New owner for #066 (2017 MX)

[BendErik]

Howdy from Bend, Oregon!

This past week I headed north to Skagit Powersports to pick up a 2017 MX with 950 miles/90 hours on it (thanks to José and Bill for all their help). Supposedly the battery has been replaced and firmware updated not long before Alta shut down (I'm guessing you can determine this with the diagnostic software).

I've been following Alta for years and almost pulled the trigger on a new bike just before the doors closed. It's taken a while to wrap my head around buying a bike from a company that no longer exists, but honestly this forum and the obvious support for the product tipped me over the edge. So thanks all for each and every post on here!

I'm coming to Alta from a '93 Honda 600R (a few years ago) and prior to that an '08 KTM 250 EXC-F. I'm a long-time mountain biker and am really only interested in riding singletrack, so a smaller bike like the 250 has been perfect. Based on just a few miles of riding I'm finding the Alta to be very similar to the KTM 250, with much of the same handling. The most notable differences so far: the significant amount of "engine" braking, the instant boost that comes with the throttle twist, and the ability to ride as slow as you can balance and the rear tire can find traction (perfect for technical riding finesse).

I am curious to see how the battery will react to the cold; based on what I've read on here, the bike may have to live in the house during the winter (I have an unheated garage).

Cheers,

Erik

 

[Redwolf]

Congratulations on your new bike, you won't regret it! You have endless riding there in central Oregon, you will love the bike on the trails.

I used to live in Klamath Falls, and know much of the SE corner of the state. Sometime next spring or so we ought to get a ride together, I'm sure some of the PDX riders would love to join too.

 

[OneLapper]

Welcome!

My bikes live in the living room. Of course, it helps to have a couple of houses to keep the women happy. A His and Hers seems to work pretty good.

The batteries do not like cold weather. Anything much below freezing and my bike doesnt really work unless its been inside the night before. I has to keep it in the trailer for a couple of day last winter. Got into the teens overnight. The bike would not run right until it warmed up.

 

[Jared]

Howdy from Bend, Oregon!

This past week I headed north to Skagit Powersports to pick up a 2017 MX with 950 miles/90 hours on it (thanks to José and Bill for all their help). Supposedly the battery has been replaced and firmware updated not long before Alta shut down (I'm guessing you can determine this with the diagnostic software).

I've been following Alta for years and almost pulled the trigger on a new bike just before the doors closed. It's taken a while to wrap my head around buying a bike from a company that no longer exists, but honestly this forum and the obvious support for the product tipped me over the edge. So thanks all for each and every post on here!

I'm coming to Alta from a '93 Honda 600R (a few years ago) and prior to that an '08 KTM 250 EXC-F. I'm a long-time mountain biker and am really only interested in riding singletrack, so a smaller bike like the 250 has been perfect. Based on just a few miles of riding I'm finding the Alta to be very similar to the KTM 250, with much of the same handling. The most notable differences so far: the significant amount of "engine" braking, the instant boost that comes with the throttle twist, and the ability to ride as slow as you can balance and the rear tire can find traction (perfect for technical riding finesse).

I am curious to see how the battery will react to the cold; based on what I've read on here, the bike may have to live in the house during the winter (I have an unheated garage).

Cheers,

Erik

View attachment 3986

Congratulations on buying the MX. I thought about buying it, but wound up driving down to Moto Corsa in Portland instead and buying their used EX because I wanted the dual-sport capability. You will have a blast, the electric dirt bike is quite a unique animal.

 

[BendErik]

@OneLapper Thanks for the cold weather info.

 

[Silent But Dirty]

This is the demo bike that Skagit has had from the very beginning, and is a real testament to the durability of the Alta.

They loaned this bike to anyone who wanted to try it, and is the very bike that caused me to fall in love with the Alta. This bike also set a landspeed record at Bonneville

 

[BendErik]

@Silent But Dirty It makes sense that it was a demo bike, as there's a "demo" tag on one of the keys. But it was also briefly owned by Charles Pittman, an 80-year-old guy from Oak Harbor, WA (from what they told me and as indicated on the title). Yes, it definitely doesn't seem like it was abused as a demo; there just aren't a lot of wear marks on it. Thanks for the info!

 

[privateer703]

So how much damage am I doing if my bike is in an unheated shed and temps are regularly below freezing come winter?

 

[snydes]

So how much damage am I doing if my bike is in an unheated shed and temps are regularly below freezing come winter?

I believe cold is considered better for storage. Heat is what you want to avoid. Just cant charge below freezing as far as I am aware.

 

[Redwolf]

I store mine in an unheated barn year round, hasn't caused any issues for the first year...

 

[privateer703]

So if I want to ride after a cold evening, just wrap it in a heating blanket for an hour or so before charging and I should be good.

 

[Fourth_Floor]

Curious as well about cold weather storage. I'm up in Northwestern Pa and my garage isn't heated. We see sub zero temps in the winter. Will storing the bike in the freezing cold hurt anything?

 

[OneLapper]

Just a quick internet search found plenty of reading on storing lithium batteries in the freezer. Seems that people recommend 40% SOC for storage.

 

[Mikec265]

My Alta stays in a heated room all winter, and my gas bikes are out in the cold.

 

[Slomo]

This was just the information I was looking for. I live in Northern Utah where temps will see single digits and occasionally sub 0. I will discharge (ride) my battery to 60% and store it in my wood shed for the winter. Everybody mentions heat is the enemy. I estimate my shed temp in the summer probably gets as high as 110 degrees. Is that too warm? If not, what storage temperature would you say is getting risky to cause damage?