Stark Varg review: will it suit enduro riders? ︱Cross Training Enduro

Cross Training Enduro
Cross Training Enduro
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Published 2024-04-05
www.crosstrainingenduro.com/ Woohoo! It's our Stark Varg review. There are plenty of reviews from a motocross or racing perspective. We want to know if this electric dirt bike will suit the everyday dirt rider. As usual, our review will be more critical than most. Unlike some channels, we paid full price so it's a legit Stark Varg review. Will it make a good electric enduro bike? We always encourage viewers to be wary of glowing reviews that overlook problems and potential issues. A quick bit of background. Need hard enduro training? Work through our video lists. I was very sceptical of the Stark Varg at first. But recently our Canadian cousins tested the Stark Varg for several days and they were blown away. They knew I was sceptical but said I would be stunned with how good the Stark Varg is. I must admit they are right. This is a truly impressive dirt motorbike! And yes, I was blown away. But I still don't think it will suit some riders. More on that later. What did we like? If you are enduro riding get into our enduro training vids. The electric motor is truly amazing. A small amount of throttle is very gentle for trials-style moves. Then ridiculous amounts of power when you grab a handful. At first they claimed a 110kg weight but it was 118kg in the end. They claimed a battery life of six hours with easy trail riding. Theoretically this is possible but probably a walking pace on flat ground. Their marketing department went a bit overboard with statements like "It proves once and for all that electric power is superior". Hard enduro techniques are covered in our training vids. Even Stark Varg reviews have claimed this lol. The power delivery is almost infinitely variable but the five main pre-sets will be fine for most riders. I stayed in the softest setting most of the day and the Stark Varg still rocketed up the steep climbs without breaking a sweat.Our dirt riding tips are great for developing your hard enduro skills. But there must be some very clever electronics in the Stark Varg. Excellent. If you want extreme enduro training see our playlists of enduro skills to learn. Try our training vids for working on your extreme enduro techniques. Some riders say an electric dirt motorbike will have no soul. I suspect if they gun the motor in the higher power settings they may change their minds. Traction. We tested the KTM E-Ride on this property and the lack of traction control made it almost impossible to ride in slippery terrain or steep loose hill climbs. Into enduro and dirt bikes? Check out our dirt bike videos. Extreme enduro training vids are our focus. How did we set up this Stark Varg for enduro riding? When ordering, we specified enduro-style suspension settings dialed in for our weight and they hit the nail on the head. Ditto for the 18 inch rear wheel and side-stand. We opted for the left-hand rear brake which is absolutely fantastic once you get used to it. Then it's just programming the amount of power needed, the power curve, amount of traction control, and the virtual flywheel effect. Google around and you will see plenty of battery life tests. Most owners are reporting about two hours of enduro riding. Experienced motocross riders are achieving about one hour on the track. If these figures don't work for you, don't buy the Stark Varg. Range anxiety? Honestly this shouldn't be a problem. The remaining battery life is indicated very clearly on the speedo. And you can create your own 'reserve'. Even the stock 60 horsepower Stark Varg has way more power than most dirt riders can handle. This is on par with a 450 motocross motorbike. If you can ride one through the forest and feel you need more power, then order the 80 horsepower Stark Varg. A local gold class hard enduro rider owns a Stark and says he doesn't need a clutch. They are up to 90% lighter than rubber tubes. Every one else? Possibly a pro-level hard enduro rider could still use a clutch, but at this stage we think the average dirt rider simply won't need a clutch. But we are keen to report back after a lot more riding. Taddy Blascuziak is racing a Stark in endurocross and says he hasn't need a clutch as yet. We suspect this is purely to save weight and swapped to normal tubes until we hear good long-term reports about the plastic tubes. If you stop on a steep hill, the Stark Varg will roll backwards even with the regenerative braking set to maximum. If you have the left-hand rear brake this should not be a problem. You really notice the weight of the Stark Varg when lifting, so it's a shame the stand isn't a little lower. Side-stand. It's a bit shorter than average so the Stark Varg leans a lot on flat ground. To date, those are our only complaints. If we find more issues, we will put them in the pinned first comment. What about potential issues? Ridden a Stark Varg? Owned one? We are keen to hear your thoughts and opinions for our next Stark Varg review.

