Former Pro Nick Wey Tries Stark VARG Electric Bike! 

Imagine how much yelling we could do at each other with no engine noise!

Fully adjustable power curve, the ability to run both brakes on the bars, 60+hp, almost jo gyroscopic inertia AND I can ride it almost anywhere means this is an absolute win for me.

Can’t help thinking I could have a track in my back garden an no one can complain anymore 👍🏻

That’s a really good idea to have a clutch lever as an emergency shut off. Never even thought about that.

Nick's point about having a clutch is a good one, but it harkens us old heads back to the days of power windows in cars. SO MANY people wanted a manual override to roll down electric power windows in case of getting trapped in fire, heat or water. At the end of the day you either trust the technology or you don't. Eventually, "manual" windows were no longer offered as an option and if you wanted a modern car, you had to have power windows. The same thing will happen here.

Really loved the commentary and discussion around the pros/cons. The biggest advantage I see with this tech is the lack of noise, and that it may help prevent future closures of tracks. Heck, it may even eventually allow new tracks to open as there wouldn't be an issue with annoying neighbors. I see it as a good thing for the sport, and though I love gas bikes, think how much gas bikes have changed in the last 20 years. All the concerns like battery life will get improved over time, and once the traditional manufacturers start building electric variants of the YZ's/CR's/etc... the race will be on. Also I love the idea of less maintenance: No air filters, no top/bottom end rebuilds, no valve adjustments, etc... Keeping your brakes fresh, and adjusting/lubing your chain may be the extent of much of our wrenching going forward. I do like Nick's comment about the clutch, and think that's a good point. I've heard that the Varg lets you move the brake pedal up to the bars, and move things around, so who knows, maybe they could wire up some sort of physical fail-safe. One last point on Nick's comment about the bikes making it too easy to go fast: I definitely see there being the potential for a "spec" class, where a grid of all electric bikes could be "locked" into certain power modes/settings, to make for identical riding characteristics for each bike (other than suspension/brakes), which would actually put the racing much more back on rider ability if everyone has essentially the same platform to operate on. Similar to what's done in the car racing world with Balance of Power, to keep different cars competetive. Really excited to see where the sport goes from here!

Bringing back the Open class scariness!!!😁

Good point about it being to easy to go fast! I think even the four strokes were negative in that aspect. They raised the severity of injury. People go faster than they should be going.

For us people in Europe this is a good addition for riding in more places

Nick is crazy smart, enjoyed his thoughts!!

I met Nick in the 90's..his personality never changed! Still keeps it real with some level of dumb humor..lol I used to have a crush on his sister...saw her at Mini o's maybe 95? I was like.."who's that girl at the races" my friends were like "it's Nick Wey's sister" I was like "no shit?" Anyways..fast forward you can do nothing but respect Nick, i love watching him ride again as a fan. I never talked to his sister...just figured i would share my Nick Wey story.

Being able to tune each modes power and engine braking (in an old guy too) effectively gives you 5 bikes in one, which justifies the price to me.

I think the "danger aspect" is twofold. On the other hand, electric is easier to ride and less things to think about, which could be less risk. I would say a modern 450 is just as dangerous for a beginner as a Varg because of more things to keep track of and a "powerband" that is harder to manage.

Seems like many people don't know this yet, but adding a faux clutch to modulate power input coming from the throttle is very easy. You can do it with a magnet and Hall sensor connected to a lever, through an electric throttle box connected to a regular clutch or brake lever, via potentiometer, etc. All you have to do is modulate the input voltage (typically 4-5v) from the signal line of the throttle to the controller and bam, you have a clutch. Part of the beauty of these electric bikes is that they are highly and easily customizable.

Great review but the battery isnt liquid cooled, its air cooled like the Alta is. The difference between the Stark battery pack and the Alta battery pack is 1) Stark uses 21700 size cells with lower impedance, meaning lower heat generated. 2) Stark pack has the cells oriented horizontally and each cell is thermally connected to the case at equal distances which makes cooling more even and efficient compared to Alta battery cells are oriented vertically stacked and the center cells got hotter than the exterior cells. 3) cooling fins are larger on the Stark pack vs the Alta pack.

80hp is for the timbersled guys!!! i personally cant wait to get a surron and a varg!

Been waiting a long time to see this bike at Glen Helen.

Great training bike, even better for newbies and for the parts of the country with noise issues. it's the future mate.

The no clutch , controls on bars stuff takes about 10 / 15 minutes to fall in love with ; feels more roadracer in the inputs really ( almost a delicate operation ... ) That's on a Storm Thingy ; can't wait for the big four to get their stuff together so I don't have to mumble the name of wot I'm riding ...

Good stuff. And nice work Mr Cudby.

Isn't there a kill switch on the left bar? Couldn't you hit the kill switch? How accessible is it? Thanks!

