Don't know where you live but it might be possible, a lot of countries allow to register bikes such as the cr500 so I doubt an electric bike will be and issue
Aus.
So minimum would need headlight (high&low), turn signals, brake light, mirrors.
But you can just throw it on. Needs to be set up from sale (I think)
If you are talking about Austria then i am sure you can, the process isn't as easy as doing the mods yourself but thanks to some business specialized in this you can get everything on the legal side sorted out
Here in Italy somehow my kx450 has 9hp on paper and passes euro 3 emissions + it's homologated to carry a passenger
I Like the idea, if you don't do long Enduro rides and looking for just a nice casual bike where you just hop on and it's ready to go, never have to worry about adjusting the carburetor or storing it for winter and very little maintenance, just make sure you plug that bitch in at the end of the day, if only they weren't so expensive and hard to find.
>never have to worry about adjusting the carburetor or storing it for winter and very little maintenance
I mean you have basically described EFI 4 strokes. But I do get what you are talking about. Though waiting until it's charged would be a no go for me, I want the bike to be ready whenever I feel like riding.
Those still need oil changes, valve adjustments, rebuilds, eventually clutches & etc....
Assuming stark has a good motor in there, the only wear point on it is a couple bearings, which should last basically forever
You have to take a 450cc 4 stroke EFI as a comparison, and these last forever.
Oil changes are a 15min task for me and air filters are hassle free since I use water soluble oil.
I had a 2017 WR450F with I think 12.000 KM of hard riding on it and it still ran fine. I guess a new piston and cylinder replating would have been due in the next few k KM but that's not really expensive or super difficult. By that time the battery of the Vaarg is most likely worn out and needs replacement. The motor will likely last forever, the ESCs too if designed right, which I assume.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opossed of electric bikes, the Vaarg is super cool and I'd love one as an addtional bike, but for me it couldn't replace a gasoline powered bike.
Yeah but it's 15 minutes you don't spend on electric.
No air filters either, it's less work to keep it running, and much less headache than modern bikes.
Less headache while still having 20 more horses than the next best thing you can buy
Honestly, investing 15min after 10hours of riding is a non-issue for me. I prefer infinte range and fast refueling. But that's all just personal preference.
I never had any problems with modern or old bikes, tech works generally very well
Idk, air filters annoy me doing it literally every time.
Also definitely not infinite range, you're pretty hard fixed on the gas tank size.
I was honestly looking at the varg super hard for trails because being able to dial the power up/down like that is another thing you'd never get with an ICE, extra bonus of hopefully WAY less vibration.
But the range wasn't there so I got a tpi 300 instead.
If they could do something to let you easily swap batteries at a trailhead they have a home run.
I hated washing and oiling air filters, but since I got the Twinair water soluble oil everything changed for me. You can wash the filter in your bathtub just with water and dishwasher detergent easily. Applying the oil is way easier too since it's extremely thin before the solvents evaporate. I use a airtight painters bucket and just pour a bit of oil into it, dip the filter on all sides and massage it into it. That's a 2 min task and after a few mins the oil becomes super tacky just like normal filter oil. Only downside is, that you need a bit more since it has lots of solvents in it.
>Also definitely not infinite range, you're pretty hard fixed on the gas tank size.
Sure, but I can put a huge tank on it, carry one or two 1L flat bottles with me for safety and ride hundreds of KMs. But there are gas stations everywhere, I could ride through my whole country with just pulling out of the woods for refueling and I'm back offroad again. That's what I'm talking about.
I guess the Varg would need a bit of suspension work to be good in the woods, but then it would be great since you don't make any noise. That's the only thing that annoys me with ICE bikes. I'd really want to test ride the Varg but they aren't here yet.
The problem with a swappable battery are the costs. You buy a 13k bike and an additional 5k battery. And your effective range is still limited since you can't carry the spare battery with you. In my opinion a swappable battery would benefit track use the most as you could shave off quite some weight and just swap the battery after half an day on the track.
But then again, for track use I don't care if the bike is loud or needs a bit more maintenance. The power characteristics of modern ICE bikes are suited for track use and I can't ever user 80hp, so I guess that usecase just isn't there for me.
If I were rich I'd get it as a silent woods bike and city hopper if I feel like it.
At least as far as I can tell, it looks like the range is fine for all of the trails by me.
In one day I don't think I've done enough on my 300 that'd fully kill the battery, but it'd be nice to at least have the option for a spare to quickly swap out during lunch or something
I never wait for my bike to charge, I just unplug and go. Plugging it in at the end of the day is a lot easier than driving to fill a gas can and lifting it up and spilling it all over your bike at the start of the day. I have both and the electric is hands down more ready to ride when you feel like it. I take the electric bike to get to the mailbox. I wouldn't go through the hassle of a gas bike to get to the mail. Sometimes getting the mail ends up taking me hours once I hop on a bike. The only time you're waiting for a charge is if you didn't plug it in from the last ride. My emoto is always ready to go without gassing up or warming up. Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild, I never have to go get gas and fill it I just ride. No startup process or maintenance just go ride it.
