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TonyWilliams

New bike - ALTA EXR

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1 hour ago, TonyWilliams said:

It will have a license plate, so no green sticker required. But, it should qualify for one (and I will put one on it).

No reason to do that, the license plate means you can ride in any area that a green sticker bike can.  Getting a green sticker just means paying more registration fees.  If you feel like paying more, I have a charity you can check out....it's called buy tntmo some PBR.  

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4 hours ago, erik_26 said:

Do these have a gearbox, or is it just 100% voltage control? I was checking out a newer Honda African Twin with the DCT. I didn't get to demo it, but not shifting seems like it would be really weird. That is all I have ever known on a motorcycle. Many folks say they get used to it pretty quick, so I imagine the same would be true for the Alta. If it is 100% voltage control on the Alta EXR, how smooth is the throttle? Is it overly sensitive or does it feel intuitive?

100% power and torque on demand at the speed of light, is one of the biggest advantages of electric motors. When properly configured, they can do some incredible things. I remember when a 1st generation Tesla beat a Ferrari pretty easily in a drag race. Fast forward a little over a decade, some of the new hybrid hypercars are absolutely gorgeous and phenomenally incredible performance wise.

 There is a gear reduction box, but there’s not a transmission that changes gears. The motorcycle has exactly one gear.

 Control of power is done with amps.  Voltage is what is available at the battery.  Power is amps multiplied by volts:

W = A * V 

When the motorcycle is sitting at the starting line ready to conduct a race, the battery voltage might be 250 to 400 V, however the amperage will be zero: 

0W = 0A * 400V

 When the gate drops and you twist the throttle all the way to the stop power will go up as follows:

37kW (50hp) = 100A * 370V

 

 

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17 hours ago, erik_26 said:

Do these have a gearbox, or is it just 100% voltage control? I was checking out a newer Honda Africa(N sic) Twin with the DCT. I didn't get to demo it, but not shifting seems like it would be really weird. That is all I have ever known on a motorcycle. Many folks say they get used to it pretty quick, so I imagine the same would be true for the Alta. If it is 100% voltage control on the Alta EXR, how smooth is the throttle? Is it overly sensitive or does it feel intuitive?

100% power and torque on demand at the speed of light, is one of the biggest advantages of electric motors. When properly configured, they can do some incredible things. I remember when a 1st generation Tesla beat a Ferrari pretty easily in a drag race. Fast forward a little over a decade, some of the new hybrid hypercars are absolutely gorgeous and phenomenally incredible performance wise.

Here website is still up and up

www.altamotors.com    all the info available and yes the thing did compete in the Red Bull Straight Rhythm as well as the Erzberg Enduro. The electronic control system keeps the hair trigger power under control for seamless torque. To sit here and explain it is impossible one just needs to ride one. The layout, ergo, suspension (WP (Peirer Industries)) mirror any top tier dirt bike. Handling is very neutral, brakes are top tier Brembo Italia. Like I said it not a toy its a full on race capable electric dirt bike. Tony enjoy it I don't think you will be disappointed at all. Now lets just hope some big industrialist buys the company along with all the R&D that's been accomplished--Cmon Stefan Peirer step up!!! My stream on consciousness..also got super good traction under that solid torque and the front was very planted in corners. Like I said I rode the EX model , the MXR model is the ready to race version and was ripping laps that day as well.

 

PS without checking laps times I would bet a paycheck I was faster on the EX than on my YZ125.....but the YZ does sound cooler!

 

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1 hour ago, robertaccio said:

PS without checking laps times I would bet a paycheck I was faster on the EX than on my YZ125.....but the YZ does sound cooler!

You could always add playing cards, close pinned from the forks to the spokes on the E bike for that rat-a-tat-tat sound...like we did on our bicycles when we were kids! :lol:

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Man I wish those speaker things were around when I had cards in my spokes back before engines were invented.

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             Four Hundred Volts!!!     Yikes.    I assume this is a direct current system, which is more hazardous than alternating current like your house. 

Anyone who has been shocked by their 12 volt DC truck battery should realize this is a serious hazard.  I question whether the " public " should be exposed.  I hope someone can explain why this is appropriate for the novice electrician in his garage wiring up his new heated hand grips.

     Yikes

P.S. Tony,  how many micro amps running through your heart does it take to kill you?

I love technology as much as the next guy but,,,,,    Davy Downer

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Welcome to the revolution Dave. Hybrid drive and electric vehicles are the future and the future requires 400V of power. I've been hearing that average mechanics won't work on hybrid cars because of the high voltage of the battery packs and electric motors. Why risk a stray wrench that arcs across a lethal dose of electricity? 

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33 minutes ago, PastaPilot said:

Welcome to the revolution Dave. Hybrid drive and electric vehicles are the future and the future requires 400V of power. I've been hearing that average mechanics won't work on hybrid cars because of the high voltage of the battery packs and electric motors. Why risk a stray wrench that arcs across a lethal dose of electricity? 

It's not like that at all.  It's very easy to disconnect the battery pack and it would take a lot of work to get to a place where a wrench could short out on it.  They aren't that big of a deal to change them out either.  I don't own a hybrid car, but have worked on them a bit.  I'm always keeping my eye out for any with bad batteries, plenty of places sell replacements at reasonable prices.  

I still love the internal combustion engine, but I also can see the writing on the wall that it won't be around forever.  

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Here's Marc Fenigstein, co-founder and CEO (former I guess) of Alta Motors, speaking at an industrial design conference a mere three months ago:

https://vimeo.com/298615428

Sure did not sound then like the company was on the verge of folding. Things obviously changed quickly. I hope they figure it out and find a way to resume operations.

 

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32 minutes ago, arjayes said:

Here's Marc Fenigstein, co-founder and CEO (former I guess) of Alta Motors, speaking at an industrial design conference a mere three months ago:

https://vimeo.com/298615428

Sure did not sound then like the company was on the verge of folding. Things obviously changed quickly. I hope they figure it out and find a way to resume operations.

 

  It may just be another time that a "start-up" company does the heavy lifting by designing a product, testing the market, and finally bringing the product to market; while all along from "behind the scenes" they're courting very large companies like Harley Davidson; who watches closely how the process evolves. The process evolved pretty damn well. A short time ago, Alta Motors partnered with Harley Davidson, whom now has their own EV department. It seems to me, that some business models these days plan for the "big names" in the market to buy them out; instead of developing a product, backing the product, and to be in it for the long haul, never wanting to, nor planning to, have to compete against the behemoths for market share.

  You watch, Harley will develop some kind of E-Bike, and it will have a striking resemblance to the Alta SMR. Think about it...Alta did not worry too much about the range of their bikes...I feel that this should have been a "big red flag" to the market that would consider buying one of these. It was all about exposure... to promote E Bike technology, and their best exposure was the Straight Rhythm track and Motocross; which are obviously much shorter duration events and way better televised than the enduro, and off road segment. The writing is on the wall; sad but true. 

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On 12/23/2018 at 8:15 AM, tntmo said:

It's not like that at all.  It's very easy to disconnect the battery pack and it would take a lot of work to get to a place where a wrench could short out on it.  They aren't that big of a deal to change them out either.  I don't own a hybrid car, but have worked on them a bit.  I'm always keeping my eye out for any with bad batteries, plenty of places sell replacements at reasonable prices.  

I still love the internal combustion engine, but I also can see the writing on the wall that it won't be around forever.  

You are right. I checked my source and it is body shops not touching cars with physical damage due to fear of fire or electrical shock due to damaged battery packs.

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