Finally! After weeks of relentless searching, I've unearthed some answers, and let me tell you, the journey has been nothing short of exasperating. Stark's foray into the American market has hit a major snag. They're barred from selling directly to customers, thrusting us right back to square one—scouring for dealerships. Adding insult to injury, dealerships tack on a slew of extra fees like doc fees, exacerbating the already hefty price tag of their bikes.
But perhaps the most egregious oversight on Stark's part is their abysmal communication. They failed to inform California residents about the state's specific regulations, leaving many feeling deceived. Their lack of transparency extends to their dealings with dealers, who are reportedly seething over Stark's inconsistent intentions. To make matters worse, I've been told their systems keep having bugs, what makes dealers not being able to pay for the bikes, leaving customers hanging for months on end. It's an utter mess!
As for when Stark will untangle this debacle in California, it's anyone's guess. They say it's Federal regulations, but I've heard from some sources that it's actually other brands blocking them. And it's not just California; it seems like the handling of preorders from 2021 through 2024 has been painstakingly slow. If California ever opens up, it'll be a mad rush!
This whole ordeal has left me feeling disheartened. I'm torn between sticking with my reliable RM250 or taking a gamble on a used Stark bike. Despite the frustrations, I must admit, Stark bikes do look enticing. Ultimately, this entire situation boils down to Stark's failure to conduct thorough research before plunging into the US market. Their website still boasts direct-to-door delivery, which couldn't be further from the truth now. And if you cancel your order, forget about getting your $100 deposit back. As for the dealerships, let's just say they're far from accommodating.
I delved into those doc fees, and while they may not be astronomical in my area, they're yet another inconvenience to contend with. It's just one more frustration piled on top of the pile. Looks like I'll be sticking with my trusty zook for another five years—at least I'll be spared from all this chaos. I hope this sheds some light on the situation; I've been gathering insights from various sources in California and beyond, including fellow Stark bike owners.
Maybe this will throw some light to all of you scratching your heads, as Stark is trying to do the best, it looks like they haven't planned this as they should.
Bro...stop running Chat GPT for a simple sentence.
Well that was a rollercoaster.
Tell us how the Stark hurt you.
After reading this I was left wondering... Where's the beef? 🍔
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I'm just posting what I've found out about Stark 'Future'. They really didn't look in to the future IMO. Take it or leave it. I don't use forums because of replies like yours. I've read all the Stark Posts, as I like to research before I buy, to see what was going on and nobody knew. Here are some answers. For me its clear - BTW, I am not your Bro
Stick to your Susuki RM250 and do sik hart attacks at cycul ranch with unkle horse
Stark should have ran these traps on state laws long before they took money. With that said, they may needed the cash infusion and knew there would be some snags. It’s almost a moto Ponzi scheme!!!
It seems very chatgpt / AI language. You wrote 3 extremely wordy paragraphs to say "With recent laws in California I'll need to go through a dealership to purchase a Stark, while people in other states can get them directly shipped. I don't like I have to go through a dealership".
I appreciate you sharing your findings, this will be interesting to watch unfold.
I also agree "Don't BRO me if you don't know me".
So we are back to the $100 ponzi scheme again when thousands of bikes have been delivered?
Wait until the big 5 start selling production e-bikes. If you thought the fall of Alta was heavy, I present to you Stark - patent pending on the $14K paper weight.
The good in it all, it lit the fire under the usual brands to speed up their efforts, but all of the Stark loonies, will wish they had waited. It is cool to be one of the first - I get that, but it will come with a heavy price.
So now we are back to its a well oiled machine on delivery?
More good will come than just that. Someone will resurrect several of the gazillion Stark posts and it will be an entertaining read if nothing else.
Let me ask the Stark Diehard's in here: Why would Triumph and Ducati enter the Motocross genre with ICE bikes now if "EV's are the Future"? I'll tell you why. Because the companies know EV's are dying before they even started. And once the people stop buying the highly unavailable E-bikes, They'll revert back to Fire breathing engines and look for something new like a Triumph or Ducati. They know E-bikes are dead and are showing up to pick up sales when they inevitably fail.
Have you been living under a rock for the last 6 months? None of that is groundbreaking or unknown, in fact it's been discussed at length in multiple threads at this point. If you're really dying to get your bike you can pick it up from another state (I believe Arizona and Oregon are able to receive bikes but don't quote me on that), the dealer protection laws in most states are complete bullshit but at the end of the day they clearly didn't do their research adequately and now they're in a bit of a tough spot for bike deliveries, but luckily you can still grab it from a surrounding state. I would press the dealer very hard about the doc fees though, there's no registration necessary for this bike and they should be just handing the crate over to you, so any fee they're adding on is BS.
Wow, what an expose. So anyway..
Hard hitting journalism like this is why I keep coming back to Vital.
Congratulations?
I’ll agree that it was a bit of a roller coaster ride between ordering in Dec 2021 and taking delivery of my bike in Feb 2024, but some things are worth a little extra patience, etc and IMO this bike is one of those things.
