Electric bikes are not necessarily anything new to the motorcycle industry. We have seen a few of them floating around over the last decade, and we have seen a few brands and designs come and go, but when the Stark Varg was launched it basically blew up the competition and turned the whole electric dirtbike scene upside down.
The Varg is an electric dirtbike that produces 80hp in full power mode but can also be tamed down using a tuner attached to the handlebar cross-bar pad. The power characteristics are completely adjustable, as is throttle sensitivity. With the Stark Varg being the elite electric weapon, and the internal combustion engine (ICE) Yamaha YZ450F being the powerhouse of the 450cc class, we thought we should ride them both back to back to answer a bunch of questions that are regularly thrown at us.
How do they compare?
The YZ450F is widely known as the most powerful 450cc machine in the class and the Stark Varg is the most powerful electric motorcycle made to date. With that being said, these two bikes couldn’t be more different if you planned it.
A petrol-engine bike not only has the throttle to control power delivery but also a clutch, but the electric Varg demands its own riding style as it only has a throttle, so there is no clutch to slip to get engine revs up or to use to control power to the rear wheel. Everything has to be done from the throttle via wrist movements. This is something that can take some time to get used to for an experienced rider but for a novice it takes away the clutch skill required to ride a petrol motorcycle fast and makes the Stark an easier bike to ride.
The other big difference is the mass inside a four-stroke 450cc engine means the bike will travel through the air naturally with the front wheel lower. As a rider we compensate this but the lack of rotating mass in the Stark engine means the body position both on the ground and in the air needs to be altered. Again this is something that an experienced rider can pick up on and alter quite quickly, but might be something a novice rider will likely take longer to adapt to.
Depending on whether you have opted for the foot brake or hand brake on the Stark, the brake can also be a difference. The rear brake on the handlebar can at first feel different but once you give it a chance you realise you have much better feel on the rear brake with your left hand, which gives far greater control. Pushing down hard on a brake pedal can also have a negative effect on the motorcycle mid-corner and having the brake on the handlebar eliminates this.
Which is faster?
The Varg in full power mode makes more horsepower than the YZ450F. For anyone that has ridden the YZ450F you can understand just how ridiculous that sounds… but it’s true – the Varg produces more power and torque. It has 80hp on tap in full-power mode whereas the YZ450F produces 57hp. The engine characteristics are totally different though.
The rotating mass inside a petrol engine makes it very different to ride as it revs up slower but then has all this mass inside that keeps it turning over even after you roll off the throttle.
By contrast the Varg feels as though the throttle is connected directly to the rear wheel. Every action of the throttle results in a direct reaction at the rear wheel. It is a sensation that cannot be totally comprehended until you ride an electric motorcycle.
Which one can you ride longer?
This question has multiple answers. A 450cc motorcycle like the YZ450F is very powerful and is quite a handful to hang on to for the majority of riders. Most people will only spin a few laps on the 450 before they are exhausted and suffering from arm pump. This is, of course, unless they are an experienced and high-level rider.
The Varg in full power mode is no different. In fact in full power mode the throttle on the Varg is way more aggressive than the YZ450F and the switch-like power makes it really complicated to handle, leaving you exhausted before getting through the first lap.
The YZ450F has a tuner app that allows you to mellow out the power but only to a certain degree. The Varg, however, has almost unlimited adjustability and you can dial the power back so it’s more like a 125. This means you can mellow the power out on the Varg so you can ride it for as long as you like. The added bonus with this is that the more you dial the power back the longer the battery will last.
Which can you ride faster?
This answer to this question is going to be different for different riders, but personally I still feel more comfortable on a 450cc four-stroke machine than an electric one, and so can ride the YZ450F faster. I do need to point out though that I have only spent a few hours on a Stark Varg and have ridden and raced petrol-engine motorcycles for 30 years. Everything I have learnt and all the skills I have developed have been on a petrol-engine motorcycle, and it will obviously take me some time before I adapt these skills to riding an electric motorcycle.
While I might feel faster on a 450cc machine, both Vets classes this year were won by guys on Stark Vargs up against a field of petrol-engine motorcycles, so there’s no denying that in the right hands they can be seriously fast.
The Varg is a much easier bike to ride for the majority of riders as it is easier to manage and requires less effort to control when set up in the right power mode to match the rider. And not having a clutch means there is one less skill for the rider to master so they can spend more time focusing on things like body position and line selection.
What about starts?
Straight up the Varg is a weapon out of the gates. The power and torque that the engine produces sinks straight into the ground and gives you direct drive off the line with little to no wheel spin. To launch a 450cc machine out of the gates you need to get the revss high and this means wheel spin will come easier.
Taking off from a gate drop on the Varg feels like someone just stuck a rocket up your backside. Holeshots are made easy on the Stark.
What does maintenance look like?
Apart from the obvious battery charging the Varg doesn’t need a whole lot of maintenance. Unlike a petrol engine that needs the air filter changed every ride and the oil changed every five hours. The Stark only needs the first oil change done after five hours and then every 40 hours after that.
A petrol four stroke engine holds around one litre of oil but the Varg only holds 500ml. The oil in a combustion engine gets dirty from combustion gases and petrol leaking past the rings, as well as clutch fibres contaminating the oil. The Varg however doesn’t have any of these issues so the gear oil in the gearbox lasts much longer before it needs to be replaced.
Other things like valve-clearances adjustments and rebuilds are not a worry as the Varg doesn’t have any. It does however have the same suspension units that need servicing just as any normal petrol-engine motorcycle, and things like the chain will need adjusting and the brakes and tyres replacing, as they wear out just like on any petrol-engine motorcycle.
Will they take over?
This is the big question that we regularly hear. The first thing I want to say to that is we all thought decades ago the two-stroke was going to disappear and not only has it not vanished, but a few manufacturers are still developing it.
There will always be call for ICE motorcycles… well, at least for a long time yet. When it comes to racing the big manufacturers get a lot of say and get to make a lot of calls as they put a lot of money into these major race scenes, and the race promoters are only making money while the manufacturers show up. Right now this gives the manufactures a lot of sway and the fight to get the Stark Varg on the start lines has been made difficult by those who don’t make electric motocross bikes.
Having said that, you can bet all the manufacturers are developing electric motocross bikes but until they all have competitive bikes they are not going to completely get out of the way and let it happen. When it does happen, however, the Stark will no doubt be very competitive. I’m not against electric motorcycles but I think it will take decades before everyone becomes accustomed to them and they have a chance of taking over.
