Stark Varg EX E-enduro motorcycle

For the motorbike heads.

I mean, this bike is pretty incredible. I saw the existing one at the motorcycle show and it really does look very well designed.

Here’s the new one. Road legal and introduced by a man with a black polar neck and a ponytail.

He explains in the video that ‘anywhere you can ride a mountainbike, you can ride the Stark Varg EX’

Oh dear. That’s not going to make you popular at Degla! :-/

But anyway. They look ridiculous fun. Barely anywhere to ride it properly.

One please…

Except it’s got a motor so access is not the same as for mtbs in Scotland.

They’re allowing  the Stark to run in the FIM World SuperEnduro Championship this year.

First round is this weekend in Poland.

https://superenduro.org/blazusiak-and-karlsson-to-compete-in-the-world-championship/

They were going to allow Taddy to race last year but then at the last moment changed the rules to stop him.

Looking forwards to see how Taddy and Eddie go against the petrol bikes on them.

Watched them both at the Redbull Tyne Ride earlier in the year and it’s a bit odd seeing a bike ride the course without the noise of an engine.

You can really hear the impacts of the bike hitting stuff that’s normal covered up by the engine.

The best bit is you can have one for the same price as an emtb

The mtb companies really need to sort out their pricing issues

I’d buy one if Iived where the marketing film was shot, it looks amazing. Not much point in the middle of England. I’d just get knocked off it by ninja mask gangsters.

And did he say something about the indicators being made from dildo material, or was I still dreaming?

It’s too early in the morning.

And did he say something about the indicators being made from dildo material, or was I still dreaming?

Yup lolz emoji

I’ve started saving already, look great.

Agreed, am excited by this bike – lots of green lanes around here and the ability to trail ride without the noise pollution will be a real game changer.  Just hope that people don’t use that as an excuse for being d*cks.

Just hope that people don’t use that as an excuse for being d*cks.

I think that horse has long since bolted.

Agreed, am excited by this bike – lots of green lanes around here and the ability to trail ride without the noise pollution will be a real game changer.

E- MX bikes are not a new thing.

Trials and Hard Enduro take place fairly regularly in the quarry by our house. You have been able to get hold of some very nice e bikes for about 3 years now.

Some of the Trials bikes are stunning and about the £6k mark for something that well out performs any emtb

E- MX bikes are not a new thing.

True, but I don’t think there’s a lot that have built up the following and changed the minds of so many people about electric as Stark have in a fairly short amount of time.

Everything they do with it seems really well designed and implemented to me.

I still wouldn’t see that as a green lane bike I don’t think as for me, joining up sections of road, perhaps far from home and doing it as part of a trip, carrying your gear is what appeals to me. I don’t think it fits so well with that.

Wanging it round an mx/enduro track/abandoned quarry though? Yeah boi!

The best bit is you can have one for the same price as an emtb

The mtb companies really need to sort out their pricing issues

At the risk of going over old ground, and God forbid anyone reposts the Fort-nine video but…

£10k is still S-Works money, this only comes in one size and it’s still 4x the weight of my full fat Levo.

One of things that makes these faster than my Levo is that it can be 4x heavier because a big battery and powerful motor can be used because it doesn’t have to legally considered a bicycle.

johnnystorm
The best bit is you can have one for the same price as an emtb

The mtb companies really need to sort out their pricing issues
At the risk of going over old ground, and God forbid anyone reposts the Fort-nine video but…

£10k is still S-Works money, this only comes in one size and it’s still 4x the weight of my full fat Levo.

One of things that makes these faster than my Levo is that it can be 4x heavier because a big battery and powerful motor can be used because it doesn’t have to legally considered a bicycle.

The counter to that is that there’s an equal amount of work in the manufacture of either, there’s 4x the materials in the Varg and the sizing is a small thing in the grand scheme of things – it is only a single component variation.

There’s definitely a lot of design work that’s gone into that thing and all credit to them, it does look amazing.  The thing they have going for them is the limited range of specs and that everything is effectively OEM and no-one will care.  It doesn’t need branded components (tyres excepted) like Renthal or Fox or Ohlins because it doesn’t need them to differentiate the spec. Because of that there’s no mark up built into the pricing of the components.

I have seen the price bike OEMs pay for bulk components and it takes the proverbial that they often effectively charge full retail for the components on top of the frame price.

The other thing is this is a direct sales model.- no distributor, no shops. That allows it to be at least 50% cheaper than the equivalent bike.

i have no reason for one but I do fancy a go. Looks ace.

How heavy are these compared to an equivalent petrol motorbike?

That’s a piss take right? I mean it’s a proper bond villain as CEO and and I we the top “I have the honour”  also it’s road legal but the two rod shots before anyone speaks the bikes have no reg plates making them not road legal.

That comment makes absolutely no sense whatsoever

How heavy are these compared to an equivalent petrol motorbike?

118Kg compared to something like an XR 250 Honda  110Kg

I would love to try one out.

Will be interesting to see how the build quality holds up in an event

Sorry your right, that’s a worrying amount of weird autocorrect happening.

Will be interesting to see how the build quality holds up in an event

Reports I’ve seen so far from owners of the first MX versions are looking very positive.

Stark are right on top of sorting any minor problem out quickly and fuss free.

I’ve been saying all along it makes a mockery of MTB prices but some folks don’t seem to like that…

It doesn’t need branded components (tyres excepted) like Renthal or Fox or Ohlins because it doesn’t need them to differentiate the spec.

This version comes with KYB suspension  which is regarded very highly indeed.

Ooohh.

