Woah, hello Alta Motors !

[Cruizin]

I own four busy bike forums. I'm an active member of 15 other bike forums. I read alot of motorcycle blogs. How did I not know about these guys until today?
 
Alta builds electric Dirtbikes and a Supermoto that both weigh under 300 lbs. Eat your heart out Zero!
 
This is their dirtbike. 40 hp and 3 hours est riding time per charge. For now..
 

 
As a trail rider, the idea of not having to deal with Jetting, Air filters and top end changes appeals to me greatly. I also have been known to sneak onto Mountain bike trails and always fear that the sound of my two stroke braaping up the hills will have a cop wating for me back at the truck.
 
I'm eating popcorn and waiting to hear more about this company..
 
Their SuperMoto
 

 
 
 
 

[Cruizin]

Oh yeah, Warp 9 wheels, WP suspension and Brembo brakes, standard!

[trokarr]

Polaris (who builds snowmobiles and Victory and Indian motorcycles) also bought a US electric motorcycle company (Brammo I believe it is called).  I have never ridden an electric motorcycle, but I hear the torque is phenomenal.  I also saw a short piece on TV about a company that will start selling electric motorcycles in early 2017.  The demo bike they showed is controlled by an app on your phone and your phone mounts on the dash of the bike.  Once you remove your phone, no one else can start your bike.  Apparently, you can adjust the engine parameters on the fly using the phone app (i.e. for more torque or more range).  The company only makes one bike (which they say is the equivalent hp of a 125cc gas bike), but their electric bike is faster than most 650cc gas bikes.  I wish I could remember the company name.  I can't remember the exact range of their electric bike, but I seem to recall it was still too short for touring (plus the lack of charging stations); would make a great city bike though.  Certainly, this will be an area to watch.

[Cruizin]

Polaris (who builds snowmobiles and Victory and Indian motorcycles) also bought a US electric motorcycle company (Brammo I believe it is called).  I have never ridden an electric motorcycle, but I hear the torque is phenomenal.  I also saw a short piece on TV about a company that will start selling electric motorcycles in early 2017.  The demo bike they showed is controlled by an app on your phone and your phone mounts on the dash of the bike.  Once you remove your phone, no one else can start your bike.  Apparently, you can adjust the engine parameters on the fly using the phone app (i.e. for more torque or more range).  The company only makes one bike (which they say is the equivalent hp of a 125cc gas bike), but their electric bike is faster than most 650cc gas bikes.  I wish I could remember the company name.  I can't remember the exact range of their electric bike, but I seem to recall it was still too short for touring (plus the lack of charging stations); would make a great city bike though.  Certainly, this will be an area to watch.

 
 
I have ridden a couple Zero's at ride events but havent ridden a Brammo yet. They are great streetbikes and the Zero FX has some dirt capabilities. The instant power of an electric motorcycle is amazing. No powerband, you always have full power right there at any rpm. But on the street, they aren't quite at the range that I would need.
 
But I have been dreaming of electric dirtbikes for quite some time. Exciting times!

[xlxr]

Better wait and see if 3 hours riding time is at 10 hp or 40 hp, at nearly twice the cost.  Big difference.

[empire00]

I would love to take that Super Moto out for a spin

[justplainbill]

If electric motor powered bikes become the norm, will we have to call internal combustion powered bikes "enginecycles"?

[fj09chris]

On a mildly related note Zero emissions park proposed.....

[keithu]

I also have been known to sneak onto Mountain bike trails and always fear that the sound of my two stroke braaping up the hills will have a cop wating for me back at the truck.

That's really not cool. Mountain bike trails are almost always built by volunteers and are not designed for motorcycles. The result is trail damage and more people who hate motorcycles.

[Cruizin]

I also have been known to sneak onto Mountain bike trails and always fear that the sound of my two stroke braaping up the hills will have a cop wating for me back at the truck.

