I have a KTM 500 EXC and a modified Surron. I use the Surron for trail maintenance when the distance travelled is about 30 miles. The dualsport rides I participate in are a minimum of 80 miles. The KTM is what can make it with a quick stop for fuel if it's a longer ride. I don't see an electric dualsport bike capable enough yet. In the past I road the continental divide route from Mexico to Canada on a KTM 400 unassisted. I don't see that capability at all in an electric.
They're not silent, it sounds like a swarm of giant mosquitos. My issue will never be with the electric dirt bikes (or cars); its the mandates I hate. I like consumer choice; produce both electric and ICE and let me have one of each in my garage. Both are fun and have their own unique characteristics, and both should be produced and sold legally... forever.
well said... I have a dual sport petrol motorcycle and have ridden some reasonably quick electric scooters in india. Both are different experiences. I won't say one is better than the other. As long as the driver/rider engagement is there, I don't care about the powertrain. Hoping that both ICE and electric will co-exist in the long future😊
Honestly, they might sound kind of loud when you're on them, but you really can't hear a lot of these bikes until they're really close to you. These bikes are primarily good for people who like to ride in congested areas where neighbors may complain about loud bikes. Also considering the hostile nature of environmental and wildlife police in many areas. It may make sense to avoid tracking attention. Essentially it opens up a lot more opportunity for people to ride. I certainly aren't better than ICE in every aspect such as range, cool sounding and just the feeling of riding something gas powered, I think Motocross events would be a little boring watching electric dirtbikes without all the brap, But honestly, I choose electric over ICE these days for most all of my riding because of the less maintenance, less noise, no heat pouring off the motor in the summer etc..
There are some huge upsides to electric but I'm not onboard just yet. They just don't "feel" the same to ride, like they are lacking character. I think it will be quite a while before they can handle big mountain rides and moto road trips. The fact a Stark is 5-6K more than a new KTM is a big factor too.
@@PNWEnduro I don’t know the prices for the US but in Europe a Stark Varg EX is exactly at the same price as a Ktm 500 EXCF 2025 : 13000€ for the Stark, 13100€ for the Ktm.
I went through this same thing in RC planes…people hate change. Convenience and performance will eventually win people over. Glow is pretty much nonexistent in RC now.
Totally fine if you don't plan on being out there for long but for the rest of us who want to ride for more than a couple hours before packing up, it's either investing in super expensive batteries or waiting hours and hours to charge on a generator. I think a lot of casual riders that don't get out much will buy them but anyone serious know they are toys.
@@microsoft790 I think it's the casual riders who don't get out much who would benefit least. The guy who lives in a country town, a mile from the trails, who goes for an hour after work every day, or who has carved a Motorcross track on their property is going to love these. The ratio of riding to wrenching jumps enormously. The cost per hour falls. They're so easy to wash because the mud doesn't bake on. Weekends are free instead of doing oil and filter changes and driving to the servo for fuel or in to town for oil.
Hey, that was a great video. Loved getting the overall feel impressions. Electric is inevitable, hopefully the overall capability, battery life, clutch-like control gets sorted out before we go extinct.
I must have missed it when you described the # of hours you could ride on a full battery. I heard a 10% drop just sitting outside mentioned. So, how long and what is the recovery time?
Good question. I recall part way through the video something was mentioned about riding the e-bikes for hours, but i can't say that I remember hearing anything about range of play between 100% to 0% battery charge.
We're thinking about three hours of moving time, less if you are "on the pipe". Not enough for some riders, plenty for others. It comes down to what and how you ride.
We're thinking about three hours of moving time, less if you are "on the pipe". Not enough for some riders, plenty for others. It comes down to what and how you ride.
One of your best videos yet! Could feel how much fun you’re all having. I’m curious to know if any of them have oil in the drive unit between the electric motor and the output shaft for the front sprocket?
Electric motion xr . You need to try it . Has everything you need. I’ve been riding this brand for the last 4 years . It’s nice to hear what I was experiencing. They are truly the future . If the stark had a clutch which would be easy to do then boy what a machine. Draw backs are battery size and weight . That’s going to change in the next few years once the technology is save . I’m 58 and sad it’s all coming too late .