I see it comes with Brembo brakes too.

Also five different options for tyres and mousses as standard.

I can’t think of any bike that offers that.

It seems they’re pretty serious about being the best bike out there not just the best electric bike.

That’s the nuts! You can set the power like a 125 2 stroke, you say? Ace! Does it have a clutch lever? 🙂

Looks brilliant, that – want one. 🙂

if you want to have a day on one

Electric Enduro Days

Just passed Revolution Bike Park, done a day up there on my own enduro bike, great place

Read about that thing earlier today, and it has an ‘interesting’ amount of torque, north of 1000Nm, and 80 ponies = lots of shits’n’giggles!

the bikes have no reg plates making them not road legal.

That’s not to say plates can’t be fitted, the bike is built to be road legal in Europe, so can be registered and plates fitted, just like any street-legal bike.
Regarding the price, I’ve seen an £8k Trek eMTB in a bike shop in town, and Nicolai have their new Saturn 16 eMTB at around £10k.

Oh, wow – had a day with Mick and Adam years ago, awesome day out. Time for another! 🙂

Read about that thing earlier today, and it has an ‘interesting’ amount of torque, north of 1000Nm, and 80 ponies = lots of shits’n’giggles!

Having ridden my brothers 300 2T Gas Gas the last thing I’d want is another 30 bhp 😀

The Gas Gas is a missile and way more power than I can cope with, I’ll stick with my 300 4T for now.

Here’s the Nicolai, a much more conventional mountain bike, apart from the transmission system…

https://www.visordown.com/news/80bhp-enduro-could-be-ridden-without-bike-licence

^there was one of the Zeros that could be ridden on a CBT due to the same loophole.
I advise you to check for insurance quotes before buying one.

Wow that Nicolai is a hideous mess of ugly nonsense. It’s almost a Haibike. Not sure how it even compares to a proper, road legal, enduro motorbike.

In fact, it doesn’t at all, it’s crap in comparison.

Regarding the price, I’ve seen an £8k Trek eMTB in a bike shop in town, and Nicolai have their new Saturn 16 eMTB at around £10k.

It’s still apples and oranges though.

OEM motorbike component quality still sit’s somewhere around the £300 Carrera in Halfords level.  Unless Stark is bucking that trend the handlebars will be straight gauge steel, the suspension might be made by Showa but it’ll have steel stanchions and be the most basic pistons inside you wouldn’t accept in a Rockshox Judy (and it’ll be sprung for the Japanese market).  Ducati used to (might still do) even make two versions of their frames, the ‘entry level’ model (that was probably still £10k 2 decades ago) was made from cheap steel, whereas the top models were Cr-Mo.

People spend an absolute fortune on motorcycle parts to improve on the basic factory specs so comparing something that on the shop floor has already had every conceivable upgrade isn’t really a great comparison.

 the handlebars will be straight gauge steel, the suspension might be made by Showa but it’ll have steel stanchions and be the most basic pistons inside you wouldn’t accept in a Rockshox Judy (and it’ll be sprung for the Japanese market).

Dude you’re talking out of your hat.

sharkattack
Wow that Nicolai is a hideous mess of ugly nonsense. It’s almost a Haibike.

That’s quite an insult! Nothing is as ugly as a Haibike.

I quite like them.  If I had to buy an Eeb it’d be one of these, or the Cotic.

The Varg is a different beast altogether.

Any idea if these are Varg specific days?  (their calendar suggests either not.. or there is little availability)

I have done petrol enduro days before and don’t mind too much.  However, I have a feeling that some stuff slightly more challenging on petrol bikes would be boringly easy on electric.. I don’t wanna be waiting for bros with no clutch control struggling on loose technical climbs lol.  Also now that I am a mature gentleman the noise of people brapping nearby while I am on electric would annoy me.

Interestingly in Europe looks like you can ride it on a car licence 🙂 ,just listening he does mention modern dildos.

Hopefully it’s a seat option you can choose not to have.

Interesting how you can have different brakes foot or hand.

You have been able to get hold of some very nice e bikes for about 3 years now.

Alta took their Redshift to race Erzberg back in 2018.

They were too early to the table unfortunately

I still wouldn’t see that as a green lane bike I don’t think as for me, joining up sections of road, perhaps far from home and doing it as part of a trip, carrying your gear is what appeals to me. I don’t think it fits so well with that.

I think your right as the charger is built into the that stand it’s sat on :-(.

Being able to charge en-route is a bit of a necessity for a trip, I’m not sure how that works out on a varg.

Leccy motors  are just so much better than bang bang but dino juice is simpler to live with.

No replacing piston rings every few hours that was offset by the sweet sweet smell of Silkolene R? I’m out!

I actually think your right, there’s another side that a lot of people probably spend more time tinkering than riding 🙂

This pretty much goes away when you have so less moving parts.

I really do love electric cars and bikes but people seem to think that liking leccy is some sort of green zeal ,for me it’s not it’s the elegance and reliability that you should be able to engineer and the smooth ,effortless power delivery and insane power if you so wish.

The best bit is you can have one for the same price as an emtb

The mtb companies really need to sort out their pricing issues

I have a niggling  suspicion that the Varg will be more reliable as well 🙂

It’s an apple an pears comparison thou you can’t really compare the 2 products, there are overlaps in the use cases but the’re not comparable things.

Some great POV footage of a Stark racing an enduro in Chile.

It’s looks so unbelievably capable, though obviously I’m sure the rider helps a bit.

He has to shout at a lot of riders to come past. Maybe they don’t hear him! 🙂