Live StreamInterview with Alta Motors Co-Founder Marc Fenigstein TODAY


F451

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Also, nit picking here, but people need to stop saying the Sur Ron Lite Bee won a race. It did not win a race. The guy won his class in a race, he was not the overall winner, not even close. When you win your class but did not win the overall, you do not declare yourself the winner of the race. And nothing against Sur Ron Lite Bee's, I think they are great. If people want to tout Sur Ron Lite Bees I suggest they reference "The Chronic Sur Ron Couple" on youtube, they are killing it on their Sur Rons:

 

Bionicman

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minus KTM I'm still amazed there are no Alta alternatives are commercially available - as electric motorcycles will never replace the dino variant but in certain applications they are superior
 

F451

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minus KTM I'm still amazed there are no Alta alternatives are commercially available - as electric motorcycles will never replace the dino variant but in certain applications they are superior

The Freeride isn't really a competitor to the Alta, yet. Its based on the 80 cc bikes frame/suspension. The charging is also limited to 240v, no fast charger available, etc.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for an Alta comparable dirt bike to be released, but I'm not seeing anything indicating it will happen any time soon, just a bunch of speculation and not comparable products out there.
 

Rashid510

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I found the interview sort of interesting, but as mentioned they missed all the interesting stuff like:

1. What happened with Harley Davidson specifically/why did Alta go under?
2. Does he knows if BRP is ever going to do anything with the Alta technology or are they planning on just keeping it buried?

3. Does he know if any of the majors are going to produce an Alta comparable dirt bike anytime soon, and if not, why not? Thats a big question.


1. A few factors relating to not seeing eye to eye.
2. There was a BRP showcase last year https://electrek.co/2019/09/11/brp-electric-motorcycle-electric-go-kart/

3. The industry has gotten quiet due to COVID. Even Zero hasnt been manufacturing bikes. HD even pushed back its launches of its EV mobility products.
 

Bionicman

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you'd think AltA & HD would have had expectations hashed out prior to joint agreement :unsure::rolleyes:
 

VINSANITY

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I wouldn’t have an MX bike without the Alta - the time involved with cleaning air filters, case oil, doing top ends is just not something I’m willing to do at my age / plus the ability to ride at any time of day / plus the street legal EXR /

I ride the Alta pretty much daily versus waiting for a weekend to trailer it some where / I know many X motocrossers from the 80’s and they really aren’t listening when I try and tell them about the advantages (knuckle dragging mouth breathers) I think people are really stuck in a way of thinking and also they do not have a reference point for ebikes / granted I had been riding electric bicycles for 5 years so I understood how to use these things with there limitations

I think the Sur Ron Storm Bee could be a winner with the swappable battery / it will not have Alta power but thinking it will be good for trail riding - having a spare charged battery you can swap in a few minutes will be a game changer for me
 

VINSANITY

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I think the interview guy (was it Tyson) was sort of a senile douche - why is he even given the opportunity to interview cool people - he should be put in an old folks home a fed gruel
 

F451

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Tyson is such a legend - only guy to ever still pull off a face tatoo

How far off topic can we go cause I got a Tyson story, Lol. My younger brother, about 25 yrs old with his pretty hot girl friend, driving in the parking lot of one of the huge malls in northern NJ in the late 80's, Tyson is in his prime. My brother is a New Jersey piece of work so when he spots Tyson and his entourage and notices no one is paying any attention to Iron Mike he rolls down the window and starts yelling along the lines of "Mike! Yo Mike!" Tyson hears him turns around, my brother keeps yelling "Mike! You're a killer!".

Tyson comes over to his car puts his head down to talk with my brother, shakes his hand, seems real friendly. My brother continues to butter him up like only my brother can do.

Then Tyson notices my brother's girl friend and immediately straightens up, starts ignoring my brother and heads around to her side of the car, saying something like "Well hello pretty lady".

As soon as Tyson clears the front bumper my brother gunned it and got out of there, Lol. He tells me the story and says something like "I don't what I was thinking on that one". Lol.
 

