Every year we do multiple new bike launches and every couple years we get a new model and to be honest that model can look new and fancy but it can be worse than the previous year because the OEM’s need to work through some growing pains and gremlins to be able to get the bike to the next level. When it come to a brand-new bike there has been very few new bike launches in the past 40 years that could possibly change the trajectory or course of motocross as we know it. One that come to my mind is the Yamaha YZf400 four stroke. We all know that particular bike has killed two stroke racing at the highest level but since than we have had the edition of aluminium frames, EFI and other changes that essentially have refined 4-strokes and changed the way we ride and race motocross as a sport. Other manufactures have put EFI on two strokes, there are types of traction control that use the ECU and other electronic mechanisms on modern four strokes but in reality, it’s still the same platform we all know and love. Alta attempted to change the game and they came close with their attack at the market developing a modern-day electric motorcycle. Josh Hill raced the bike at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm, and I watched the team test week after week at Glen Helen but nothing excited me about the bike because they were using an outdated WP 4cs fork and production KTM shock. The powerplant was close to a 250f which wasn’t good enough to change the minds that motocross could go electric. There was no major press launch, and the bike wasn’t raced in any major competitions. Ultimately Alta disappeared and all you see of the bike now is some kids using them in skateparks or guy having it as a collectable and the thought of an electric motorcycle that could compete with the modern day four strokes wasn’t looking likely.

 That was until Stark Future went viral across social media and the web. The Stark Varg  “Varg is the model meaning Wolf in Swedish” had the message boards and mainstream media puzzled. Who was behind this exotic bike with huge claims in horsepower and technology and secondly how long has it been in development? I did some digging talking to industry leaders but couldn’t get any answers. I was so intrigued by the claims, images, video that I put a deposit down on two of them.  So, who is behind Starkfuture and how long has it taken them to get to the current state of development? I started just two and a half years ago, Anton Wass had a dream and vision to get motocross into a position to where we could ride like people play golf. What does he mean by that? Well, when you golf you can make a teatime 7 days a week from Sunrise to Sunset. You aren’t forced to golf once a week in a three-hour window like most motocross tracks are due to noise complaints from encroaching community’s or environmental organizations that look at moto as if we are all cowboys that don’t care about the environment and noise. How does Anton do this? Just two and a half years ago Anton assembled a team from multiple different industries that he felt could be a group that would look at motocross in a different light and ultimately change the game as we know it.

After arriving in Barcelona Spain and meeting the team I got the impression this was different, bike launches are something I have done many times on both sides of the fence as a rider and an OEM but the way were greeted, and treated with respect and a sense of confidence from the PR and Marketing Manager Ben I could tell they knew they had something special. We arrived at the MX Golf Club just outside of Barcelona, Spain yes, I said Golf Club. The track I was testing at was an old Golf course that was turned into a motocross track and like you it’s always been a dream of mine to ride on a Golf Course and how Ironic this track was built and quickly shut down because of noise. I changed in the locker room and then was briefed on the schedule for the day.  The schedule was very detailed, and we were not to divert from it. The track was about 1k away from the locker room so I was driven up to the pits where my bike was waiting for me with a team of 4 that would be with me from the start of the day until I pack my gear bag to head home giving me a very personal experience. My team that would be working with me all day consisted of a Static camera man, a cinematographer, an engineer for chassis adjustments and a mechanic to make necessary changes needed to get me comfortable

At first glance of the bike, I was extremely impressed. There was no photo shop used in the marketing leading up to this test. The Varg’s clean lines across the ergonomics, bold red plastics, with black rims make a statement on your eyes. After looking over the bike and getting a briefing from the head engineer it was clear they left no sone unturned when developing the chassis. The chassis is a two-piece design with a chromoly upper section that is bolted to some aluminium that the motor sits low and cantered in the chassis. The V designed battery that shares technology from the likes of Tesla and BMW is designed to fit in the chassis to balance out the weight as well. The swing arm and linkage are very thought out with the linkage sitting up higher in the chassis then current gas motorcycles to help it not pack with mud and not hit logs for off-road. The swingarm has a one-of-a-kind chain adjustment clicker system so you can count the clicks while adjusting it so you will not have to count the marks in the swingarm to get proper alignment.

When it comes to components Starkfuture went above and beyone with attention to detail with in-house product design from simple things like brake, pedals, and brake line guides. When it comes to other key components the detail and fit, and finish was like afactory race bike. The triple clamps are a billet split design that are like what most factory teams are using but are designed and manufactured in house by Stark, the hubs and wheels are also manufactured and designed in-house at Starkfuture. The Hubs are billet and the black rims are a 7071 allow. The foot pegs caught my eye right away with a polished finish and some razor-sharp teeth. I was assuming they were titanium but no they are made from stainless-alloy and are lighter then stronger than titanium. Stark has also innovated the way you take the foot peg on and off. Instead of the pin and coterkey they have a bolt that comes up from the bottom that with a unique design that makes installing pegs safer than ever before. When it comes to the brakes, I was very excited to have Brembo’s on the bike for the traditional pedal and front brake set up, but if you want to run the rear brake on the bar you will use a formula master cylinder because Brembo doesn’t make a master cylinder for the left side of the bar.

The key component to any motorcycle is the suspension and the Stark Varg is equipped with industry leading KYB forks and shock. The platform of the KYB fork and shock is based off the Yamaha suspension packages with technical touch components and with settings and spring rates developed and tested by Starks R&D team.

