AJ Catanzaro

[Matt]

I went to a group lesson that AJ Catanzaro was holding and let him take the Alta out after the class. My only request was for him not to hold back. Here is the video. I would highly recommend attending one of his classes, he is an excellent instructor when it comes to form and riding the bike the right way.

 

[snydes]

That was awesome! So many great quotes from Aj I don’t know where to start. Thanks Matt! Reel him into the group!

 

[#76]

Hey Matt!. Just watched the video over here in the U.K.

Was awesome to see him having so much fun on it!. Nice one for putting the video together.

Can't wait for mine to be here, ETA is early November!.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Matt]

That was awesome! So many great quotes from Aj I don’t know where to start. Thanks Matt! Reel him into the group!

We need to find him a bike. He is serious about buying one. I think he would be another Josh Hill spreading the word of how awesome electric bikes are.

 

[Matt]

Hey Matt!. Just watched the video over here in the U.K.

Was awesome to see him having so much fun on it!. Nice one for putting the video together.

Can't wait for mine to be here, ETA is early November!.

Keep up the good work.

Just to clarify because I don't want to take credit for making the video he actually made the video and posted it to his channel, I just helped film. It turned out pretty sweet though.

 

[snydes]

One of the best endorsements for the bike I’ve seen. Really cool!

 

[rayivers]

Excellent!! AJ's audio track during riding sounded a lot like my 1st 20 Alta rides. I remember thinking "this bike can't be THAT much faster than anything I've ever ridden, it's gotta be me!", but after watching this video I feel a bit better. Any major mfrs with electric bikes in the pipe (Honda comes to mind) might watch this and think they could actually sell some, especially after leaning hard on the AMA / FIM / whoever to allow them to race.

 

[Philip]

Wow! This is so awesome, Matt!!! Did you go to Georgia to attend the AJ's class?

I can't believe you got him started in Map 1, LOL! This is like a bicycle mode for him! But a slow progression definitely allowed him to get comfortable on the bike and ready for Map 4.

Did you have the suspension done by Race Tech? A dealer, or the main office in Corona, CA?

 

[snydes]

That’s Evansville in Pennsylvania. I’ve been wanting to ride that track myself.

 

[Matt]

Wow! This is so awesome, Matt!!! Did you go to Georgia to attend the AJ's class?

I can't believe you got him started in Map 1, LOL! This is like a bicycle mode for him! But a slow progression definitely allowed him to get comfortable on the bike and ready for Map 4.

Did you have the suspension done by Race Tech? A dealer, or the main office in Corona, CA?

I think he wanted to try out all of the modes. I originally said he likely would only want mode 3 and 4 but he was all-around interested in the bike. It only took maybe 20 or 30 minutes of riding for him to fall in love with the bike and be faster than he was on his 450. He looked really comfortable on it.

I had the suspension done by Steve Mathewson's suspension here in NY. I believe he is an official Race Tech technician but I can't recall. He used specs from race tech and told me he went to their main office when they were testing the Altas. It appears his website is down at the moment. He has been doing suspensions for a while and had already done several Altas actually. In my opinion, the suspension he set up for my bike is perfect and he does really good work. I haven't had a complaint with it yet.

 

[F451]

That was awesome, loved it. Thanks for posting.

 

[Matt]

http://instagr.am/p/CGOH_bBBzvn/

 

[Mikec265]

Kick ass video! I think an Alta would be a great tool for AJ when he is teaching riders. My Alta and the electric Husky my 6 year old rides allows us to communicate way better while riding and working on techniques and sections. We can stop for a couple seconds talk and just go. No yelling over engines, or restarting engines a bunch of times.

 

[C5tor]

Kick ass video! I think an Alta would be a great tool for AJ when he is teaching riders. My Alta and the electric Husky my 6 year old rides allows us to communicate way better while riding and working on techniques and sections. We can stop for a couple seconds talk and just go. No yelling over engines, or restarting engines a bunch of times.

