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I loved the Stark when I rode one, but I'd much rather Yamaha uncover a YZ350F.
Battery technology will not be the same if or when this bike is in production...based on article, that's another 25 years. A lot can happen in 25 years so not much need in getting into the weeds on details.
https://shop-rare.com/products/stark-varg-clutch
Yamaha and others, like Honda and Kawasaki, have to look into any viable segment…and here we are.
Yamaha should be able to deliver for a pretty decent price since they’re utilizing their existing chassis.
Electric Motion must have been on to some really good tech…because, Yamaha buying them is a bit of a head scratcher when you realize how much they’d already achieved with their own with electric motors, controllers and that type of tech. Hell, many years ago I remember they had an in-hub electric motor for wheelchairs…and I mean way before all this e-bike and electric moto stuff.
Well, anyhoo…here we are. I expect Honda to drop theirs soon. As I recall, Kawasaki said they’d be “All Electric by 2035”…tho, I think that’s changed a bit…seeing as Global Politics and the popularity of Climate Change and the like has…have…seemingly declined a bit as of late. And…let’s recognize that Kawi says they’re dropping a coupl’a new 2 strokes…which is kinda interesting for a company that had recently said they’re going all electric.🤣
All this electric talk…well…other than eMTBs and city-bikes…it doesn’t do much for me. I’d prefer a really well sorted out “hybrid” with epic range and the ability to power some camping stuff when I’m out on an ADV ride in the woods or dez. I’ve got that kind of utility in a hybrid F150 and it can be done in an ADV type pkg, too.
Well, still, gotta give Yamaha props for getting this YE-01 out and looking very YZ-E already.
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Sooo, that last one will make the bike sound like a 4-stroke?
It's legit. Yamaha sent a press release out and the image shown in this thread is from it.
Thats embarrassing for them. It looks shit.
Suzuki is going to drop the RM-Z350 for us dude. Keep hoping - we got this!!😂
I remember this other time they had a rough looking concept race bike with a poorly placed "cheap" looking swingarm sticker.
That went NOWHERE - I'm sure they are super embarrassed.
🤣
You made me spit out perfectly good coffee!
I'm with you on that. The people calling for a clutch may not quite understand what they're doing when they use one. Then again, I've never ridden a Stark, so I don't know how the engine (ahem, motor,) feels. Maybe I'd prefer to mete out the power with my left index finger also. Old habits die hard, you know, and I'm an oldie too.
I'm interested. I've always thought a Stark would be interesting to ride, but I'd probably never buy one... just from a brand recognition standpoint. You just never know, and $14,000 is a lot to risk never being able to resell. Having a tuning fork logo on it will definitely help in that scenario.
This isn't rough looking though. No motocross bikes have ever been made with camo looking plastics and for good reason. Had their new electric bike had styling like this, or something more subtle. they'd be onto a winner...
Good...maybe it will be the start of the death the loud ass 4 stroke. I love ICE engines, but the modern 4 stroke is responsible for A LOT of track closures.
Looks like there is a clutch on this one. Nice.
IDK man, those first 400s were sure fat and ugly.
They absolutely were, but they were prototype racers and concepts, and a thing some in this thread seem unable to grasp is that this is a prototype racer and concept, it's not for sale.
Yamaha has a history of re-writing the game by supporting these efforts.
Attacking the graphics is just such a head scratcher.
You'll be downvoted to hell for saying that. It's true and was the primary reason one of my favorite tracks from yesteryear got shut down. I went to the courthouse and heard the testimony and offered public comment on why it should stay open. They kept going back to noise and they had sound readings to back up their complaints. It was shut down a couple years into the four stroke revolution, and most of the bikes at the track were running with straight through racing pipes.
No way to regulate what people ride with, so the judge sided with the plantiff and the track sits closed today.
Pit Row
Yeah, Honda CR-E debuted its life badged as Mugen in 2017... it's been forever.
I don't think Yamaha will need 8 years to release a production bike based on this prototype though.
smokers can be made to run cleaner than four strokes. Honda had one with a highly experimental CR250 with direct injection in the early 90s. It ran cleaner than their XR four strokes. Weight and complexity killed any hope of it making it to pre-production
I cant imagine not having a clutch for the safety aspect alone.
Falcon, surely you know that there are times that power is needed to be modulated in very small increments that cant be achieved by turning your wrist; i.e. You're wide open down the start straight and the front end starts rising, just lower your throttle wrist a little...? Nah. Gonna just barley touch the clutch.
I know that the common consensus is that, yes, but I disagree. I feel like most riders could easily learn to modulate a throttle, especially an "e-accurate" one.
But again, I've never ridden an e-MX bike and I don't know. Maybe I'd really appreciate a clutch on one.
Even though the first YZ400F was a bit bulky I would argue it was a perfect motor. 400cc and incredibly linear power but not frightening and so easy to ride it did feel like cheating, except when I had to start it hot-fuck me. I loved my 1999 400. The 426 was ass, should have kept my 400. The 2003 450F was a beast, but I really liked that bike too. So Yamaha can put this thing out to market pretty quickly based on the 400, relatively speaking. I do agree with the masses though-a 350 would be amazeballs. Can't believe any of the Japanese brands have yet to put one out (by that I mean Honda or Yamaha).
I haven’t ridden the Stark either. But I have ridden the entire Zero lineup, as well as the Energica sportbikes, and I never missed the clutch. I understand we’re talking apples to oranges here, though, street v dirt.
Not until they pry my combustion engine motorcycles from my cold dead hands 😂
Luongo, September 2025
"After several meetings and talking during the last years and considering the state of development of this technology for the different manufacturers we decided to postpone the [MXEP] series to an indeterminate date."
Yamaha, November 2025
It's quite odd that Yamaha refers multiple times to MXEP in their press release, did no one tell them it had been postponed due to lack of interest from OEMs? I guess Honda and/or KTM said no.
I would want a clutch for the sole purpose of stopping the bike if the throttle sticks wide open.
Wasn't there a video of someone on an Alta whiskey throttling off a berm to the moon?
Edit: I remember now it was Renner and he whiskey throttled into another racer mid turn.
Camo is typically used to hide the design lines of a new model. You see it all the time in new car spy photos for that reason. I seriously doubt that this is the actual design, sheesh.
I thought the same thing at first about the camo to disguise the bike somewhat. Then I saw the big Yamaha sticker on the swingarm. Now, this photo with the Yammie sticker may just be used now that Yamaha is releasing info on the bike.
The Suzuki that didn’t have ‘Suzuki’ anywhere on it.
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