Alta - Stark rant

[Bionicman]

my new delivery estimate is 01/2024!!! for my Stark - I'm sorry but I'm NOT waiting that long!

Question is if i buy another Alta - a dead companies bike. Have major component failure with screen, battery, controller, etc
What are the chances i wont be left with a multi K paperweight??

 

[Jayfox911]

There are a few here on the board that can support any issues with spare parts they have.

I don’t believe you will be left with a paperweight. But anything could happen just like an ice bike that blows up, cheaper to part it out and get a different complete bike then fix it.

 

[BD114]

Yeah that is some pretty bummer news. I think it depends how bad you need an electric mx bike. Do you absolutely need one where you ride currently due to noise or other reasons? Personally, if I sold my Alta already I'd probably just get a cheaper used gas bike for the time being.

But sure glad I didn't sell mine after hearing this news. Here's hoping they can stick to this new delivery date..

 

[enjoythesilenc]

How many known paperweights are out there? Most of them would have surfaced here in calls for help. I'm going to wildly guess that there are 25 paperweight Altas potentially, even though I havent seen one get parted out yet. 3% chance of paperweightedness is my forecast.

 

[Bionicman]

Yes I need an battery bike due to noise issues. Yes an ICE bike can blow up BUT there is manufacturer parts/service support to get it back operational

 

[snydes]

The key is to know who the people are that know the bikes and how to diagnose and repair them. Fortunately there is a treasure of information on this forum that covers the common problems. There will inevitably be bikes that people don’t want to put the effort into fixing, and as these bikes are sold an/or eventually parted out that will serve to repair others.

Having said that, if an individual is an impatient person that demands immediate resolutions to problems then they should probably look elsewhere for another motorcycle option.

 

[Rashid510]

my new delivery estimate is 01/2024!!! for my Stark - I'm sorry but I'm NOT waiting that long!

Question is if i buy another Alta - a dead companies bike. Have major component failure with screen, battery, controller, etc
What are the chances i wont be left with a multi K paperweight??

So as @snydes said, there is a whole trove and knowledge base on this forum of how to support and work on the bikes. (Wish it was more efficent...)

In terms of component support:

Screen - Easily buildable and repairable. The V2 display kit has been runable for x2 years now. Also this year im planning to release a display delete which eliminates the display entirely. (Created by another former Alta Engineer)
Battery - As of October 2022, I am able to wirebond and replace not good r-modules with New Stock R Modules. Also in the pipeline is the ability to rework bad R Modules along with A modules. Battery support is straightforward as I have a few solid contacts who know what Alta was.
*Note - I am in process of repairing A top covers; just need to do a few more tests.*
Controller - Since the company went under in 2018 I have never seen a motor controller failure. We were pretty damn good on supporting that inverter pcba so if it does go bad, the inverter control board is a 2 hr job.
ACM - In the summer we were successful in reparing ACMs which require a PCBA fab shop. There solid with there rework and also built Alta PCBAs when we were in business.
DCCP/OBCs - On board chargers (only on SMs) are annoying to deal with, but my solution to those are building new DCCPs and using an off board charger. Goal is to have a rework option for OBCs by 2023.
DCCP - Rebuildable and also new ones are easy to make


Overall the interaction on this forum is still high for me because I still enjoy to this day fixing, supporting, troubleshooting Altas. I dont give two hoots to the people who want to slander and accuse me of muddying there business. Lets be real here, a few people have benefited from the demise of a dead company, which happens but I dont believe in that crap. That being said I see a lot of the issues and reach out privately, and plan to do that for the long term.

 

[Bionicman]

So as @snydes said, there is a whole trove and knowledge base on this forum of how to support and work on the bikes. (Wish it was more efficent...)

In terms of component support:

Screen - Easily buildable and repairable. The V2 display kit has been runable for x2 years now. Also this year im planning to release a display delete which eliminates the display entirely. (Created by another former Alta Engineer)
Battery - As of October 2022, I am able to wirebond and replace not good r-modules with New Stock R Modules. Also in the pipeline is the ability to rework bad R Modules along with A modules. Battery support is straightforward as I have a few solid contacts who know what Alta was.
*Note - I am in process of repairing A top covers; just need to do a few more tests.*
Controller - Since the company went under in 2018 I have never seen a motor controller failure. We were pretty damn good on supporting that inverter pcba so if it does go bad, the inverter control board is a 2 hr job.
ACM - In the summer we were successful in reparing ACMs which require a PCBA fab shop. There solid with there rework and also built Alta PCBAs when we were in business.
DCCP/OBCs - On board chargers (only on SMs) are annoying to deal with, but my solution to those are building new DCCPs and using an off board charger. Goal is to have a rework option for OBCs by 2023.
DCCP - Rebuildable and also new ones are easy to make


Overall the interaction on this forum is still high for me because I still enjoy to this day fixing, supporting, troubleshooting Altas. I dont give two hoots to the people who want to slander and accuse me of muddying there business. Lets be real here, a few people have benefited from the demise of a dead company, which happens but I dont believe in that crap. That being said I see a lot of the issues and reach out privately, and plan to do that for the long term.

ok - thank you for the thorough reply
much appreciated

 

[Oded]

So as @snydes said, there is a whole trove and knowledge base on this forum of how to support and work on the bikes. (Wish it was more efficent...)

