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Peirer made some huge hints in his Cycle News interviews a few years back:
Looking at further aspects of your collaboration with Bajaj, what’s the position of KTM’s electric motorcycle program? It seems like it’s kind of stalled—you started out with a range of E-motorcycles, but it hasn’t gone any further, and you haven’t produced the E-scooter that we were expecting. You do have electric bicycles, but what’s happening with Bajaj, which is under significant pressure to develop a range of E-bike because of the very fierce emissions regulations introduced by the Modi government?
I think perhaps that’s the outside view for reasons I understand, but internally we are at the leading edge of electro-mobility. At KTM we slowed down for two reasons. First of all, integrating Husqvarna, because to assimilate such a big brand took time, so that instead of 6,000 bikes a year we’re now doing 50,000, and doing so profitably. The second is that we wanted a good margin of profit in delivering E-bikes to the market, compared to at the beginning of electro-mobility, when especially high-voltage concepts were not profitable. If you look back at the past 10 years of the dawn of electro-mobility, the Vectrix which came first was also the first bankruptcy—everybody has just been burning money. What we learned out of our experience is to focus on low voltage models with 48-volt motors, which don’t impose big safety requirements in terms of logistics and the dealer network, which means you can cover a performance range from the E-bicycle up to the A1 motorcycle class—it’s around 10kW, and that you can cover with 48-volt motors. So in the next two years you’ll see a huge variety of E-products from all our brands—KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas, Bajaj, whatever. That’s because together with Bajaj we’ve developed a range of engine platforms between 3kW and 10kW, which are air-cooled or water cooled depending on the concept, and these will now be industrialized in India, like our single-cylinder four-stroke engine platforms, and they’ll be the powertrain for a huge variety of products.
One comment really stood out:
Has off-road topped out?
I would say it has a certain ceiling. But we have 60/70% market share, anyway! But that’s the reason it’s so important to step into the electro-mobility market with sporty products as well, because the E-mountain bike is more or less a twist-n-go off-road Enduro motorcycle. And that’s very important, because our younger customers coming from that area won’t touch combustion engined bikes anymore.
Really good article, lots of info, here: https://www.cyclenews.com/2019/10/article/ktm-president-ceo-stefan-pier…
Remember that these forum conversations look 2 or 3 years into the future, max. Many participants are really only operating in the present day. It challenges their comfort to ponder a different future. But at the manufacturer level, they HAVE to look ahead 5 - 10 years, at least. Japanese brands are thought to have a 20 year planning horizon.
I don't know what the industry will look like in 10 years but I know it will be very different.
BP
OR, is it so that they KNOW that the future is not e-MX, but rather beefed up e-MTB, MX will stay as is, but e-MTB will become much more powerful than today and maybe without pedals, so more like a light motorcycle? (SUR-RON like)?
I think they develop electric mx bikes at the moment, but they also wanna sell as much ICE dirt bikes for as long as they can.
It took nearly 24 hours of repeated attempts at logging into their site before I succeeded and placed my order..
Oh well...Im happy that I eventually succeeded and my bike will be in the first shipment to Australia..
Im happy for this guy and green with envy..sure would love to be him..
The ongoing debate here just amuses me...if it can go for 40 minutes at 100% then thats 4 ten minute motos for me, which is about all I have in me these days..
But if it can actually only do half that...it will still be perfect for me..
It just amazes me to see so many haters totally freaking out about this bike, they are all gonna quit riding because this bike exits..seems that way from what they are saying.. its just such a ridiculous attitude.
Right now Im salivating about buying a new 125...because I always have and always will love 125's , after that I would love to get a ktm 350...they intrigue me..rode a few laps on one once and loved it...see them at my local track every weekend and love the way they perform with a good rider onboard...
I just love motocross bikes...all of them!
My Varg will change my life..I will be able to ride so much more often because I can ride at home on it..I just cant wait for the day it gets here!
Imagine if you actually raced motocross and felt this way. The first time you crashed in a corner would be the last time, the first time you crashed over a jump would be the last time, and the first time you lost a race would be the last time - because you'd just quit. After all, you've set precedence that failure is a possibility, so why bother to continue?
