Stark Varg EX
The Stark Varg has already garnered a strong following worldwide for its impressive performance on the motocross track. However, many enthusiasts, myself included, have been eagerly anticipating its debut in an enduro configuration, ready to tackle the challenges of the bush. Overnight, Stark announced the EX enduro-specific variant is now in production, with deliveries expected in the opening quarter of 2025.
How far can you ride it without requiring access to a mains powerpoint or generator?
How long will it take to recharge?
How heavy will it be…?
Well, we can give you the answers to some of those questions today, but we will have to get one out in the real world for a few months to answer some of the others.
Thanks to Australia having 240-volt mains power, our charge times are much improved over our American friends, whose 120-volt grid takes 3.5 hours to recharge the Varg EX from flat, while here, that time is trimmed to two hours. If the battery is not close to fully drained recharge times can be as quick as an hour.
How far will the 7.2 kWh honeycomb magnesium housed battery get you go before range anxiety sets in? Well that obviously depends on a huge amount of variables. For reference, the battery is claimed to give the EX 20 per cent longer range over its MX sibling. Stark’s quoted riding time is between 90 minutes and six hours.
Are you going to go riding in terrain so tough that you might get stuck for a few hours?
It happens a fair bit around here in the Victorian High Country. A group of friends was stuck in a valley for over ten hours on the weekend when they ventured into some territory that had been decimated by a storm with more trees down than standing. Well then you might be better off sticking with your two-banger. But even then you can tear a fuel line, yes I have done that too, or have other things go wrong anyway like a fried clutch, a punctured radiator, or a drowned bike. Nothing is really certain out in the bush when things get proper gnarly.
Stark claims a weight of 120 kg for the Varg EX. That is only a few kilograms more than a fully-fuelled and road ready WR450F or 450 EXC-F. One would imagine that weight is also carried a little lower than a conventionally fuelled motorcycle and the battery is a structural component that forms part of the chassis. The sub-frame is carbon-fibre and pulls double duty as a cooling duct for the drivetrain.
As for power, well we all know that EVs are capable of producing plenty of it. Two models will be available, a 60 hp version that will retail for $17,900 in Australia while the 80 horsepower ‘Alpha’ version will set you back $18,900.
We presume that will not be inclusive of on-road costs but there could be benefits found there as in some states electric motorcycles attract registration costs at the lowest end of the scale, and are also deemed learner legal, no matter the power output. In the guise pictured below it is hard to imagine it will be ready for full registration in Australia but Stark seem to think they will make it happen.
As for torque, well Stark’s specs sheet lists the torque as 1036 Nm. Which is a truly stupendous number that is around 20 times that produced by a production 450. This does not equate with 20 times the performance as torque is talked a bit differently when it comes to EV applications… An EV motor produces a constant torque at all rpm, which is why they have no need for a gearbox. They can also run backwards, thus you have reserve functionality with the Stark. Enduro racing backwards anyone…?
Five riding modes are offered from full blown madness right down to something more resembling a 125 two-stroke. Engine braking can also be easily tailored to the task at hand along with regenerative braking forces.
Will the heat of an Australian summer dull the performance as the motor heats up and lots of low-speed running in technical terrain reduces available air-flow to cool the motor? I guess we will find out, but with that amount of performance on tap if the management system pegs the power back a bit I am sure that will be no drama. The two-legged thing on the back of it will always be the limiting factor when it comes to performance…
KYB provide the high-quality suspension with closed cartridge spring forks and fully-adjustable rear shock with 300 mm of travel at both ends. Tick.
The EX sports increased vertical frame flex in the rear shock mount area of the frame and more lateral flex in the front area of the chassis over its MX forebear for a plusher feel on the trail.
The Brembo brakes can be configured for use from the bars or the pegs.
The Varg EX sports an Android powered dash unit that is integrated into the bike and offers GPS functionality along with all the power, braking and regen settings you would expect.
Stark offer various titanium upgrades throughout the bike that can be optioned at order along with five different tyre options and the choice of tubes, tubeless or mousse inners.
One of the biggest boons over its fuelled contemporaries I see is somewhere you might not have expected it. Due to the competition bred nature of modern enduro bikes at the performance end of the spectrum, warranty coverage is often limited to a three month parts-only warranty. Stark are promising a two-year warranty. That alone will be enough to get some across the line.
However, in the Aussie bush, damage is most likely to come from impacts with rocks and the like. How the Stark will stand up to such damage is yet to be seen, and how much it might cost to repair after unfortunate impact damage is also yet to be discovered. The EX does ship with a skid-plate reinforced with impact-absorbing foam and the chain guide is dramatically beefed up in comparison to its sibling, so it is nice to know that some thought has gone into the durability of the machine. The cable routing and switch-gear have also been hardened for enduro use.
Holing a crankcase cover is easy enough to do on a conventional engine, but is genrally also a fairly easy and cheap fix, even on the trail if you carry some ‘Knead It’ or the like. Nothing really seems to protrude from what look like relatively flush lines so hopefully the Stark proves even more resistant to damage than traditional enduro offerings. Only time will tell, but I am sure there will not be a shortage of riders keen to place their money down and put it to the test. Let us know how you go…
Stark Varg EX Specifications
- Motor – 360V in carbon-fibre housing
- Power – 60/80 horsepower
- Torque – 1036 Nm
- Charger – 3.3 kW, 16 A, 120/240 V
- Charge Time – 2 hours at 240 V
- Battery – 7.2 kWh honeycomb magnesium housed battery (riding times 60 minutes to six hours)
- Front Suspension – KYB 48 mm closed cartridge coil spring fork. Compression and rebound damping adjustable
- Rear Suspension – KYB shock, adjustable preload and rebound damping adjustable, both high and low-speed compression damping adjustable
- Suspension Travel – 300 mm (Front), 303 mm (Rear)
- Ground Clearance – 368 mm (extended), 345 mm at static sag
- Front Brakes – Brembo two-piston caliper, 260 mm disc
- Rear Brake – Single piston caliper, 220 mm disc
- Tyres – 90/90-21 (F); 140/80-18 (R)
- Final Drive – RK Gold 520 chain and 7075 T6 rear sprocket
- Frame – Chromoly steel
- Wheelbase – 1488 mm
- Rake – 26.1°
- Seat Height – 990 mm (fully extended), 966 mm at static sag
- Weight – 120 kg
- Warranty – Two years
- Available – Q1 2025
- Price – $17,900 (60hp); $18,900 (80 hp)
