Posts
356
Joined
12/14/2018
Location
Tallahassee, FL
US
I rode a Stark Varg finally and why wouldn’t you buy one?
1. No gas
2. No air filter
3. No sound
4. No carb
5. No top ends
6. That’s NO enough for me.
And the bikes suspension comes set up for your weight.
Am I missing anything? Thoughts? What are the negatives?
Negatives
- Bolts are soft as ice cream, you touch them with a tool and you have stripped the bolt
- The Iphone on the bike, I would MUCH prefer a small digital display with only warning lights and battery SOC. (I ride MX without the phone)
Everything else is just excellent! ( battery last really good on hard pack, less so on sand track, I only ride mx, for woods cannot comment)
No sound is a negative.
No range
my mom always said if i don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all!
The Shop
Free shipping: VITALMX
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
I'd have one, but the local track said no dice on racing it.
😉 (OP seems to be seeking attention)
No place to race is the biggest draw back since mx sports hates them. Lol
The cost of the battery when (not if), it needs to be replaced will be a large part of the downfall to all electric and electric assist vehicles.
They are super fun to ride....my buddy has one and it's a good ride.
To my understanding the battery will last thousands of hours. A replacement battery is currently $3k.
If your 4 stroke motor goes boom, can you buy a complete replacement motor for $3k or under?
Also remember all the cost savings along the way. No pistons, rings, valves, oil, filters, etc.
Not biased as we currently have 4 gas powered machines. But I did just have a ktm throw a valve not long ago. Cost me a pretty penny to fix the bike doing all the labor myself. Bike had 70 hours on it.
In summary, cant say I agree with battery cost being the downfall of electric vehicles.
What about the powertrain unit? That's another $3500 on top of the battery if that goes.
For a track bike that all makes sense if all you care about is doing laps and the cost considerations you’re addressing (which are legitimate) . But, for many users, you do have to allow for the means/cost of charging and that likely includes some sort of portable system. And if you’re riding it a lot or for any kind of distance, recharging it can take some time. Having a 220V outlet can speed this up.
The amount of torque and acceleration it makes was evident in the videos of Doug Henry at the Vet-Nations. They are quick and they are fast.
They’re not cheap and there are pantry of bikes available for half the price ($13K plus).
Why there has been no aftermarket company that has developed a sound module yet for these ebikes is truly mind blowing.
Just imagine being able to upload literally any exhaust note in existence.
Although I do enjoy riding them, in a race you definitely need sound not only for the added thrill for fans watching but for safety as well.
Someone or some company could make a decent amount of coin on this potential product.
Cool for spinning laps after work in the backyard or trails down the street. Otherwise, meh...
For me the best bikes are 2 strokes.
If the stark is as great as everyone says then it will find it's place just like 2 strokes>4 strokes>?.
A friend rode one Friday, was sure he hated them and rode one to confirm his hate for them. Came off of about 7 laps and was pissed that he didn't hate it and was wrong. He looked better on it than he did on his well set up SX300. He was trying to talk himself out of buying one now.
The comment I replied to specifically called out the battery.
Does the battery and the powertrain need to be replaced together? looks like two separate objects to me.
A big negative for me would be the $13-14,000 price tag.
Pit Row
I think that would irritate the shit out of me. My right hand and two stroke or four stroke noise have a visceral connection that cannot be duplicated by a speaker. If I want to be heard I think I'd prefer to just play loud music, probably Ride of the Valkyries.
After having put some decent seat in on one I will give you a quick breakdown of my thoughts.
The Good:
-No noise. This goes without saying, it keeps the neighbors happy.
-Easy to ride. It took me about 2 hours of ride time to be completely comfortable on the bike. My lap times are faster than my current 450. Momentum feels like it is built right into the chassis.
-It is heavy on the scales, but man is it light feeling.
-Arm pump is reduced by quite a bit. I am an out of shape bum and I can put in 20 minute motos with ease on this thing....Cut that in half on my 450.
