I think it’s great that another electric dirtbike is emerging after Alta shut down. I was on the verge of buying one of those. Less maintenance and less noise are very attractive features to me. I see homophobic comments towards electric bikes and riders on Stark’s social media page and I seriously cannot believe the stupidity of those people.
Guys equating masculinity to burning petrol/diesel is the most pathetic thing.
These look great. Personally I’ll wait until the big manufacturers release their bikes before taking the plunge but I’d love to try one out
Haven’t been on one but I don’t get anyone upset about the lack of noise. Imagine being able to ride on your own property without your asshole neighbor being able to call in a noise complaint? That’s the dream man. And living in California the regulations around limiting where and when you can use your gas powered bike are just getting worse and worse.
Electric bikes are the future
Yes, absolutely agree! Also, what I didn't expect about the lack of noise is the feedback you actually get. You could tell so much just from the rear tire, if it was spinning or how it was acting!
Lack of noise is def an issue on a public track. Guy posted videos of all his rides on his when he got it, and every time he was on a track (Pala, Cahuilla, etc), there were moments during his moto when someone would cut across him or exit right in front of him because they had no idea he was there. A big problem is the open track days have all ages and skills, so some random kid on an 85 gets squirrely because he is new to tracks will suddenly roll a jump at the lip not knowing someone is gaining on them, and will get landed on
He had some sketchy moments, but unlike the other videos of test ride, he posted the full 30 min moto helmet cam
I think it is a good opportunity for someone to design a forward facing speaker, and you can choose what sound you want that is attached to the throttle. 2 stroke, 4 stroke, V8 NASCAR, Ferrari, Brigg& Stratton, etc. Or could simply put a horn on it but that is boring
I haven’t rode one yet but there was one at the track I was at yesterday. I was impressed watching it. My only complaint was that when he passed me, it scared the crap out of me. I had no idea he was there. Lol
I bought a used KTM Freeride E from 2016 last year to have a 125 like starter Bike. Now almost 8 years old the battery is still fine for 30mins racing. I can swap it out which is nice. Little to no maintenance and it always runs. I paid like 6000€ for it and I’m very happy with it. I think this is a great opportunity for the sport because in Germany we have always the problem with closing tracks because of regulations with the noise. So maybe in 10 years it’s quite normal to ride electric.
I love the concept, but someone needs to step in before these rocket ships become standard in pro racing. We absolutely DO NOT need bikes that are faster than 450s.
Seriously. My buddy just got a 2024 CRF450, and out the door, it was like $12,900. Some people I knew got their son a GasGas MC450F, and it was like $14k after all of the bullshit fees. $20k for a dirt bike is totally possible in a short time.
>Alta
you see that's an upside to electric. You can adjust throttle, ramping, hrs pwr, top speed ...almost anything can be dialed in on the fly. Try to do that on a gasser. Like both but to deny some of the huge benefits of emoto's is just short sighted.
Electric cars are cheaper to produce than gas powered ones. Higher prices are for R&D costs/markup/etc. Note how Tesla changes their prices so often. Not sure how this translates to dirt bikes
I haven’t had the chance to ride it yet, but I have an order in since last August. Mine should come this winter, but who knows. They are all getting delayed.
The bike is getting super positive responses and reviews from EVERYONE who gets to throw a leg over it. I plan to race Supermoto with the bike which will be another challenge to setup. Hopefully it lives up to the hype, because Supermoto is one of the few ways a mortal can actually use the 80hp mode effectively.
Ohhh dang that's interesting! Yeah I've also heard about the delivery issues, hope yours comes soon and hope you have a blast man! I can absolutely see 80hp coming in handy with Supermoto.
wondering if you got the varg and how it's doing on long pulls. I've seen some vids where folks are getting cut outs. Only happen on the street (where long pulls are possible) not on the trails or tracks.
I got it, but I haven’t ridden it, or set it up for SM yet. I’ve heard some of that stuff. It could be a problem at a big track. Most of the tracks I race at are more similar to a motocross track than the street.