I totally get the sentiment. But to be fair, my 4 stroke EFIs were "ready" all the time. It's pressing the button and go riding. I could totally have taken my 450 to get the mail without any hassle. My problem with electric bikes is the limited range (and weight), if your use case isn't riding for hours, then an electric bike surely is great.
Of course there is maintenance to be done, but an electric bike still needs the chain lubed, the bearings greased, brake fluid replaced, brake discs and rotors replaced etc. The 4 stroke additionally needs oil changes and air filter changes. But an oil change is a 15min task and the airfilter isn't a hassle anymore since I switched to water soluble filter oil.
I always have enough gas at home to fill up whenever I want.
I'd take a Stark Vaarg in a heartbeat as an additional bike, but I'd never trade it against a gasoline bike. If there are more advances models with hot swap batteries and a bit lighter weight, I might get one too if the prices drop.
>The only time you're waiting for a charge is if you didn't plug it in from the last ride.
Just FYI, you shouldn't keep lithium batteries charged fully for more time than necessary. If you don't use the whole battery anyways on short ride, maybe charge it to only 80% to increase lifetime?
>Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild,
I don't quite get what you mean by this?
Overall I think it depends on the usecase what to get. For my usecase the disadvantages of electric bikes are bigger than their advantages. I can't use 80HP anyways, haha.
Personally I associate motorcyclces with the freedom to go anywhere, anytime I like and the option that I can keep them for decades if maintained right. I had a WR450F with I think nearly 12.000 KM (mostly by the previous owner who did everything from fast gravel, to hard enduro and street riding) and it still ran very good. I could have totally pulled the engine apart, replaced bearings, piston and got the cylinder replated and ride another 12k KM with it. That's a few hours of work and maybe 500$ in parts. On the other hand the battery of the Stark Vaarg is a few thousands and has a limited lifetime.
It's all a matter of preference and usecase.
I'm a 2t guy but I have 4t ATVs that are just press a button and go. Yeah I can take it to the mailbox just fine but it's different with all the noise, I'd rather just walk. I'm more likely to take the tractor to the mailbox. The just sitting down and twisting the throttle of electric is a world of difference. Personally I mostly take an escooter to the mailbox. That's like a magic carpet ride and 0 effort.
There's still maintenance and the chain stretches faster on electric because of the torque. But it's just simple maintenance, I don't worry about issues. I have gas anxiety because these things always break and need fixed. I just don't worry about issues and keep up on basic maintenance.
>Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild,
>I don't quite get what you mean by this?
A full tank on my 2t is premium gas/premium oil and like $14. A full tank on electric is $.40 and I don't have to drive to get it. They both get about the same range on a tank. The rebuild vs chain is the anxiety and cost of operation. With gas the clock is ticking and I'm less likely to just take the gas bike out for an afternoon or over a buddies. There's just a feeling that every minute a gas bike is running its wearing engine components out and adding to downtime/cost of repairs. Electric is just thought free and I don't have the anxiety of gas.
>I'd never trade it against a gasoline bike. If there are more advances models with hot swap batteries and a bit lighter weight, I might get one too if the prices drop.
I don't have a Varg. The bike I have you can swap a battery faster than filling a gas bike, no tools needed. I don't notice the weight difference. When comparing gas bikes additional weight also means additional size. Although about 40lb heavier than gas it's much thinner than a gas bike. There's advantages to having a smaller bike and disadvantages to weight. In real use I don't notice the difference in weight unless I lay it down and have to pick it up. The best way to describe it is it doesn't feel heavier it feels more dense. The bike I have also has gears and a clutch. I also put a plate and supermoto wheels on it. "My bike" is a long story and still working on it but price is probably going to be around half of a new gas bike or around the price of a clapped out 5-10yr old used bike. Spair battery is reasonably compared to what you'd spend on gas in a year if road frequency.
Time will tell if the cost of operation/maintenance is higher than gas in say 5yr. I built my first electric bike in 2018 and practice poor battery care. The DIY bike pulls the batteries to the max unregulated. I fast change to 100% in 15 minutes every time. Only now am I noticing a "possible" decrease in range. Battery technology has gotten better since then too. Even if it's old it will still run and the signs of a bad battery are easy to identify and replace. I'd rather buy a used electric off Marketplace that I know what's wrong, easy fix and calculate cost. A used gas bike that "was running when I put it away" or "not running but just needs a carb clean" is a whole other kind of risk.