#crosstrainingenduro #endurotrail #starkvarg
All Comments (21)
  • @crosstrainingenduro
    INDEX & FURTHER NOTES! 1:16 The motor 1:49 Traction control 2:25 Handling 2:38 Is it too heavy? 3:08 Enduro setup? 4:00 Battery life 4:50 80HP a gimmick? 5:22 Clutch needed? 6:00 What we dislike 7:02 Potential issues 8:16 Will it suit you? CORRECTION! We've been advised there are no adjustments for traction control or the virtual flywheel, despite early Stark promotions saying this would be available. The owner in this video asked his dealer who said it may become available in the Stark app later. CRITICISMS FROM STARK OWNERS As always we actively look for problems or issues raised by owners. One viewer has down three rides and loves the bike. But he gave us this list of issues: Didn't like have to make full payment then wait four months to get it. The power cable form the stand to the bike is way too short [owner in this vid agrees] Phone pops out of the holder if you crash. The front plastic inner tube popped second ride [our guy agrees they are too flimsy]. The suspension is so stiff they have clearly got the math wrong [dealer told our guy take 10kg off your weight when ordering!] Max temperature for bike storage (according to the manual) would require air conditioning in the sub-tropics. @Erwin-P really loves his Stark Varg but has these criticisms. A experienced MX rider will not get 1hr at the track. He only gets about 40 minutes and is far from a pro. He says riders at the National level get about 20-25 minutes. The sidestand just sucks. No way around it. Allready lost 2 sidestand brackets. The tubes are too thin and burst doing jumps. Broke the switch. Sand gets in between the button and the casing. so could not ''downshift'' and ended up in 80 hp in the CrossCountry race. Where is a reverse? A E bike does not have 1 single good excuse not to have it. The dashboard keeps disconnecting and not storing rides! Even worse not showing battery levels on a riding day. DOES IT NEED A CLUTCH? Some riders are concerned about whiskey throttle as they can't pull in the clutch. But if you opt for the left hand rear brake that should still work. In the vid we mentioned a local gold class hard enduro rider who says he hasn't really needed the clutch to ride hard enduro. But in further comments he said he's had to do more throttle control instead of clutch feathering so his right hand gets fatigued faster. BATTERY LIFE Battery Test 100% to 0% in technical terrain: by Mayhemjach: 3.5 Hrs of ride time, 20 MPH average speed, 74.5 Miles of Range COULD STARK GO BROKE? Always an issue with a new brand but it's very unlikely. Royal Enfield has invested 50 million euros into Stark. www.visordown.com/news/industry/royal-enfield-buys…
  • @abaddonski
    Finally! A review from someone whose opinion I trust!
