Benefit of Electric MX in UK already showing

There’s been a post doing the rounds that Belgium has 100 less tracks now than it did 30 years ago. There’s now only 3 permanent tracks in Belgium. Now obviously not all of them shut down due to noise, but you can’t help wonder if they’d have a few more tracks still open now had noise not been an issue. I’m far from a fan of the idea of MX going electric, but I’ll never dismiss it out of hand because it’s much better than no MX at all 

No kidding...  I would not want to live in any southwest states, this is going to only get worse..  The fun part is, they are blaming the environment <face-palm>.  It has nothing to do with insane regulations in CA, over-consumption, and population, nope, none of those things.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/climate/colorado-river-water-cuts-dr…

It's because we're too stupid to use ocean water. Look at the Saudis. They're in the middle of the desert and have no water shortage because they use common sense. Nuclear power and desalination plants. 

Yeah everyone knows that globes aren't real because the earth is flat. Globes are a creation of the globe-earth society to sell a lie.  

And you clearly have zero background in science or engineering I assume. 

Semi-ironically, desalinization brine may be a large source of lithium to power EV's in the future.

Still waiting for a legitimate long term flog test of those toasters.     Can't imagine why this hasn't happened yet. 

Tell that to the auto dealers that have EV's rotting on lots.   Sales are in the toilet.      Majority of people do not want EV's.  They are not practical.   They don't work in cold climates.      Electric is NOT the future.       Battery materials....as bad, if not worse than oil when it comes to environmental concerns.

Electric....

Yeah, it will great when folks don't have to learn the skill of clutch and gear box. lol.

Just crank it up Boss. What could go wrong?

The way I see it how many folks that don't ride are looking to jump on an E-bike for rent on a full blown moto track. Seems like a sketchy deal.

So electric sucks if it is not better than every other thing ever created?   Just like any other bike, it could be the worst bike in the world for 1 person and best for another.  It's clear that no matter what MXA would have to say , You would not change Your mind on the Varg. So far it has cleared most of the constantly adjusted goal posts. Yet You still hold out hoping that the holy grail of MX reviews will say the Varg sucks. And that every other tester is full of crap that said otherwise. 

 Time and real world things that can not be tested will reveal the Varg's long term durability. Any test of a single item could go badly or amazingly and not be an example of the common issues or reliability. Who knows how the Varg will be after a few years of hard motos and neglect.  Look at the earlier 4 stroke MX bikes and look at them now. Anything that is new has to start. The Varg looks to have started out at a higher level than the earlier 4 stroke MX bikes. And as they evolve they will only get better. Range is the biggest problem that most people will never have on an electric MX bike ,if they ride on tracks.

So many things depend on oil and the materials that are made from it. Things that used to be waste . Like Gas and diesel were at one point thrown away. They were a byproduct of refining kerosene, and too explosive to be useable. Polyester and so many other materials that come from oil are so intertwined with the world. What would they do with the gas and oil that was made as they refine oil for the other uses? I doubt that oil will ever go away completely until it is gone. The entire civilized world is built on oil.    

Not policing decibel levels better ourselves hasn't helped, four strokes farting around at a hundred and whatever dB is a shit show, especially somewhere as tiny and full of complaining assholes (yes I see the irony here) as the UK 😂

Fuck it, I'm not about all this electric stuff at all generally but if Starks mean more options and more choices then so be it.

Like someone else said, electric motocross is still better than no motocross.

And again and again and again...

"People do not want EV, they don't work in cold climates"

Hold my akvavit says Norway, where 90% of cars sold in 2023 were EVs, cheering with Sweden (60%), Iceland (54%) and Finland (53%) to the world record EV sales (14 million, +35% from previous year, 18% market share).

Skål!

https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-area-tesla-owners-detail-winter-d…

The fans of the Varg just keep try-harding to keep it relevant. As if they “crusade for” and promote this thing daily, the whole electric cause will be forgotten. 

So a track opens all week long and supposed motocross rider have a problem with it?  Some of you posers need to get a damn grip on reality, holy hell.  

