Warranty/Dealer question

[Rob41]

First off I'd like to say you guys have a great forum here and I've enjoyed reading your posts for a while now.

Secondly, I'll apologize for not using the search function first in case this has already been asked. My only excuse is I'm Chief Engineer on a Navy (USNS) vessel in my office now (half way around the globe) where the internet speed is so slow it takes me literally hours to get through just a couple threads. I usually get the timed out message.

My question is about the warranty and I think I already may know the answer. Does all warranty work have to go through the dealer?

I read OneLapper's post about his issue with the water pump and realized, if I had an issue I'd be driving 5 or 6 hours round trip to my nearest dealer.

I have been very excited about buying an EXR when I get home, but the thought of warranty work being so far away could be a show stopper for me.

Do the firmware updates also require a visit to a dealer?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[WoodsWeapon]

All updates and mechanical work will need to be done at the dealer, with 2 exceptions Im aware of. You could buy Altas laptop and do them yourself, but its cost prohibitive. Or in my case, I got lucky in that Altas regional rep lives 40 minutes from me.

Oh and thank you for the service and safety you and your crew provide!!!!

 

[Oded]

Hi Rob,
The updates and other issues all have to go through the dealer.
That being said, there aren't many, and most bikes are trouble free. Naturally, we hear more about the minority that are faulty.

My best suggestion is find a local motorcycle dealer, and perhaps get them to start selling Altas?

Best of luck to you.

 

[Philip]

You could buy Altas laptop and do them yourself, but its cost prohibitive.

Not buy but rent with a $3000 security deposit. @Elite Motorsports said that was an available option. So, if this option indeed exists, then the cost should be very reasonable, with the main expense being the shipping of the laptop back and forth, I assume.

 

[snydes]

I would be interested to know if that option still is available. Honestly I doubt Alta was thrilled with that proposition.

 

[Rob41]

It sure would be great if firmware updates etc. could be done by the owner. Too bad the necessary software can't be used on my own laptop. Anyway, I still want to get an EXR. Maybe if I take it to a couple local shops it would be enough to convince them to become a dealer.

If renting the laptop is an option I think that would work as well. Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[John Lindemann]

Hi There,

I’m a new member and a new to me owner of an 2018 EX.
I believe that if Alta doesn’t change some of these policies so that owners can service their bikes it will result in poor sales and a bad reputation. Off-Road riders want to be able to service their bikes. This combined with a very limited dealer network is a recipe for failure.

 

[snydes]

Hi There,

I’m a new member and a new to me owner of an 2018 EX.
I believe that if Alta doesn’t change some of these policies so that owners can service their bikes it will result in poor sales and a bad reputation. Off-Road riders want to be able to service their bikes. This combined with a very limited dealer network is a recipe for failure.

IMO it will happen eventually. I think they are just being overly cautious in these first years of production. I’ll speculate that they will roll out that ability as a new model year perk and hopefully the feature will be backwards compatible with our bikes.

 

[Oded]

I agree about Alta being cautious. however, one of the main reasons people are not thrilled about buying a Zero electric bike in my country is the total dependancy on the dealer. No one wants that

 

[snydes]

Well we know we have plenty of Alta eyes on this forum so I would say it’s pretty likely they have heard our unanimous request to be able to update firmware and adjust maps. Now the question remains will they respond in time before their next competitor emerges (whom ever that will be) and puts those type of features on their bike? I certainly hope so!

 

[Rob41]

I think you guys have nailed it. We really need to be able to perform our own updates and being able to adjust maps etc would be a huge plus as well. If Alta can incorporate a good self diagnostic report to assist the owner in troubleshooting issues, as well as generating a report to send back to Alta that would be ideal. Might even be good enough to allow warranty support via the diagnostic reports. That might even make it more attractive for dealers to choose to offer Alta products if they don't have as great of a warranty workload.

It would certainly make Alta a far more viable option for those of us that live nowhere near a dealer.

Hopefully Alta will work in this direction and protect their design/programming/intellectual integrity and provide the software tools for the end user. IMO, this would have a huge impact on their sales volumes.

 

[Philip]

I think it might actually be possible to incorporate the map tuner software into the dash. It has a display and a plenty of buttons, so all Alta needs to do is write the software.

Who here can code? Apply for a job at Alta! They might even let you work from home without moving to San Francisco, I think.

 

[John Lindemann]

I would like to have a trip odometer that could be reset forward and backward for my 2018 EX. Maybe it’s there already and I just can’t find it. Has anyone found a trip odometer on the display?

 

[snydes]

I would like to have a trip odometer that could be reset forward and backward for my 2018 EX. Maybe it’s there already and I just can’t find it. Has anyone found a trip odometer on the display?

No, unfortunately there is not the option. Great idea though!

 

[John Lindemann]

Seems like it could be possible via software.

 

[strider]

Lots of things are possible via software. For Alta it's a constant decision of what to prioritize with a finite team. I for one would love to do custom maps but to allow that they need to open up an untrusted path (using your phone, laptop, Wi-Fi, etc) for you to communicate with the bike. So each great idea opens up multiple other projects that have to be done first. The bikes seem to be selling in their current state (I hope to add an EXR to my stable in a month or so). The last thing we want them to do is hire a ton of people to develop stuff only to have sales not materialize and they go bankrupt and/or are acquired by a bigger company that stifles the innovation.

 

[Speedkills]

I think it might actually be possible to incorporate the map tuner software into the dash. It has a display and a plenty of buttons, so all Alta needs to do is write the software.

Who here can code? Apply for a job at Alta! They might even let you work from home without moving to San Francisco, I think.

Already live in SF, and believe me I’ve thought about it, but I really enjoy my current gig. If they made the software and adapter available without dropping 3k on their laptop ($500 or less and I’m in) then I’d end up reversing it and writing something anyway.

 

[TCMB371]

I think it might actually be possible to incorporate the map tuner software into the dash. It has a display and a plenty of buttons, so all Alta needs to do is write the software.

Who here can code? Apply for a job at Alta! They might even let you work from home without moving to San Francisco, I think.

I can code. Anyone have an idea what language the software is written in?

 

[Speedkills]

Alta is hiring. I told them I'm really happy where I'm at, just open it up and I'll write a bunch of code for it on my own time . That's not going to happen, but if you are willing to change jobs and are want a shot at making Alta software better you should definitely hit them up. I don't know any inside details, but it's firmware so I'm going to guess C.