminum
WET WEIGHT
259 lbs
WHEELBASE
58.56″
SEAT HEIGHT
37.5″
RAKE
27°
ADJUSTABLE OFFSET
18/22mm
DRIVETRAIN
MOTOR
High Speed PMAC
TORQUE*
147 ft-lbs
POWER*
50 HP
TRANSMISSION
1 Speed
GEAR RATIO
3.53 : 1
MAJOR MAINTENANCE CYCLE
1000 Hours
SPROCKETS
12F / 53R
BATTERY
TYPE
Waterproof Li-Ion 350v
CAPACITY
5.8kWh
CHARGER
2.7kW or 3.3kW Offboard
RECHARGE TIME**
1.5 hrs(240v)
ELECTRONICS
Alta-Digital, 4 Maps
COMPONENTS
FRONT FORK
WP AER
Fully Adjustable
REAR SHOCK
WP 2018 Alta Spec
FRONT BRAKE
Brembo Two Piston
260mm Rotor
REAR BRAKE
Brembo Single Piston
240mm Rotor
WHEELS
Warp 9 Elite
21″F / 19″R
TIRES
Dunlop
Geomax MX3S
About Alta Motors
Alta Motors is a global leader in lightweight electric vehicles with a proprietary mobility platform that offers new levels of power density and economics. It leads the industry with a complete portfolio of battery and drivetrain components, an existing fleet of lightweight vehicles manufactured at its world-class Brisbane facility and a full customer backlog. Alta’s award-winning Redshift platform is now available to riders at 44 U.S. dealerships across 19 states. Please visit us at: www.altamotors.co