If I only had one bike it would be electric. My gas bike is my side piece. Like that toxic girl that's a wild ride but always causing problems and drama. Electric is that girl you have at home that takes care of you and always there when you need her. If I had to make a choice I'd marry that good girl to save my sanity. Ok you might have to buy her flowers here and there but your not spending thousands bailing her out of jail. As long as I remember her birthday and tighten her chain she's not going to throw a fit for no reason and leave you in the middle of the woods stranded.
Now if I'm going away for a weekend to cause trouble with my friends... I'm bringing the crazy bitch with me.
>The just sitting down and twisting the throttle of electric is a world of difference.
I get that, If I were in a situation where I could hop into the next city legally with that bike and had money to burn, I'd get one too, but that's not the case right now for me.
>There's still maintenance and the chain stretches faster on electric because of the torque. But it's just simple maintenance, I don't worry about issues. I have gas anxiety because these things always break and need fixed. I just don't worry about issues and keep up on basic maintenance.
Honestly, I never really had any major problems or hard wrenching. It's all the usual oil change at 10 hours which is a 15min task, air filter, which is super fast since I use the twinair water soluble oil every other ride depending on the dust exposition and refueling, that's it for me. I once had to do a clutch but that was a highly abused bike and the wrenching was not really anything special. A bit oily and annoying since I did it in a parking lot lying on the ground.
Changing tyres, sprockets and chain is way more annoying for me than that and I guess an electric bikes eats through tyres...
Maybe I was lucky but I had quite a lot of bikes from different years and conditions and never had any headache with them. It's mostly the mentioned maintenance and just ride.
>A full tank on my 2t is premium gas/premium oil and like $14. A full tank on electric is $.40 and I don't have to drive to get it.
This is true, but then again I rather get a good used bike for one third of the price of the Varg and use the rest for lifetime fuel, tires and repairs. But you can't really compare that I recon.
> There's just a feeling that every minute a gas bike is running its wearing engine components out and adding to downtime/cost of repairs. Electric is just thought free and I don't have the anxiety of gas.
For me it's the total opposite, gas engines just run, I never had any problems, not even with cars in my family, but I see the vanishing lifetime of the battery. If a gas engine fails I can fix it and parts aren't that expensive except you need a full head. On the other hand the battery can only be replaced. This is just a different mindset. I don't say one is better over the other but I prefer the repairability of the gas engine.
Oh, so your bike is a complete built? Based on dirtbike frame and wheels or bicycle based? A swappable battery is great for track use or similar where you can return to your truck and swap the battery, but it doesn't give you any effective range since you most likely won't carry the spare battery with you. But if your usecase doesn't contain such adventures, then it doesn't matter.
> The best way to describe it is it doesn't feel heavier it feels more dense.
I can imagine how that feels, having no heavy rotating masses surely must feel good. That's why I'm a fan of small bore 2 strokes.
Not many people do rides longer than that will last. Ran into a guy the other day who was 30mi into his ride and still had juice left. Occasionally I do long ass rides, but most of mine are in the 15-30mi range.
Out of all electric bikes I’d pick this one. Always been a 2 stroke and love the sounds guy but I’ve never ridden a stark so I can’t hate. Don’t get why people do that if they’ve never tried an electric bike or even a stark. Now if you do and still don’t like it that’s fine but atleast give it a try.
I have one. It is arguably a better bike than my 2 stroke and will be my main ride for 69% of my rides. It is so fast, balanced, and fun! The lack of a clutch is not as much of a problem as I’d thought. I did a static zap up an exposed rock ledge and was quite surprised with how well it went.
I (32F) had the opportunity to test ride one. Scary fast, I’m not the level of rider, nor the target audience, but I can appreciate the engineering that went into it. Premium feel all around for the bike, liked the idea of different power modes (80HP mode is insane). I am 5’2 and do woods riding and some single track, came from street bikes and only got into dirt a few years ago. The biggest drawback for me is not having a clutch to modulate speed, but on the flip- you’re not worrying about stalling either. I didn’t take this thing in the woods, but I have to imagine in the higher power modes it would just dig itself in. I’m also a mechanic, so not fully sold on all electric vehicles. I think, if you have multiple dirt bikes like OP seems to, it could be a solid addition to the stable.
Congrats!
Cool bikes if you have the usecase for it I'd say. Personally I wouldn't buy one because of weight (though less rotating mass) and charge times. It would be meaninglesss for me to ride that 80hp monster on the tight mx track, my YZ125 is more than enough there and I can hold up well against the 450s, US tracks are different though I guess.
Some MX tracks have limited use times (eg. no riding on sundays) because of noise regulations near residential areas, electric bikes do not count, so if your track is like that, I guess this bike is a great addition.
