Joined the Club!

[blbills]

So glad I found this forum! Been researching Alta for the last year or so and really like what the company is doing. Been saving my pennies for a '19 EXR but found a sweet deal on a '17 MX and I caved. Super excited.

With a '16 YZ 450 FX, ,18 300 XC, and '17 350 XCF all in the stable this season I am anxious to see how the Alta stacks up. Up to this point I've just had a chance to putt around and do a few hill climbs with the kids but so far I'm really impressed! Anxious to get a full ride report in the coming weeks.

I've spent hours pouring over this forum with great success but do have some initial impressions/questions that you may be able to help me out with:

- Need a skid plate (lucky enough to find a used EX one on this forum, thanks!) . Ride predominately mountainous single track and head to the mx track about once a month

-Tires. Want to pull the trigger on some Bridgestone x40's but can't decide between the 100 or the 110. Any suggestions? Seems like this bike would benefit from the added traction of the 110 but I don't want to throw off the handling or add unnecessary sprung weight.

-4CS suck. Not much more to say here. After riding Kayaba SSS and AER 48's the last few years this is a huge step back. Anyone know if I can just bolt on a pair of AER 48's from one of my KTM's? If not, what mods are required?

-Having a '17 MX what else am I missing out on compared to the '18 and '19's? I know the newer ones charge a bit faster, have the AER 48's, more power in map 4. Anything else?

-What are my options for adding a kickstand? (really helps when working with the kids)

-I've heard talk about a 220v adaptor for my 110v charger? Is this something I can purchase somewhere? Or are there detailed instructions somewhere?

-Best budget generator that would work with the newer "R" battery charger if I decide to upgrade. Can't seem to find the THD rating that many are making a bid deal about.

-Any maintenance items to be aware of? Seen people complaining about some brass bushings and the chain guard...

-WTH doesn't the display have trip meters built into it??? Need range and time at a minimum. Be great to have several trips or some way to log lap times on the track. Miss my Trailtech endurance 2 that I have on my other bikes. This seems to be a no brainer software update.

-Do I need to get on some list with Alta to get notifications about software updates/recalls?

-What is the best strategy for attacking gnarly hill climbs? I feel like I get too much wheel spin in map 3/4 but need that extra power. After watching the video with Alta at Erzberg it looks like they have some special hill climb modes. Are those available to peons like me?


Thanks!!!

 

[snydes]

Welcome aboard! Here are some of my thoughts to your questions;

Skid plate-
Sounds like you got that covered, if not my preference in the SXS version.

Tires-
No opinion yet myself, many others have gone to a 110.

4CS-
Lots of discussion on that. I’ve heard of a few other guys putting complete KTM front ends on so that may be an option for you.

MX vs. MXR-
You pretty much covered the major differences. Suspension, charge time, map 4 power.

Kickstand-
Only option at this point is an OEM Alta EX/EXR piece.

120v-240v adapter-
Elite Motorsports was selling adapters and I’m told Alta might even be if you call them. There really isn’t any other commercially available product. Not hard to put together yourself if you are handy. There are some threads here talking about it.

Generator-
No one best choice. A lot of good discussion here on options though. Just a note that the R charger isn’t going to charge your MX significantly faster so I personally wouldn’t spend my money on one. That charger was designed for the R pack bikes.

Maintenance-
Only maintenance item is the gear reduction oil. Small amount. I think their current recommendation is after the 1st 10 hours and then I can’t recall what the interval was. Not very often I can tell you that. Other issues you mentioned were really not maintenance but rather common part failures. Little brass thread inserts in plastic don’t hold up and chain sliders are breaking on the bottom side.

Display-
No idea why they didn’t incorporate a trip odometer. Seems like a no brainer.

Updates-
I would contact Alta and have them update their owner information on that bike. You should be able to create an owner account with them to check for any available firmware updates for your bike.

Hill Climbing-
No, those special maps they spoke of for Erzberg were top secret Alta only stuff unfortunately. For now we’re stuck refining riding techniques.

