VOL. 55 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 28, 2018 P95
The Alta electric motorcycle
is one of the most intriguing
platforms to come into the high-
performance off-road market
in decades. It inspires curiosity
and instant thoughts of invisible, silent
hooliganism. But considering one for
purchase comes with a wheelbarrow of
questions about range, power, power
character, ride quality, build quality and
price tag. It's truly unique and futuristic
and trendy. But, is it a viable alternative
to existing gas-powered, competition-
inspired off-road machinery? Can it pull
duty as an urban transport alternative? Are
its range and re-charging cycles capable
of delivering a quality experience similar
to tried and true gas-burning moto and off-
road machines? Is it better than the elec-
tric motorcycles that have come before it?
Honestly, real-world testing of the Alta
product line has been almost non-existent.
Media rides, even ones we've reported
on here in Cycle News, have been short,
and ride time and range have been largely
controlled by the company. We've been
begging Alta for a chance to try a bike in
real-world terms for months. So, when
they offered to send us up to their head-
quarters to jump on the all-new 2019 Red-
shift EXR dual-sport model for a couple
days, we took it in hopes of getting a real
ownership-style experience. Our test days
consisted of urban commuting through
the heart of San Francisco and a dirt rip in
the mountains of Nevada City. Surely this
would be enough for us to answer some
questions, right?
The all-new Alta Redshift EXR fills the
dual-sport spot in Alta's lineup of serious,
some would say aggressive, race-focused
machinery. It shares the same soul as the
MXR model you've seen and heard about
but comes with a license to go as on- or as
WE GET A TASTE OF SOME
REAL-WORLD DUAL SPORTING
ON ALTA'S NEW REDSHIFT EXR
All
Charged
BY JESSE ZIEGLER