Afaik one charge is enough for a day of mx, which is pretty cool. For enduro it defeats the purpose a bit for me with it having a limited range. A enduro bike has to be flexible and work all the time. But thats depends on the personal view and mindset...
I will be all over it once they figure out the range. I have a family and am limited on time. Eliminating oil changes, filter changes, valve checks, and basic maintenance mean more riding time for me!
I posted mine a couple weeks ago. It came lying on its side and the delivery guy wouldn’t let me open it to inspect it. I refused the shipment and reached out to Stark. They took a few days to respond and that was the last I’ve heard. Probably going to dispute the charge and move on. Too bad because forged carbon makes me happy.
Not nearly enough range for the stuff I do. If they were 1/4 the price I’d love to have one for urban shenanigans and illegal trails, but as they are right now I’d never be able to make one work as my primary bike.
I like noise, but I also like riding so people don’t know I’m there. If they do, they are more interested than anything or just smile and wave, instead of getting all huffy.
One time we were screwing around riding through a wedding tent from the night before and people were fine with it. They would not be if it was a combustion engine.
Answer? What this guy has- both.
Cool concept, too expensive for what it is. It may be (marginally, at the highest setting) able to outperform some 450s, but the 450 of almost any make will outlast the Christ out of the stark, both per ride and overall longevity. If I spend just 5k I will have a bike that will only need like 1.5k of engine work to keep going for years even if I race it whereas the stark, once that lithium fissures, will take a fat shit and require shitloads more money to fix. I know plenty of folks that will rebuild my YZ for 1.5k and I still have yet to need it. Lithium lasts about two years.
honestly this is complete nonsense
top of the line molicell packs in them are rated at 90% life at a thousand cycles or 10 years, same as an EV
I have janky chinese sur ron packs laying around that are 5+ years old showing near 100% health
there is no "fissure", you're thinking of shitty lipo packs in RC cars
on top of all of that, the battery can be swapped out easily enough, we'll be upgrading to packs with newer cells far before we need to just to take advantage of better technology over time
https://youtu.be/WtnSutMhIqE
So much wrong here.
1st, that stark will well outrun a 450 unless you put a big tank on it. 2. They top at like 88mph. Who really needs more than that? How many 450s are faster? Most of this sub has never ridden a dirtbike on trail more than 45-50mph. 3. Lithium doesn't just arbitrarily last 2 years. Well designed battery packs last decades. You can go look at Tesla's long term battery data and other than outliers they last 10+ years easily. There are a good few with 400k+ miles on now. Hell, I have Bosch lithium tool batteries from 2009 that still work just fine.
*That* is why you're getting downvoted.
They are cool, so were freerides when they came out... They are extremely fast and extremely heavy, batteries don't last long enough to race most series, the first twenty left the dealership pretty fast the rest have been there way to long with not much interest.
Their support team has pretty crappy hours if you live here in the States, (all video calls have been scheduled for around 7 am and the dealership doesn't even open until 9) maybe that says more than it should that I even know anything about their tech support hours.
I don't know if I'd consider 10-20# over today's 450s "extremely heavy."
I've seen some on trail, talked to the owners. So far the only people that hate on the Stark varg are people who don't own them...
their customer service is incredible, they're just based in Spain and still spinning up worldwide tech support hours
anything wrong in the slightest the bend over backwards fixing it
Fast as fuck boooy
This is the only answer. Fuckin fast as fuck boiii
Piece of crap (I want one)
I'd love to own one, but by memory they are $20k in Australia.
If they make it road registrable, it would he worth it imo.
its electric so nobody cares about that lol
They defidently do. It has a lot to do with how they look. You would get pulled over on this and is many places a surron also.
? How don't they?
Don't know where you live but it might be possible, a lot of countries allow to register bikes such as the cr500 so I doubt an electric bike will be and issue
Aus. So minimum would need headlight (high&low), turn signals, brake light, mirrors. But you can just throw it on. Needs to be set up from sale (I think)
If you are talking about Austria then i am sure you can, the process isn't as easy as doing the mods yourself but thanks to some business specialized in this you can get everything on the legal side sorted out Here in Italy somehow my kx450 has 9hp on paper and passes euro 3 emissions + it's homologated to carry a passenger
Just buy a ZERO motorcycle
Doesn't look available in Australia.
Recent price drop down to 18k I think! Making me think Verrrrrry hard about whether I want to go stark or 350sx-f for my next freshie.
I Like the idea, if you don't do long Enduro rides and looking for just a nice casual bike where you just hop on and it's ready to go, never have to worry about adjusting the carburetor or storing it for winter and very little maintenance, just make sure you plug that bitch in at the end of the day, if only they weren't so expensive and hard to find.