That's really not cool. Mountain bike trails are almost always built by volunteers and are not designed for motorcycles. The result is trail damage and more people who hate motorcycles.

 
Actually they were our trails that my and my friends dads and grandpas maintained since the 60's, long before mountain bikers came. It was real fun to get kicked off them. I jump on at about 6000 feet where hardly any mountain bikers make it, and go up from there. I often go up with my chainsaw and reclear trails for everyone, actually.
 
People who hate dirtbikers in Idaho are just ignorant. They must think there are "magic fallen tree cutting" fairies that float down and cut out those gaps out of fallen trees from across the trails every week.
 
I mountain bike too, the trails were fine for everyone until some said "thats too scary".
 
 
 
 

[adjuster]

Have to completely agree with this on Idaho, and all other "trails" that "mountain bikes" use. Most of them were created, and maintained by dirt bike riders for decades. And as noted, you can slap a mid sized chain saw on the back rack, and clear trails of downed lodge pole pines, and other trees while I have yet to see a mountain bike rider even carry a simple folding hand saw. (They just pick up their bikes, and go over/around the fallen trees.)
 
It would be pretty awesome to have a real 3 hour battery range in the foothills of Boise in a light, quiet trail bike.
 
Call me crazy, but build something like a small displacement enduro, that has "moped" ability, and you'd really screw with the Mountain Bikers heads.. Keep it light, about 180 lbs, 15hp with 30ftlbs of tourqe, and simple with the "motor" built into the rear hub, so there is no chain, no gear box, just a fast 30mph trail bike you can pedal home if it dies. (Or you feel the desire to get a work out.)
 
Go with bigger wheels/tires and good brakes. Keep the ergonomics adult sized for comfort, and the only thing in the "frame" is the battery pack and computer controls. You supply your smart phone that locks into a clear Pelican style case for protection from water/crash/etc. Do it with a charge station that keeps your phone going no matter what. (Wireless inductive charging would be nice.) Bluetooth hooks up the bike to the phone, and that's your key/ID etc. And you can choose range, power or medium modes.
 
With LiPo batteries, keep it thin, and mount them down as low as you can. Have the "Pedals" only going to simple generator so you have no chain. Offer a 2x2 model, with a smaller 5hp/15lbsft hub motor that also acts to brake via re-gen to put the power back into the battery, and you would be able to downsize the front and rear brakes to simple disks mounted to the "motor" housings, clamped by light calipers front and rear in case the regen braking can't keep up with the need to stop or slow down.
 
If you design it right, you could offer a model with no generator/pedals, but additional battery capacity. (I'd go that route myself.)
 
Something that light, easy to ride and dang well fun to ride would be snapped up by RV owners, pit crews and anyone who needed a comfortable ride that's slightly more than a Mountain Bike, but can handle an easy AND FUN ride up on any trails an 80cc or 200cc bike would be able to handle.

[adjuster]

Looks like someone did "kinda" what I'm talking about.
 
This deal is UTILITY.
 
What I was thinking was more "fun" and performance centered. Same idea on the no chain, two wheel drive. Big battery that you can swap out for a charged up spare.
 
But put it in a light weight alloy frame. Better forks. Better swing arm, single shock all with off the shelf parts from cheap Motorcycle parts bins to make it simple to build/own/pay for.
 
And add the Bluetooth/Phone deal v/s a key/controls.
 
This would work great, and should be lighter than the one in this video from NZ.
 

[fzkenm]

Have to completely agree with this on Idaho, and all other "trails" that "mountain bikes" use. Most of them were created, and maintained by dirt bike riders for decades. And as noted, you can slap a mid sized chain saw on the back rack, and clear trails of downed lodge pole pines, and other trees while I have yet to see a mountain bike rider even carry a simple folding hand saw. (They just pick up their bikes, and go over/around the fallen trees.) 
It would be pretty awesome to have a real 3 hour battery range in the foothills of Boise in a light, quiet trail bike.
 
