 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 28 October 2010 [1] |
| Defunct | 18 October 2018 [2] |
| Headquarters | 185 Valley Drive, Brisbane, California , USA [1] |
Key people | |
Alta Motors was an American manufacturer of off-road and dual-sport electric motorcycles based in Brisbane, California. [1]
Derek Dorresteyn, whose family has a long presence on the San Francisco motorcycle scene, started working on a bespoke electric bike in 2007. [3] He partnered with industrial designer Jeff Sand and entrepreneur Marc Fenigstein to found BRD Motorcycles in 2010. The acronym's meaning was only known to the founders and never disclosed. [4]
In 2011, Alta hired Viktor Pritzker, a former director of sales at Vectrix. [5] In 2013, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard joined the company's advisory board. [6] After securing additional investors, BRD changed its name to the more evocative Alta Motors, a reference to its home region of Alta California—or North California. [4]
In March 2018, Alta Motors announced a partnership with Harley-Davidson for the development of future models of electric motorbikes. However, H-D walked out of the deal six months later, opting instead to set up its own research and development unit in the Silicon Valley. [2]
Following Harley-Davidson's divestment, the company was reported to be in negotiations with Canada's Bombardier Recreational Products for an injection of cash, but this did not happen and Alta Motors went out of business in late 2018. [7] BRP later did acquire some of Alta's technological assets from its creditors. [7]
A projected Redshift SMR model was registered with the NHTSA, but there is no evidence that it reached the market. [9]
The Redshift platform is the basis for the SilentHawk stealth dirtbike developed by military contractor Logos Technologies of Fairfax, Virginia. [10]
In 2017, the company also unveiled a prototype called the Redshift ST (for Street Tracker), which was pitched as a hybrid urban and flat track speedway machine. [11]
Due to debates regarding the equivalency between electric and combustion engines, Alta faced an uphill battle obtaining sanction to race in a major series, but the brand's products still showed up at a few established events. [3]
The Redshift MX made its professional debut in the Lites class of the 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm off-season tournament, advancing to the second round. [12] It returned in 2017, but was eliminated in the first round. On both occasions, the bike was ridden by Josh Hill. [13]
Also in 2017, Alta announced that it would feature in the SX2 class at a pair of SX Tour events, the Geneva Supercross and the Paris-Nanterre Supercross, thanks to an exemption granted by the tour's sanctioning body, the Fédération française de motocyclisme. [14] However, equipment shipping issues [15] limited its participation to the Geneva Supercross' Duel Cup, a side attraction consisting of four riders competing in best-of-three, one-on-one playoffs. [16] Hill won the second night, beating event spokesman Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki RM-Z450) in the final. [17]
Alta made its AMA EnduroCross Championship debut in Round 4 of the 2016 season with Veteran class rider Kurt Nicoll. Nicoll won the event in his class. [18] In 2018, the company upped its efforts, signing Ty Tremaine as a regular entrant in the Pro class. His third-place finish in Round 3 was credited as the first podium placing by an all-electric bike in an AMA-sanctioned professional series. [19] However Alta Motors folded partway into the season, and Tremaine finished his campaign with Beta. [20]
Tremaine, alongside Lyndon Poskitt, also took part in the 2018 Erzberg Rodeo hard enduro for Alta. [21]
KTM is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and motorsports brand which is co-owned by Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto and Austrian manufacturer Pierer Mobility AG. It traces its foundation in 1934 as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. Today, Pierer Mobility AG operates as the manufacturer of KTM branded motorcycles; whereas KTM Fahrrad AG operates as the manufacturer of KTM branded bicycles.
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
The AMA Supercross Championship is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from January through early May. Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcycles on a constructed dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles; the tracks are usually constructed inside a sports stadium. The easy accessibility and comfort of these stadium venues helped supercross surpass off-road motocross as a spectator attraction in the United States by the late 1970s.
The International Motorcycling Federation or (FIM) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 121 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six continental unions.