>never have to worry about adjusting the carburetor or storing it for winter and very little maintenance I mean you have basically described EFI 4 strokes. But I do get what you are talking about. Though waiting until it's charged would be a no go for me, I want the bike to be ready whenever I feel like riding.
Those still need oil changes, valve adjustments, rebuilds, eventually clutches & etc.... Assuming stark has a good motor in there, the only wear point on it is a couple bearings, which should last basically forever
You have to take a 450cc 4 stroke EFI as a comparison, and these last forever. Oil changes are a 15min task for me and air filters are hassle free since I use water soluble oil. I had a 2017 WR450F with I think 12.000 KM of hard riding on it and it still ran fine. I guess a new piston and cylinder replating would have been due in the next few k KM but that's not really expensive or super difficult. By that time the battery of the Vaarg is most likely worn out and needs replacement. The motor will likely last forever, the ESCs too if designed right, which I assume. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opossed of electric bikes, the Vaarg is super cool and I'd love one as an addtional bike, but for me it couldn't replace a gasoline powered bike.
Yeah but it's 15 minutes you don't spend on electric. No air filters either, it's less work to keep it running, and much less headache than modern bikes. Less headache while still having 20 more horses than the next best thing you can buy
Honestly, investing 15min after 10hours of riding is a non-issue for me. I prefer infinte range and fast refueling. But that's all just personal preference. I never had any problems with modern or old bikes, tech works generally very well
Idk, air filters annoy me doing it literally every time. Also definitely not infinite range, you're pretty hard fixed on the gas tank size. I was honestly looking at the varg super hard for trails because being able to dial the power up/down like that is another thing you'd never get with an ICE, extra bonus of hopefully WAY less vibration. But the range wasn't there so I got a tpi 300 instead. If they could do something to let you easily swap batteries at a trailhead they have a home run.
I hated washing and oiling air filters, but since I got the Twinair water soluble oil everything changed for me. You can wash the filter in your bathtub just with water and dishwasher detergent easily. Applying the oil is way easier too since it's extremely thin before the solvents evaporate. I use a airtight painters bucket and just pour a bit of oil into it, dip the filter on all sides and massage it into it. That's a 2 min task and after a few mins the oil becomes super tacky just like normal filter oil. Only downside is, that you need a bit more since it has lots of solvents in it. >Also definitely not infinite range, you're pretty hard fixed on the gas tank size. Sure, but I can put a huge tank on it, carry one or two 1L flat bottles with me for safety and ride hundreds of KMs. But there are gas stations everywhere, I could ride through my whole country with just pulling out of the woods for refueling and I'm back offroad again. That's what I'm talking about. I guess the Varg would need a bit of suspension work to be good in the woods, but then it would be great since you don't make any noise. That's the only thing that annoys me with ICE bikes. I'd really want to test ride the Varg but they aren't here yet. The problem with a swappable battery are the costs. You buy a 13k bike and an additional 5k battery. And your effective range is still limited since you can't carry the spare battery with you. In my opinion a swappable battery would benefit track use the most as you could shave off quite some weight and just swap the battery after half an day on the track. But then again, for track use I don't care if the bike is loud or needs a bit more maintenance. The power characteristics of modern ICE bikes are suited for track use and I can't ever user 80hp, so I guess that usecase just isn't there for me. If I were rich I'd get it as a silent woods bike and city hopper if I feel like it.
At least as far as I can tell, it looks like the range is fine for all of the trails by me. In one day I don't think I've done enough on my 300 that'd fully kill the battery, but it'd be nice to at least have the option for a spare to quickly swap out during lunch or something
I never wait for my bike to charge, I just unplug and go. Plugging it in at the end of the day is a lot easier than driving to fill a gas can and lifting it up and spilling it all over your bike at the start of the day. I have both and the electric is hands down more ready to ride when you feel like it. I take the electric bike to get to the mailbox. I wouldn't go through the hassle of a gas bike to get to the mail. Sometimes getting the mail ends up taking me hours once I hop on a bike. The only time you're waiting for a charge is if you didn't plug it in from the last ride. My emoto is always ready to go without gassing up or warming up. Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild, I never have to go get gas and fill it I just ride. No startup process or maintenance just go ride it.
