I’m going to Portland this weekend to check out the unveiling of Alta Motors’ Redshift ST, a lightweight electric motorcycle that is touted as the perfect tool for a flat track race or tackling your urban commute. And you should ask me what you want to know about it.
The ST appears close to production ready, with a slim, minimalist look and the promise of near maintenance-free riding. Oh, and it’s got 120 lbs-ft of torque right from when you twist the throttle (none of this maximum-torque-at-10,000-RPMs business of conventional sports bikes)! Perched on 19-inch wheels, the ST weighs in at just 250 pounds and has an inseam-friendly 31-inch seat height.
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All that sounds great, but what about the usual hang-ups for electric vehicles: price and range?
Alta says its battery is good for about 50 miles, though that can vary depending how hard you push it. There’s a reason this is billed as a racer or commuter, and not a tourer, right? Fully charging the battery takes six hours when plugged into a regular 110-volt outlet, or 2½ hours at 220 volts.
Alta’s Redshift platform has already brought us the MX motocross bike and the SM supermoto, which retail at about $15,000. I expect the ST to come in at a similar price point.
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I’m pumped about checking this bike out in person at the eighth annual The One Motorcycle Show in Portland this weekend. Alta has put a lot of work into building high-performance motorcycles that also happen to be electric. And they look damned cool in the process.
So what do you want to know about the Alta Redshift ST? I’ll try to respond to the basics here, and put the tougher ones straight to company at the show.
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Erik Schelzig is a Nashville-based journalist who has been trying to sneak his motorcycle on to assignments for two decades.But mostly he just uses the bike to commute to work.
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