Hope that helps!

 

[blbills]

Thanks for the great response, Steve. A couple more:

Would really like to get a yes/no answer on if I can bolt on KTM suspension (say from a 2018 450 SXF) directly with no mods. Yes I know I'd have to revalve it but that's not a huge deal.

Sounds like from reading that a 14t sprocket is the way to go. I'm guessing I'll need a longer chain for that? Also guessing that if I put on a 110 tire I'll want to get it as far back as possible to prevent rubbing on the rear fender?

When people say "Call Alta" what does that mean? I don't see a phone number on their website...


Thanks guys.

 

[Philip]

-Tires. Want to pull the trigger on some Bridgestone x40's but can't decide between the 100 or the 110. Any suggestions? Seems like this bike would benefit from the added traction of the 110 but I don't want to throw off the handling or add unnecessary sprung weight.

I have been running 110mm wide tires. I race motocross, and on hard jump landings the rear tire rubs against the "airbox" part of the rear fender. I added a couple of links to the chain to move the rear wheel 5/8" farther back, and that reduced the rubbing very significantly. The handling is not a problem for me.

-4CS suck. Not much more to say here. After riding Kayaba SSS and AER 48's the last few years this is a huge step back. Anyone know if I can just bolt on a pair of AER 48's from one of my KTM's? If not, what mods are required?

PM me your email address, and I will send you the updated shim stack specs that Alta made for motocross. They make the 4CS suspension work a lot better.

The Alta fork legs are 14mm farther apart. You can also install your KTM AER48, but you will need to run a thinner and longer MXR/EXR axle with 7mm wheel spacers and your KTM wheel as well. Or you can swap in the KTM triple clamps, and then run your whole KTM front end.

-Do I need to get on some list with Alta to get notifications about software updates/recalls?

Send an email to support @ altamotors.co with your VIN, name and address and they will hook you up.

 

[Philip]

Would really like to get a yes/no answer on if I can bolt on KTM suspension (say from a 2018 450 SXF) directly with no mods. Yes I know I'd have to revalve it but that's not a huge deal.

Yes, a few guys here have done it, but you should search the forum because you might need aftermarket KTM triple clamps.

Sounds like from reading that a 14t sprocket is the way to go. I'm guessing I'll need a longer chain for that? Also guessing that if I put on a 110 tire I'll want to get it as far back as possible to prevent rubbing on the rear fender?

Yes, exactly. I think adding two links should be enough. After adding the 14T sprocket, that would move your rear wheel just 5/16" back.
Or you can start with four links and cut, if it is too long. That would move your rear wheel 15/16" back.

 

[TCMB371]

I'll chime in.

Suspension: For the price of AER48 forks, have you considered going the 4cs to KYB SSS internals route? I believe Enzo will do the conversion for you and apparently they behave just like factory KYB SSS forks. I'd argue that's a much better bang for your buck in terms of performance.

Display: If you press the third button on the display, it will display an hour meter. You can use that to time your rides and plan.

Tires: I just switched over to Bridgestone Battlecross X30's, 80/100-21 in the front and 110/90-19 in the rear. I run these tires on my 450 and my 125 as well. The rear tire did "OK" this past weekend at LACR, which has sandy/loamy conditions that this tire isn't quite meant for. But on all other tracks here in SoCal, it works great. I second Philip's comment about the rubbing. You'll need to slide the rear tire back a little bit or else the tire may rub on the mud guard. Be careful when you do this, though, as you'll need to recheck your rear sag and it will put more weight on the front end of the bike.

Generator: I use the Predator 4000/3200 Watt generator from Harbor Freight. I've only had one problem with it my very first race day but it has been working fine ever since. If you can afford it, go with an invertor generator as it supplies cleaner power and is quieter.

 

[blbills]

First opportunity to put a full ride on the MX. Gotta say it's tough to wipe the grin off my face. Probably the most fun I've had on two wheels. So many things to like...no engine noise, smooth, light feeling, instant torque, hill climbing champ, etc...