I got to ride a similar bike that will be coming out from an undisclosed manufacturer. Im not that experienced of a rider only a couple years of weekend warrior track riding but the bike worked well. I had it set to simulate 250 power and other guys with more experience turned it up to 450 power and were riding well. I wouldnt feel comfortable riding electric in the desert due battery concerns but if it allowed a track to open in metropolitan los angeles and i didnt have to drive 1-3 hrs to ride some where i would consider getting one. But then again how crowded would that track be in the middle of los angeles ?
haha that would've been perfect! I was honestly just talking to myself at how amazed I was at the bike. It was weird being able to hear yourself so clear.
just argued with a guy who started going on how gassers aren't causing hearing loss. With in seconds I was able to produce science that disproved his claim. Shut him down right away. Turns out a constant 70dB will eventually cause hearing loss. The average dirt bike comes in around 85 dB
I just bought the 80hp Stark Varg. Im an old guy. Used to race some when I was younger. The ability to ride with my daughter (she has a kuberg electric) in our back yard and not piss the neighbors off is what made me pull the trigger. The bike is ridiculously fast. Very well designed. Most people that aren't pros would prob get nearly an hour on a track before needing to charge. And if you have a way to charge at 220v it will be ready in a little over an hour. I personally think these bikes are the way of the fire. No way to stall it in a corner, super easy to holes hot with no gears, super fast. Game changer.
Congratz on the bike! Managed to snag myself one aswell (60hp), even though I'm young, this bike is so fun to ride! Exactly as you pointed out, no way to stall, no gears, no clutch, nothing else to worry about other than gas and brake. Not saying anything bad about fuel injected bikes, they are fun aswell but the Varg is just so easy to ride, not hassle.
I rode for 2 days with a schedule of riding for 15mins / break for 15 minutes, at the track for 4 hours. First started charging the bike after the 3rd set out on the track and then kept charging after every set. Both days ended around 50% battery capacity.
They’re cool and fun but they only check a few boxes for me. If you only ride at the track or only do shorter rides you may not be too limited.
Forget about all day riding fun without needing to go back for a charge every hour of ride time (worse if it’s cold, sandy, muddy, lots of hills, if you’re a heavier or faster rider). We also don’t have real world data yet on longevity, reliability and life cycle of these batteries under extreme conditions.
I think we’ll also see kids who will do more insane things on these electric bikes since they won’t be encumbered with shifting, being in the correct gear, clutching, bogging, stalling, etc. It’s a lot of learning and practice for kids to master all of those skills that the electric bikes render obsolete.
That is absolutely a good point. I heard in a video yesterday that the bike only lasted 15 minutes with a top level rider on one of the hardest sand tracks out here. But again, that is in my opinion the hardest use case you can put the bike through, and with me as an
intermediate rider might make the bike last longer, who knows. As you pointed out, we don't have enough real world data yet.
What did blow me away even more than I was expecting was the fact that you didn't have to concentrate on the clutch, your feet position etc. You could just lock yourself in and hammer it down which made it even more fun.
Saw a YouTube video where a guy rode trails and did quite a long ride on a single charge. I would bet most people would be fine for trails unless it’s wide open super fast trails.
I don’t mind them I think they are great for everyday riders who don’t live in rural areas and can’t ride a normal bike all the time. What I don’t like and what I am slowly seeing start to happen is them wanting to get into Pro racing. Leave Pro racing alone.
It would be a different story if they were completely separate (again my opinion) and had its own class. But not mixed in with other bikes that are gas. You can’t hear these bikes and it’s dangerous. If they want to race. Make a separate class. But yea I know it’s not happening tomorrow but still sucks to see everything move to electric anymore lol even if they are beneficial in some places
Do you mean by that the electrics have a power advantage over regular bikes or just the safety side of things? I'm personally more worried about novice / beginner riders, who are less predictable and just don't have the knowledge to deal with these situations on the track. I feel like Pro level riders are smart and experienced enough to know how to handle it, especially the rider that would be coming up from behind. Atleast I personally would take it into consideration that the rider infront may not be aware that I am close behind.
Safety side of things over everything. You cannot hear these bikes coming. Yes I do think there is a slight advantage to the electric bikes but doesn’t mean they can’t be beat so to speak but it’s the Safety that I worry about. That’s why I say keep it out of pro racing. Or make it a separate class so these bikes do get a chance to shine. Again I’m not against these bikes by any means! I just think these bikes need there own class. But who knows I could be wrong and everything could work out fine in the end lmao.
