“There will be an enduro version of the Varg” Secret testing Stark’s Enduro model
Enduro21 tests the Stark Varg in Hard Enduro, getting a glimpse of the future enduro model riding with Taddy Blazusiak and Eddie Karlsson.
It’s fair to say when Enduro21 tested the original Stark Varg, at the world press launch in 2022, we were impressed. It was obviously something different but our feeling at the time was what’s not to like? A good bike is a good bike no matter what noise it does or doesn’t make.
The invitation to head back to the Stark Future factory in Barcelona, followed by a day and a half of riding promised to show us how much the bike had moved on since that initial launch, plus put to bed many of the questions we had about the Varg in real world enduro conditions.
We scratched that itch in a big way with an afternoon riding with co-founder and product designer, Paul Soucy (who’s pretty handy on a bike by the way) – extracts from an interview with him are below. We then followed that up with a full day’s hard enduro (and we mean hard), riding with Taddy Blazusiak and Eddie Karlsson which is on our YouTube channel.
“There will be an enduro version of the Varg”
“There will be an enduro version of the Varg, I can confirm that, is going to be out there sometime, exactly when I cannot confirm!” Paul Soucy explains. “It will be built as a ground-up enduro bike, so not a Varg MX bike with enduro suspension.”
Order a Varg online at the moment and, if you don’t want the more popular motocross version, you have options for an 18-inch rear wheel and a side stand, will the new model have more options for off-road and enduro?
“Yeah, it will, we have other stuff [parts],” Soucy continues, “and we have also been working on a new website platform to improve customer experience and offer things other manufacturers aren’t doing. So basically when you buy the bike you don't really have to buy anything extra. The idea is that you can purchase the bike and go for a ride from the first day.
“You know how it is with enduro bikes, you buy it then you get it home and start to change things like tyres, mousses of course but also suspension, fit hard parts and so on. What we want is for people to buy [the enduro version] and be able to go ride straight away.”
Enduro hard parts catalogue coming
Among the parts Enduro21 tested in Spain were a new chain guide/rear sprocket protector and sump guard or bash plate. It was a pretty trick part protecting the underside of the bike was made from biodegradable material – the idea being to basically leave no trace when you go for a ride by leaving no marks behind on rocks and logs.
Other details which came up in conversation include making the Varg both bulletproof and waterproof. There are a few videos out there of people taking a Varg into all kinds of places and treating them badly to prove the point they work in extreme conditions. But it really is a design consideration to make sure the bike is tough, the electrical components are waterproof and that it can put up with a beating from the rocks and trees.
Dealers are already selling Vargs with lights and with road/street registration but, although externally our test bike looked like every other Varg, our hope is the enduro model will also come with lights – it wasn’t confirmed nor denied by Soucy.
(Image curtesy of St Blazey MX)
“All the Varg team are riders”
A point worth throwing in here is that many of the people involved in the Varg project ride dirt bikes. Not just the exceptional talents of Taddy or the race team manager Sebastien Tortelli, but the guys developing the Varg from the start and that includes Soucy and co-founder Anton Wass who just raced a Varg at Gotland Grand National.
“All the Varg team are riders, like to a good level.” Says Soucy. “Which is really good because those guys know what they’re developing for. When you develop a part for a bike like this you cannot really foresee the abuse they will get. But we really ride and abuse these bikes.
“A product designer will not always have that intuition for a part – this part needs to be stiff or this part needs to be flexible or whatever. And that really helps speed up development.”
What’s the enduro version of the Varg like to ride?
For a start you wouldn’t know it was any different because the bike we rode looked like a standard Varg. We're not exactly sure how enduro it was other than the suspension and havin gpower and mapping tailored to suit extreme enduro riding. But it was easy to get along with as we went from easy trails and tracks into the hills and some serious hard enduro. It was the full gambit of terrain and a far cry from the MX track we’d ridden at before.
The dramatic difference in terrain answered many questions but mostly just proved the Varg is a blast to ride. Addictive even.
What’s the difference? The overriding feeling was of a softer and more compliant feel from the chassis. Soucy wouldn’t tell us the details but said a lot of that is down to the different suspension settings but also some “small changes” to the frame.
