I’d say that’s a sound opinion. As an OG, here’s my take. As mentioned, E MX opens up riding opportunities that haven’t existed for a long time. Today’s youth seem to look down on Gas MXrs. They’ve been taught gas is evil and the noise and pollution they create reinforces there negative perception of them. Today’s youth won’t have the same feelings about E MX bikes. Start em young and they’re likely to continue evolving MX in ways we never imagined.

Boy does that make me old, Jeff Emig was winning races when I was into dirt bikes big time lol Jeff is a legend

I am getting 30+ min on a single charge. Loamy conditions, A rider. All moto. I raced Jeff on my Varg in April at BillaDilla in TX. He went 1-1 and I was able to go 2-2. I started next to him both moto’s.

This is the most comprehensive and well articulated review of this bike. It never occured to me that having instant max-torque would make throttle control over bumps chanllenging, because that rear tyre would spin up more quickly when unloaded compared to an ICE bike.

I dedicated my life to MX from childhood until around age 21, but I had no backing and without serious money, you just can't compete to win at the pro level. Then, after years of not riding, I went to ride again at a track in So Cal on a regular practice day, and Jeff Emig was there. He was amazing, as one would expect, but what blew me away till this day was what I witnessed him do in an area away from the track. There were big piles of dirt in a large lot, and he just putted around for a sec then blitzed one, and he sailed from one end of the place clear across to the other, landing on the downside of another massive pile. But here's the thing: As a pro myself, I would never have even imagined that was possible, as the space between the piles was so wide that you could easily fit a large house and with some yard space around it between those piles. AND HE WOULD HAVE CLEARED THE HOUSE EVEN IF IT WERE TWO STORIES AND HAD A STEEP ROOF!! I almost crapped myself when he did that. I still can't get over it. Then I saw him sitting in the back of his box van and he had this look of just being a cool guy, unassuming, and that you could approach him and talk to him. He totally looked like a regular, friendly person. I couldn't approach though, unfortunately, because to me, I was so overwhelmed at witnessing the level of skill he possesses, that basically to me he is a god on a motorcycle. Even right now, as I recall seeing him do that jump, my mind is short circuiting. Words cannot express how incredible that actually was.

Funny story about Emig at Washougal in 1995. My memory is a little fuzzy but they ran the amateur races backwards that weekend at the Nationals. Anyway, all the motos are over late Saturday afternoon and Emig got on the track with somebody else's bike and absolutely sent it down Horsepower Hill and had this enormous hang time and landed way at the bottom fully casing the bike out and breaking the bike. He managed to save it but the bike was ruined and the next day he got second against Showtime. I didn't see that part but several people said he clipped branches from the fir trees. Absolutely crazy.

Finally somebody who actually gives an honest opinion on this thing and doesn't just simp cuz they being paid, would expect no less from an OG like emig. Personally I think these things are really cool but tbh they scare me a lot and don't want them anywhere near the pro circuit. The idea of them just being something different to a combustion engine I love, my fear is with this whole push to make everything electric. I'm afraid that there won't be any precautions taken and just like how 4strokes killed 2 virtually overnight, my fear is that with them getting better, more people having them, and finally the global push to go electric that itll start with with certain practice tracks being electric only, then the tracks that will allow both the guys on gas bikes will become the minority and with dropping sales and outside powers putting pressure on track owners to either go only electric or shut down just for the fringe group who like to ride gas they'll have no choice. I hope I'm really wrong on this and that theyll just be there own thing within a culture of gas bikes but with the world we live in today & and seeing how fast things can change within just a few years I'm weary. I don't ever wanna see the day where yami Honda etc are no longer in the business of off-road racing combustion engines for motorcycles.

The Fro might like what we’re working on 😉

Yeah, that's only your opinion...but it's an educated, experienced, thoughtfully articulated opinion and I thank you for sharing it.

7.2.24 Great review Fro. Thanks for taking the time to do the review.

I think the bike should have a lever where the clutch would normally be, but make it sort of an anti-throttle so that it acts like a clutch would

This is the review I’ve been waiting for on the Stark Varg!!