  • @davetidman9985
    Hi! I have followed you guys for years, I am an old fart Canadian. I have a Stark Varg, a beta x trainer (with suspension mods) a kdx 220, and a ktm 525 exc. I have owned honda, KTM, husky, Yamaha, Suzuki, can am, and bmw through the years. I have no brand loyalty. The Stark, regardless of power train, is a beautifully balanced and well built bike. There are advantages and disadvantages to the powertrain. The ability to decide the bike you want to ride is a huge advantage. Changing the power and personality of the bike is super neat. The fact that I bought a gas generator to take with me should tell you all you need to know about the environmental argument for or against it. It is simply a different tool for what you want to do. I find myself riding differently, and doing things I would not try on a gas bike. Yet there are some things a gas bike does better. (range and ease of fueling are obvious). Yet people don’t give weight to where electric has clear advantages. For example, when I do a dumb hill climb and fail, I can sit and rest knowing that the bike is not spinning the rear wheel, not spilling fuel all over, and will not be a pain in the ass to restart when I pick it up. So I chill. I rest, and let my old man lungs relax. I use my Varg to grab the mail at the end of my 1 km driveway. I have never taken any other bike in the entire time I have lived here. The lack of warm up or starting makes me use the bike for a pile of little stuff I would not even have thought to use any other bike . This makes you bond with it. Yet…. it reminds me of a jet ski, in that the skill needed to ride it is no longer a barrier…it is easy to ride a jet ski, but very hard to ride one well. As an old guy, I kind of like the fear and limits that a clutch and untamed power presented to me. The respect for a machine that wanted to hurt you, and the satisfaction that came from learning to ride a bike at young age made me feel cool. The ease of initial riding of an electric bike could lull one into a situation that could be nasty and painful. That can be said for modern cars too…. All that being said, it is one cool bike..but, again there are some things to consider. If rides over 2 hours with no home base are what you like, look elsewhere. Range and the ability to charge anywhere are not there yet. I still love my beta and will keep it for when it is the better bike…but to tell you you honestly, if I had to pick, after 20 hours of riding on the stark it would be a tough call. It really depends on how and where you ride. For me the stark checks more boxes than it crosses off. Is it perfect? Not even close, but it is way better than I thought it would be, fun and different., and with the ease of use, and simple maintenance, it is worth the worth the money. In 20 hours I have not spent any money on oil, filters, or gas. I have done no oil changes. When I get home I don’t have to check the garage for gas cans (to find my kid has used it in his bike)! I just go. It has its own flaws and issues, and like all things nothing is black and white. It is super fun and makes me smile. It is different. So if you have not ridden it please try not to judge it. It still might not be for you. But you may be surprised. It is a well built and well executed bike that maximizes its electric drivetrain better than any thing has before it. It will only get better. It is nothing more than another option to have fun. We live in a great time with multiple choices, and new ideas. There is room for all. By the way….Sometimes I start the beta just to make the garage smell better.
  • @johnhardiman871
    Only issue I have had ...bad on/off switch. Stark Tech support has been incredibly good. Stark shipped a new switch to me in 5 days ...Barcelona Spain to Florida. Zero buyers remorse! Finding about 40HP/ 80% Regen to be the sweet spot in getting the most out of the Battery...charges at 1% per minute on 240V.
  • @michaeldavison430
    Excellent, straightforward review thank you! There are only a few content providers left that seem trustworthy in these "interesting times". Please never stop.
  • @05rc51ryan
    The answer is yes. I hop logs, stumps, and rocks all the time on the stock valving. I get about 26 miles with 10% battery remaining. ICE is great but I like to listen to the birds chirping while I ride. I am still getting use to hearing the sounds the tires make. The best part is the feel you get with no vibration through the bars like you get with ICE.
  • @noControl556
    2 hours is manageable. These days I more often just do a solid 1.5-2 hour ride with very few breaks then pack it up and go home. I don't do all day rides with lunch breaks etc. that often.
  • @guillytravels
    Always good to watch your reviews and videos! Thanks!
