Stark varg reliability?

Also curious. Recently got to spin a couple laps on one and I can't stop thinking about how impressive it was lol. It's at least being considered,  for me,  too.

Ive got 2 friends that are new owners of Starks. Both have had software issues preventing them from riding for extended periods. One was communicating with them via email, took a couple weeks to resolve the issue. The other took his back to the dealership right after buying it and waited a month to get it back.

I dont have one but what I heard the reliability is not great. But you can buy the extented warranty for 599 for one year or 999 for two year deal. 

The only issue I have had with mine has to do with the Bluetooth connectivity feature of the phone. Some days the phone just would not connect. They replaced the wireless charger/Bluetooth under warranty and it works much more consistently. It can still be very slow to respond when putting the bike in "gear". I really wish they would have a hard wired screen for battery life and mode display. Then just use your own phone to set power curves, etc.

A 15 minute moto uses about 25% of the battery for me. Sometimes more, sometimes less. 60-65 HP. Vet Aish speed for a few laps. I use a 240 generator to charge it at the track. 10% of a charge takes 11-12 minutes. Open practice days I always bring a second bike. But days with split practices, the battery life is a non issue.

No real issues for the 5 Starks around here. I recommend getting a spare throttle tube as that is really the only thing that can end your day as far as basic consumables.

There is quite a few up here in Alaska, i havent heard of any complaints besides the phone popping out.

I owned mine for about 12 months and reliability for mine was great, no issues at all. 2 of my friends have starks and have had a few small issues which stark warranty fixed promptly. So I wouldn't be too concerned on the reliability side.

Battery life is where it could be the best bike ever or a waste of time. How long does the battery last will get 100 different answers. Track terrain, speed, rider weight and so many other things will vary battery life massively. Personally I sold mine because battery life for my conditions was terrible. 

You ride too fast, that will change with age!

If only that was the case 🤣

I'd say the Varg is the right fit for your riding area, don't lose sight of that. 
Pre-owned Vargs are now flirting w/ their 2 year warranty, so look into when that bike was originally activated. Any used bike w/ a warranty remaining will sit better. 
I recommend finding one w/ a rear handbrake. When you take the time to learn it, you'll never want anything else. 
Stark support continues to grow w/ the overall amount of Vargs being sold. Support in America is ever evolving and becoming more direct by the day. 

Lots of older guys In my area have the Vargs,  they say easier to ride…..And here I am riding my 93 CR125 because its more difficult….I”m not against electric bikes at all, I”m all about anything 2 wheels…..just eliminating the air filter & oil change routine is very enticing…..I may pick one up in the spring and give it a try out……. I don’t like change…..😂also afraid I will never ride my gas bikes again….

Rear brake handbrake is a huge advantage over a foot pedal and it can be used like a clutch as well 👍

I’ve been riding mine almost weekly for over a year on tight, techy hard enduro type stuff and it’s been flawless. Not one issue, highly recommended!👍

Who in their right mind "donates" their land to the city???

I work at a big dealer in socal that sells Starks. We've sold a lot of them and I haven't heard much. At first we had a few come back for battery replacements but haven't seen that in a while. Have you had a chance to ride one yet? 

I’ve had one for a year. Super fun bike, but I definitely wouldn’t have it as my only bike. 

Deep or sandy soil will be your enemy on battery life, it drains them quickly. 

I ride my 450’s waaay more for a variety of reasons. 

My EX has been rock solid, though I’ve only had it for four months. 

In less than 25 hours of riding (mainly on small back yard track), I have had to replace the powerplant as well as the battery. Both times the bike shut off with no warning, luckily didn't cause any major injuries. I have seen one other bike with similar hours need a powerplant replacement. Warranty covered the parts, but the safety is a major concern for me now. 

Something sketchy about all that for sure.

"You can't sell your property"? Because of what the buyer might do? That's the buyer's problem. 

I would imagine it would help a bit at least but I can't say for sure, I haven't tried that. I've always kept it between 58hp and 62hp. I rode it on a sandy corner track and couldn't believe how quick it was dropping. 

If you're a decently fast rider you're gonna drain that thing pretty quick in the sand.

The only way lowering hp helps with battery life is if you lower it to a point you are actually going slower than your ability is capable of, if that makes sense.

Say if you ride at 55hp and you are going as fast as your ability allows, going to 60hp won't use anymore battery, you will just use less throttle. Same as going to 50hp wont save battery because you will just use more throttle. 

Hope that makes sense. 

There are a couple at the track almost every day and I am impressed at how well they go.  Power is incredible and being behind one can be worse than a 450 in terms of roost. It also seems the suspension and handling are spot on. They are so dam quiet that it spooks you when they come up behind you and you don't know they are there.  They are so quiet, I would love to have one for a backyard track.. no noise to make neighbors complain. There is one thing that gets me though, they sound exactly like the toy plastic motorcycles/ quads with the hollow plastic wheels that my kids used to ride around the driveway when they were very small... sounds exactly the same and I can't get that out of my head.

Had mine for 11 months now. Sold my 2 stroke after a couple months owning it and now only have the Varg. Reliability has been good. Stark replaced my charger under warranty. For a full size backyard bike that needs to be quiet, it can't really be beat right now. Better than pissing off neighbors or settling for a chinese e-bike (surron). That's why I originally got mine but it has been so much fun to ride that it's all I need. The lack of maintenance is nice. There's really not a lot that can go wrong or things to tinker with like a gas bike. I rode yesterday on dry dusty trails and when I got home I just park it until next time (sitll do pre ride checks/adjustments).

If you're looking at pre-owned, find out when the warranty expires and you need to do an owner transfer via the app when you buy it. And make sure you get the mso, there have been some shady identity theft / stolen bikes being sold early on.

18 month in on mine.  I'm on my third battery and second motor plus some connectivity issues.  I've missed some rides and races because of it. That said, I believe Stark is getting much better with the bike component reliability.  Their support has been very good and parts get to me within a few days.  Still I would not want to have a dealer perform the powertrain swap.  The whole bike needs to come apart (except for the front end) and I don't trust a dealer to take the care in getting the bike back together right.  If the dealer did the work I would go over every nut and bolt on the bike.

Would I get another one?  In a heartbeat!  

One battery was replaced due to a corroded pin connector at the CANBus port and the motor was replaced due to noise.  I think the noise was from the bearing behind the countershaft sprocket and the cause was that Stark's recommended chain tension was too tight which placed a heavy load on the bearings. Stark revised their chain slack specs.  I do think that first gen stark riders were a bit of Beta testers for the bike but so are any buyer of a first year model or model revision.

As far as chain tension goes, I always do a swing test with the shock out. Find the tight spot in the arc, prop the wheel up at that point, loosen the adjusters to where it has just a tiny amount of slack, let the wheel back down, then bolt it all back up and measure the slack at full extension. Then you know exactly where it should be without worry. 

I am only 2 hrs into breaking in my 1.2 and I am really liking the feedback the bike is giving me. Between the new frame and the revalved suspension (stock), the 1.2 is handling great. Still have a couple more hrs to break these forks in, but they are coming around.

I don't know what was wrong with the original battery but I had installed a new app and for whatever reason the bike ceased to power up.  I suspect the batteries were not the problem but some hardware inside the battery cases. So three batteries; the OEM, it's replacement and I'm still riding on the second replacement (battery #3). I'm riding on the 1st replacement motor/powertrain. 

My issue with ANY dealer or shop is when someone who does not own your bike and is getting "Warranty pay" they don't take the time to do the double/triple check of the work. Unless you are paying the tech extra to take the extra time to do that, I don't trust their work.