I grew up and rode to the 1st Saddleback Park, Ca. from high school on a Yamaha 250 Big Bear. I'm 75 now with an electric bicycle. The new park had the Banzai Downhill start.

Just seems counter productive you would almost need 2 bikes just so you can switch in between motos ,and what makes it funnier is that they are using a gas generator to charge their electric bike I’ll stick with my 4 stroke 😂

Thanks Fro. That was a great explanation of what to expect, I haven't heard that before

Awesome to see Jeff's reactions to the Varg! I grew up riding a YZ80 and a YZ250, and watching and looking up to him, McGrath, RC, Stewart, and even Hurricane Hannah. Recently, I built a 29kW Surron and am getting back into MX a bit. So fun. And I was riding my Surron at a small forest track in the middle of nowhere, in Ukraine, and a guy showed up with a Varg! Probably the only one in Ukraine. Was so cool.

seems like it be easy to get whisky throttle. Needs a "clutch" so you can keep finger on it for those oh shit situations. That way can pull in and it would kill power.

My go to beers, Miller Highlife and Miller Lite. Sick jersey and gloves Fro !

Don't care about anything else, Jeff Emig was my favorite rider in 1996 or 1997. Glad to see him on a bike again!

I have to love the gas generator running to charge the electric motor bike. Makes sense right

Cool to see Jeff again. I used to watch him on Crusty Demons of Dirt over and over again. Still seems super cool

I was skeptical man, but after riding one for about a half hour on a motocross track, I was smiling from ear to ear

Legend! Very professionally produced and interesting, thank you.

I have owned more than 30 dirt bikes and the Varg is the best one. Haven’t even started one of my gas bikes since I got the Varg last October.

I can’t stop looking at the super clean OBS in the background 😍

I am the same age as Jeff but 1 year older I assume. Been riding since 1978. I would love to ride with Jeff or Jeremy to just experience how fast these guys still are so many years later and being older like myself. I tool around now on a Surron with motor and controller upgrade and it's a fun experience.

Don't knock it till you ride it. Brilliant bike with unbelievable power and suspension. Way less tiring than a petrol bike.

Definitely wouldn’t mind riding one of those things. Would be a trip

It's good to see you, Fro!!!

this is awesome to hear Jeffro critique this bike!

There is Formula 1 and Formula E for similar reasons, and hope to see these bikes follow a similar path. That said, I'd love to have one, along with my gas bike, and really be able to start riding more locally due to the noise issues I face if I break my 2 stroke out in my neighborhood currently. Cheers to new tech and pushing forward the sport in new directions 👍🏻

Great to see an old friend.. Jeff is the best!

Love you man! I was there when the crazy dude was yelling “ 8:42 coopers wife”! And before your winning moto you couldn’t helped yourself. Coopers wife was super hot and you wondered what the hell?? I’m from canada and loved your interactions before you lined up. You won like I thought you would and proved you were the goat that year. Thx Jeff

Fro, I miss seeing you on the track! I agree that this would start with the amateurs and work its way up. I thought with other videos, it was closer to a 30+2, but thanks to you, I now know better. Miss your battles on the track. You were always one of my favorites! Shit, still are!

That Miller gear is sick

Thank you for sharing this video and Jeff Emig is still a Beast and a legend and a super cool person on and I got to meet him at Atlanta Supercross a few times in the 90s and always enjoyed watching him racing #MXLocker #JeffEmig

Jeff makes great points. I think that most riders rely on being in a certain gear to know if they're at the right speed for a certain jump. Stark could create 'digital gears' with a dummy shifter that has nothing more in it than a sensor. They could even have a physical clutch lever that limits amperage. Everything can be programmed.

Ain't no battery chargers in the woods especially down in Wellsville!

Naturally, hating electric cars as most do i was extremely sceptical and critical at first… until i rode one, most fun i’ve ever had on 2 wheels in the last 15 years. Have to remember an electric dirt bike serves a different purpose to an electric car.. an electric car claims to “save the environment” and be green and all that other BS. The Stark is all about pushing the boundaries of performance and handling, it’s a “heavy” bike on the scale but it feels like a MTB with a throttle, so confidence inspiring it’s insane. No pitching in the air, has engine braking but no pitching from the rotating mass from a gas engine. They are insane, not a replacement for a Gas bike, but damn everyone i know who’s ridden one including me want one!