  • @Erwin-P
    Stark Varg and Beta 250 2 stroke owner here. Quite a good review, but i will add my critical look on both your video and the Stark: 1) Where did you find the flywheel effect etc etc? The only adjustments i'm aware off are HP and engine braking. 2) A experienced MX rider will not get 1hr at the track. Maybe a hardpacked tight one, but not on sand/ruts/speed. I get about 40 minutes and i'm far from a pro. Riders at the National level here get about 20-25 minutes. 3) The weight. Well it does feel lighter than my Beta 250 2 stroke. A blindfold review would say about 10kg both in MX and Enduro. It only really gets heavy when you need to lift it on the too high centre stand. A bit of rounding on the metal grips wouldn't have hurt too, wich the grips now actually do. 4) The sidestand just sucks. No way around it. Allready lost 2 sidestand brackets wich the first they did replace under warranty, the second they promised me they are working on a better and longer bracket wich i will be getting. Good thing you can lay the bike on it's side without leaking. 5) The tubes are too thin. In MX jumping i blasted both. I had a KTM wheel with BIB mouse in it and installed it, the heavy mouse made it more controleable mid flight. Not that controleabilty was bad, it just got better. 6) Broken the switch. Sand gets in between the button and the casing. so i could not ''downshift'' and ended up in 80 hp in the CrossCountry race, wich is quite a challenge riding over wet obstacles. Also after shutting it wouldn't go into ''gear'' because you need the down button. There is a dashboard, why not add redundancy there? 7) I do miss the clutch a bit. Taddy saying he doesn't miss it is not good evidence since he is on Stark's payroll. When stuck in axle deep mud and sand the Stark is a bit underpowered. A LOTT of torque x low rpm is still low power. In those situations on my 250 i can pull the clutch, build revs and drop clutch to unleash all the power and more you will ever need in such situation. Also after an obstacle or ''wheeliejump'' it can be very usefull to cut the power with something that's not rolling backwards while going faster. Got myself hit into a tree once. 8) Good point on it rolling downhill. A parking brake be it electrical or mechanical would be nice on the enduro version (lets not forget this is a MX bike). 9) Where is our reverse? A E bike does not have 1 single good excuse not to have it. When we go out riding 1 bike goes forward, the other backwards into the van. How nice would it be if it could power itself up. Not to speak of all the situations being stuk and needing to get of the bike to pull it back. 10) I will not stop ranting about the dashboard disconnecting a lott of times and not storing my rides. Even worse not showing my battery levels on a riding day. STARK FUTURE, I WANT A PROPER DASHBOARD! I do however love riding the bike. It's so good i actually feel disappointed when i need to ride the 250 wich is also a bike i love.
  • @The03ktm125sx
    One of our local riders has had the battery fail and Stark had to ship them a new one. Their Kickstand also broke. Shane Pinney is his name, he's been vlogging a lot of his experiences on Youtube. Granted, they ride a lot more than the average rider.
  • @besteven
    Your very last statement summed up my reason for (still) waiting: weight and battery life. Lots of really intriguing electrics out there now, and the SV may be the top of the heap; but my hope remains for ~70kg and at least 6 hours of real use.
  • @kevinarmstrong478
    Great review as always. Hopefully you will get your hands on a MT450 soon I’d love to see an honest review on that.
  • @davehowe_just_an_old_dirtbiker
    That was an excellent review Barry. I’m looking forward to my buddy letting me ride his as soon as the weather gets a little better.
  • @timleed1407
    I've got one and love it. Everyone who has had a ride of mine likes it alot - and a bunch of them only rode it on 35hp and were too scared to turn it up. Yesterday during some hard enduro single track nonsense i gave a guy a go and his immediate feedback was that it felt so quick and nimble (after he stopped for me cause i couldn't keep up). Rec rego wasn't too hard to arrange. Being able to hear what the tyres are doing is going to help me be a better rider, plus its quite the challenge to ride efficiently to maximize the range. The fact that its going to get better with age via software updates is awesome. I can't wait for the auto-wheelie function. Yes, it's not going to work for some of the rides we do, so i'll have to keep at least 1 other bike. Left hand rear brake for the win. Yes, i could have waited for triple the battery range and half the weight, which would have been ideal, but i don't regret getting it now for 1 second.
  • @JagLite
    Wow... The possibilities are electrifying!
  • @nelsonvzaks9186
    ThanKs for the review mate❤ Cant wait for your review on the Fantic "Yamaha" 300 which you might have to privately import to AUS😢
  • @lmjohnst1
    Great review! I appreciate your content as someone with a healthy dose of skepticism.
  • @laurentzirotti7788
    Great video review as always. You so objective, it is reassuring that none of your comments are “paid for” like most of the YouTube reviews. Thank you. I notice that your partner is riding a EM pure. What are your or his thoughts on this electric bike. I have an escape model and as i grow older I tend to go slower 😂 60 years old I love it but I wish the suspension would be better and the seat could handle with big a.. thanks again.