Bionicman

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I wouldn’t have an MX bike without the Alta - the time involved with cleaning air filters, case oil, doing top ends is just not something I’m willing to do at my age / plus the ability to ride at any time of day / plus the street legal EXR /

I ride the Alta pretty much daily versus waiting for a weekend to trailer it some where / I know many X motocrossers from the 80’s and they really aren’t listening when I try and tell them about the advantages (knuckle dragging mouth breathers) I think people are really stuck in a way of thinking and also they do not have a reference point for ebikes / granted I had been riding electric bicycles for 5 years so I understood how to use these things with there limitations

I think the Sur Ron Storm Bee could be a winner with the swappable battery / it will not have Alta power but thinking it will be good for trail riding - having a spare charged battery you can swap in a few minutes will be a game changer for me
I have a sur ron & the throttle actuation software is non existent - not in the same league
 

F451

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I have a sur ron & the throttle actuation software is non existent - not in the same league

Very interesting to hear. I've been considering a Lite Bee X from Luna Cycle but the small size frame has me hesitant since I'm so tall (6'5"). I have been wondering about the throttle response but haven't read anything about it so this is very interesting.

One issue with reading about the Sur Ron reviews and info on the web is that there are very few people who have ridden both the Lite Bee X and an Alta. And many of the Sur Ron owners are not your typical dirt bike riders so their opinions are always suspect.

I just need to ride one, one of these days, but I'm thinking I won't be too impressed, although the light weight sounds very appealing and is what keeps me wondering about them.
 

Bionicman

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in short the sur ron is not in same league as Alta its a play bike the Alta is an honest MX bike with a different powerplant. period

that said my sur ron has approx 2k miles on it mostly commuting to work - doubles as play bike but componets are mixture of moto & mountain bike parts ie not capable of handling limit riding period - they serve a purpose but an honest motocross bike even for kids it is not

feel free to pm me with more specific questions
 

F451

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in short the sur ron is not in same league as Alta its a play bike the Alta is an honest MX bike with a different powerplant. period

that said my sur ron has approx 2k miles on it mostly commuting to work - doubles as play bike but componets are mixture of moto & mountain bike parts ie not capable of handling limit riding period - they serve a purpose but an honest motocross bike even for kids it is not

feel free to pm me with more specific questions

Thanks for the feedback and that is pretty much in line with what I'm hearing out there. For me, it wouldn't replace the Alta, but it might be a fun light weight play bike, if I can fit on it comfortably. The weight of the Alta is one thing that I do not care for, I miss my 205 lb 125 2 smokers, so easy to move around, lift, log hop, etc.

I've been learning a lot about the Lite Bees on TT, Advrider, and Facebook, the owners seem to love them for what they are, kind of like the Alta owners.
 

F451

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I've raced the Alta against a Sur Ron and it is indeed night and day.
You should compare the CAKE products to the SR rather than the Redshift.

Yes, I know the Sur Ron doesn't compare to the Alta, not looking to replace the Alta with a Sur Ron, just interested in the idea of a light weight play bike. CAKE doesn't interest me too much since I've already got my plated MXR which I have about 1/2 the cash into vs the price of the CAKE SR.

I think the Lite Bee X's do pretty good on slow technical trails which I like to do, the Hawaii boys are killing it on theirs. This guy posts on TT, long time dirt bike dude, has ridden some insane terrain over the years, has put up some crazy videos. A buddy has ridden with him, he knows what he's talking about.

Him and a bunch of his friends are primarily riding their Lite Bees in the gnar over there, not really riding their ICE bikes anymore (sounds familiar, Lol), which is what convinced me that they could be a fun tight trails bike, even with the limited range and power.

 

C5tor

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Electric Cycle Rider on YouTube has quite a few comparison reviews of the Sur-Ron vs other bikes. This vid isn't a comparo, but is kinda fun. He races the Sur-Ron in hare scrambles, and in one video took his buddy's Alta out. (Not sure if that Alta belonged to an AOF member or not.) He's compared the Sur-Ron to the KTM E-XC though.

 

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