Your videos are always really interesting. I'm a big fan of 300 2 strokes but I have a Stark Varg EX on order, I've never tried an electric dirt bike except for 5 minutes on a KTM E-XC a few years ago. I'm really curious to see what it's like!
Settle down girls. Having choices is a good thing. Ride whatever you like, just get out and do something. No need to for you tell people how they will do that.
As someone who can only ever afford sub $6k second hand bikes, I'm not so sure. By the time an E moto is down to $6K I'm pretty sure its battery capacity will be so bad it will be close to unusable in the same way my current $6k ICE bike is. My second hand ICE bike will still take a full tank of fuel and travel close to the same amount of K's as it did brand new.
The battery is currently 4990 AUD inc GST. So when a bike gets to 2000 hours and if, then, it gets down to $6k, (which it might not, if the packs are available) you're looking at 11k for essentially a new bike that if you service the shock, forks and replace the wheel bearings, chain, sprocket, pads tyres and linkage bearings, will be as good as a new one. At that point you can ride another 2000 hours and pay nothing for fuel, oil, pistons, rings, filters and so on. So compare that to a 6k bike. You're going to need to replace all the same things to bring it up to rideable, but not the battery. But you will need, piston, rings, clutch, cam chain. Then over the next 2000 hours you'll burn at least 6000 litres of 98 at 2 bucks a litre. That's 12,000 dollars. You'll do 400 oil changes, at about 15 dollars each. That's 6000 dollars. 200 filters which are 80 dollars per kit another 16,000 dollars. A couple of clutch packs, 250 dollars each. 4 piston kits for 500 each. So in 2000 hours you'll spend well over 30,000 on engine related maintenance for your 6k bike. Alternatively you could buy a bran new Varg MX for 18k and ride it for 2000 hours with no engine related maintenance.
Even if you're not going to bother changing the oil every 5 hours, and filters every 10, and you're going to run the piston until it rocks so much that it turns sideways in the bore, you're still going to have to fork out 12k or more for fuel. That number assumes only riding at 30 km/h and getting 10 litres per 100 km.
@@gasdive "Alternatively you could buy a bran new Varg MX for 18k ... blah blah" mate. you really think that someone who can only afford a $6k bike is somehow going to be able to come up with $18k for a bike? and all the fuel/filter/oil/rebuild costs are moot, as they are not upfront and are spread over the life of the bike. so yeah, it might be cheaper in the long run... if you are rich enough to pay a huge amount upfront (or be given money on loan), some people are not. but who cares about them, they shouldnt be riding bike anyway right?
@@gasdive "Then over the next 2000 hours you'll... blah blah". mate, in the past 4 years ive only put 200 hours on my bike. I wont be riding or even alive in the 40 years it will take for your 2000 hour argument to even be a thing.
@@brapamaldi yeah, if you don't ride much, this probably won't suit you. And the maintenance costs mean nothing because you can just run it until it won't start anymore and then buy another one. Not every bike suits every rider. But for someone who rides a lot, this is a clear money saver, even if you have to put it on plastic. Just not for you.
Range, range, range- always going to be the issue until someone comes up with a better battery. Sure riding 3-4h of enduro trails is plenty fun for one day, but for those of us who ride dual sports on trails...eh. My FE350 can provide me with nearly 15h/325km of riding on one tank of fuel. I take it on extended camp trips in the interior of BC, Utah, Death Valley, etc, where you may not see a fuel stop for 2-3 days. That kind of energy density is hard to beat. I have hope though.
Very nice review of your thoughts and experiences riding the E-bikes. I'm looking forward to riding one soon and can see buying one before long. I do think they are the future and that it will be a good thing. People don't like change. I was very sad to see the mighty 4 strokes replaced by those stinking, screaming 2-smokers just as my Dad liked the light rigid frame scrambler he rode (1948 Matchless 500) the trails on. Not having a clutch will be a big adjustment for hard enduro riders but not so much for the rest of us. I think the E-bikes should have a larger, more powerful rear brake so the riders can use it to help control the power. At least a 2-piston and maybe even a 4-piston caliper with a bit larger diameter disc. A kill switch cord connected to the rider might be a safety too.