If you straight up buy through a dealership there will always be fees unless you have a “ connection “ of some sort that helps you avoid that, there will always be a number of technical and customer support issues with any brand, model, or dealership for some customers day in , day out, year after year, it’s just something you work through and move on from.
As an owner of one of these bikes I will give you my opinion on a few things, some of them will be included in the pros and cons…
** the following is just like, my opinion, man**. 🙂
Pros: The bike is incredibly smooth, fit and finish, machine work, etc are top notch, and it is a lot of fun to ride.
It is nice to be able to choose basic HP settings and regenerative braking options and set up to 5 individual maps of those. ( I set one on mine just to load the bike in the truck, it’s nice to have the bike pull its weight up the ramp ). There is an update in the works that will be subscription based and will allow you to change more of the parameters than are currently available, kind of like an ECU programmed to your specs.
For a medium to short individual like myself 5’8” tall the ergonomics are great! I can’t speak for taller people on that, though.
Technical support from the manufacturer seems to be reasonable ( this includes an online manual as well as video tutorials, along with one on one communications, remote access and troubleshooting of bike issues ) and getting better on a monthly basis.
The fact that the company ( for now ) is concentrating on keeping all bikes up to date and current vs just the latest bikes off of the assembly line without extra cost to the buyers is pretty cool ( this helps ease some of the teething pains that inevitably pop up when a new product is introduced to the wild, no matter how much testing you do in a controlled environment there are just some things that won’t be an issue until you put something in the hands of the buyers).
Maintenance so far has been pretty easy, although I will say that if you get one before they’ve addressed the oil drain plug torque and/or material quality issues it would be in your best interest to have a new one standing by as a lot of people ( myself included have had to replace the drain plug on the first oil change).
Tire tubes, incredibly light weight!
Parts orders to the US are pretty quick
cons:
It is a heavy lump when moving it around in the garage, lifting it on and off the stand, etc. the rolling resistance from the motor is enough that it would really suck if you had an issue that caused you to have to push it more than a couple hundred yards.
Stark could do a much better job of informing bike owners of the latest software versions ( seriously, a link on their website with the latest info and release dates, as well as a schedule and breakdown of future updates and associated changes would clear up a lot of questions and save CS quite a few emails and phone calls.
as it is they kind of work on a “ just ride the bike and when it detects an update it will tell you to do so, and will not give you a readout of the update progress while doing so ).
The initial throttle pull is pretty big ( especially on lower HP settings ) to get a good response, and there is no clutch to help, so the only option is more throttle, there is currently no means from stark to change to a quicker onset of power or shorten overall pull from 0 to 100% power( it is a fairly big pull) , the ramp up beyond the initial pull is great! When they do get around to the update that will allow owners to change these things it will be subscription based, so instead of an ECU you’ll be buying a subscription, or maybe they’ll make a one time purchase option in line with the cost of buying an aftermarket ECU?
The plastics are super glossy and scratch up easily, but a quick pass from a heat gun should help dress it out from time to time.
Tire tubes, not very durable! 🤣
If you live in the US the wiring standards for the charger may confuse you because they are not wired how you may be expecting ( electric dirt riders has a relevant link to this as well as info and a materials list to wire up your own 110 plug in the US ) <— thanks to Alta owners for the help on that one! 👍
All of the dealerships are new to the bike and many are not aware ( until after the new owner leaves with it ) of the fact that they need to electronically transfer ownership of the bike ( through the APP ) to the new owner once they take delivery, maybe stark could package a dealer set up and delivery training course for them.
Having said this the lists are not all inclusive, and not everyone would be happy with the bike even if they didn’t have any CS or technical issues with it, but I am 100% happy to have mine!
NO RAGRETS
Pit Row
What does buying a used Stark have to do with what Stark and Stark Dealers are doing selling new units????
It's funny when posts and articles have obvious AI assistance. I get it, you failed English.
Tell us where…
Probably in a southern region...
I’m not your Buddy, Guy!
Dearest California Buyer,
You CAN get creative and GO BUY IT SOMEWHERE-ELSE!
There are those of us that have done this and resolve our title and registration issues ourselves.
I’m jus’ sayin’…
He “delved” into those doc fees… I’ll just leave this here.
Except... Triumph paid a lot of money to buy an e-motorcycle brand.
They also have an impressive (road) e-bike in R&D. Ducati ditto.
The future is not the simple either/or you like to portray. Both fossil- and e-bikes will have a place for some years going forward. Will one eventually kill off the other? Maybe - but for now, you better have both in your armoury. Triumph, Ducati, Honda,Yamaha,KTM are doing just that. They can't afford to remain static and hope to control the market, when new companies are bringing attractive alternatives that some (not all) customers will embrace.
Who wins? You do..if you open your horizons, try both and ride whichever suits your needs and takes your fancy.
Hey! Wait a damn minute!
All you did was use Chat3DPMoto to create that response!
Pfffft…you kids. This world is goin’ to hell!
Hope you are kicking ass!
Manny
Hello San Francisco!
The bit of that I understood, sounds like a California problem...
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