Decided to run her all the way down and managed 28 miles of desert technical single track mostly in mode 2. Played around a bit in mode 3 too which was even more fun.

Couple questions:

1) How tight is everyone running their chain? When I purchased this from the original owner I noticed that his chain was really really loose. He said that if he tightened it any more that it would rob power/range. It just didn't feel right to me so I tightened to the standard 3 fingers behind the chain slider that I'm use to with all the other bikes I have. That seems to be too tight though as I noticed about half way though my ride that the chain was physically hot. I went ahead and loosened it a bit more and that seems to have helped. How tight is everyone else running their chains?

2) I noticed once in mode 2 while I was on a hill climb that the bike limited the power on me. Is this to be expected? It only happened once and when I was doing gnarlier climbs in mode 3 I had no issues.

3) Really need to do something about these front forks. Even with stiffer springs in the front they are garbage.

4) Very hard to modulate the rear brake. Need to purchase that FAAST spring to hopefully provide additional "feel" to the rear brake.

5) I could not keep my feet on these pegs. They were just too slippery. Any suggestions?

6) How can I get more range? How are people getting 40+ miles? I feel like I was doing a good job controlling wheel spin and maintaining momentum.

After all the reading of chain slider failures I inspected mine and low and behold it was already broken! Did some surgery with some fiberglass and got it all back together. Hopefully it holds!

 

[snydes]

I do the standard chain tension myself. Not sure what the previous owner was talking about. The stock chain doesn't get glowing reviews, the popular choice is to replace with a quality x/o ring for quieter operation. I'm not sure on your issue with climbing on mode two, hopefully some other MX owners can comment. The rear brake spring is a popular option as well as upgrading the pegs for the reasons you mentioned.

Our range champion is Butch, but he's 140lbs. so that helps. Riding style and terrain obviously are big factors. If you are doing a lot of hill climbs that is going to put a hurtin on your overall range.

You may want to consider bracing your slider as well since that is the root cause of the failures. Nice repair!

 

[Philip]

Yes, I second the need to brace that slider. Your repair looks pretty, but it will get busted quickly if you let the slider flex in that area. You can add rubber or hard foam under it. Although, now that it is cracked, you may want to consider jamming and epoxying a piece of wood under that slider.

Here is another slider repair/reinforcement idea for you:
Chain Slider failures

 

[Judaslefourbe]

I could not keep my feet on these pegs. They were just too slippery. Any suggestions?

The new dirt pegs (on the EXR and MXR) are plug and play on the other models.

 

[Bionicman]

I have a spare OE 2019 EXR foot pegs pm me

 

[OneLapper]

Could someone post pictures of the new foot pegs? I'm curious to see the difference

 

[snydes]

Could someone post pictures of the new foot pegs? I'm curious to see the difference

 

[OneLapper]

Thanks. Doesn't look like a huge improvement but if it works it works!

 

[Philip]

Thanks. Doesn't look like a huge improvement but if it works it works!

They are not as grippy as most aftermarket pegs, but they feel the same as all other dirt bike stock pegs, and they are not nearly as slippery as the MX stock pegs.

I upgraded my MX pegs almost immediately, but I still have the stock pegs on my MXR.

 

[BenEXR]

One would simply file the tips of the pegs teeth and there would be an instant improvement in peg-grip.

The peg in the above image looks like it has 1,000-2,000 miles on it already as the tips are all well rounded or pre-worn.

 

[snydes]

The peg in the above image looks like it has 1,000-2,000 miles on it already as the tips are all well rounded or pre-worn.

A little over 500 miles/37 hours.

 

[Philip]

A little over 500 miles/37 hours.

Brand new pegs look just like this too. The OEM pegs are never overly sharp, perhaps not to have customers complaining that their boots get worn prematurely. The grip vs. the boot wear is always a compromise.