Just a little tip, but best thing I ever did (at least related to riding with my kids) was to install helmet mounted intercoms. I use the Sena model 20s, but almost any quality wireless intercom system will work. They work up to 1km away (line of sight), and you never have to speak above a regular speaking voice (quiet Alta or loud gas bike/ATV). It definitely saved my voice from all the yelling, and I no longer had to flag my boys down to give them directions or tips. Just tell them in a quiet voice to shift, look out for oncoming traffic, take a particular fork in the trail, head back to the truck, etc. Definitely contributed to peace of mind as well, as I could lead from the back of the pack, and keep an eye on them, but still give them directions. Definitely my best investment in riding with the family. These things can also be expanded to other networks, so when riding as a group, you can connect up to 16 riders. It also hooks up to my phone with voice commands. So I can take calls, get navigation, play music, etc. Although I usually only use them to talk to my kids.

 

[Fourth_Floor]

Awesome! Where did you hide the dash??

 

[Matt]

Awesome! Where did you hide the dash??

I tucked it in just above the battery zip tieing it to a support piece of the frame. I padded around it also.

 

[F451]

Just a little tip, but best thing I ever did (at least related to riding with my kids) was to install helmet mounted intercoms. I use the Sena model 20s, but almost any quality wireless intercom system will work. They work up to 1km away (line of sight), and you never have to speak above a regular speaking voice (quiet Alta or loud gas bike/ATV). It definitely saved my voice from all the yelling, and I no longer had to flag my boys down to give them directions or tips. Just tell them in a quiet voice to shift, look out for oncoming traffic, take a particular fork in the trail, head back to the truck, etc. Definitely contributed to peace of mind as well, as I could lead from the back of the pack, and keep an eye on them, but still give them directions. Definitely my best investment in riding with the family. These things can also be expanded to other networks, so when riding as a group, you can connect up to 16 riders. It also hooks up to my phone with voice commands. So I can take calls, get navigation, play music, etc. Although I usually only use them to talk to my kids.

Horseback riding coaches use the wireless headsets to good effect. The student can hear from any part of the arena or pasture, and the trainer doesn't have to shout, or have to wait for the rider to come around and stop so they can talk. Much better flow for the training and the horses as well.

It does take a bit of awareness and trial and error for both the trainer and the student regarding when to speak, when to keep silent, etc, but the good trainers pick it up quickly, same with the students.

 

[C5tor]

Yeah, they are easy to use, once setup. I just have to laugh when I see the parents trying to teach their kids how to ride, and the kid gets on the bike, grabs a handful of throttle and shoots away towards the horizon with the parent running after them yelling. Or the kid is going around the track and the parent is trying to wave them in, but the kid pretends not to hear them and just keeps going. If my kid ignores me with the intercom, I just whistle in their ear. They have to take off the helmet or turn off the intercom to shut me up.

 

[enjoythesilenc]

Horseback riding coaches use the wireless headsets to good effect. The student can hear from any part of the arena or pasture, and the trainer doesn't have to shout, or have to wait for the rider to come around and stop so they can talk. Much better flow for the training and the horses as well.

It does take a bit of awareness and trial and error for both the trainer and the student regarding when to speak, when to keep silent, etc, but the good trainers pick it up quickly, same with the students.

Cool, Are you a horseman, too?

Also, how much is a riding lesson from an MX professional and how many people actually take riding lessons?

In the horse sports I'm into, some people only ride when they have an instructor involved. Olympic level trainers charge 60 to $120 for a typical lesson of 45-60 minutes

 

[F451]

@Matt let AJ know about this Alta for sale:

2018 Other Makes Redshift MXR | eBay

Cool, Are you a horseman, too?

Also, how much is a riding lesson from an MX professional and how many people actually take riding lessons?

In the horse sports I'm into, some people only ride when they have an instructor involved. Olympic level trainers charge 60 to $120 for a typical lesson of 45-60 minutes

No horses for me, they don't have a kill switch, Lol. My daughter has been riding since she was little. We bought her a OTTB years ago, so we've spent tons of time (and money) at the barn, lessons, events, etc.