Couple of questions; 1-would you go through a deepwater crossing with it? And if you drop/drown it what will happen? 2-batteries fail from abuse, dirt bikes are seriously abused dropping it launching over rocks etc. if battery integrity is compromised they fail in a potentially catastrophic way. What will a forest fire starting from an electric dirt bike going to do to the sport? I’m sure that part of the sport will grow, but …. I doubt everyone will be riding one.
Regarding battery life, evs are showing that many batteries are lasting much longer than originally thought, with some evs over 500,000 kms on the original battery and motor(s). I'm not a Tesla fan, but there are Teslas with over 600,000kms on original batteries. Solid-state batteries look to finally be production ready within the next few years, which will be a game changer.
Coming from a guy that moonlights at a bike shop that sells Starks and other e-bikes... Nope. I assemble Starks and they are hands down the best quality bikes out there. But I don't want one. Electric motors are great for toy cars tho.
@@TractioneRag it's very simple. I have very little need for a bike with such limited autonomy. I exhaust multiple tanks of fuel on my KTM 950 Adventure or Beta 500RR-S in a single day of riding. My riding is in remote areas where gasoline is limited, never mind a charging station. I've got a Kove 450 Rally on order because it will go about 600kms on full tanks of just dual-sport / light ADV riding. Can anyone make an electric equivalent to the Kove? I doubt it, but let's say that some miraculous battery technology is discovered and a 400lb 600km range electric rally bike came into existence. The sad truth beyond the power needs to recharge the thing is that a 400lb electric bike always weighs 400lbs regardless if the battery is full or empty. Meanwhile, the Kove will have shed nearly 50lbs going from full tanks to empty.
Great video. I have an ev car (and won't go back to ice), but a crf300L as electric motorcycles don't have enough range for me yet; when they get 350-400km range, regen braking, and fast charging I'll get one. The instant response and acceleration of electric is intoxicating. I'm hoping e-motorcross bikes help keep tracks open due to the lack of noise.
Cool vid! People who dislike electric motorcycles probably never rode one. I love my 4-stroke and 2-stroke, but I would love to have a Stark Varg EX too.
Man, those Starks ... I want it to work for me, but the recharging for multi-day trips in the mountains is not there yet. Boy, though, I woulda been all over a Stark enduro in 1995! lol My God, man, bikes are soooo much better now. I started on an old Hodaka, a pogo stick with a motor :-)
Looking forward to the to when Varg EX is available will be the beginning of the end of gas enduro bikes all the manufactures will have to jump to stay in the industry.
@@TractioneRag :) Even with a few hard cornering wheelies on the daily commute, I managed to avoid that with the KTM 690. Would feel blessed to attempt it on the Varg.
If I could get a quality built bike, with readily available parts… that had a clutch and at least somewhat comparable range for a similar price I’d be all over it. It’s coming but it’s not there yet.
It's fascinating that the offroad community generally loves electric but the onroad community absolutely hates them. I've tried a couple of Zero road bikes and really enjoyed them but they are very expensive and they don't have great range yet.
I've been looking at the new Stark Varg Enduro that is supposedly street legal and can be made into a super moto machine. Not sure how the range will compare to the Zero bikes but it sure looks like a really nice option.
I can tell you that most of the off-road community still HATES the idea of electric. There are off-road guys that we will need to pull the ICE out of their cold dead hands.
disagree completely with the sentiment, used surron when they came out and was really optimistic - after use i was a bit meh but ok for a pump track or singletrack i the woods for an hour, i have tried 2 days on a stark - 1 full day on mx track and one in woods, main benefit was the rear brake and i like that as i raced DH mtb for 20 years and bmx for 10 before that, that said i have ridden motorbikes since i was 4 also and i love the foot brake - i am just picking the only advantage i could recognise, i hate no clutch, i hate the lack of sound, i hate the range and so on - i am not nostalgic fwiw and me and my mates were like yes this will be amazing when surron came out but no. These things are way off what i need and also for the vast majority of folks i know, if they get better in the future they may get a 2nd try from me but it's a long way off. Over here in england the noise is used as an excuse and also sold as a reason to buy (of course they would tout that as a reason, it seems like a perfect usp - it's a lie), well guess what, as soon as the 4t and 2t noise is gone the noise of whizzing and whirring will become the issue, noise isn't the issue - its the excuse. The people that complain about noise don't care - they care about you on a bike and not conforming to their desires and whims - fact and hard facts. 2k hours battery ;life? I have doubts about that and also the controller life span too, and anyway that is only about 40k miles which is nothing.