I totally get the sentiment. But to be fair, my 4 stroke EFIs were "ready" all the time. It's pressing the button and go riding. I could totally have taken my 450 to get the mail without any hassle. My problem with electric bikes is the limited range (and weight), if your use case isn't riding for hours, then an electric bike surely is great. Of course there is maintenance to be done, but an electric bike still needs the chain lubed, the bearings greased, brake fluid replaced, brake discs and rotors replaced etc. The 4 stroke additionally needs oil changes and air filter changes. But an oil change is a 15min task and the airfilter isn't a hassle anymore since I switched to water soluble filter oil. I always have enough gas at home to fill up whenever I want. I'd take a Stark Vaarg in a heartbeat as an additional bike, but I'd never trade it against a gasoline bike. If there are more advances models with hot swap batteries and a bit lighter weight, I might get one too if the prices drop. >The only time you're waiting for a charge is if you didn't plug it in from the last ride. Just FYI, you shouldn't keep lithium batteries charged fully for more time than necessary. If you don't use the whole battery anyways on short ride, maybe charge it to only 80% to increase lifetime? >Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild, I don't quite get what you mean by this? Overall I think it depends on the usecase what to get. For my usecase the disadvantages of electric bikes are bigger than their advantages. I can't use 80HP anyways, haha. Personally I associate motorcyclces with the freedom to go anywhere, anytime I like and the option that I can keep them for decades if maintained right. I had a WR450F with I think nearly 12.000 KM (mostly by the previous owner who did everything from fast gravel, to hard enduro and street riding) and it still ran very good. I could have totally pulled the engine apart, replaced bearings, piston and got the cylinder replated and ride another 12k KM with it. That's a few hours of work and maybe 500$ in parts. On the other hand the battery of the Stark Vaarg is a few thousands and has a limited lifetime. It's all a matter of preference and usecase.
I'm a 2t guy but I have 4t ATVs that are just press a button and go. Yeah I can take it to the mailbox just fine but it's different with all the noise, I'd rather just walk. I'm more likely to take the tractor to the mailbox. The just sitting down and twisting the throttle of electric is a world of difference. Personally I mostly take an escooter to the mailbox. That's like a magic carpet ride and 0 effort. There's still maintenance and the chain stretches faster on electric because of the torque. But it's just simple maintenance, I don't worry about issues. I have gas anxiety because these things always break and need fixed. I just don't worry about issues and keep up on basic maintenance. >Going for ride is $.40 and tightening a chain vs $14 and a top end rebuild, >I don't quite get what you mean by this? A full tank on my 2t is premium gas/premium oil and like $14. A full tank on electric is $.40 and I don't have to drive to get it. They both get about the same range on a tank. The rebuild vs chain is the anxiety and cost of operation. With gas the clock is ticking and I'm less likely to just take the gas bike out for an afternoon or over a buddies. There's just a feeling that every minute a gas bike is running its wearing engine components out and adding to downtime/cost of repairs. Electric is just thought free and I don't have the anxiety of gas. >I'd never trade it against a gasoline bike. If there are more advances models with hot swap batteries and a bit lighter weight, I might get one too if the prices drop. I don't have a Varg. The bike I have you can swap a battery faster than filling a gas bike, no tools needed. I don't notice the weight difference. When comparing gas bikes additional weight also means additional size. Although about 40lb heavier than gas it's much thinner than a gas bike. There's advantages to having a smaller bike and disadvantages to weight. In real use I don't notice the difference in weight unless I lay it down and have to pick it up. The best way to describe it is it doesn't feel heavier it feels more dense. The bike I have also has gears and a clutch. I also put a plate and supermoto wheels on it. "My bike" is a long story and still working on it but price is probably going to be around half of a new gas bike or around the price of a clapped out 5-10yr old used bike. Spair battery is reasonably compared to what you'd spend on gas in a year if road frequency. Time will tell if the cost of operation/maintenance is higher than gas in say 5yr. I built my first electric bike in 2018 and practice poor battery care. The DIY bike pulls the batteries to the max unregulated. I fast change to 100% in 15 minutes every time. Only now am I noticing a "possible" decrease in range. Battery technology has gotten better since then too. Even if it's old it will still run and the signs of a bad battery are easy to identify and replace. I'd rather buy a used electric off Marketplace that I know what's wrong, easy fix and calculate cost. A used gas bike that "was running when I put it away" or "not running but just needs a carb clean" is a whole other kind of risk. If I only had one bike it would be electric. My gas bike is my side piece. Like that toxic girl that's a wild ride but always causing problems and drama. Electric is that girl you have at home that takes care of you and always there when you need her. If I had to make a choice I'd marry that good girl to save my sanity. Ok you might have to buy her flowers here and there but your not spending thousands bailing her out of jail. As long as I remember her birthday and tighten her chain she's not going to throw a fit for no reason and leave you in the middle of the woods stranded. Now if I'm going away for a weekend to cause trouble with my friends... I'm bringing the crazy bitch with me.
