ALTA REDSHIFT MX ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES AT SEA OTTER

Alta Motors is making a really exciting electric off-road motorcycle. The Redshift MX aims squarely at the 250cc motorcycle class, with 40 horsepower with 120 foot-pounds of torque. We have a full writeup of Josh Hill’s race against those very bikes at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event that will publish shortly after this.

Seeing these things in the flesh at Sea Otter, they’re beautiful. They have all the suspension and amenities of a 250, but instead of a gas tank and engine, it has a large battery and a small motor with a lot of power and tremendous torque. And it’s so quiet! With these, a motocross track could be located in the middle of town and nobody would complain about the noise. Or the smell.

They claim “up to 2 hours of riding time” on one charge. Or, as one rep told us, 35-45 minutes of riding time for a pro-level rider. The battery isn’t removable/swappable, so you’ll have to ride it until empty, then charge it up for another day of riding, unless you have a 250v circuit to plug into, in which case you’re ready to ride again after a 2.5-hour lunch break.

At 267lbs, it’s heavier than many 250cc bikes (around 230 lbs) and nearly twice the price of most gas-powered 250s at $14,995, it’s not for the faint of wallet. It’s a really cool and very technically advanced bike, though, and they’re leading the way where Zero (who started with electric dirt bikes) left off.