@@TractioneRag Yes I did. This is why I said 10 years old, battery are at the end and will cost 1/3 of a new bike. You can see the effect of huge depreciation in the car market. Nobody want to touch 3 years old used car...
I don't think so I'll pass. All my life ever since I was a kid in the 80s I always dreamed of having a two-stroke Big Bore dirt bike and now that they've got four strokes I want a KTM 450sxf and KTM 300 SX 2-stroke and probably a couple of other bikes but there's one thing I will never have and that's an electric dirt bike if I want to Coast down a hill without no sound I'll go buy a bicycle. It's just I don't like it it's too much like coasting down a hill on a bicycle. I just don't like it it's just not my cup of tea. You can have it. I don't like those Tesla cars and I don't like anything Electric. I love a loud throaty V8 and I love a diesel engine I just do not like electric things. That's not my generation I wasn't raised up in that stuff. I like the things I'm nostalgic for that I remember enjoying when I was growing up I want that technology to keep progressing and I want to stay in my own lane period for the young people that like that electric nonsense you can have it !
Not me, i won't be riding an electric dirt bike in the future, there's no electricity to charge it up here where i live off grid, or any of the places i ride to. Last i checked there's no power outlets on trees and rocks 100 miles from the nearest roads. None would even have the range to make it to places where i ride. Until they get good enough to have a 300+ mile range and can be charged without grid power it's useless around here. I can get 500 miles out of my current desert crosser with a couple extra MSR bottles and it takes 5 minutes to fill up. LAST thing i'm doing is hanging out in a city or town for hours while the bike charges.
I have a KTM 500 EXC and a modified Surron. I use the Surron for trail maintenance when the distance travelled is about 30 miles. The dualsport rides I participate in are a minimum of 80 miles. The KTM is what can make it with a quick stop for fuel if it's a longer ride. I don't see an electric dualsport bike capable enough yet.
In the past I road the continental divide route from Mexico to Canada on a KTM 400 unassisted. I don't see that capability at all in an electric.
From the horses mouth so to speak. A fantastic informative piece on our two wheeled future. Im 60 and can see a wheelie on my horizon, thank you 😊
Right on!
They're not silent, it sounds like a swarm of giant mosquitos. My issue will never be with the electric dirt bikes (or cars); its the mandates I hate. I like consumer choice; produce both electric and ICE and let me have one of each in my garage. Both are fun and have their own unique characteristics, and both should be produced and sold legally... forever.
What mandates?
well said... I have a dual sport petrol motorcycle and have ridden some reasonably quick electric scooters in india. Both are different experiences. I won't say one is better than the other. As long as the driver/rider engagement is there, I don't care about the powertrain. Hoping that both ICE and electric will co-exist in the long future😊
There are no mandates for bikes. It’s actually the opposite stark have to fight to be allowed to race them
Yep, sounds like politics.
Honestly, they might sound kind of loud when you're on them, but you really can't hear a lot of these bikes until they're really close to you. These bikes are primarily good for people who like to ride in congested areas where neighbors may complain about loud bikes. Also considering the hostile nature of environmental and wildlife police in many areas. It may make sense to avoid tracking attention. Essentially it opens up a lot more opportunity for people to ride. I certainly aren't better than ICE in every aspect such as range, cool sounding and just the feeling of riding something gas powered, I think Motocross events would be a little boring watching electric dirtbikes without all the brap, But honestly, I choose electric over ICE these days for most all of my riding because of the less maintenance, less noise, no heat pouring off the motor in the summer etc..
The EM trials bike has a clutch and to me it rides like a regular bike. I am waiting for the clutch and greater range.
Won't be long!
Unfortunately there is no magic battery technology that will present a serious threat to hydrocarbon fuels in the forseeable future.
Best e-bike video yet. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
There are some huge upsides to electric but I'm not onboard just yet. They just don't "feel" the same to ride, like they are lacking character. I think it will be quite a while before they can handle big mountain rides and moto road trips. The fact a Stark is 5-6K more than a new KTM is a big factor too.