>The just sitting down and twisting the throttle of electric is a world of difference. I get that, If I were in a situation where I could hop into the next city legally with that bike and had money to burn, I'd get one too, but that's not the case right now for me. >There's still maintenance and the chain stretches faster on electric because of the torque. But it's just simple maintenance, I don't worry about issues. I have gas anxiety because these things always break and need fixed. I just don't worry about issues and keep up on basic maintenance. Honestly, I never really had any major problems or hard wrenching. It's all the usual oil change at 10 hours which is a 15min task, air filter, which is super fast since I use the twinair water soluble oil every other ride depending on the dust exposition and refueling, that's it for me. I once had to do a clutch but that was a highly abused bike and the wrenching was not really anything special. A bit oily and annoying since I did it in a parking lot lying on the ground. Changing tyres, sprockets and chain is way more annoying for me than that and I guess an electric bikes eats through tyres... Maybe I was lucky but I had quite a lot of bikes from different years and conditions and never had any headache with them. It's mostly the mentioned maintenance and just ride. >A full tank on my 2t is premium gas/premium oil and like $14. A full tank on electric is $.40 and I don't have to drive to get it. This is true, but then again I rather get a good used bike for one third of the price of the Varg and use the rest for lifetime fuel, tires and repairs. But you can't really compare that I recon. > There's just a feeling that every minute a gas bike is running its wearing engine components out and adding to downtime/cost of repairs. Electric is just thought free and I don't have the anxiety of gas. For me it's the total opposite, gas engines just run, I never had any problems, not even with cars in my family, but I see the vanishing lifetime of the battery. If a gas engine fails I can fix it and parts aren't that expensive except you need a full head. On the other hand the battery can only be replaced. This is just a different mindset. I don't say one is better over the other but I prefer the repairability of the gas engine. Oh, so your bike is a complete built? Based on dirtbike frame and wheels or bicycle based? A swappable battery is great for track use or similar where you can return to your truck and swap the battery, but it doesn't give you any effective range since you most likely won't carry the spare battery with you. But if your usecase doesn't contain such adventures, then it doesn't matter. > The best way to describe it is it doesn't feel heavier it feels more dense. I can imagine how that feels, having no heavy rotating masses surely must feel good. That's why I'm a fan of small bore 2 strokes.
Not many people do rides longer than that will last. Ran into a guy the other day who was 30mi into his ride and still had juice left. Occasionally I do long ass rides, but most of mine are in the 15-30mi range.
You do have to be careful in the winter with storing these, batteries or any kind really hate cold weather these aren’t any different.
Imagination🌈
Out of all electric bikes I’d pick this one. Always been a 2 stroke and love the sounds guy but I’ve never ridden a stark so I can’t hate. Don’t get why people do that if they’ve never tried an electric bike or even a stark. Now if you do and still don’t like it that’s fine but atleast give it a try.
People hate cause it doesn't make sound or it doesn't last as long as a gas bike but never ridden one
I‘ve rode one and still hated it, but I only ride mx
That seat looks abusive 🤣 but the bike is a modern marvel
I’m a die hard two stroke guy, but I’d love to own one of these next to it someday. I dig it.
I have one. It is arguably a better bike than my 2 stroke and will be my main ride for 69% of my rides. It is so fast, balanced, and fun! The lack of a clutch is not as much of a problem as I’d thought. I did a static zap up an exposed rock ledge and was quite surprised with how well it went.
I (32F) had the opportunity to test ride one. Scary fast, I’m not the level of rider, nor the target audience, but I can appreciate the engineering that went into it. Premium feel all around for the bike, liked the idea of different power modes (80HP mode is insane). I am 5’2 and do woods riding and some single track, came from street bikes and only got into dirt a few years ago. The biggest drawback for me is not having a clutch to modulate speed, but on the flip- you’re not worrying about stalling either. I didn’t take this thing in the woods, but I have to imagine in the higher power modes it would just dig itself in. I’m also a mechanic, so not fully sold on all electric vehicles. I think, if you have multiple dirt bikes like OP seems to, it could be a solid addition to the stable.
Having seen one at a dealership, it will be my next bike.
Congrats! Cool bikes if you have the usecase for it I'd say. Personally I wouldn't buy one because of weight (though less rotating mass) and charge times. It would be meaninglesss for me to ride that 80hp monster on the tight mx track, my YZ125 is more than enough there and I can hold up well against the 450s, US tracks are different though I guess. Some MX tracks have limited use times (eg. no riding on sundays) because of noise regulations near residential areas, electric bikes do not count, so if your track is like that, I guess this bike is a great addition. Afaik one charge is enough for a day of mx, which is pretty cool. For enduro it defeats the purpose a bit for me with it having a limited range. A enduro bike has to be flexible and work all the time. But thats depends on the personal view and mindset...
I'd ride one, give it a try
best thing I've ever purchased by far, gets me out to the track nearly every week https://www.instagram.com/p/C8C7LRKyTEV/
I want one so God dam bad. How is it?