When it comes to the motor its horsepower is at 60 HP but the incredible thing about this package is it’s completely tuneable with its Stark military grade phone that is placed in a billet holder where the bar pad would normally be. You can tune the motor down to be a as slow as a PW50 and even control the amount of engine break you have for the faster modes. What makes this great is you can tune the bike for a rider that wants a slower speed and with a quick tune it can be at full power.

On track

 It was time to hit the track for the first four lap session and let me tell you I was extremely excited. As I applied the throttle my first impression was how smooth the power was. I was a half a lap in, and I was feeling comfortable. Before I hit the track, I was worried about how aggressive the power was going to be and, in the situation, I grabbed too much power I would want to have a clutch to control the power. There was never a want or need for a clutch with the power delivery being as smooth as it was. When I wanted to get aggressive there was plenty of power. I finished the first four lap session and wanted to start getting the chassis dialled in. I met with my team and debriefed with what I wanted to, and it was mainly to get a little more confident on the fork and some movement out of the shock. What we decided to do is get more bite on the front wheel, so the team and I decided to put some more engine break in the bike to get the fork to get deeper under breaking. My next 4 lap session was up, and I decided to go out on the first lap and make sure that was a direction I wanted to go. Right away the fork was better under braking but my experience in the motor was slightly compromised. I made it back to the pits and we ended up splitting the difference in engine braking and headed back out. I went back out and splitting the difference was great for engine feel and balance for me when turning. I had two laps left in this session, so I opened up the rebound two clicks to get some more movement in the shock as the stock setting was a little dead. I also added two click in high speed for more hold up on the roller sections. I went back out for the next two laps and those adjustments were what I needed to really feel comfortable. I finished off that section pleased with the balance and feel.

The next session for me was to go out on a 2022 GasGas MC450 to reference the Varg. The MC450 is what I ride for my personal bike so I’m very comfortable on this machine. When I pulled onto the track, I was absolutely shocked how heavy the bike felt. As I was wrapping my head around how bad I was riding a bike was so use to and love I watched to other media guys stall their bikes. I could not believe that it was so weird feeling and that it was hard to adapt. By the end of the four-lap session, I was getting comfy on the GasGas and I was happy that the Stark Chassis felt similar with character. Once I finished the session on the GasGas I went straight back to the Varg for another four laps, and I couldn’t believe how lite the Varg felt. I was getting more and more comfortable and started to push the bike harder and harder. One key thing that I didn’t expect was how good not having to shift was. The Varg having no gears is amazing because you are always in the right gear and can feed the throttle with ease. I rode hard for this four-lap session and was able to understand what this bike was capable of. A few key things that I want to note is that you can still here the motor under you so you can hear RPM, but you do have to be careful of revving the bike up before you land because the wheel speed is extremely fast. Why is that? When you panic a gas-powered bike, the wheel will only go as fast as the gear you are in. On the Varg the wheel speed not under load is like having the bike in 6th gear so you can change the pitch of the bike easy with some throttle. Lastly the plastics on the media bikes were extremely slippery. I almost had a big crash with my feet sliding off the back. The width and shape isn’t much different than the GasGas or Honda so I’m assuming it’s the finish on the plasic.

 I wanted to touch on a few things. The first thing is putting the bake break on the bar. I didn’t try it because I wanted to maximise my experience with what I’m use to so I could get a good impression on the motor and chassis. Although I didn’t try it, I think it’s a great thing. I believe it will open some more options for new technique in turns and trail braking.  The sound or lack sound of the bike when landing can give you the allusion it’s harsh so having that reference GasGas was very important to me make sure it was a sound not a feel. One key question that I didn’t get a final report on was overall battery life because my sessions were short. From the information I got at a pro level pace you can make it 35 min moto. The other thing that I didn’t get to feel is the top speed because the fastest I would have gotten the bike would be 3rd gear wide open when comparing to the GasGas. In the world of electric heat and wet conditions are a big question mark. Throughout my day on the bike I put some really hard laps on the bike and the temp reading on the screen never indicated it go hot even at idle for long periods of time. I didn’t submerge the bike in water but watched the team wash the bike with a pressure with no unnecessary taping or protection of the battery components.

 So, what’s the verdict? Is the Stark going to change the game? Yes, it will!. The bike exceeded my expectations, and my riding experience was great. The components and technology that went into the chassis with the features and benefits really shows the commitment to pressing technology with simple things like foot pegs and chain adjusters. The bike I rode was a final prototype, and the production bikes are set to be even better. One of the key things that I underestimated was the tuning. To be able to have one bike set up at 60 hp and then with a simple change from the tuning module on the bar you could make the bike as slow as a 110 for your wife or child to ride if they were tall enough.

In closing 2022 we are seeing multiple tracks across the globe close due to noise, and other environmental issues that it’s getting harder and harder to ride the modern-day motorcycle. The Stark Varg will be the catalyst to re-opening tracks bring new tracks to locations we would never been able to have one before. My experience in Barcelona was amazing the entire Starkfuture team was more than honest and transparent with anything I asked unlike other OEM’s in the market. There is great news for us in Australia as Starkfuture has brought on Jeff Leisk on as the Director in Australia. Jeff was the man behind KTM’s success in Australia so it won’t take him long to get this brand humming along.

For more information on this test visit MotoOnline.com

Gear worn from products courtesy of MXstore

Fly Racing

Alpinestars

Sidi

Asterisk

Another Legacy Socks

GoPro