Forgot all about this, a guy I know very locally, who ran an insanely successful indoor karting venue and has a good background in riding on and off road, tried to open an electric only motocross track near some wind turbines a few years back. Using KTM Freeride electrics.

People still moaned and made it a total ballache to the point he barely got it off the ground before realising it wasn't worthwhile. Was a shame.

Then, being the UK, some of the electric KTMs got stolen 🙄

Exactly. I've been around the UK mx scene since 1981 and it's always been the same. Constant moaning about the state of the sport, nowhere to ride, tracks closing, difficulty bringing it to the masses etc etc. Then someone appears to have put a ton of effort into finding a workable solution and the same people jump in to shit on it.. UK MX mentality is it's own worst enemy.

Like someone else on here said; this is a small, cramped island. Wherever you ride, you're going to be near someone. Practice tracks hosting a couple of hundred 4-strokes all day are going to get harder and harder to keep open - even for that one day a week/20 times a year they usually get now.

MX was Belgiums' national sport with 106 tracks but it's still been decimated. They're now down to 3 tracks, and could possibly soon have none. MX in the UK is a fringe sport with a poor image outside the sport, it could be shut down any time the authorities decide.

This venture may fail or succeed, but at least the guy is giving it a bloody good try either way.

Agreed, people like them are what make the difference. Even besides electric stuff, for conventional motocross with ICE bikes, a prime example would be Lawson and the folks at Thornbury MX here in the South West. They do an awesome job with all the tracks they run for practice and racing.

They've got a handful of good tracks, some great like Marshfield and now Yarley, always prepped well, always run efficiently, and they can spread dates around to suit so you can still ride somewhere when the quieter/more regulated venues can only run occasionally.

Outstanding effort and doing it all properly, including planning and talking to the relevant councils, seems to make a big difference.

People, at least in America, seem to hate on anything electric (well maybe not their wifes 😂) be the government is trying to force electric cars on us. We have a history of not trusting or liking the government. So now those people are fighting electric bike too. For people not in the USA, y’all have to remember how big the country is and we aren’t use to thinking about how many people are in such a small part of land. I’m glad people are finding ways to keep the racing and riding going over there. Would also work in our bigger cities. 

I think an electric rental model could work, but on a smaller track using surron type bikes. Shorter, less powerful, swappable batteries, cheaper. Just like I door electric kart rentals aren't real racing karts, rental dirtbikes don't necisarily need to be real dirtbikes either.

Not just Faux News....but the Commie news outlets also report on the EV failures in cold weather.  

Some people cannot seem to grasp scientific fact.   Range and charging times are drastically effected. 

they wouldnt need to if youd just take them into your home like theyre politely asking

And what exactly does this have to do with a motocross track renting out Starks 7 days per week to help keep the track viable to operate?

This is one of the reasons I think that electric will be the BluRay disc of the home video world...in a lot of ways better than DVD's but quickly replaced by the superior digital steaming...electric might be better than ice in a lot of ways...but I feel like there is another tech just around the corner that will be better than electric and replace it.

In your analogy streaming would be synonymous with public transportation and ride-sharing, you wont own it but youll pay forever to use it.

Well my analogy wasn't about that...it was about a flash in the pan technology quickly being replaced by another technology.

I could have-and maybe should have-used Laser Discs...those big huge discs that started appearing around here in the late 80's/early 90's...better audio and video quality than VHS, and on paper should have been an easy winner...but the players were too expensive and couldn't record TV programs so they never got a ton of traction here...and were eventually replaced by DVD's.

Electric is to expensive, and has range issues...and that could easily prevent it from ever getting widespread traction...and it could quickly be replaced by a superior technology.  that's my point.

It is 2027. You and your son having a ride day costs $250 by the time rentals and track fees are done with. You get attacked on the way home by anti-battery protestors screeching about cobalt mining. You stop to get dinner with little man on the way home and your two burgers cost $38 dollars, even though you skipped the fries. You forgot about the 'beef tax' that is $9/meal. "That'll be $56 dollars" said they/them. You pay your tab, and it spits on you for not tipping 40%.