Alta Motors has expanded its electric dirt bike range with the road legal Redshift EXR. Beefed up to 50 horses and packing upgraded WP suspension and a 4-hour trail riding range out of a 1.5 hour charge, the EXR looks like serious sideways fun in a zero-emissions, near-silent package.
Fresh from a historic appearance at the famous Erzberg Rodeo – even if it ended up being a learning experience rather than a triumph – Alta Motors has announced its latest model for 2019.
The EXR is a street-legal road/trail bike designed for short to medium length trail blasting and the odd city commute. Its 5.8 kilowatt-hour battery is good for around 50 miles of road riding, four and a bit hours of zooming around in the bush, or three 25-minute flat-out backyard moto heats.
Four power levels let you balance things between outright power and efficiency, with the top "Overclocked" mode giving access to horsepower beyond the motor's rated continuous output. That means you get a fair bit of extra kick, but if you flog it too hard, the bike might need to thermally limit itself until it cools down again.
The motor steps up from the 2018 EX's 42-horsepower job to a full 50 ponies with 42 lb-ft of torque available at all times, albeit through a single speed direct drive. Performance in Sport mode is comparable to something in a 350cc race bike, Alta claims.
Also new for 2019 is upgraded suspension from WP – XPlor 48 forks with the adjustable damping split between them – 30 clicks of compression on the left, 30 clicks of rebound on the right. The new suspension was developed specifically for the Redshift bikes. There's Brembo brakes, Warp 9 wheels and Metzeler enduro tires, as well as Acerbis bodywork.
At a list price of US$12,495, the EXR is nearly US$2,000 more expensive than, for example, the KTM 350 EXC-F enduro machine. Of course, you can easily make up that money in fuel, air filters, servicing, oil and piston rings if you put the miles on it, not to mention saving yourself a bunch of time in the shed.
As prices on these electrics continue to drop, it becomes more and more a personal decision whether you're willing to sacrifice all-day range for zero maintenance and near-silent stealth. We're gonna need a new term for "braaaap" one of these days, though!
Check out a video below.
Source: Alta Motors