Once all our kids are riding Electric, I would have thought it will be about who has the better skills. Welcome to the future.

The best thing about this is that you can hear the 2 stroke clear

The KXF rider talking about having a clutch for safety, you can add a clutch leaver power disconnect or have it as a motor kill switch, you can also add a brake leaver motor cutout switch like ebikes have.

Mode 3 is 450F mode Mode 5 is crotch rocket mode On dirt. Is it time for a dirtbike with a thumb throttle? Whisky throttle and no clutch button on a dirty crotch rocket.

Is it possible to add regenerative braking perhaps.

Nick is awesome and presented some very valid points. And Kris is just top tier. Both killer riders who speak true words.

Whats its weight in kilograms and how long is run time on these steeds

So what if you don’t have Internet can you ride this thing? I see it has a phone so what happens if you lose Internet connection will your bike just shut off on you? What happens if you crash in your stark phone breaks? Cause I live in the rural area my phones always battling for Internet connection

Nick is the man, living the life at retirement

what brand is the forks and shock?

Its kinda funny how the revving of the bikes around him are in sync with him accelerating 😂

Damn its good seeing Nick Wey ride! Homie makes an electronic bicycle look badass as fuck, lol.

Awesome show guys!! I feel like this is the first 450 built. Could it happen that fast? Could 4 strokes be taken over as fast as the 2 strokes?

I agree with the clutch. I wasn't thinking about the throttle getting stuck open. For me it was more about when arm pump kicks in or getting squarely in a section and getting whiskey throttle the clutch is just a good safety Lever.

Josh Hill spent some time on the Stark VARG. He also said adding a Clutch would provide instant override - (Safety issue) - I like Feeding in power - Its a right of passage -

Good job guys.

I don't know how many times pulling in the clutch on my bike saved me from a potentially bad crash. I see what Nick is saying.

I love the fact that I can ride it on my street and don't piss off my neighbors anymore, lol

Nick's style is perfect.

is the kill switch not there for safety if the throttle gets stuck?

My biggest complaint of my buddies Honda Africa Twin DCT was that there is no instinctual (without thinking) immediate disconnect of power. It takes "whiskey throttle" to a whole new level. I imagine that this must be similar. I am curious about the possibility of utilizing a clutch between the motor and drive train. It seems as one could get the motor to act like it has a torque curve to shorten the gap of ICE feel that so many of us are accustom too, and that way you give the rider back some more control over the motorcycle.

I absolutely believe electric motocross bikes have a place in our sport. I've been riding 27 years now and I actually think these bike will be good for our sport. These bikes can be setup to be ALL the same so every person is on an identical map meaning it's TRULY comes down rider ability. I'd absolutely purchase the 60HP version and ride it at about 50HP-55HP. My next bike I was going to get another 350 but this time a KTM 350 instead of the Husqvarna 350 but I may even consider something like this. Hopefully the price will come down a little bit over time but I think as far as maintenance is concerned it evens out anyways. Excellent review ✌️

So does a Stark Varg have a phone number?

I wonder if they plan on throwing some supermoto tires on it, and setting it up for the supermoto/street riding??

Did I notice that correctly....bike starts in neutral, then it's 1-down and 4-up on the left switch? That makes me really happy.

Great review.Everything from soup to nuts.

Nick way is spot on 👏

How Does it compare to the Alta?

Small piece of flexible plastic stuck in the back wheel like use to do bicycles to make them sound like motorcycles would give you some engine noise lol. Or Ace of spades card in the spokes lol.

I want one. But waiting for the 10 other companies that are making them to get production going. Love the look of the Honda. I figure 6-18 months there will be 5 minimum to choose from.

I have a feeling you're gonna break that "phone" controller often, and they are gonna be real expensive.

Salute fellas 💯

You can order it with a left hand rear brake lever. Great for right hand turn starts.

They could literally create a map that is identical across all bikes to level the field and make it all about the rider. It could even mimic a specific ICE bike.

Just think how cool it would be with a Ti exhaust and a big bore kit!

Was not mentioned, but Obviously you need to bring your noisy gas generator to the track with you'; and also not mentioned was how long it takes to charge the battery fully. How many volts and amp hours is the battery?

Did Keefer just say he doesn't like 2-strokes? SHAME!

Did he not watch Jett Lawrence dominate this entire season... He's talkin about the 450 class as if everybody was relatively even in skill

Can’t you press the red button to kill the bike instead of a clutch?