In terms of component support:

Screen - Easily buildable and repairable. The V2 display kit has been runable for x2 years now. Also this year im planning to release a display delete which eliminates the display entirely. (Created by another former Alta Engineer)
Battery - As of October 2022, I am able to wirebond and replace not good r-modules with New Stock R Modules. Also in the pipeline is the ability to rework bad R Modules along with A modules. Battery support is straightforward as I have a few solid contacts who know what Alta was.
*Note - I am in process of repairing A top covers; just need to do a few more tests.*
Controller - Since the company went under in 2018 I have never seen a motor controller failure. We were pretty damn good on supporting that inverter pcba so if it does go bad, the inverter control board is a 2 hr job.
ACM - In the summer we were successful in reparing ACMs which require a PCBA fab shop. There solid with there rework and also built Alta PCBAs when we were in business.
DCCP/OBCs - On board chargers (only on SMs) are annoying to deal with, but my solution to those are building new DCCPs and using an off board charger. Goal is to have a rework option for OBCs by 2023.
DCCP - Rebuildable and also new ones are easy to make


Overall the interaction on this forum is still high for me because I still enjoy to this day fixing, supporting, troubleshooting Altas. I dont give two hoots to the people who want to slander and accuse me of muddying there business. Lets be real here, a few people have benefited from the demise of a dead company, which happens but I dont believe in that crap. That being said I see a lot of the issues and reach out privately, and plan to do that for the long term.

Thanks for that Rashid!
So much appreciated.

 

[wwmotors]

On the other hand, there are multiple riders here with no issue on their ALTAS. Mine has now 260 hours and 7600 kms of hard MX with only changing tyres, 1 chainset, 1 brakepadset, 1 chainsliderset and several fork services. It is the best, fastest and most reliable bike, i ever had!

 

[Judaslefourbe]

Ah memories...
I remember a heated debate when I first joined Alta in 2014: "No, we will not be ready to launch un 9 months..."

 

[bluefxstc]

I have over 6K miles on my EX and the only thing I have had to replace are the rear tail light bulb and the tires. I did also change the gear lube a couple of times, but great bike. Turn it on, twist and go!

 

[Motophyllic]

You’ll be fine with an Alta reliability wise and it’s a great bike to ride. Go for it.

 

[B. FRANK]

I hope the Starks are awesome but the Altas are tried and true with a great knowledge base here and they are a better bike than I am a rider so I am sticking with alta , at least until one of the big 4 gets it right. still keep the Altas though.

 

[Dirt-E]

I highly recommend getting the factory dongle paired to a Linux laptop. You get to see everything on the bike and it's actually not all that bad to get used to.

You will be able to see when the cells are starting to have problems instead of just waiting around for codes to pop up (by then it might be too late to do anything about it). I wouldn't ignore the moisture code. That was the death of my 0 module. I'm not sure about 035 and 036. Still working those issues out on mine, but decent mile range despite the codes on my display (almost 30 miles of hard woods riding today).

I think plastics are probably my only concern at the moment. Bike is super tough and it gets its butt handed to it on a regular enough basis. I can honestly say, there's no other bike that can get me out of the scrapes this one can!

 

[AltaWest]

I'd just like to add a small thought for those hoping that Stark will be an instant solution. Back when the first Alta's were shipping, there were issues. Their original battery would overheat, and didn't meet the specs given to them from Panasonic. There were also other issues with the 'A Bikes'. Just putting these memories out there so some people don't get too excited for the solution they think the Stark will be right off the bat. It might take them another year or so to work out the kinks of the first production bikes.

Bias alert: I own a couple of Altas, and I'm also selling a couple Alta, and think their value is greater than a Stark at the moment. There is no promise Stark will be any better or last any longer than Alta. Prototypes are easy (we even made one) production is hell.

 

[Judaslefourbe]

It might take them another year or so to work out the kinks of the first production bikes.

Word.

 

[evh1]

I actually got a phone call about my Stark order going to 01/2024. Due to dealer promised bikes for test rides and some pipelines glitches we all see in materials. It's OK and I'll be patient like I was for my Altas. My EXRs have been super reliable. I had one 0 module problem due to moisture and me running it in creeks deer hunting!, but Rashid has fixed me right up! I've spent $500 twice with him, but $1000 for 4-5 years of hard ass use is cheap in reality. Beats 9-12k for a new ICE or electric bike. All other components of bike have been stellar. I'd buy another used Alta in a heartbeat. The Stark whenever it comes will be kewl, but Altas are solid platforms!

 

[synics]

Here's something else to consider though... I walked out to the garage to morning to throw mine on the charger for my ride on this beautiful afternoon and the charger is dead. Won't power on. Haven't gotten a chance to tear it apart yet but even if I do I don't know what I'm going to find. So I'm dead in the water can't ride today until either I fix this or find somebody selling a new charger.

Outside of that I'm over a thousand miles on my 2018 mxr now and I ride it hard in the woods. Just a few months ago I ping ponged off of three trees at 20 mph and the only damage was it broke the Cycra ultra bend wrap around hand guard. I feel like these bikes are pretty darn resilient though and can take a beating.

On a side note does anybody know anyone selling a charger or have one for sale???

 

[B. FRANK]

I'm not selling but I am right across the river from Trenton and if you bring your bike here you can charge it. at least you could ride. where in jersey are you?