ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Alta Motorcycles => Topic started by: ultratoad on October 05, 2017, 08:58:34 AM
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Would you buy again? Positives? Any problems or concerns?
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Loving mine. No surprises, but before I would recommend it to most it needs fast charging support. It’s a commuter or a toy, if you’re alright with that, then it’s super fun.
But seriously, on the range, 40 miles is all you are getting. Know of some twisty roads 20 miles away? By the time you get to them you need to turn around and go home. It’s not like you can take lunch and recharge, it needs 8 hours to recharge which pretty much means you have to make it to work or home within 40 miles or you’re having a bad day. If you can find a way to have fun within those constraints then it is an absolute joy. But when your friends invite your for a short 50 mile ride and you can’t go....make sure you’re ready for those days.
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I echo what speedkills says about the range, I'd add that the seat is hard as a 2x4 on a good day. BUT, if fun is what you're after, there is no substitute, once the new wore off a little and I understood the bike a little better, life has been much better for me, I know exactly what to expect with the range, I now ride it like I want to and still get around 30 miles range, still not great but I'm having fun during those 30 miles, I also know that after 42-44 easy miles, I'll be walking. Handling and braking are superb. Mine has almost 300 miles and all is good as new, I changed my gear oil at about 80 miles and again at 250, it's quick and easy, I did get a fair amount of metal particles on the first change but it has a magnetic drain plug so it's okay, this last one was clean, it only holds about 2.8 ounces so it's cheap security. Once again, if you can handle the range, I say go for it, there are absolutely no regrets here...
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I really appreciate your candor guys.... I did a test ride of the SM and was totally impressed.... Big smile !!!! I did not know that the range was going to be quite that dismal !!!! I guess I should have suspected though.... My Empulse TT was advertised with a range of 100 miles.... But, in reality you only get about 70 if you are nice and 50 if you flog it.... Do love the thing .... Can't stop thinking about the SM though, total top quality toy.... Seems expensive, but that is the nature of boutique machines.... You can pay more for a quality bicycle !!!! If it turns out that the SM is trouble free, I will probably have to jump in .... Thanks again....
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Come on owners.... There are lots of Alta's out there now.... What do you think ???? We all want to know !!!!
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As they say, "no news is good news". Still enjoy my bike as much as the day I bought it, I have a little more than 400 miles on mine so far and all is fine. I like my SM so much that I'm trying to sell my Africa Twin DCT to fund the new EX Alta dual sport coming, picked up a little CRF250 Rally for long range dual sport duties, it feels like a bloody slug compared to my Alta but it has really good range.
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I love riding my bike to work every day, can turn a bad day good. That said, Alta is apparently crap about getting back to their dealers, I have had the dealer I bought the bike from asking for pricing on a part for a week now (or so they say, either way, never had this experience before) and they just can’t get a call back from Alta. Even knowing the range, it is more limiting than I thought. I mean you can kill the battery in half an hour, yet need 8 hours to recharge. They just absolutely need to address the recharge time issue.
But it’s not like there are other electric options for me. The Zero’s just didn’t do it for me so it’s Alta or gas as I am not about to drop >40k on and Evo right now.
One thing I would watch out for is the range. They had been saying 40-60 miles, depending on how you drive it. I have found I get 40-42 miles depending on if I hit the highway or am city driving. The regen feels great (it’s adjustable depending on how far you close the throttle) but seems to do about nothing for range.
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I love riding my bike to work every day, can turn a bad day good. That said, Alta is apparently crap about getting back to their dealers, I have had the dealer I bought the bike from asking for pricing on a part for a week now (or so they say, either way, never had this experience before) and they just can’t get a call back from Alta. Even knowing the range, it is more limiting than I thought. I mean you can kill the battery in half an hour, yet need 8 hours to recharge. They just absolutely need to address the recharge time issue.
But it’s not like there are other electric options for me. The Zero’s just didn’t do it for me so it’s Alta or gas as I am not about to drop >40k on and Evo right now.
One thing I would watch out for is the range. They had been saying 40-60 miles, depending on how you drive it. I have found I get 40-42 miles depending on if I hit the highway or am city driving. The regen feels great (it’s adjustable depending on how far you close the throttle) but seems to do about nothing for range.
I have been riding electric motorcycles with regen for the past 8 years and it has been my observation that regen on a motorcycle (not sure about a car) kicks back between 1 and 3% additional range, depending upon your riding conditions. To me, regen is more useful for saving brake pads than for extending my bike's range. ::)
And when it comes to maximum range, your mileage will vary from whatever the manufacturer claims, just like the mileage claims on every gas-powered vehicle. All of these claims are based upon a test vehicle running on a dynamometer according to a standardized program. And that is not how any of us ride a motorcycle or drive a car. Just use it for comparison purposes between similar vehicles and don't be surprised if you don't get exactly the same range out of your battery pack or your fuel tank. ;)
As far as Alta not getting back to your dealer, join the club. Most new vehicle startups seem to be heavy on development and manufacturing and light on quick customer service and replacement parts availability. It apparently is just one of those things that an early adopter has to put up with, unfortunately. :(
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I love riding my bike to work every day, can turn a bad day good. That said, Alta is apparently crap about getting back to their dealers, I have had the dealer I bought the bike from asking for pricing on a part for a week now (or so they say, either way, never had this experience before) and they just can’t get a call back from Alta.
What part and which dealer are we talking about here? I do not remember getting a call about a part pricing, but I might have just missed it.
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No need to talk parts or shame a dealer in a public forum but I appreciate you reaching out, I’ll send you a pm. Thanks
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Surprised to hear you didn't get a quick response. I used the "info@altamotors.co" e-mail at the bottom of their website and got a surprisingly quick and thorough response. I always assumed those "info" addresses were e-mail black holes . . . it was that level of customer service that tipped the scale and helped me decide to put down a deposit.
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Come to think of it, this is the same dealer who said the bike needs an oil change 2 hours in. So I asked their service department on the way out to schedule me to come back that weekend for the oil change as I had no tools and had just moved to town. Their service guy says “we haven’t even been trained on how to do the oil changes on those bikes yet, I’m not even sure if we need a new crush washer or not. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.†Never heard from them. Over a month now, no big deal, I did it myself, but man, set your expectation super low if you ever have to deal with BMW Motorcycles of San Francisco.
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Interesting.... I tried working with SF BMW as well.... Couldn't get the sales guy to return my inquiries.... Finally got a test ride, absolutely love the Alta SM... The deal breaker for me was BMW SF's low level of interest in me, AND the FACT that you can NOT trailer a motorcycle in or out (no parking) !!!! I never heard of such a thing.... Calmoto in Mt. View (BMW dealer) used to give me loaners, a trailer or pick-up at my house... They are in the business....
If Alta ever gets a dealer on-board in the San Jose area, I'll have an SM the next day.... That little rocket put a big smile on my face !!!! They are missing a market here, we have motocross training and races at the San Jose fairgrounds three times a week. AND the problem with racing at our fairgrounds has always been the noise and complaints from the neighborhood. Now there is an opportunity....