Owner's Review Redshift MXR owners ride review

[snydes]

MXR ride review, ride #1
Tomahawk MX Park, Hedgesville, West Virginia, USA

I took my MXR out to a practice track yesterday for it's maiden voyage. 1.5 mile long track, lots of natural elevation change, a fairly 50/50 mix of loamy and and hardpack. For myself I'm a lightweight at 160-165 in street clothes, I'm 41 and would say I'm only slightly above average in my MX skills than your normal track rat. I started out in map 1 for the 1st 15 minutes, I was actually surprised map 1 did as well as it did on the track, but it is only good for "feeling the track out" IMO. Map 2 I used for the rest. I briefly did some time in 3 and 4 but quickly realized they were totally unnecessary for my ability and the track. I could see if you were on a tight supercross style track and needed that extra "shot out of a cannon" acceleration, but for a wide open outdoor track I don't see the need. Again though, I'm pretty light.

I got about 45 minutes of time and was down to 25%. I wasn't riding flat out 100% of my rides however I wasn't riding it any different than I would ride my gas bikes, which for me is what was important. I decided to throw it on the charger at 25% and took the opportunity to check spokes, bolts (check your seat bolt guys), tire pressure, sag, have a sandwich, etc. I already had a 240v generator for at home so I brought it with to charge. By the time I was done goofing around checking the bike over and making adjustments I was back up to 100%. If you have a generator and throw it on between practices you can easily ride all day long without worry.

The bike is excellent, I love the silky smooth power. You get into a groove and lay on it and it just glides. In the air it reminds me of my 125 from years ago, very responsive to throttle/brake input. I never liked how my big thumpers felt in the air compared to a 125 in that regard and this bike acts just like that little smoker. No clutch or gear selection to think about, no power curve to manage, just concentrate on throttle control and body position and have fun. I'll be doing a mix of track/trail riding this season so I'll try and keep everyone updated on my experiences. So far so good!

 

[Oded]

Sounds good and I hope you are not disappointed with the range of the bike.
I understand you have the quick charger? Any photos?

Totally agree that the bike feels nimble and light. Only when picking it up, it reminds you of its weight.

Today I rode on the rockiest terrain I have ever been on. Steep climbs with many rock edges and so on. Had about 2 hours of difficult riding and came back with over 65% left. Its really all about the riding and terrain charectaristics. Motocross and open fast trails will drain the battery much quicker.

Now I am going to check the seat bolts

 

[snydes]

I am not at all disappointed with the range, in fact it was exactly what I had estimated it would do based on everything I have heard and read. I’m at a different track right now getting ready to do another practice day. Stay tuned!!

 

[snydes]

Oh and on the quick charger... I don’t have it yet. They are running behind on the quick chargers so rather than holding everything up because of that they delivered the bike with a standard charger to use till the quick charger orders are filled.

 

[Oded]

And than replace it with the fast charger? Good service..

 

[snydes]

And than replace it with the fast charger? Good service..

Yep. They clearly want to get these in peoples garages. The more people that have them, the more that people see them, the more they ride them, the more they sell them!

 

[Philip]

Excellent review! Thank you, Steve!

Looking very good on that MXR! Two American flags in the back, and you throwing roost!

Wow, Alta will take your standard charger back when the Rapid one arrives? Very nice!!!

I am then doubly impressed that you were able to charge the bike with your standard charger to 100% on your lunch break.

 

[Philip]

Only when picking it up, it reminds you of its weight.

That largely has to do with the fact that the Redshift has a slightly lower ground clearance than most MX bikes. You have to lift it higher to get it up on a center stand.

 

[rayivers]

Wow, Alta will take your standard charger back when the Rapid one arrives? Very nice!!!

According to Corey at HVM, the standard charger is yours to keep. I just got back from picking up my fast charger & kickstand there, & now have both chargers. I have the feeling the new fast charger may soon be the standard charger.

Ray

 

[snydes]

I am then doubly impressed that you were able to charge the bike with your standard charger to 100% on your lunch break.

It was a slightly longer lunch break and I was charging on 240v, but yeah, if you were to just charge each time you take a break a full day at a practice track is not a problem.

 

[Philip]

According to Corey at HVM, the standard charger is yours to keep. I just got back from picking up my fast charger & kickstand there, & now have both chargers. I have the feeling the new fast charger may soon be the standard charger.

Wow. I must have gotten screwed out of a spare charger too. According to the Alta's press release:

"The 2018 Redshift MXR priced at $11,995 with the option of new Rapid Charger for $799 or Standard at $499."

