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[Ireek]

Just secured an Alta Redshift SM from KTM World in Georgia, units arriving late this week, I believe they're getting two, just secured one, for you folks in the southeast, I'd recommend Glenn at KTM World, this guy is very professional and I got a great price, couldn't be more excited. 

[Judaslefourbe]

Congratulations!!

[Ireek]

Congratulations!!

Thanks, I'm absolutely beside myself in anticipation, I'm an old geezer and can't remember the last time I've been so anxious for a new bike, I usually buy at least 2 new bikes a year so this isn't my first rodeo.   I spoke to the dealer I'm getting mine from again today (KTM World in Georgia) and those guys are pretty slick, glad I got hooked up with them, I'm going to angle the MX as soon as I get some things squared away..

[Ireek]

Picked mine up today at KTM World in Cedartown GA (west of Atlanta), it's an off road riding park that is really cool, I'd like to go back and rent one of their cabins and do some off road riding, I think they have around 1,000 acres.  Now to the bike, where to start, first the power, I was fine in mode 1 til I tried mode 2, then mode 3, you get the picture, honestly, mode 2 is really just about perfect for semi aggressive street riding, mode 4 is very strong with power rushing in in volumes, wheelies are super easy but not snap up right at the twist of the wrist crazy, it sort of builds then pulls the front up in a pretty controllable manner.  Suspension, I almost feel like the rear is too soft cause it squats pretty good under hard acceleration, I'm 205 lbs so no lightweight, the pre-load is almost at full stiff so I might look at a stiffer spring, BUT, I'll see how it does at Deals Gap or some of these mtn roads around here before I do that, handling should be first priority over wheelies, no?  Speaking of handling, this bike is serious, real serious, you gotta wrap your head around trail braking hard to the apex, it'll do it, it's rock solid and finishes the corner good so far I can tell, this tells me the rear is stiff enough, the front is telepathic, slightly harsh compression front and rear that i might dial out a bit but on good roads, it's really close.  The brakes are next level, rear seems a tad weak right now but it's still bedding in, the front is awesome, absolutely no complaints there.  Only negatives and they're minor, is the seat is stiff, I was warned by another member and sort of discounted it but it is super firm, in full tilt boogie mode which is what the bike is made for, it's perfect but to just cruise around on, it could be a little softer.  The other negative, and it's not really a negative, is the sound, I rode an FXS and it was super quiet, this thing is much louder, I don't think it's the chain so much but the motor, I'll need to ride it some more to determine if it's the chain/sprockets, motor, or what, but like I said, it doesn't bother me much, it actually sounds cool on decel and will certainly never be mistaken for an ICE bike.  So many thanks to Alta for making such a fun machine, I've owned way over 100 bikes and have done it all, this to me is the next chapter in my motorcycling hobby.  I still own a 690 Duke and Honda Africa Twin DCT so this bike fits right in...

[Ireek]

Gotta stroke Alta's ego a little more.  I'd like to add that the fit and finish on this bike is exceptional, like I said before, I have owned lots of bikes and worked in the industry promoting just about all the brands and have to say, for basically their first run of bikes, they (Alta) have really, really done their homework, hats off to the folks at Alta!!

[Keith]

I really like the trails at Highland Park next to KTM World. Good challenging single track, one way and fun! I haven't tried the cabins just stayed at a cheap room in Cedartown. Don't get there often, it's a four hour drive for me, but a good place to ride.

[Ireek]

Went out this morning and blasted around, did some adjusting here and there, rear pre-load still seems a little soft but I'll address that later.  Started out pretty tame, went up and down the mtn beside the house behaving, for the most part, then (at slightly less than 70% remaining battery) took the long way home and got in a tangle with a Porsche Cayenne S, was killing him in the corners, didn't want to pass but could have easily, but then the road started to open up and that's all it took to zap the battery, top speed limited, lights flashing, oh well, it was fun.  So I got 30 minutes (22 miles) of fun but now looking at almost 6 hrs of charge time.  This is not a bike made for sustained high speeds.  I'm hoping we can get a fast charger for this one sometime soon. 

EDIT: Just went for a 20 mile ride at a much more civilized pace with more traffic congestion although still having fun with short bursts of power, no stop and go traffic but cars here and there on somewhat rural back roads, I only used a little more than 25% battery so that is good, I'm learning here what to do and what not to do.  I think what it is, the bike is so good at going fast that you can get yourself into trouble, I tried watching my speeds and doing just 5 mph over the speed limit is torture, I see a lot of speeding tickets being handed out over this bike

[togo]

350V is automotive class.  Should be lots of chargers
available from electic conversion companies, check with
Elcon in Sacramento, maybe. 

http://www.elconchargers.com/catalog/item/7344653/7638116.htm

"Free custom programming" they say, so should be able
to program it not to exceed your max voltage.

[Ireek]

350V is automotive class.  Should be lots of chargers
available from electic conversion companies, check with
Elcon in Sacramento, maybe. 

http://www.elconchargers.com/catalog/item/7344653/7638116.htm

"Free custom programming" they say, so should be able
to program it not to exceed your max voltage.

Very cool, I appreciate the info!!  I will check them out, I think the MX version Alta has an off board charger that can charge at 220 where my bike has an onboard charger that can only charge on 120 so it charges much more slowly, I'm guessing that I'd have to bypass the onboard charger.

[togo]

120 and 240 are not charge rates, they are voltages : - )

But different voltages will trigger different charge rates,
since 120vac circuits typically have 15A breakers and 240vac
circuits will usually have 30A breakers, so you get
1800watts abusing a 120v circuit and 7200 watts abusing
a typical dryer/stove/welder circuit.  EV stations are limited
6700 watts, often.

Charge rates would be best measured in watts or kilowatts,
less effectively in Amps (Amps are awkward because you
have to know voltage, and then people get confused between
the AC amps coming in and the DC amps going out).

If you have volts and amps you get watts by P=IV,
watts = amps times volts.

So, when comparing the charging you get from the factory
and the aftermarket charging option, you'll want to
compare the watts and match up the DC volts with the
range your battery can handle.

All of the above, by the way, is general information,
nothing Alta specific.  I have zero experience charging Alta
batteries, there may be other complications.

[Ireek]

120 and 240 are not charge rates, they are voltages : - )

But different voltages will trigger different charge rates,
since 120vac circuits typically have 15A breakers and 240vac
circuits will usually have 30A breakers, so you get
1800watts abusing a 120v circuit and 7200 watts abusing
a typical dryer/stove/welder circuit.  EV stations are limited
6700 watts, often.

Charge rates would be best measured in watts or kilowatts,
less effectively in Amps (Amps are awkward because you
have to know voltage, and then people get confused between
the AC amps coming in and the DC amps going out).

If you have volts and amps you get watts by P=IV,
watts = amps times volts.

So, when comparing the charging you get from the factory
and the aftermarket charging option, you'll want to
compare the watts and match up the DC volts with the
range your battery can handle.

All of the above, by the way, is general information,
nothing Alta specific.  I have zero experience charging Alta
batteries, there may be other complications.

Okay, thanks for that, shows how unqualified I am to start messing with my new bike, I think I had just better wait for Alta to possibly offer a quick charger, if not, then I'll just live with what I have.

[Judaslefourbe]

FYI, the onboard charger installed in the SM bikes is 1KW at the moment.
Not the most powerful, but certainly one of the smallest chargers.