RIDING THE 2025 STARK VARG EX DUAL-SPORT

Earlier this month, the Stark Varg EX broke surface. It’s the first motorcycle of its kind: a true electric hard-core dual-sport bike. This is the electrically powered equivalent of a KTM 500EXC or a Beta 500RS. It will arrive in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2025 and will be fully licenable in all 50 states.

The Stark Varg EX has an MSRP of $12,900. The 80-hp upgrade is another $1000. Weight is said to be 264 pounds.

Last week, I got the chance to experience the new bike first hand. I traveled to Barcelona, Spain, visited the Stark Future factory and spent a day riding the new EX. It was a true dual-sport ride that twisted through small Spanish villages on pavement as well as tight mountain trails in the dirt. I pretended it was work, but it was an absolute blast.

Jordi Sala was our guide on the trail with the new Stark varg EX.

The Varg motocross bike was revealed almost two years ago, and has already become a fairly common sight in the U.S. The EX doesn’t look that different. It has the same bodywork and the same basic layout. The outwardly visible clues are the taillight and the 40 lumen headlight with its integrated turn signals. The bike I rode was a preproduction Euro model that didn’t have U.S. spec equipment. It also had a left-side hand lever for the rear brake. U.S. Department of Transportation laws will insist on a foot brake.

Other differences aren’t externally visible. The frame has been redesigned to offer more vertical compliance. The KYB suspension is softer and will be available in three specs. It also has an 18-inch rear wheel, a kickstand, handguards, a skid plate and a more robust chain guide. Most significant of all is the increase in battery size. It now has a capacity of 7.2 kWh and that extends range by 20 percent. The Varg now has roughly the same range as a typical dual-sport bike as long as you stick to the dirt. If you want to blaze down the interstate, you will run out of juice much more quickly.

We based our dual-sport ride from Polea camp near Barcelona. This site was originally owned by the Bulto family and is where Bultaco motorcycles were developed.

Like the motocross version, the EX lets you customize the power output. There’s a push-button control on the left side of the handlebar that lets you select five different configurations. You can adjust the power output and engine braking on each of those settings with a smartphone that comes mounted on the bike. The standard version tops out at 60 horsepower. An upgrade lets you push the limit to 80 horsepower.

From a performance point of view, the EX is incredible. If, for some reason, you want to outrun a full-blown 450 motocross bike, you can do that. Just like the original motocross bike, a maxed-out Varg is capable of fearsome acceleration. That’s very different from the dual-sport bikes we’re used to. A 500EXC makes half as much peak power. On the trail, you would have to be nuts to want that kind of output. I tried all the settings and eventually settled around 30 horsepower. Even on the street, I tried to keep a low-profile. The last thing I wanted was to make a full-power run through the main street of a tiny village.

I tried two different suspension set-ups. The first was the middle level, which was similar to the standard setting of something like a Honda CRF450RL. It was much softer than the Varg motocross bike we tried in the ‘States last year, but perfectly appropriate on tight Spanish trails. The stiffer setting was more like a Yamaha YZ450FX or a Honda CRF450RX. It was more of a racing set-up. In both cases it was well balanced. I knew from my previous experiences with Stark motorcycles that the factory comes up with good initial suspension settings. As usual, off-road guys will have to fine tune it for whatever use they have in mind.

The headlight has 4000 lumens of power and integrated turn signals. In the U.S. we will have more conventional turn indicators.

My biggest take-away from the experience was that the advantages of electric power are far better suited for off-road riding than they are for motocross. There’s no clutch, no shifting, no stalling. I even got used to the left-side hand brake and learned to love it. None of those things are necessarily an advantage for motocross. Yes, you can race on an MX track without a clutch or a shift-lever, but it’s something you have to get used to. There’s no learning curve in an off-road environment. Every time you even think about the fact that there’s no clutch or shifter it’s because it just saved you.

The range issue will still be a problem for most off-road guys. Yes, on tight trails it will go as far as most gasoline powered bikes, but those guys can refuel quickly. The EX will require two-hours to top off IF you have the charger and an AC outlet handy. For long rides that involve highway riding, there’s been some discussion of an adapter that allows the Varg to recharge at the stations provided for electric cars. At this point, that’s just talk and even if that solution arrives, it will require a big change in how you plan your ride and where you can go. At this point, there are a lot of questions. But, I’m sure of one thing: in a future that has land-use problems only getting worse, the Varg EX provides far more solutions than problems. For more on the Stark Varg EX, check out the March, 2025 print edition of Dirt Bike.

See you next time!