The Starks are pretty impressive and will only get better. 👍🏻
@@PNWEnduro I don’t know the prices for the US but in Europe a Stark Varg EX is exactly at the same price as a Ktm 500 EXCF 2025 : 13000€ for the Stark, 13100€ for the Ktm.
Owned a couple emoto's over the last 2 years and I'm also a sufferer of hydrocarbon triggered headaches and breathing trouble so electric is great.
I went through this same thing in RC planes…people hate change. Convenience and performance will eventually win people over. Glow is pretty much nonexistent in RC now.
Totally fine if you don't plan on being out there for long but for the rest of us who want to ride for more than a couple hours before packing up, it's either investing in super expensive batteries or waiting hours and hours to charge on a generator.
I think a lot of casual riders that don't get out much will buy them but anyone serious know they are toys.
Like the convenience of not having extra fuel on demand and short range?
@@microsoft790 I think it's the casual riders who don't get out much who would benefit least. The guy who lives in a country town, a mile from the trails, who goes for an hour after work every day, or who has carved a Motorcross track on their property is going to love these. The ratio of riding to wrenching jumps enormously. The cost per hour falls. They're so easy to wash because the mud doesn't bake on. Weekends are free instead of doing oil and filter changes and driving to the servo for fuel or in to town for oil.
people ride bikes for the experience , the noise etc--- electric bikes are for assholes
Hey, that was a great video. Loved getting the overall feel impressions. Electric is inevitable, hopefully the overall capability, battery life, clutch-like control gets sorted out before we go extinct.
I must have missed it when you described the # of hours you could ride on a full battery. I heard a 10% drop just sitting outside mentioned. So, how long and what is the recovery time?
Good question. I recall part way through the video something was mentioned about riding the e-bikes for hours, but i can't say that I remember hearing anything about range of play between 100% to 0% battery charge.
We're thinking about three hours of moving time, less if you are "on the pipe". Not enough for some riders, plenty for others. It comes down to what and how you ride.
We're thinking about three hours of moving time, less if you are "on the pipe". Not enough for some riders, plenty for others. It comes down to what and how you ride.
One of your best videos yet!
Could feel how much fun you’re all having.
I’m curious to know if any of them have oil in the drive unit between the electric motor and the output shaft for the front sprocket?
Stark has a few mil of Oil that you have to change i think every 50 Hours
That is a @chuckharder question for sure! Check him on YT
Electric motion xr . You need to try it . Has everything you need. I’ve been riding this brand for the last 4 years . It’s nice to hear what I was experiencing. They are truly the future . If the stark had a clutch which would be easy to do then boy what a machine. Draw backs are battery size and weight . That’s going to change in the next few years once the technology is save . I’m 58 and sad it’s all coming too late .
Your videos are always really interesting. I'm a big fan of 300 2 strokes but I have a Stark Varg EX on order, I've never tried an electric dirt bike except for 5 minutes on a KTM E-XC a few years ago. I'm really curious to see what it's like!
Thank you.
Just awesome that Bruce got to ride them!
I already have a ryobi drill
Settle down girls. Having choices is a good thing. Ride whatever you like, just get out and do something. No need to for you tell people how they will do that.
*squeal* 👧🏻 We're just commenting on the switch from horseback to Model Ts
As someone who can only ever afford sub $6k second hand bikes, I'm not so sure. By the time an E moto is down to $6K I'm pretty sure its battery capacity will be so bad it will be close to unusable in the same way my current $6k ICE bike is. My second hand ICE bike will still take a full tank of fuel and travel close to the same amount of K's as it did brand new.
The battery is currently 4990 AUD inc GST. So when a bike gets to 2000 hours and if, then, it gets down to $6k, (which it might not, if the packs are available) you're looking at 11k for essentially a new bike that if you service the shock, forks and replace the wheel bearings, chain, sprocket, pads tyres and linkage bearings, will be as good as a new one.
At that point you can ride another 2000 hours and pay nothing for fuel, oil, pistons, rings, filters and so on.
So compare that to a 6k bike. You're going to need to replace all the same things to bring it up to rideable, but not the battery. But you will need, piston, rings, clutch, cam chain.
Then over the next 2000 hours you'll burn at least 6000 litres of 98 at 2 bucks a litre. That's 12,000 dollars. You'll do 400 oil changes, at about 15 dollars each. That's 6000 dollars. 200 filters which are 80 dollars per kit another 16,000 dollars. A couple of clutch packs, 250 dollars each. 4 piston kits for 500 each.
