2017 ALTA REDSHIFT MX
FIRST TEST
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Dorresteyn and Sand, two
friends that have a back-
ground in motorcycle riding
and industrial design, cre-
ated Alta in 2010. Living in
California's tech-rich Silicon
Valley, the same area that
Tesla was born, exposed
them to the capabilities of
electric power plants. They
wanted to create a better motor-
cycle, not just a quieter, more
eco-friendly motorcycle, and de-
termined that could be accom-
plished with a battery-powered
electric motor.
And the goal for Alta is not to
create a few "one-off" electric
bikes. The company has been
built up to design, develop and
manufacturer state-of-the-art
motorcycles that happen to have
an electric power plant. Alta is
currently producing two mod-
els—Redshift MX and Redshift
SM (Supermoto)—and has over
50 employees with their own in-
house software lab, battery lab,
machine shop, R&D department
and EOL (End Of Line)
testing to ensure that each
component can withstand
rigorous use in all envi-
ronments. The bikes are
produced at their Brisbane,
California, facility and the
end results are beautiful
motorcycles that perform
just as well, at least the
Redshift MX, which we tested
here.
The build quality is immedi-
ately apparent on the Alta. The
CNC-machined aluminum-forged
main frame is constructed with
the motor and controller nicely
integrated. And the subframe
is a two-piece plastic unit that
helps make up for some of the
weight penalty of the battery.
Stuff you need to know is
right in front of you.
Built in California, the
Alta Redshift MX sells for
over $14,000 but has little
operating expenses. Plastic
is courtesy of Acerbis.