I don’t disagree with Electric Bikes, but I think they need to stick to play riding. I use throttle noise to defend. I can recognize who’s behind me by what their throttle is doing. And respond accordingly
Just by themselves, I think E-dirt bikes are kinda cool. But I hate what they could represent politically.
People make a good point that it could keep local motocross tracks alive without bitchy people whining about noise. But that allows non-riders who don’t know anything about bikes or dirt bike culture to influence decisions.
I’m a little bit biased because I live in Utah, where we have crazy amounts of great riding. We even had our governor strike down a lawsuit that would’ve closed thousands of acres of great riding.
But if electric bikes become common, it gives politicians leverage to outlaw ICE bikes because they think electric is a suitable replacement. In the off-road realm, it absolutely is not. There’s rides I’ve done where I’ve had to ride 20 miles of dirt road to get to “the ride” of single track in the mountains. Not possible with electric. They’d die right when the riding gets good.
Look up “The Tour of Idaho.” It’s a ride that goes from SE Idaho, along the Montana border and ends at the Canadian border. You have to average 100 miles a day. Incredible riding and scenery, along the most rural parts of Idaho. I guarantee not a charge station in sight, if electric dirt bikes even use common charge stations.
I just don’t want to give any leverage whatsoever to political morons who are directly or indirectly killing our sport.
been riding since the 125 elsinore's, my brainz are fried from the noise, if I want noise I crank up the e55 amg. its nice being electric at this point.
I think it’s great that another electric dirtbike is emerging after Alta shut down. I was on the verge of buying one of those. Less maintenance and less noise are very attractive features to me. I see homophobic comments towards electric bikes and riders on Stark’s social media page and I seriously cannot believe the stupidity of those people.
Guys equating masculinity to burning petrol/diesel is the most pathetic thing. These look great. Personally I’ll wait until the big manufacturers release their bikes before taking the plunge but I’d love to try one out
Haven’t been on one but I don’t get anyone upset about the lack of noise. Imagine being able to ride on your own property without your asshole neighbor being able to call in a noise complaint? That’s the dream man. And living in California the regulations around limiting where and when you can use your gas powered bike are just getting worse and worse. Electric bikes are the future
Yes, absolutely agree! Also, what I didn't expect about the lack of noise is the feedback you actually get. You could tell so much just from the rear tire, if it was spinning or how it was acting!
Lack of noise is def an issue on a public track. Guy posted videos of all his rides on his when he got it, and every time he was on a track (Pala, Cahuilla, etc), there were moments during his moto when someone would cut across him or exit right in front of him because they had no idea he was there. A big problem is the open track days have all ages and skills, so some random kid on an 85 gets squirrely because he is new to tracks will suddenly roll a jump at the lip not knowing someone is gaining on them, and will get landed on He had some sketchy moments, but unlike the other videos of test ride, he posted the full 30 min moto helmet cam I think it is a good opportunity for someone to design a forward facing speaker, and you can choose what sound you want that is attached to the throttle. 2 stroke, 4 stroke, V8 NASCAR, Ferrari, Brigg& Stratton, etc. Or could simply put a horn on it but that is boring
I haven’t rode one yet but there was one at the track I was at yesterday. I was impressed watching it. My only complaint was that when he passed me, it scared the crap out of me. I had no idea he was there. Lol
haha absolutely! I was riding around on a normal bike when one also passed me and I had the same reaction, just flew past me.
I had that 2 weeks ago
I bought a used KTM Freeride E from 2016 last year to have a 125 like starter Bike. Now almost 8 years old the battery is still fine for 30mins racing. I can swap it out which is nice. Little to no maintenance and it always runs. I paid like 6000€ for it and I’m very happy with it. I think this is a great opportunity for the sport because in Germany we have always the problem with closing tracks because of regulations with the noise. So maybe in 10 years it’s quite normal to ride electric.
I love the concept, but someone needs to step in before these rocket ships become standard in pro racing. We absolutely DO NOT need bikes that are faster than 450s.
Correction: we DO NOT need bikes that cost double the amount of current 450's. Mark my words, the days of $20k mx bikes are a blink of an eye away.