Call me crazy, but build something like a small displacement enduro, that has "moped" ability, and you'd really screw with the Mountain Bikers heads.. Keep it light, about 180 lbs, 15hp with 30ftlbs of tourqe, and simple with the "motor" built into the rear hub, so there is no chain, no gear box, just a fast 30mph trail bike you can pedal home if it dies. (Or you feel the desire to get a work out.)
 
Go with bigger wheels/tires and good brakes. Keep the ergonomics adult sized for comfort, and the only thing in the "frame" is the battery pack and computer controls. You supply your smart phone that locks into a clear Pelican style case for protection from water/crash/etc. Do it with a charge station that keeps your phone going no matter what. (Wireless inductive charging would be nice.) Bluetooth hooks up the bike to the phone, and that's your key/ID etc. And you can choose range, power or medium modes.
 
With LiPo batteries, keep it thin, and mount them down as low as you can. Have the "Pedals" only going to simple generator so you have no chain. Offer a 2x2 model, with a smaller 5hp/15lbsft hub motor that also acts to brake via re-gen to put the power back into the battery, and you would be able to downsize the front and rear brakes to simple disks mounted to the "motor" housings, clamped by light calipers front and rear in case the regen braking can't keep up with the need to stop or slow down.
 
If you design it right, you could offer a model with no generator/pedals, but additional battery capacity. (I'd go that route myself.)
 
Something that light, easy to ride and dang well fun to ride would be snapped up by RV owners, pit crews and anyone who needed a comfortable ride that's slightly more than a Mountain Bike, but can handle an easy AND FUN ride up on any trails an 80cc or 200cc bike would be able to handle.

Actually just saw something like this at Cabella's in Dundee, MI yesterday.  It was about $2K.  Don't remember the brand name.  But it had a removable battery pack on the front downtube, was a fat tire model.  Otherwise looked like a typical mountain bike.  They had two of them.

[keithu]

If the trail was originally built by motorcyclists for motorcycles, then I definitely agree they should be fine for powered bikes. And I can't speak to Idaho. But I stand by what I said about most MTB trails. There are dedicated groups who do trail building specifically for mountain biking. Yes, they haul in chain saws and other equipment needed for trail building and maintenance. I myself have volunteered on a trail building crew on BLM land here in Oregon.
 
I just don't want people to get the idea that it's okay to ride powered bikes on trails built specifically by and for bicycles.

[Cruizin]

If the trail was originally built by motorcyclists for motorcycles, then I definitely agree they should be fine for powered bikes. And I can't speak to Idaho. But I stand by what I said about most MTB trails. There are dedicated groups who do trail building specifically for mountain biking. Yes, they haul in chain saws and other equipment needed for trail building and maintenance. I myself have volunteered on a trail building crew on BLM land here in Oregon.  
I just don't want people to get the idea that it's okay to ride powered bikes on trails built specifically by and for bicycles.

 
Well, I think splitting up trails is a mistake. There is no magic differnece between the two types of trails. Dirtbikes are not the problem, it's ATV's. They need to be on different trails, as they really tear shet up.
 
But mountain bike trails and single track trails are the same. Most dirtbikers that actually ride single track are more considerate than most mountain bikers.
 
Oregon and Washington went nuts and shut down tons and tons of trails that guys had ridden since forever ago and gave it to the mountain bikers. Luckily in Idaho this has only happened in a few areas, and the state even pays dirtbikers to clear trails for all hikers, horse, mountain bike. On most trails, nothing else can get that many chainsaws up in the spring and clear the trees. Then to keep them clear all season, its a weekly job.
 
Mountain bikers/dirtbikers should unite against those side by sides (razors) that are running over dirtbikers and mountain bikers. They take them on atv trails, with no room on either side, and haul ass around blind corners.
 
Dirtbiked trails are the best maintained trails in idaho.