So in 2000 hours you'll spend well over 30,000 on engine related maintenance for your 6k bike.
Alternatively you could buy a bran new Varg MX for 18k and ride it for 2000 hours with no engine related maintenance.
Even if you're not going to bother changing the oil every 5 hours, and filters every 10, and you're going to run the piston until it rocks so much that it turns sideways in the bore, you're still going to have to fork out 12k or more for fuel. That number assumes only riding at 30 km/h and getting 10 litres per 100 km.
@@gasdive "Alternatively you could buy a bran new Varg MX for 18k ... blah blah"
mate. you really think that someone who can only afford a $6k bike is somehow going to be able to come up with $18k for a bike?
and all the fuel/filter/oil/rebuild costs are moot, as they are not upfront and are spread over the life of the bike. so yeah, it might be cheaper in the long run... if you are rich enough to pay a huge amount upfront (or be given money on loan), some people are not. but who cares about them, they shouldnt be riding bike anyway right?
@@gasdive "Then over the next 2000 hours you'll... blah blah".
mate, in the past 4 years ive only put 200 hours on my bike. I wont be riding or even alive in the 40 years it will take for your 2000 hour argument to even be a thing.
@@brapamaldi yeah, if you don't ride much, this probably won't suit you. And the maintenance costs mean nothing because you can just run it until it won't start anymore and then buy another one.
Not every bike suits every rider. But for someone who rides a lot, this is a clear money saver, even if you have to put it on plastic. Just not for you.
Best Video I Seen so far on Electric dirtbikes!
🙏🏻
Range, range, range- always going to be the issue until someone comes up with a better battery. Sure riding 3-4h of enduro trails is plenty fun for one day, but for those of us who ride dual sports on trails...eh. My FE350 can provide me with nearly 15h/325km of riding on one tank of fuel. I take it on extended camp trips in the interior of BC, Utah, Death Valley, etc, where you may not see a fuel stop for 2-3 days. That kind of energy density is hard to beat. I have hope though.
Agreed, these are not for everyone but there are a lot of guys who only want/need 3 hours to get a good fix.
Very nice review of your thoughts and experiences riding the E-bikes.
I'm looking forward to riding one soon and can see buying one before long.
I do think they are the future and that it will be a good thing.
People don't like change. I was very sad to see the mighty 4 strokes replaced by those stinking, screaming 2-smokers just as my Dad liked the light rigid frame scrambler he rode (1948 Matchless 500) the trails on.
Not having a clutch will be a big adjustment for hard enduro riders but not so much for the rest of us. I think the E-bikes should have a larger, more powerful rear brake so the riders can use it to help control the power. At least a 2-piston and maybe even a 4-piston caliper with a bit larger diameter disc. A kill switch cord connected to the rider might be a safety too.
I like the idea of a kill switch cord.
Couple of questions;
1-would you go through a deepwater crossing with it? And if you drop/drown it what will happen?
2-batteries fail from abuse, dirt bikes are seriously abused dropping it launching over rocks etc. if battery integrity is compromised they fail in a potentially catastrophic way. What will a forest fire starting from an electric dirt bike going to do to the sport?
I’m sure that part of the sport will grow, but …. I doubt everyone will be riding one.
1. They are sealed cases and warranted not to leak.
2. That is an excellent comment and time will reveal all.
Amazing video 👍🏻
Thank you for watching!
A clutch is a great safety device too
Totally agree, they need a clutch! The trials industry figured that out a while ago.
Regarding battery life, evs are showing that many batteries are lasting much longer than originally thought, with some evs over 500,000 kms on the original battery and motor(s). I'm not a Tesla fan, but there are Teslas with over 600,000kms on original batteries. Solid-state batteries look to finally be production ready within the next few years, which will be a game changer.
Chuck Harder dropped the knowledge on us and we were shocked. Excellent point.
Dallas - awesome video and got me thinking about what bike is in my future… 👍
Glad this helped!
Extremely well done 👍
Thank you 😊
🙏🏻
Good vid. As for having a clutch, high end trials bikes such as those from Electric Motion provide the clutch as an option.
We suspect they will offer a clutch option in the future.
