I was curious about the electric motard, the Stark Varg motard version. I was amazed at how much power it had, surpassing that of a gasoline engine vehicle!

Most electric motorcycles on the market in Japan are small models that tout convenience, and there aren’t many that allow you to experience the performance of an electric vehicle. The Stark Varg, which has just arrived in Japan, is a model that delivers performance that exceeds that of gasoline-powered vehicles.

Spanish manufacturer specializing in electric motorcycles

The Stark Varg introduced here is an electric motocross bike manufactured by the Spanish company Stark Future. Stark Future is a Spanish electric off-road bike manufacturer whose goal is to lead the sustainable motorcycle industry by reducing CO2 and plastic pollution.

They only manufacture two models: the electric Stark Varg MX (for competitions only) and the Stark Varg EX (road-legal model). What has attracted attention is the fact that it is electric and produces 80 horsepower.

Mr. Osaki of Altire Motor in Yokohama has been keeping an eye on this machine since its debut, and they are the first distributor in Japan and have begun releasing it. The model we will introduce today is the Stark Varg MX. It is a supermotard version with 17-inch wheels front and rear manufactured by Altire.

When converting a bike to supermotard specifications, the brakes and suspension are often modified to suit on-road riding, but as this bike is mostly driven off-road, no modifications have been made to the suspension.

Since it will be driven on an on-road circuit, the tires are motard slicks, and the owner says he enjoys switching between wheels for off-road and road courses.

If you look closely at the body of the car, you can see that the suspension and body are very solidly built and have a high quality feel.

Up to five maps can be registered, and output characteristics and regenerative braking effectiveness can be freely set.

Since there’s no need to operate a clutch, the rear brake is operated with a lever on the left, with an optional foot pedal on the right available.

Features unique to electric vehicles include reverse mode and walking mode. Reverse mode is extremely useful for hard off-road driving. By switching to walking mode on slippery surfaces, you can drive without losing tire grip. Using walking mode also makes it easy to load the vehicle onto a transporter.

Astonishing performance

When I turned on the power switch and opened the throttle, the machine started to move with a faint motor noise. At first, I set the power to 20 horsepower to familiarize myself with the bike, but it was already plenty fast. It had enough power to take a 250-class road sports car down a straight stretch.

I was starting to get used to the bike, so I decided to bump up the power to the 40 horsepower setting by pressing the button while accelerating at full throttle. This was a huge mistake. I forgot that you have to change modes with the throttle off. I’ve ridden a variety of bikes, including turbos and peaky two-strokes, but doubling the power in an instant was a completely different experience. My body leaned back and my arms were stretched out. Since I was riding between 20 and 40 horsepower, I was able to manage, but if I’d been riding in a more powerful mode, I’d have done a backflip in an instant.

With this bike, 40 horsepower was incredibly fun to ride. While this was a satisfying level, the Stark Varg MX was still only halfway there.

Next up was the maximum 80 horsepower. This time, with the throttle off, I pressed the button and opened the throttle, and an astonishing 938 Nm of torque exploded at the rear wheels. The car accelerated with a power feeling I had never experienced before. The front tire was constantly lifted in the straight from the final corner to the first corner. At speeds similar to those on a kart course, if you open the throttle wide, the front will immediately take off, no matter where you are. You might think, “That means you won’t be able to use all the power,” but that’s what makes it different from an engine car.

The most impressive thing about driving in 80 horsepower mode is that the entire range is in the power band, so you can freely extract power just by opening the throttle at any time. What’s more, since there is no transmission, the acceleration is seamless, so acceleration out of corners is incredibly fast. Driving a tight course in 80 horsepower mode is exhilarating. Unlike engine-powered cars, the engine braking effect does not change depending on the RPMs
when decelerating . If you can set the regenerative braking effect to suit your riding style, it also makes entering the course easier.

During this run, the regenerative brakes were used quite strongly, so the rear gained traction in the deceleration direction when cornering, and even if the car was going a little overspeed, as long as the throttle was off, it was possible to naturally decelerate and turn. With this much power, careful operation is required when opening the throttle, but the owner said that he uses the rear brake while opening the throttle depending on the situation.

The handling is smooth and easy to ride. During the test drive at the Fuji Speedway Kart Course, I didn’t feel any lack of rigidity in the body, even though it was fitted with motard slick tires. It’s unknown what would happen if a heavy load was applied on a high-speed course, but there were no particular issues when driving on the Tsukuba Circuit Course 1000, so the body itself seems to have great potential.

Because the suspension settings were still for off-road use, the stance changed significantly, and when I tried to enter a corner a little hard, the weight on the rear tire decreased, causing snaking. This can be addressed by adjusting the setup for on-road use, and once I get used to operating the brake with my left hand and how the regenerative brake works, I may be able to slide when entering a corner.

I test rode the Stark Varg MX for half a day, and I was constantly impressed by its power, which exceeds that of a gasoline engine vehicle, and the riding feel of the electric bike. It was by far the most interesting bike I’ve test ridden recently.

Upkeep and Maintenance Advantages

The battery’s lifespan was developed to be 10 times that of a 450cc motocross bike. The battery’s capacity drops to about 80% after 1,000 charge/discharge cycles, but the manufacturer says the battery’s recommended lifespan is about 500 hours. A battery alone costs about ¥ 400,000 . Running an engine-powered bike for 500 hours would cost between ¥200,000 and ¥300,000 in gasoline alone (though this varies greatly depending on engine displacement, riding style, and course). Some competition bikes recommend replacing pistons and other components every 50 to 100 hours. Considering the need to regularly change oil, filters, and spark plugs, the Stark Varg’s maintenance costs are undoubtedly low. Furthermore, Osaki says that the limited maintenance required makes it a popular choice for time-poor riders.

The Stark Varg is easy to ride, requires little maintenance, and offers a different kind of fun to riding than a gas-powered vehicle. If more electric bikes like this become available, it feels like the world of two-wheeled vehicles will change considerably.

ALTAIR MOTOR

Address: 5433-1 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, 226-0026

Phone: 045-465-8071

Business hours: 11:00-17:00

Closed: Sundays, Mondays, public holidays, and event days

WEB　　　 : ALTAIR MOTOR

Fuji Speedway Kart Course

Address: 694 Nakahinata, Oyama-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture, 410-1307

Fuji Speedway Kart Course

Phone: 0550-78-2255

Business Hours: 10:00-17:00

Closed: Sundays, Mondays, public holidays, and event days

WEB 　　　Fuji Speedway Kart Course

Position & foot grounding (height 178cm, weight 76kg)

The position is a very common off-road model. However, there is no radiator on the engine side. →The position is a very common off-road model. However, there is no radiator on the engine side.

Because it is an off-road model for competitions, the suspension is long, but the front and rear wheels are 17 inches, so it is not that difficult to reach the ground if you ride it in motard format. When you put both feet down, your heels will just lift up a little.

Detailed explanation

Specification

Power: 80 HP

Weight: 118 kg

Torque: 978 nm

Battery: 7.2 kWh

Charging time: 2 Hours

Warranty: 2 Years