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Richard Joseph Carmichael is an American former professional motocross and stock car racing driver. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1997 to 2007 and in NASCAR from 2008 to 2011. His unrivaled successes in the sport of motocross earned him the nickname "The GOAT"; standing for Greatest of All Time. He won 15 AMA championships (1st), 10 in Motocross (1st), five in Supercross (2nd); scored 150 wins (1st), 102 in Motocross (1st), 48 in Supercross (4th); had two perfect Motocross seasons; was never beaten in 125 Supercross; and was a five-time winner of the AMA's Rider of the Year award.
GasGas is a Spanish motorcycle and bicycle manufacturer specializing in off-road and trial bikes. The company was founded in 1985 in Salt, Girona, Catalonia, by Narcìs Casas and Josep Pibernat after the closure of the original Bultaco factory, where they previously worked.
Chad Mark Reed is an Indigenous Australian motocross and supercross racer. He is a two-time AMA Supercross 450cc champion, a one-time AMA Motocross 450cc champion, record holder for the most main event starts in AMA Supercross history with 265 starts, as well as podium finishes with 132.
Penton was a rebadged American brand of off-road enduro motorcycles designed by John Penton and manufactured by KTM in Austria for distribution in the United States between 1968 and 1978.
The motorcycle sport of racing includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.
The Yamaha WR450F is an off-road motorcycle made by Yamaha Motor Company. It currently has a 450 cc (27 cu in) liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. First offered in 1998 at 400cc, it shared many components and design concepts with the YZ400F motocross model. It is basically the racing YZ450F detuned slightly for more controllable power, with a headlight and lighting coil, softer suspension, a kickstand, lower noise specifications, larger radiators and lower emissions. The WR in the name indicates a wide-ratio gear box common to most enduro or trail bikes and stands in contrast to the close-ratio gearbox essential to a motocross racer. Over the years the WR has benefited from the advances made in the YZ motocross version gaining displacement and advancements such as an aluminum frame and improved suspension. Over much of its life the weight of the WR450F has remained fairly constant ranging from 244 to 249 pounds dry weight.
An enduro motorcycle is an off-road racing motorcycle used in enduros, which are long-distance cross-country, Trails, time trial competitions.
Beta is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorcycles. Beta is best known for their popular observed trials bikes. In 2005, they launched a range of enduro motorcycles using KTM engines. In 2010 they launched the new RR series, with a new engine made in-house. Beta motorcycles have been used by world trials champions such as Jordi Tarrés, Dougie Lampkin, Albert Cabestany and Enduro riders Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman. Production in 2018 was expected to be in excess of 20,000 motorcycles, ranging in size from 50 cc to 480 cc.
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is an Austrian motorcycle company with Swedish origins.
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest UK-owned motorcycle manufacturer, established in 1983 by John Bloor after the original company Triumph Engineering went into receivership. The new company, initially called Bonneville Coventry Ltd, continued Triumph's lineage of motorcycle production since 1902. They have major manufacturing facilities in Thailand.
Zero Motorcycles Inc. is an American manufacturer of electric motorcycles. Formerly called Electricross, it was founded in 2006 by Neal Saiki, a former NASA engineer, in Santa Cruz, California. The company is now located nearby in Scotts Valley.
The Kawasaki KX 450F is a liquid-cooled DOHC 449 cc (27.4 cu in) four-valve four-stroke single motocross motorcycle made by Kawasaki.
The KTM 950 Super Enduro R is a dual-sport motorcycle produced from 2006 to 2008. It is equipped with a 98-horsepower, four-stroke, V-twin engine, adjustable heavy-duty offroad suspension, and enduro styling. Due to its light weight and offroad-capable profile, the 950SE was perceived at its launch as a radical departure from any existing dual-sport, enduro, or street bike models, while having characteristics of all three.
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The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is the championship series for Hard Enduro a variant of Enduro off-road motorcycle racing. It began as the World Enduro Super Series (WESS) in 2018, before gaining FIM World Championship status and being renamed to the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship for 2021