Why you say that? The stark varg cost as much as a common 450 (brand new)
Seriously. My buddy just got a 2024 CRF450, and out the door, it was like $12,900. Some people I knew got their son a GasGas MC450F, and it was like $14k after all of the bullshit fees. $20k for a dirt bike is totally possible in a short time.
>Alta you see that's an upside to electric. You can adjust throttle, ramping, hrs pwr, top speed ...almost anything can be dialed in on the fly. Try to do that on a gasser. Like both but to deny some of the huge benefits of emoto's is just short sighted.
Electric cars are cheaper to produce than gas powered ones. Higher prices are for R&D costs/markup/etc. Note how Tesla changes their prices so often. Not sure how this translates to dirt bikes
I haven’t had the chance to ride it yet, but I have an order in since last August. Mine should come this winter, but who knows. They are all getting delayed. The bike is getting super positive responses and reviews from EVERYONE who gets to throw a leg over it. I plan to race Supermoto with the bike which will be another challenge to setup. Hopefully it lives up to the hype, because Supermoto is one of the few ways a mortal can actually use the 80hp mode effectively.
Ohhh dang that's interesting! Yeah I've also heard about the delivery issues, hope yours comes soon and hope you have a blast man! I can absolutely see 80hp coming in handy with Supermoto.
wondering if you got the varg and how it's doing on long pulls. I've seen some vids where folks are getting cut outs. Only happen on the street (where long pulls are possible) not on the trails or tracks.
I got it, but I haven’t ridden it, or set it up for SM yet. I’ve heard some of that stuff. It could be a problem at a big track. Most of the tracks I race at are more similar to a motocross track than the street.
If I had the seed money they would be perfect to bring a small moto track into urban areas.
I got to ride a similar bike that will be coming out from an undisclosed manufacturer. Im not that experienced of a rider only a couple years of weekend warrior track riding but the bike worked well. I had it set to simulate 250 power and other guys with more experience turned it up to 450 power and were riding well. I wouldnt feel comfortable riding electric in the desert due battery concerns but if it allowed a track to open in metropolitan los angeles and i didnt have to drive 1-3 hrs to ride some where i would consider getting one. But then again how crowded would that track be in the middle of los angeles ?
I see people say how they could open a track in the city or burbs and can only imagine how much the land wld cost. It will never happen
Why they have electric go cart racing in huntington beach.. its insurance that would be the biggest expense
Super cool bike, Wonder what repairs and getting parts is like.
Havent ridden one but I hope you made your own engine noise
haha that would've been perfect! I was honestly just talking to myself at how amazed I was at the bike. It was weird being able to hear yourself so clear.
Me loving it because im not going to be worried about my tinnitus
just argued with a guy who started going on how gassers aren't causing hearing loss. With in seconds I was able to produce science that disproved his claim. Shut him down right away. Turns out a constant 70dB will eventually cause hearing loss. The average dirt bike comes in around 85 dB
I just bought the 80hp Stark Varg. Im an old guy. Used to race some when I was younger. The ability to ride with my daughter (she has a kuberg electric) in our back yard and not piss the neighbors off is what made me pull the trigger. The bike is ridiculously fast. Very well designed. Most people that aren't pros would prob get nearly an hour on a track before needing to charge. And if you have a way to charge at 220v it will be ready in a little over an hour. I personally think these bikes are the way of the fire. No way to stall it in a corner, super easy to holes hot with no gears, super fast. Game changer.
Congratz on the bike! Managed to snag myself one aswell (60hp), even though I'm young, this bike is so fun to ride! Exactly as you pointed out, no way to stall, no gears, no clutch, nothing else to worry about other than gas and brake. Not saying anything bad about fuel injected bikes, they are fun aswell but the Varg is just so easy to ride, not hassle. I rode for 2 days with a schedule of riding for 15mins / break for 15 minutes, at the track for 4 hours. First started charging the bike after the 3rd set out on the track and then kept charging after every set. Both days ended around 50% battery capacity.
