Whatever you do, don’t ever ride an Alta Redshift MXR. It won’t do you any good. You’ll simply be ruined for all future off-road motocross riding experiences. There is no easy way to say this, but these electric motocross bikes are the G.O.A.T. and the worst part is they already went out of business. If you want one, you’ll have to be prepared to pay out the nose for a used one, because 2018 was the last year these glorious things were made. The company’s assets were sold off to BRP last year, and nothing has been done with them since.

This weekend some newly minted pals in the electric motorcycle world, known online , indicated to me that they would be in my area with a few cool motorcycles to ride out at Moon Rocks ORV area, about 30 miles from my house. I told them I’d ride out to visit them for some rocky trail riding and a warm up around the camp fire on Saturday afternoon. I’d never been out to Moon Rocks before, so I was excited by the opportunity. I loaded myself into the saddle of the Zero DSR Black Forest I’m borrowing, and headed northeast.

Moon Rocks is definitively in the middle of nowhere. Head 20 miles into the desert outside of Reno and you’ll find a gorgeous sandy, rocky, hilly area where thrill seekers and fun havers gather for a ripping good time. This crew had hauled their goodies over the hill in all manner of trucks and campers, setting up in a deep sandy wash. I found out quickly that the terrain here was in over the DSR’s street-oriented head. Once I got parked up and shoved a rock under the Zero’s kickstand, it stayed put for a few hours while I jumped onto something lighter with a more aggressive tire.

The Alta Redshift MXR was a racier version of the 2017 Redshift MX with a slightly lighter chassis, a more powerful motor, an improved battery array, and more aggressive racier suspension. Unfortunately the model lasted just the one year as the company was out of business just a few months later. The 5.8 kWh battery stack in the MXR was optimized for cold temperatures, which is good because we were out whipping in the mid-twenties, even in the sunshine.

With miles and miles of deep sand, open brushy terrain, hard packed whoops, hill climbs, steep drops, and man-modified berms and circle tracks to tackle, we headed out as a trio of two-wheelers looking for trouble to get into. And boy howdy does the Alta want to get into trouble. It soaked up everything we could throw at it with aplomb, despite me being a huskier-than-thou rider.

While we were only out for maybe two hours before the sun went down, I was hooked instantly on the bike’s incredible power delivery. Weighing in at just 259 pounds, and delivering an instant 42 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel, this was plenty to haul even my fat ass up a steep climb. After a couple hours of riding, and only dumping the bike on myself twice, the battery was still well above half and could have taken a whole lot more abuse.

I can’t thank the Electrobraap guys enough for the experience, despite the biting cold and three days of sore muscles. It was among the most fun experiences I’ve had all year. Albeit, this year has been a really weird one. The Alta Redshift is a wonderful, incredible, exhilarating, and powerful ride. If you like riding off-road, you’ll love the MXR. And that’s the problem. They just don’t exist.

A great bike with great technology. It was a flame that burned too bright and was gone before its time. It’s a shame these didn’t sell by the truckload, because Alta would still be here right now if it weren’t for those financial woes. Everyone and their brother should have bought an Alta Redshift, and I’m actually really bummed that I didn’t when they were new.

And finally, I don’t know exactly why they zip tied a stuffed monkey to the handlebars of the Alta, but he made for an exciting riding partner. I sent this picture to Stef Schrader and she approved.

Updated 3/3/22 with new details.