So many of the doubters on here say, "I'll just wait until I'm sure it'll work." Okay then - DO THAT. But apply that thinking to the rest of your life too. For example, "I'm not going to kiss a girl until I'm sure she's going to be a faithful wife," or "I'm not going to get a job until I'm sure I can be the boss," or "I'm not going to invest in a stock until I'm sure there's no risk involved." You just keep on waitin' then, while the heady, lusty, wild-eyed pleasures of the world go on without you.
Pit Row
If the media shit can the bike, then I dont think people will go ahead and buy them...sure they would lose their deposit..no big deal.
I dont feel that I am in any way taking a gamble...this company has been forthright and open from the get go.
The difference between me and you ,is I will get my bike in the first shipment, if you are satisfied that the bike is worth it...you are going to have to wait a very long time to get one..
I think Silas 444's comments were spot on and summed up the attitudes of all the haters perfectly
His comparison that you call ludicrous is exactly accurate..you are so blinded you have completely missed the very obvious point I made here..
Edit: June 3 2023 expected ship date if I put a deposit down today. And I'm OK with that. I can keep riding my bike til then or buy a 125 and live it up until it's time to plug in.
The Alta was loved by everyone that rode...rave reviews everywhere...and they still failed. So Stark is going to have to have more than just a great product to have staying power in this market.
I'll be waiting to buy an ebike until one of the major manufacturers come out with a bike...or...when Stark (or another e bike company that will pop up) proves they've got some staying power.
This bike being electric...I dont anticipate there being anything much that I would ever need from stark...no pistons, cam chains engine bearings..engine anything really..sure if the cpu failed or something
Im not really expecting the big manufacturers to rush into this market..I think it will remain somewhat a niche market...I cant think of a reason why I would want to update the varg within 5 years...maybe ever..its gonna make more power than I need , gonna be easy and cheap as can be to maintain...if the chassis handles well..why bother? Maybe if someone makes a bike 30 pounds lighter then I would probably be interested...I believe a lot of people will be like me..they will just get a bike and keep it for years...that would be a dead end market for the majors but probably suit a company like stark
Not seeing how such an endeavor on the part of Stark Future is a threat to anyone.
There was a time when Honda brought the 1st 125 / 250 Elsinores to market ; there were plenty of doubters fully convinced that Honda, having zero experience producing a two stroke race bike, would fail miserably.
Most are aware of what happened next in Moto history ...
It'll be fascinating to see, if / when the Varg is allowed to line up @ the pro level with conventional powered machines.
That may indeed be a threat to some status quo sensibilities.
.
You can take that risk of you want…hard pass from me. Not a knock on the ebike technology (I’m a huge fan of it) and really not even a knock to Stark…just one (the main) reason I’m not buying one.
In all likelihood, Stark is probably manufacturing relatively little of the bike in house..
They have probably dropped the coin already on making injection moulds for the plastic on their single model..possibly having an outside supplier produce the plastics with these moulds..
I frankly dont see any problems other than battery, motor and cpu which may or may not be made in house by Stark.
If they should go broke and disappear in 5 years..I find it highly unlikely that I wont be able to get common wear parts.
It remains to be seen...once the media gets a chance to examine them close up.. what will be on the bikes?
Nissin brake parts ? Brembo? Galfer? We already know its Kayaba suspension.. what about bearings? So Stark are gonna use exclusive Stark by design and manufacture bearings and seals in the linkage and head stem..or maybe go to SKF or someone to source bearings and seals , already in production that suit their needs?
I mean really....do people really think that Stark are making evey single component of this bike in house?
I think you are going to have to think a little harder to find a legitimate reason as to why people like me are taking a risk buying the bike...because the ones you are putting forward seem ridiculous to me..
If you dont want an electric bike ..fine..you have your reasons...but I seriously doubt that the fears held by some on this forum , namely that this bike heralds the end of motocross as we know it..have any basis in reality
Also ,I keep seeing , time and time again people saying " if I cant get 80 miles out of it on a trail ride..""
I thought vital mx meant motocross? Why so many here wanting to judge motocross specific bikes by their usefulness as a trail bike? Its a motocross forum...go find an offroad forum...this is a motocross forum...
Tortelli to race against 250/450 at Hawkstone Park in September.
Sorry
Post a reply to: STARK FUTURE VARG - An Electric Bike that is Faster and Lighter than a 450?