{"id":10559,"date":"2024-01-18T09:10:18","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T08:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/supermotosweden.se\/?p=10559"},"modified":"2024-01-18T09:10:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T08:10:20","slug":"the-stark-varg-experience-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/supermotosweden.se\/en\/2024\/01\/the-stark-varg-experience-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stark Varg experience – part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The intro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back in december of 2021, Stark Future<\/a> announced the Stark Varg electric MX bike. The specs looked pretty good and they were asking for a 1000 SEK (~100USD) pre-order down payment to secure your spot in the que.
So we did.
Now, almost 2 years later, the bike has finally arrived. It has been delayed a couple of times and there\u00b4s also been some small changes to the bike since the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeff<\/td>Main specs at launch<\/td>Specs of the delivered bike<\/td><\/tr>
Power<\/td>80hp\/938 Nm<\/td>80hp\/938 Nm<\/td><\/tr>
Weight<\/td>110 kg<\/td>~118 kg<\/td><\/tr>
Battery capacity<\/td>6 kWh<\/td>6,5 kWh<\/td><\/tr>
Mobile app<\/td>Mobile app<\/td>Mobile app locked to the phone
that\u00b4s delivered with the Varg<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of you already know about the delays and problems that the Stark team are working with. So let\u00b4s not dwell on that and let\u00b4s just focus on the bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

118 kg isn\u00b4t as heavy as it seems. A 2023 Husqvarna FC450 weighs in at 102,8 kg without fuel. With a full tank of gas that weight goes up to 110 kg. So the Varg is only 8 kg heavier.
Lifting the Varg on- and off the stand confirms that the bike feels almost as light as any other bike we\u00b4ve hoisted up on stands. The difference is there, but it\u00b4s nothing major.
Late in the development phase, The Stark team increased the battery from 6,0 kWh to 6,5 kWh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stark<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But, will it supermoto?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Supermotos are built from dirtbikes. There are small modifications we can do to get the bike into track configuration. And then there are bigger mods if you want to take it racing. So let\u00b4s have a look at the specs of the bike and compare it to another bike that is commonly adapted for supermoto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u00b4s compare some chassies measurements shall we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeff<\/td>Stark Varg MX<\/td>Husqvarna FC 450<\/td><\/tr>
Rake<\/td>26,5 degr<\/td>26,5 degr<\/td><\/tr>
Offset triple<\/td>22mm<\/td>22mm<\/td><\/tr>
Offset fork feet<\/td>33mm<\/td>32mm<\/td><\/tr>
Total offset<\/td>55mm<\/td>54mm<\/td><\/tr>
Normal trail<\/td>104,1mm<\/td>105,7mm<\/td><\/tr>
Fork length<\/td>950mm<\/td>940mm<\/td><\/tr>
Shock length<\/td>475mm<\/td>477mm<\/td><\/tr>
Rear linkage ratio, starting point<\/td>3:1<\/td>2,85:1<\/td><\/tr>
Front sprocket<\/td>14<\/td>13<\/td><\/tr>
Rear sprocket<\/td>48<\/td>49<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Varg in stock form is a pretty close match to a Husqvarna FC450 apart from the linkage. The linkage on the Varg has a softer ratio. This means that the rear of the bike will move more than a FC450, assuming that the same spring rate is being used on both bikes. It\u00b4s a softer set-up.
Rake and offset is close to the same. And the KTM\/Husqvarna triples will fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A track setup will need stiffer springs, adjusted lengths of the suspension and different offsets to make the bike handle as intended. Since supermoto happens more on the tarmac than on the dirt, we want our bikes to be closer to a crotch-rocket than an MX-bike. We might also want change our linkage ratio by changing out the triangle and pull-rod, this will stiffen up the rear slightly and with the increase in spring rate we should get a bike that can maintain it\u00b4s geometry through the entire lap.
So in order to supermoto the Varg we talked to Eng Racing<\/a> and he helped us set up a rear \u00d6hlins shock and adapt our WP 2-chamber forks. We went with this set-up because the \u00d6hlins could be ordered before the bike arrived and the forks were pulled from our existing KTM SMR 2013.
Using a special set of triples (previously used on the SMR) we we\u00b4re able to get the offset down to a total of 38mm. The low triple offset does limit the steering angle from left to right so a larger offset in the triples is probably going to be a good idea. There\u00b4s more to front end stability than just trail. But as a base setting, we\u00b4re going to be testing a trail in the range of 84 – 94mm.
This was a setting that we felt would be a good starting point to asses the bikes handling and then decide what direction to go for next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The testrides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what did we learn from riding the Varg?
We had one single day to test it out and since we are in Sweden, we only had about 10 degr celsius during the day. Not ideal conditions for slick tyres.
The purpose of the test was mainly to get a feel for Varg and see if our initial thoughts was in the ball park or if we needed to rethink something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Session 1, 55hp, 80% Engine brake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first thing we noticed was the torque from down low. Coming out of corners, it\u00b4s actually really difficult to roll on the power smoothly. Most of the times when we\u00b4d start cracking the throttle open the bike would just jump forward. Getting through the chicane in the downwards part of the track caused the bike to see-saw front to back from the throttle being opened, closed and opened again. Not as smooth as an ICE-bike.
Testing the engine braking along with rear brake turned out to be problematic. When you roll off the throttle the engine brake gets engaged. The engine brake itself is pretty smooth, until you start using the rear brake. As soon as the rear brake overpowers the engine brake the electronics thinks that you are moving slower than what you actually are. So the engine brake increases. And it doesn\u00b4t react fast enough when you release the brake. So the rear keeps sliding even when you\u00b4ve decided that it\u00b4s time to stop braking.
Going from the 50hp mode to the 60 hp mode was a clear increase in power. But it seemed that there wasn\u00b4t any difference between 60-70-80hp. We have reached out to Stark regarding this and they are working on the issue.
The bike has a lot of torque in the lower revs. The engine increases in revs faster than anything we\u00b4ve ridden before. Once you\u00b4re out of the corner the bike will start to pull you away from the rider behind you without any problems. If you\u00b4re trying to overtake a Varg, make sure you do it going into the corners and then make yourself as wide a possible.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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