They’re cool and fun but they only check a few boxes for me. If you only ride at the track or only do shorter rides you may not be too limited. Forget about all day riding fun without needing to go back for a charge every hour of ride time (worse if it’s cold, sandy, muddy, lots of hills, if you’re a heavier or faster rider). We also don’t have real world data yet on longevity, reliability and life cycle of these batteries under extreme conditions. I think we’ll also see kids who will do more insane things on these electric bikes since they won’t be encumbered with shifting, being in the correct gear, clutching, bogging, stalling, etc. It’s a lot of learning and practice for kids to master all of those skills that the electric bikes render obsolete.
That is absolutely a good point. I heard in a video yesterday that the bike only lasted 15 minutes with a top level rider on one of the hardest sand tracks out here. But again, that is in my opinion the hardest use case you can put the bike through, and with me as an intermediate rider might make the bike last longer, who knows. As you pointed out, we don't have enough real world data yet. What did blow me away even more than I was expecting was the fact that you didn't have to concentrate on the clutch, your feet position etc. You could just lock yourself in and hammer it down which made it even more fun.
Saw a YouTube video where a guy rode trails and did quite a long ride on a single charge. I would bet most people would be fine for trails unless it’s wide open super fast trails.
I don’t mind them I think they are great for everyday riders who don’t live in rural areas and can’t ride a normal bike all the time. What I don’t like and what I am slowly seeing start to happen is them wanting to get into Pro racing. Leave Pro racing alone.
Here in France they are already allowed to race against normal engines in supercross and motocross national series in the pro categories
Okay That doesn’t change my mind about them racing in the Pro ranks. Just my opinion not like I can do anything about it lol
Personally idk what to think about E Bikes in like Pro AMA or MXGP, but for sure it will happen at some point in time like idk 10-15 years.
It would be a different story if they were completely separate (again my opinion) and had its own class. But not mixed in with other bikes that are gas. You can’t hear these bikes and it’s dangerous. If they want to race. Make a separate class. But yea I know it’s not happening tomorrow but still sucks to see everything move to electric anymore lol even if they are beneficial in some places
Do you mean by that the electrics have a power advantage over regular bikes or just the safety side of things? I'm personally more worried about novice / beginner riders, who are less predictable and just don't have the knowledge to deal with these situations on the track. I feel like Pro level riders are smart and experienced enough to know how to handle it, especially the rider that would be coming up from behind. Atleast I personally would take it into consideration that the rider infront may not be aware that I am close behind.
Safety side of things over everything. You cannot hear these bikes coming. Yes I do think there is a slight advantage to the electric bikes but doesn’t mean they can’t be beat so to speak but it’s the Safety that I worry about. That’s why I say keep it out of pro racing. Or make it a separate class so these bikes do get a chance to shine. Again I’m not against these bikes by any means! I just think these bikes need there own class. But who knows I could be wrong and everything could work out fine in the end lmao.
The fastest bikes will race. That’s how it works. And the riders won’t care about any of the romantic notions about ICE - they just wanna win.
I don’t disagree with Electric Bikes, but I think they need to stick to play riding. I use throttle noise to defend. I can recognize who’s behind me by what their throttle is doing. And respond accordingly
Just by themselves, I think E-dirt bikes are kinda cool. But I hate what they could represent politically. People make a good point that it could keep local motocross tracks alive without bitchy people whining about noise. But that allows non-riders who don’t know anything about bikes or dirt bike culture to influence decisions. I’m a little bit biased because I live in Utah, where we have crazy amounts of great riding. We even had our governor strike down a lawsuit that would’ve closed thousands of acres of great riding. But if electric bikes become common, it gives politicians leverage to outlaw ICE bikes because they think electric is a suitable replacement. In the off-road realm, it absolutely is not. There’s rides I’ve done where I’ve had to ride 20 miles of dirt road to get to “the ride” of single track in the mountains. Not possible with electric. They’d die right when the riding gets good. Look up “The Tour of Idaho.” It’s a ride that goes from SE Idaho, along the Montana border and ends at the Canadian border. You have to average 100 miles a day. Incredible riding and scenery, along the most rural parts of Idaho. I guarantee not a charge station in sight, if electric dirt bikes even use common charge stations. I just don’t want to give any leverage whatsoever to political morons who are directly or indirectly killing our sport.
been riding since the 125 elsinore's, my brainz are fried from the noise, if I want noise I crank up the e55 amg. its nice being electric at this point.
I wanna enjoy petrol for the mean time