Coming from a guy that moonlights at a bike shop that sells Starks and other e-bikes... Nope.
I assemble Starks and they are hands down the best quality bikes out there. But I don't want one.
Electric motors are great for toy cars tho.
Interesting perspective!
@@TractioneRag it's very simple. I have very little need for a bike with such limited autonomy. I exhaust multiple tanks of fuel on my KTM 950 Adventure or Beta 500RR-S in a single day of riding. My riding is in remote areas where gasoline is limited, never mind a charging station. I've got a Kove 450 Rally on order because it will go about 600kms on full tanks of just dual-sport / light ADV riding. Can anyone make an electric equivalent to the Kove? I doubt it, but let's say that some miraculous battery technology is discovered and a 400lb 600km range electric rally bike came into existence. The sad truth beyond the power needs to recharge the thing is that a 400lb electric bike always weighs 400lbs regardless if the battery is full or empty. Meanwhile, the Kove will have shed nearly 50lbs going from full tanks to empty.
How are the run times compared to an enduro four stroke 350/250 in difficult trail conditions?
Probably 3 hours of comfortable riding, less if you are "on the pipe".
For hard/trials enduro no clutch is a big problem imho. When sorted I'm onboard.
I thought that before as well, go watch Matt Spears riding hardest trail in MT on the Stark and you'll see it's more than capable already.
@@PNWEnduro Matt the mad bastard ! Cheers will check it out.
Sure is.
One your best videos, Dallas. 👍
Thank you, Tim!
Why isn't there a tethered kill switch like a jet ski or snow machine?
Great comment.
Great video. I have an ev car (and won't go back to ice), but a crf300L as electric motorcycles don't have enough range for me yet; when they get 350-400km range, regen braking, and fast charging I'll get one. The instant response and acceleration of electric is intoxicating. I'm hoping e-motorcross bikes help keep tracks open due to the lack of noise.
Range and charging are the main barriers to entry right now. 👍🏻 Nailed it.
Cool vid! People who dislike electric motorcycles probably never rode one. I love my 4-stroke and 2-stroke, but I would love to have a Stark Varg EX too.
I'll bet 90% of the naysayers have never ridden one. They aren't perfect, they lack range but WOW, they are so fun.
Man, those Starks ...
I want it to work for me, but the recharging for multi-day trips in the mountains is not there yet. Boy, though, I woulda been all over a Stark enduro in 1995! lol My God, man, bikes are soooo much better now. I started on an old Hodaka, a pogo stick with a motor :-)
Have you tried the Stark yet?
Keen for electric dual sports so I can cruise around town doing errands then rip offroad back home
Perhaps a safety tether for the electric bikes would be a useful safety device, like a mountain sled.
Quiet and dangerous, like my electric chain saw
That’s a great idea.
I just wish they were legally ebikes
Just time at this point...
No I won't
Looking forward to the to when Varg EX is available will be the beginning of the end of gas enduro bikes all the manufactures will have to jump to stay in the industry.
It would be interesting for you to review the Electric Motion bike with the Tick-over (clutch) feature.
Yes sir!
Really don't care for the sound but god do I wish we could have plated vargs in Canuckistan.
License? Lost.
@@TractioneRag :) Even with a few hard cornering wheelies on the daily commute, I managed to avoid that with the KTM 690. Would feel blessed to attempt it on the Varg.
... and the comparatively quiet nature of the Varg (vs. open airbox & slip-on) would attract a lot less attention from five oh.
If I could get a quality built bike, with readily available parts… that had a clutch and at least somewhat comparable range for a similar price I’d be all over it. It’s coming but it’s not there yet.
Yep, time will reveal all.
It's fascinating that the offroad community generally loves electric but the onroad community absolutely hates them. I've tried a couple of Zero road bikes and really enjoyed them but they are very expensive and they don't have great range yet.
I've been looking at the new Stark Varg Enduro that is supposedly street legal and can be made into a super moto machine. Not sure how the range will compare to the Zero bikes but it sure looks like a really nice option.
I can tell you that most of the off-road community still HATES the idea of electric. There are off-road guys that we will need to pull the ICE out of their cold dead hands.
I may be riding an electric bike in the future but I won't be riding it very far
😆
Interesting....
No range no game,when they can actually do at least 100 miles I would do it.