Put a clutch on one and I would buy it

The dude who said hes worried that the ebike because it allows slower riders to ride much faster means that it reduces competition with faster riders., what? Hes assuming that current fast guys wont be faster on ebikes and therefore a gap to slower riders. Perhaps he means hes worried about ebikes and ICE bikes mixing during races which I dont think should happen

Most e bikes cut power on the brake switches

Races will sound like RC e-buggy classes

I'd like to see a slightly smaller, lighter version as well, similar to a 125cc-stroke chassis with a ridable 40-45hp and a clutch for more control of wheel-spin etc

Can you tell us why it needs a cell phone to function? And, does the phone require a separate cell service?

I want a clutch too. Any decent rider modulates power more with the clutch than the throttle, especially in hard enduro type riding.

I think the lack of noise is gonna be a danger on tracks. Hearing a bike is usually the first sign of a faster rider behind you

If the power within the computer ranges from about a 125 to a 450 factory setup, this could be extremely dangerous for newer/inexperienced riders who might think they need all the HP possible right off the bat… A clutch (or something similar) would definitely help, but I wonder what else could be implemented to help out the idiots of the world… 🤔 (& yeah I know, “natural selection”)… but still…

Im buying a horse farm....an building a Small supercross track an a motocross track one of my neighbors house is 600 feet the other house is a 1000 feet even though there is no noise ordinance im gonna wrap my 23 YZ 250 EXHaust to the silence i ve already figured out the 24 CRF 250R honda is the quietest 4 stroke an the lightest...i want to take a little of the bite off the volume of my exhaust my motor is going to Tom Morgan for stage 3 so its gonna be wicked fast and a screamer...i not quiet ready for the full electric bike but its a pure solution....i like a little noise thats the fun of it...i saw ken Roczen rode it a year ago an it looks an ken look very comfortable on the Stark...the drive chain lash sounds was very irrating...thats all but riding it i dont care just watching it is the case...Nick still rides....wow. jk

I rode 200k on a track just 50m from housing complex on E motorcycle - no one could hear me having Fun

Clutch ,yes well said nic . Just for safety, kind of a disconnect.

As an old fart ex MXer, these things look scary fast, and at 59, my knees, back and 3 heart stents, say a firm No!! But I'd DEFINITELY stick Enduro lights, and a set of Gold Anodised Excel Supermoto rims, on this puppy and ride it on the road like I'd stolen it!!! 😁😊.

E bikes have pedals. E moto?

put a set of slicks on it boost over load on tarmac

come on racer x, its 2023 u are pro ! use 4k

Rear brake on the left.!

Expensive novelty

I think it's funny how everyone is talking shit on electric saying "get a real bike" now that the varg is here, it's too powerful 😂

Need to take it to sand dunes where power is needed.

I’m sure they could easily put a Kill switch on it..

With no shifting and no clutching there nothing to do on the bike. Its like going from being a factory worker to being an executive in a cushy office.

Nice socks dude...lol

No clutch and no shifter is kinda weird. Would take awhile to adjust to this, I rely on those so much. 😮 Rode one this Weekend for first time. Everyone else loved it, I was not into it. Would take a lot of time to get the new feel.

Awesome review but god damn does that two stroke sound so fing good @4:16

Its a good yard bike because it cant compete yet in mx sx battery wont last. It can woods race but will need 2 to 4 batteries to finish 2 plus hr races which can cos to 30k plus. They are already at local races

The Alta was fun, with that being said… I don’t want another electric bike… done that, been there.

Looking back now at these early reviews, some of the commentary is so stupid. “Essentially it felt completely different to my gasoline dirt bike and here’s all the ways it didn’t feel the same and instead of me taking time to get used to it I’m just going to portray all these things as a negative of the bike design versus me not being used to or comfortable on it yet”. Like, no way? Shocking.

As an enthusiast, I absolutely love the innovation. But you cant peel this old school die hard off my vintage 2 strokes 😅. I pick my Mod 1995 CR250 time and time again over so many bikes for a daily bike. I still race a 1989 CR250. Its the challange thats fun to me.

Cool idea, but an electric moto or supercross race would be about as exciting as going to Catholic Mass! they will have music blasting or piped in engine sounds, half the appeal of dirtbikes in general, the sounds and smells. take a lesson from F1 E series, yeah the one that no one watches.

♻🔋👏💪🔝❤

The big question here is iPhone or Android 😆 🤣

Damn. Most peolle riding a bike cant keep up with this. Even if they are pro. Very quick

IROC on Vargs? Then we'll find out who the best riders really are. Once everybody gets used to them.

So if you want to lock the maps you just set all five the same.

Imagine no oil, air filter, fuel or engine rebuilds for YEARS of riding, makes this thing really cheap.

Nick just push the red button and it will turn off or pull the phone off.

Thanks to the lack of a clutch, if they come out with a training wheel option even snowmobilers and quadtards will be able to ride a bike now! 😂

No thanks. Already owned a modded SurRon and Nicot EBeast, think I’ll stick to gas!

How come it makes all those ICE sounds?