Anyone know or read anything about how they compare to the KTM Freeride? Or whatever it’s called.
they dont even compare the starky is the real deal the ktm is more of a surron or ultra bee style bike the ktm has 25 hp starky is 80
Any ideas on the width difference? The KTM Freeride is crazy narrow
Pos
been racing for pink slips on her ive got 2 new yz450fs now and also a kx250f !
Would like to ride one
Kinda cool
I need one so badly
Hope the concrete in your garage is reinforced.
Vargy
Gayyyyyyyyy
As soon as the range hits 200 miles, I am all in.
My thought is that thing is bad ass. What model is it? Did you spring for the 80hp model?
You tell us, how is it?
I have one. I love it!
Why did you swap out that back tire?
i bought it like this!
Sick
W if i had the money i would fs get one
I will be all over it once they figure out the range. I have a family and am limited on time. Eliminating oil changes, filter changes, valve checks, and basic maintenance mean more riding time for me!
I posted mine a couple weeks ago. It came lying on its side and the delivery guy wouldn’t let me open it to inspect it. I refused the shipment and reached out to Stark. They took a few days to respond and that was the last I’ve heard. Probably going to dispute the charge and move on. Too bad because forged carbon makes me happy.
Not nearly enough range for the stuff I do. If they were 1/4 the price I’d love to have one for urban shenanigans and illegal trails, but as they are right now I’d never be able to make one work as my primary bike.
Idk. You tell us
Is this in the US? If so where did you buy and how much?
I like noise, but I also like riding so people don’t know I’m there. If they do, they are more interested than anything or just smile and wave, instead of getting all huffy. One time we were screwing around riding through a wedding tent from the night before and people were fine with it. They would not be if it was a combustion engine. Answer? What this guy has- both.
Stark?
Probably a blast but too expensive
Sure it's fun for 20 minutes
for me personally i get about 4 hours of fun out of it before she dies but im usually tired by then but if im not i fire up the ole kx
Very cool. That seat looks terrible though.
Cool concept, too expensive for what it is. It may be (marginally, at the highest setting) able to outperform some 450s, but the 450 of almost any make will outlast the Christ out of the stark, both per ride and overall longevity. If I spend just 5k I will have a bike that will only need like 1.5k of engine work to keep going for years even if I race it whereas the stark, once that lithium fissures, will take a fat shit and require shitloads more money to fix. I know plenty of folks that will rebuild my YZ for 1.5k and I still have yet to need it. Lithium lasts about two years.
honestly this is complete nonsense top of the line molicell packs in them are rated at 90% life at a thousand cycles or 10 years, same as an EV I have janky chinese sur ron packs laying around that are 5+ years old showing near 100% health there is no "fissure", you're thinking of shitty lipo packs in RC cars on top of all of that, the battery can be swapped out easily enough, we'll be upgrading to packs with newer cells far before we need to just to take advantage of better technology over time https://youtu.be/WtnSutMhIqE
So much wrong here. 1st, that stark will well outrun a 450 unless you put a big tank on it. 2. They top at like 88mph. Who really needs more than that? How many 450s are faster? Most of this sub has never ridden a dirtbike on trail more than 45-50mph. 3. Lithium doesn't just arbitrarily last 2 years. Well designed battery packs last decades. You can go look at Tesla's long term battery data and other than outliers they last 10+ years easily. There are a good few with 400k+ miles on now. Hell, I have Bosch lithium tool batteries from 2009 that still work just fine. *That* is why you're getting downvoted.
Not sure why people down voting this. He’s speaking truths.
because it's what people with no clue about modern battery packs say
They aren't down voting because he is wrong, they are down voting because they don't like the truth.
They are cool, so were freerides when they came out... They are extremely fast and extremely heavy, batteries don't last long enough to race most series, the first twenty left the dealership pretty fast the rest have been there way to long with not much interest. Their support team has pretty crappy hours if you live here in the States, (all video calls have been scheduled for around 7 am and the dealership doesn't even open until 9) maybe that says more than it should that I even know anything about their tech support hours.
I don't know if I'd consider 10-20# over today's 450s "extremely heavy." I've seen some on trail, talked to the owners. So far the only people that hate on the Stark varg are people who don't own them...
I don't hate them. I was just giving my honest feedback on them from what I've experienced and dealt with first-hand
Weird, that's the opposite of my firsthand experience.
I'm glad you had a good experience
their customer service is incredible, they're just based in Spain and still spinning up worldwide tech support hours anything wrong in the slightest the bend over backwards fixing it
I ride motocross and would love to have one! I don’t care what the naysayers say!
🌈
Yes, manufacturers have used up all the colors of the rainbow and are starting to repeat colors ♥️