How much did you guys pay for your chargers?

 

[Philip]

It would be very nice to keep the Rapid charger with the generator in the van, and the Standard charger in the garage. Fewer things to drag around.

 

[snydes]

I paid $800 for the rapid charger. It could be they were only giving the standard chargers to people who pre ordered MXR’s with a rapid charger. I’d question it though.

 

[rayivers]

Mine was $725 - Duane the HVM sales manager specifically mentioned cutting me a deal on it, so I imagine normally they'd be $800 or whatever.

It could be they were only giving the standard chargers to people who pre ordered MXR’s with a rapid charger.

Yes, this could be - that was my situation.

BTW - the fast charger draws 12A at 120V / 16A at 240V, while the standard one is 12A at both voltages. If this is correct, I don't see how the fast charger significantly reduces charge time at 120V as claimed.

Ray

 

[snydes]

MXR ride review, ride #2
Rocket Raceway, Three Springs Pennsylvania, USA

My second ride was at another similar size and type track as my first ride, natural elevation changes and long straights. The main difference in this ride was how the track was prepped. I am familiar with this track and usually ride it several times a year. They rip this track DEEP in the morning and water it hard. The soil then gets very tacky when prepped like this, that along with 90 degree turns at the bottom of hills going back up means this is the perfect recipe for power consumption. This was the only track I have ridden where my old RMZ450 would really labor.

Everyone in the morning typically waits for someone else to go out on the track first thing because they don't want to be the first guy out on it to run in some lines. Personally I love it when its ripped deep so I took the opportunity to give the MXR a real workout. I ran it hard for 25 minutes, I wanted to try and go a full 30 but I didn't have it in me to go any longer safely. I used map 2 again and after 25 minutes in those conditions I was down to between 1/4 and 1/2, lets call it 35% battery left. The only place I felt that it didn't pull like my old 450 was up the one hill with the deep soil, and this was only map 2.

I had intentions of doing some other battery life tests later in the day when all the lines are formed up and the track gets faster, but between talking to all the people who want to ask you about it, and letting a few of those guys ride it, and some other interruptions on the track, I never had the opportunity to get any more useful data. I would have also liked to try map 3 up some of those hills and see how it felt, maybe next time. Map 4 is just silly IMO, impressive for sure, but I haven't seen a practical need for it YET.

Stay tuned, I think my next ride will be some off-road type riding!

 

[Oded]

Great report. I also think that going up to map 3 may solve that power problem you encountered.

I would be careful with letting many riders test your bike. Insurance wise, and bike damage wise.

In Israel, the state electricity voltage is 220v, so we're lucky

 

[snydes]

I'm sure it would have, I wanted to do my first run in the same map I used for the previous days time for the sake of comparison. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get another good opportunity for an additional test run. Believe me when I tell you I'm very selective of who I would let on it. It's a calculated risk for the sake of getting the word out
Having standard voltage of 220 is awesome for this purpose! You are lucky!

 

[snydes]

MXR ride review, ride #3
Dutchman MX, Pine Grove Pennsylvania, USA

Ride number 3 was at another MX practice track. This one was significantly different from the first two in that it was much shorter and had no natural elevation change and was significantly more “jumpy” than the others. It was ripped deep first thing in the morning and had similar soil properties to the ride #2 track.

After a few laps it was clear that map #3 was in order here. A tighter track with more jumps right out of turns meant that the extra shot out of a cannon acceleration was a definite advantage. This track formed up nicely as the day progressed and there were multiple lines through the turns. Nothing is more enjoyable for me than laying it into a nice outside line and just rolling on the throttle with no concern for gear selection or clutching. What a blast! Coincidentally one other substantial advantage I learned these have is the ability to get right back on and go in the event of crash . I had my first incident (those first scratches are just the worst) going around a guy on the outside of a turn where on the exit I pushed over the soft berm and tucked the front end. The guy rode past me and I hopped back on the bike with no concerns of keeping a hand on the clutch to keep it running or getting back in the right gear, and then re-passed the him. I think he was a little surprised to see me again so quickly.

After 28 minutes, which was all I could handle, I was down to about 40% battery. I have never felt better on a bike right off the bat than I do on this one. It is so predictable and easy to ride. I have one of the Alta left hand rear brakes on order now, and I can't wait to get that installed and see how that works on a track.

Love it!

 

[Philip]

Paragraph - Wikipedia

 

[snydes]

Nobody said dirt bike riders had to be smart...