ON THE ROAD: ENDUROCROSS ON AN EV BIKE
Electric bike zips over rocks and logs at Calgary’s Wild Rose Motocross Park
Since 2014, energy drink maker Red Bull has stopped saying its product “will give you wings.” But, it’s likely some competitors at the Red Bull-sponsored Rocks and Logs endurocross event at Wild Rose Motocross Park in Calgary would have appreciated having wings. In late June, racing on a course designed by Calgary’s Shane Cuthbertson, competitors were presented with technical challenges that put their off-road riding skills to the test.
“Endurocross features all of the obstacles off-road riders would face when riding in the mountains or in the hills,” Cuthbertson says. “That’s the enduro part, where you’re traversing ground strewn with boulders and fallen trees. The cross aspect of endurocross is bringing that all together in a closed course event in front of a crowd.
“I’ve been competing as a pro for more than 20 years. I combined some of the experiences I’ve had racing in the U.S., Europe and locally to design a series of obstacles (on the track) to challenge some of the best riders out there.”
Pro rider Mike Aranda from the San Francisco-bay area faced two challenges, the first being this Calgary course and the second his ride of choice. Instead of the usual gas-powered motocross machine, he was racing an electric off-road motorcycle built by Alta Motors.
Alta Motors is located in Brisbane, Calif., and according to its website; “designs and manufactures the most advanced electric motorcycles in the world. Alta Motors … is a team of experts that have repeatedly done full scale manufacturing at companies such as Toyota, GM, Caterpillar and Bloom. As a result, we have distilled a list of best practices and applied them to our continuous production line that supports both the Redshift MX and Redshift SM.”
It was an Alta Motors Redshift MX bike on which Aranda competed at Calgary’s Rocks and Logs event.
The Redshift MX bike appears similar to a gas-powered 250cc motocross machine. However, instead of an internal combustion engine, the Redshift features a 40 horsepower electric motor that offers 120 ft.lbs. of torque. Energy comes from a 350-volt waterproof lithium-ion battery that takes four hours to recharge with a standard 120-volt outlet. Alta Motors estimates that, based on moderate riding, power should last up to three hours under continuous use.
All of the electrical components are carried in a forged and welded aluminum frame with a cast swingarm, while the core or structural hub of the Redshift machine is referred to as the ‘bulkhead’.
The bulkhead, Alta Motors states, “Functions as the motor casing, the cooling circuit for the motor and inverter as well as the transmission case for the gear reduction.”
The rest of the parts, including the WP forks and rear shock and Brembo brakes, are outsourced items built to Alta Motors specification and complete the 267-pound package.
Alta Motors programs the Redshift MX with four ‘maps’ that tailor the power delivery characteristics to the rider and terrain. From tamest to wildest, the maps are Trail, MX Race, Performance and the full on Overclocked.
It was in Overclocked that Aranda rode his Redshift MX at Rocks and Logs.
He says, “I run that map because it offers the least amount of traction control, and after getting used to how it behaves, I can gauge how best to ride it over the various obstacles.”
Without the audible cues a gasoline-powered engine would provide, Aranda needs to understand how the electric bike behaves in a number of different situations.
He’s spent time getting used to the Alta Motors Redshift MX machine, and says: “It’s fast and it’s tons of fun.”
He adds, “I’ve had the toughest time adapting to not having a clutch, but that can be advantageous in other areas because the bike will never stall out on me.”
Other riders have to delicately balance their clutch and throttle in different gears to manoeuvre around the course. For Aranda, it was all in the throttle and he placed seventh in a field of 12 riders that made up the Pro class.
“It was my first time in Canada, and Calgary treated me very well,” he says. “(Cuthbertson’s) course was really challenging, and I enjoyed that because it had more technical obstacles that improved the competition. Plus, it was outside in an urban environment with natural elevation changes, most of these kinds of events are at indoor stadiums.”
Of riding the Alta Motors machine, Aranda concludes: “I do think electric bikes are the future of motocross and trail riding. They’re quiet and there’s less environmental impact, plus there’s less need for maintenance because there are no top end rebuilds or an air filter to change. Just service the chain, suspension and tires and plug it in.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Contact him at gregwilliams@shaw.ca or 403-2871067 or