KYB suspension is still on spec with the best OEM equipment on any enduro model out there and the chassis tracks and turns in a very neutral way – that sounds like a cliché and a cop-out but the way it steers and handles enduro conditions is very balanced and has no foibles.
It felt like the rear of the bike was running lower and it is easy to pick lines and place the front wheel in the hard enduro and trail-like riding conditions.
It’s testimony to their choices in fitting the good kit as standard on the Varg and for most people, with a few adjustments, it will tackle everything ‘enduro’ you could throw at it.
What we didn’t do is take note of the gearing to see if or how that differs to the previous Varg we tested, we’ll check that next time.
Map changes more than just changing gear
Playing with the maps via the left handle bar button cluster is instant and meaningful and we used it to switch between power a lot as we rode. Upgrades to the software this year have given owners of the Varg a lot more to play with in terms of pre-programmed or customisable maps and engine braking.
In a way, having the buttons on the bars acts like having gears and you can switch between a docile, soft four-stoke trail bike or a rip-snorting 60hp MX bike or even an 80hp weapon if you’re nuts enough.
Some of the rocky climbs were horrible and almost impossible with too much power. Tone it right down and the back wheel is controlled, and using the throttle more sensitively, you can creep through the worst of loose, rubble that would be hard work on any bike.
Where the rocks had vanished, or on a hillclimb that needs zip to jump up rock steps or roots, washouts or steeper sections, it was easy to switch it back to 50-55hp and use the addictive torque.
As you’ll see from the YouTube video, there are big benefits riding the Stark in hard enduro – mainly how narrow it is and how having no clutch or foot pedals frees-up you feet and body to basically get through rock sections easier.
No clutch is easier on the arms
Having no clutch takes some getting used to chiefly because training the brain how to use only the throttle to find the grip needs recalibrate of the grey matter. But over a long period riding it is less physical to ride the Stark in hard enduro conditions than it would have been on a gas-powered bike with a hydraulic or cable clutch.
The ability to use either foot anywhere as you pick your way through a tough and technical section was also a massive bonus we really noticed. Without the need to have a right foot on the peg all the time, to hold the back brake, you can pick better lines, push the bike and ‘dab’ at will.
The only negatives are you get used to having a rear brake to rest your foot on at a standstill and basically have to park differently often to stop yourself rolling.
There’s also no real place to grab hold and lift the bike when you’re in a hole or want to move the back wheel on a steep hill either. In those situations suddenly the few extra KGs are evident when compared to other enduro bikes.
Battery life
You’ll be wanting to know about battery life of course and the easiest answer to give you is we got tired before the battery ran out. “Battery consumption is a function of rpm” is one quote we took note of and it will never be more clear than a day spent riding hard enduro.
On the gas all the time, riding fast trails or a moto track obviously drains the power, just as it would the eight-litre fuel tank on our YZ250.
But as a kid who grew up on a trials bike and someone who tries his best to adopt the Jarvis-style, smooth way of riding extreme enduro, a tank of fuel lasts ages in the tough terrain.
Transfer that to the Stark and to consumption of battery life is easily comparable. It sips the juice in the technical sections in the same way a carb does and through almost four hours of riding we used just under 90% battery. Without a doubt the body was finished, having ridden with Taddy and Eddie all day.
We didn’t spend all day riding slowly through the rocks like we were on trials bikes either. It would have been different in faster enduro conditions, or wet and deep mud for example where more throttle was needed but we hope we can put this to a test at a future time.
Stark themselves have recently very publicly shown you can race the Varg in cross country and that battery changes are possible in a couple of minutes. We’re keen to try and ride the Varg in all kinds of conditions.
Like last time we tested the Varg, we came home wanting to ride it more and wished we could have asked more question of the enduro model which we hope to see a reality soon.
Not being hung up by the negativity some riders feel about electric bikes helps but our feeling remains the same: a good bike is a good bike and that’s what makes the Varg interesting.
It is different to ride in some ways, the same in many and better in others, but it’s hard not to enjoy the ride. As one gauge of opinion, the 15-year-old son back home hasn’t stopped asking, “are you going to get one?” since this test and he never asks that about KTMs or Betas or Sherco enduro bikes.
Photo Credit: Enduro21 + Future7Media + Stark Future
