Would you Pull the Trigger on a New MXR

[Philip]

I knew the company was belly up, and spare parts would be harder to find than unicorn testicles.

I just had to quote this!

And this:

But I also saw the benefits of the bike, and nothing else is really even close to this level of quality and capability in the dirt bike world yet.

 

[snydes]

Wow, how’d I not pick up on that one!?

The whole post in general was a very well written response. Nicely done @C5tor !

 

[C5tor]

Is this a typo? Did you mean to say "park it in the living room"? Because there are a few guys on this forum who do just that!

I hear you. But my garage is also my wife’s laundry room, so she outranks me there. As for the living room, assuming it would fit, there is still that marital gray area [see “Wife Manual”, page 95, sub-section 3, “Divorce and Community Property” and Appendix C: “Important Phrases: Yes Dear.”).

Plus I have a cat that likes to use the furniture as his personal scratching post. I would hate to explain to the kids what happened to the cat after he allegedly gouges the crap out of my pseudo-irreplaceable Alta plastics or cat hair arcs the HV battery connectors. “Sorry kids. Mr. Fuzzypants has gone to live on a cat commune in NJ. He was super tired of suburban life...”

 

[Andy J]

I bought an EXR a few months ago and use it as a commuter. Riding the EXR is the most fun I've had riding in a long time.
But, I really want to get an MXR for MX and Trail Riding.

FYI: I love the forum and really respect everyone's opinion.

I want to get an MXR to do some serious trail riding and maybe an MX race or two.
But it's another 10 grand to spend on a bike that may only last a few days, a few weeks, or never have an issue.

High Risk / High Reward

If it was your money, what would you do?

Simple answer: get one. I had a chance to ride the streets of San Francisco in 2017 while visiting my daughter who worked for Alta. I swore then I'd get one if I had a chance. Last year I got a EXR thinking I would put street tires on it. I'd had 0 experience off road but living in the mountains of east Tennessee made that easy to change. And Brother, it's about the most fun one can have out of bed. Aside from the fact that everyone wants to talk to you ( the "Oh Wow" factor isn't going to end anytime soon.), I'm the only one of my new friends that hasn't spent a lot of time pushing a bike out of the woods or doing trail side repairs. Short of chain and tires, there's just not much to go wrong. I did spend a half hour waiting for the electronics to let me restart after going head first into a mud hole once.
I thought it would be a good learner bike since there isnt a clutch and no hillside kick starting but this isnt a beginner bike. It's like starting driving school with a 911 GTS. Though not heavier than a 450 it's quite a bit heavier and taller than a 250. Picking it up on a hill is rough.
One of the safeguards against whiskey throttle on a gas bike is the clutch. So the no clutch advantage has a bit of a double edge. Most of my serious "dismounts" have been the result of not getting off the throttle or giving too much due to bumps and inexperienced rider panic. If you come down on the rear tire with an open throttle, that bike is going to go into orbit and it will be in post game reflection that you figure out what happened. My solution to this was to get a left hand rear brake lever.
Another other big difference is the engine braking on the ALTA. It's very tricky to keep the neutral throttle spot between no throttle and forward motion. The engine braking is much stronger than a gas bike in gear. It really changes the dynamics on all terrain conditions.
I also love the ability to control the torque in tricky situations such as restarting on a hill. Where gas bikes often have to retreat for momentum, the Alta can control the start enough to avoid spinning out.
A tugger strap should be standard issue. And the headlight is bright enough to read by but not enough to drive. I screwed the headlight adjustment down enough so that I could use the high beam to drive by.
In terms of the rapid battery drain with high rev use, that's more of a pro problem. I usually finish a 2 or 3 hour ride with 20 to 30 % battery. Granted, I'm riding on trails not easy dirt roads and the speeds are less than 25mph.
I love this bike. I would certainly buy it again despite the absence of factory support. I take it as a clue that when ALTA had to close, most of the employees that didn't already own one found a way to get one. That's an endorsement.

 

[Andy J]

Simple answer: get one. I had a chance to ride the streets of San Francisco in 2017 while visiting my daughter who worked for Alta. I swore then I'd get one if I had a chance. Last year I got a EXR thinking I would put street tires on it. I'd had 0 experience off road but living in the mountains of east Tennessee made that easy to change. And Brother, it's about the most fun one can have out of bed. Aside from the fact that everyone wants to talk to you ( the "Oh Wow" factor isn't going to end anytime soon.), I'm the only one of my new friends that hasn't spent a lot of time pushing a bike out of the woods or doing trail side repairs. Short of chain and tires, there's just not much to go wrong. I did spend a half hour waiting for the electronics to let me restart after going head first into a mud hole once.
I thought it would be a good learner bike since there isnt a clutch and no hillside kick starting but this isnt a beginner bike. It's like starting driving school with a 911 GTS. Though not heavier than a 450 it's quite a bit heavier and taller than a 250. Picking it up on a hill is rough.
One of the safeguards against whiskey throttle on a gas bike is the clutch. So the no clutch advantage has a bit of a double edge. Most of my serious "dismounts" have been the result of not getting off the throttle or giving too much due to bumps and inexperienced rider panic. If you come down on the rear tire with an open throttle, that bike is going to go into orbit and it will be in post game reflection that you figure out what happened. My solution to this was to get a left hand rear brake lever.
Another other big difference is the engine braking on the ALTA. It's very tricky to keep the neutral throttle spot between no throttle and forward motion. The engine braking is much stronger than a gas bike in gear. It really changes the dynamics on all terrain conditions.
I also love the ability to control the torque in tricky situations such as restarting on a hill. Where gas bikes often have to retreat for momentum, the Alta can control the start enough to avoid spinning out.
A tugger strap should be standard issue. And the headlight is bright enough to read by but not enough to drive. I screwed the headlight adjustment down enough so that I could use the high beam to drive by.
In terms of the rapid battery drain with high rev use, that's more of a pro problem. I usually finish a 2 or 3 hour ride with 20 to 30 % battery. Granted, I'm riding on trails not easy dirt roads and the speeds are less than 25mph.
I love this bike. I would certainly buy it again despite the absence of factory support. I take it as a clue that when ALTA had to close, most of the employees that didn't already own one found a way to get one. That's an endorsement.

My cousin's only comment of this picture, " I see you are still single".

 

[snydes]

My cousin's only comment of this picture, " I see you are still single".

View attachment 3408

Priceless!

 

[TCMB371]

Commuting to work and running quick errands are 100x more fun now. Sometimes I venture offroad along the way, and noone minds. The result is I go to work happier and get chores done with more enjoyment. What a great machine.