Sooo when will Grizbait be switching over to these " Power Tools".😁
As soon as Honda comes out with them!
The hell you say !!! Not unless someone gives me one.
Have you ridden a Stark yet?
i have a kx 250 and 450 for sale .....
whatever you say dallas
Nie nie będę zaczynamy protesty
disagree completely with the sentiment, used surron when they came out and was really optimistic - after use i was a bit meh but ok for a pump track or singletrack i the woods for an hour, i have tried 2 days on a stark - 1 full day on mx track and one in woods, main benefit was the rear brake and i like that as i raced DH mtb for 20 years and bmx for 10 before that, that said i have ridden motorbikes since i was 4 also and i love the foot brake - i am just picking the only advantage i could recognise, i hate no clutch, i hate the lack of sound, i hate the range and so on - i am not nostalgic fwiw and me and my mates were like yes this will be amazing when surron came out but no. These things are way off what i need and also for the vast majority of folks i know, if they get better in the future they may get a 2nd try from me but it's a long way off. Over here in england the noise is used as an excuse and also sold as a reason to buy (of course they would tout that as a reason, it seems like a perfect usp - it's a lie), well guess what, as soon as the 4t and 2t noise is gone the noise of whizzing and whirring will become the issue, noise isn't the issue - its the excuse. The people that complain about noise don't care - they care about you on a bike and not conforming to their desires and whims - fact and hard facts. 2k hours battery ;life? I have doubts about that and also the controller life span too, and anyway that is only about 40k miles which is nothing.
Yes, but have you ridden a Stark? 😎
Hmmm I was thinking about an electric bike set up for hunting in the back 40 here... otherwise not interested really
It would kill as a hunting vehicle. There are more purpose built ebikes for that tho.
Not in my lifetime.
Depends how old you are!
when battery cost 3-4 K, who will buy used bike at all? Today good 10 years bike get 3-4K, electric bike will get nothing. It's BIG depreciation.
Did you watch the part about battery life? It is an interesting calculation.
@@TractioneRag
Yes I did. This is why I said 10 years old, battery are at the end and will cost 1/3 of a new bike. You can see the effect of huge depreciation in the car market. Nobody want to touch 3 years old used car...
I’ll quit first
🤣 You should print and frame this comment. Sling a leg over a Stark and see what you think. ⚡️
I don't think so I'll pass. All my life ever since I was a kid in the 80s I always dreamed of having a two-stroke Big Bore dirt bike and now that they've got four strokes I want a KTM 450sxf and KTM 300 SX 2-stroke and probably a couple of other bikes but there's one thing I will never have and that's an electric dirt bike if I want to Coast down a hill without no sound I'll go buy a bicycle. It's just I don't like it it's too much like coasting down a hill on a bicycle. I just don't like it it's just not my cup of tea. You can have it. I don't like those Tesla cars and I don't like anything Electric. I love a loud throaty V8 and I love a diesel engine I just do not like electric things.
That's not my generation I wasn't raised up in that stuff. I like the things I'm nostalgic for that I remember enjoying when I was growing up I want that technology to keep progressing and I want to stay in my own lane period for the young people that like that electric nonsense you can have it !
Yes, but have you ridden one?
i most certainly will not be riding electric bikes---EVER
Yes, but have you ridden a Stark yet?
E bikes are awesome but they are dogshit when it comes to dual sport riding. Battery dies around 80km, they don't like constants high speed.
No, I won't thank you.
🤣
I will not.
🤣
100 % agree. imagine next generations sitting on a fuel engine... they will just feel how old and obsolete these bikes were....
My ICE felt soooo ancient.
Not me, i won't be riding an electric dirt bike in the future, there's no electricity to charge it up here where i live off grid, or any of the places i ride to. Last i checked there's no power outlets on trees and rocks 100 miles from the nearest roads. None would even have the range to make it to places where i ride. Until they get good enough to have a 300+ mile range and can be charged without grid power it's useless around here. I can get 500 miles out of my current desert crosser with a couple extra MSR bottles and it takes 5 minutes to fill up. LAST thing i'm doing is hanging out in a city or town for hours while the bike charges.
It isn't for everyone but everyone isn't as fortunate to live where/how you do. Envy...
Not in my future.
It's in my present.
👍🏻