In Bikes, International Bike News / By Mohan K Ramanujam / 22 December 2015 6:12 pm / 1 comment

San Francisco-based Alta Motors has delivered its first production electric motorcycle, the Redshift, to proud owners Eric Gauthier and Jeannine Smith, motorcycle.com reported. Alma had its beginning back in 2007, the brainchild of Marc Fenigstein, Derek Dorresteyn and Jeff Sand.

Dorrestyn and Sand were avid motorcylists who wanted a bike that would deliver a smooth, perfectly responsive torque curve. This resulted in the Redshift, a motocross-styled electric motorcycle.

The core of the chassis is the Redshift Bulkhead, which functions as the outer motor casing, the cooling circuit for the motor and inverter, as well as the transmission case for the gear reduction while serving as a structural member. It also ties together the rear suspension, the airframe, the forged monocoque chassis and the trellis skidframe.

The Redshift uses a high-speed permanent magnet brushless motor that provides direct response between the rider’s throttle hand and the rear tyre. The rotor, one of only two spinning parts in the drivetrain, is located at the bike’s precise roll centre, minimising the rotor’s gyroscopic effect on handling.

Alta spent three years developing the APK5 battery battery pack, which it claim allows for extreme energy density. The pack is digitally self-monitoring and self-balancing, and built to handle shock up to 50 G. Power is rated at a continuous 25 hp with a 40 hp peak.

The Redshift comes in two models, the Redshift MX, with a factory price of US$14,995 (RM64,000), and the SM, which goes for US$15,995 (RM66,000) and is road legal. Range is claimed to be two hours riding, and a top speed of 130 km/h, with both bikes weighing in at 118 kg.