-This thing turns like the mythical Suzuki that everyone raved about (I never though Zuks turned that well)
-Lack of maintenance is awesome
-The effortless power is unbelievable, if you cannot clear every jump on this...You need riding lessons.
-It is very easy to wash...sounds silly, I know, but without radiators, exhaust, a shifter, throttle body, etc. it takes a fraction of the time to rinse off
-Everyone who has ridden mine has loved it, it is just that easy.
The Bad:
-No noise. When people do not know you are beside/behind them they are extremely unpredictable. You have to anticipate what people are going to do a lot more when you're silent. Plus, you would not believe how hard people try when you are beside them on an e-bike. They step it into panic rev-limiter/late breaking/wide bike mode like you have never seen. It must hurt the ego something fierce being passed by one.
-Battery life is meh. On average, 15 minutes of track time takes 25% of the battery at my pace. If you have two bikes this is not an issue.
-The chassis is a bit nervous at speed. I have gotten some headshake that will get your attention. Granted, I have not done a ton of chassis setup but it is something to be noted.
-I hate that a phone is the only method for a display. Mine had issues with Bluetooth connectivity so it left me guessing my battery life, not fun. A small dedicated screen would be much more apt to the job.
-The charger being built into the stand is a pain in the ass. The stand is very heavy and awkward for one. Plus it is not something that should be covered in dirt/mud seeing how it is filled with expensive electronics.
-The price is a bit much. if they got it closer to $10k it would be a lot easier sell.
There is more, I am going to type up a post here in a few weeks.
Add to the list you're going to be THAT guy at the track who is going to be running a generator constantly next to you in the pits. Had the pleasure of pitting next to someone who had a electric KTM mini bike and the generator running constantly was awful. Couldn't hear anyone or anything outside of that generator.
Electric motors are normally good for 1000's of hours. And have been used in harsh environments for a longtime. mining equipment, power tools, trains ,etc. Some industrial motors have lifespans rated in the 10's of thousands of hours.
Everything can and will fail. If an electric MX bike is more fun, allows you to ride in different places , etc. That is why You should buy one. Really there is much less that can go wrong with electric motors than an ICE engine. At this point they are both being controlled by computers .
This was a survey that used data from many different industries that use electric motors. Anybody should be able to find more on it by searching .
The only right answer is to have it play Master of Puppets
That was patented a few years ago.
The fast guys I know that ride Moto already got rid of theirs . Not hating but when I see one on the track there is no part of me that desires to own or ride one.
It does have a radiator like all the other big E bikes and yes I have been shipping out our VARG radiator hoses.
I know it has a radiator, but it is not out in the open and in the line of fire of roost and mud.
I've had customers tell me that shops in New England are selling them for $10K. One customer said he had them order him one and he is getting it for 10K.
It is making it harder for me to resist buying one. Right now I have not only my own business to worry about , but my mother has gotten to the point that she needs me too much to risk being injured. I got hurt a lot over a short period of racing MX and just can not risk not being able to be there for my mother.
I only have gotten to ride one for about 15 minutes on a smooth track and some tighter singletrack trails and I was by myself on my own private area. And I loved it. I had it at a lower power setting. I know they can be super powerful. I just wanted to feel the bike itself . I did not feel the need to feel the full power. I was blown away by how quickly I felt comfortable . I was surprised at how long the throttle was. Like how much it needed to be twisted to get to full throttle. Maybe its not a lot longer than a ICE bike , but it felt longer. I'm sure that at the higher power levels it is needed so its controllable. But at lower settings I can understand why woods guys have said they wanted something to help get that quick pop for lifting the front wheel.
If and when I get one of my own, I would have a separate stand for washing it. I already have a stand for washing bikes and one for clean bikes. I agree that Washing a bike on it is a bad idea.
I think that everybody should try one. And see how they feel about it. Don't worry about what anybody else says if You like or dislike it after riding one. Over the next 10-15 years, the reasons I am excited about electric MX bikes should become very clear. And if not I am open to being wrong, and that will mean that something even better, more fun will have happened.
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