Dust Moto
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AL_V
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I "asked" this:
the hightail specs ON THIS PAGE says the bike weighs 235 pounds
The Hightail actually weighs under 220 pounds (sub-100kg), not 235 pounds. We specifically designed it to be lightweight for its class, with a focus on agility and playfulness. If you’re seeing 235 pounds listed somewhere, that’s likely an error or a mix-up with another bike’s specs. The Hightail’s weight is one of its standout features, making it lighter than most comparable electric or gas dirt bikes with similar performance. If you have any other questions about the specs, just let me know!
Chadx
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AI is now belittling you. "... mix-up with another bike’s specs". It is you who are mixed up, it says. Ha.
Before I posted my earlier comment this morning, I told their AI assistant that in January, I let AI knoe the wrong weight was on their site in three places and that AI had responded then that it would engage the correct team. It apologized and said it would give the appropriate team a reminder. And then it said I can also reach out direct on the contact page and it gave me a link to the contact page.
The linked contact page has a header and is then blank. I asked AI for a direct email address and AI said it didn't have access to one... but I could reach out via the contact page and it gave the same link again. Endless loop.
No way to contact them.
At this point, might as well post a comment on their Instagram, or even better, send a DM, it's managed by a real person.
AL_V
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OK, I sent them a message on IG
Chaconne
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AI only has the typical data available in public documentation. It is a convenient way to not have to pour through marketing noise but generally has no more information than blather that is out there. My guess is that they are avoid posting anything updated because they don't want a PR problem like Stark had once the real weight is known.
The weight to performance ratio is a tough nut to crack with today's battery tech and the solution bandwidth is pretty narrow. The tech is getting better it will take a few more innovations. Some seem to be on the horizon but dirtbikes aren't first when it comes to market drivers.
Chadx
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Agreed on the AI comment. But it did offer up the contact page link. Even though it is blank. And there is no link to it from any of the other pages so AI was the only way to find it.
For anyone curious, it's
Dustmoto.com/pages/contact
There is no way to reach them (web form, email, phone number) through their website, which is strange. For some reason, I thought you could early on, but I might be mis-remembering.
Also odd but I just logged in via phone and PC and can no longer find the search option to ask AI.
Power to weight I'm not too concerned about. I ride my 60hp Varg in 28hp on singletrack and 38hp on 50" trails. Rarely bump up to the 50hp and 60hp modes I programmed. I'd buy a bike that only had 40 to 45hp (30 to 34kW). I care more about range than having more power than that.
The battery vs weight thing is the balancing act and why I really encourage manufacturers to offer different battery sizes. It complicates design, but fast swappable battery of different sizes, that can be charged when off the bike, opens up options.
Two small battery's means one battery can charge while the other is ridden and much lighter weight while riding. Or, for those trail riders like me that leave the truck and don't come back until the end of the ride, one big battery. And I don't care if the overall bike weight gets heavy.
I really love the Dust Hightail, but the currently largest battery (4.4kWh) is much too small for my use case, so that means I can't own that bike, unfortunately. They would need to add an option over 6kWh before I can start to consider. Hopefully that is doable with the current design.
My Varg is 6.5kWh and has range needed fo 70% of my rides. The newer 7.2kWh is nice but the next eDirtbike that has 9kWh to 10kWh battery and stays around 260 - 280lb, I'll buy immediately. I get 45 to 55miles out of my Varg depending on the terrain I ride, but that is charging to 100% and riding to 15% or less. Much easier on the battery to not fully charge and deplete, plus, I'd like some reserve to account for wrong turn, locked gate and backtrack, etc.
Different riders have different priorities for their dirtbike attributes. Range is my number one. Power and weight are much, much further down the list.
While a massive battery and increased overall bike weight undermine the intent of a mid-size bike, range is my priority. Because of that, I may need to stick with a fullsize bike since they simply carry the extra bulk more naturally and manufacturer's are more likely to use larger battery's in fullsize chassis.
I'd still love a Hightail though, and could use it on 30% of my rides. Or, rather than swapping batteries, I just bring both my Varg and a Hightail, fully charged, and swap bikes mid day (for rides where I can loop back to the truck). Buy a second bike rather than second battery? Hmmmm. Not justifiable financially, but a fun thought.
Chaconne
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Agreed
.Just a note, I consider performance as overall performance that includes range, weight, power, flexibility/swappability. Performance probably wasn't the best choice of words there. TBH I consider the power nut already mostly cracked by Stark. And you are correct IMHO about those other factors.