Innovation that excites.

Can you adjust the throttle so it's not jumpy? Like putting a throttle cam in a gas bike.

I am a fan of electric bikes opening the opportunity to ride them in a location closer to a more populated city, nicer areas like close to the beach. It would be awesome to open the market to the wealthier areas and family’s in Huntington Beach/San Clemente where noise complaints wood shut a place down with gas bikes. Now you and your family can moto near your house at the beach, then load up the gas bikes and head to the desert if you want to off-road. Sucks how far out you have to live to be able to ride gas bikes everyday without the 2 hour commute and deal with crappy areas out in the sticks to ride now adays.

You've got a hell of a videographer shout out to them

Travis would crank it up to 80hp and do back flips with it! 😎

Love the Miller High life jersey !

Really enjoyed this video, loved the honesty from fro

They are cool, but I hope they don't go mandatory in supercross....give us back our 2 strokes lol

Great video fro. If I was younger and rich, definitely would have one

I agree, I have a small version, mx4 and absolutely luv it!.. it should be in its own category tho.. it’s my daily rider and I look fwd to every ride.. I do get range anxiety tho.. but plan and it’s not a problem.. my only regret is not buying it sooner!..

Why not just have two batteries…. Was so close to buy one but the whole range thing was why I got a new tx300 knowing all I have to do is refilling it w/mg

Is the curve tuneable on throttle

How is the braking applied if there’s only one brake lever? Does it distribute the stopping power to both brakes equally?

Wonderful washer!

Dang, I know what he is talking about with the throttle. My electric mountain bike has settings for the throttle called sensitivity and response. It has a thumb throttle so I figure that helps cause your hand doesn't twist when riding over rough terrain. But I set the throttle to have a slower response with a long travel. That makes it smoother launching because you need to move your thumb further for the power and the response is set lower. It good for when your trying to hold the power still while everything is shaking. Little accidental blips on the throttle don't do much when set right.

First of all Jeffro's gear is sick ! Once the Battery technology improves or having fast swap spare packs available could help with not charging in the pits. Maybe having gyro/ acceleration sensors to mitigate whiskey throttle through the braking bumps might help smooth it out. Otherwise the Future is Now 🤙🏽

When I have a big get off in a moto and another bike smashes into the Varg's cell phone and breaks it, does the bike stay in that mode? Will it still run? Is that almost impossible to happen? Great vid btw Fro.

Awesome video. Im not jeff emig, so range is just fine for me. Love mine. Crazy fast, auto wheely. No maintenance.

Nice presentation. .more emig in the mx commentary box plz

Thank you Jeff, finally a real opinion!

I 100% agree with your opinion man. I’d love to get one to try it out but at 12k a guy like me can’t afford one.

🐝🏁 Video 👍. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, The old KX Teem 👌

are battery swaps available!?

Great job Jeff! Honest opinion..

They need a clutch IMO. Especially for us older folks who are so used to having one to regulate the power.

And ditch the “free stand” include another battery, charger and make it simple to swap so I can change it in the same amount of time that it would take me to add gas

Gotta add a clutch system to smooth things out and to recover from OS situations. Some might consider it a safety issue.

Emig is the man!

Supercool video. Next time, check the audio levels on the lav 😉

My thoughts is if you could have two bike it I would recommend a stark for you second bike

Perhaps a "faux" clutch could act as a "limiter" (?) to the power. (2) Throttle bottle could also be "tuned" to not get instant throttle (Say 50-100%) which could be adjusted?

Gear looks pretty cool

A stand with another battery in it that you could use to charge the bike would be cool. Or, just some high speed chargers at the track. It sounds like from the video you don't want gas bikes racing eletric bikes because the electric bikes ride completey differently and would probably dominate the gas bikes in terms of speed. Is that correct?

Where can I rent one for a couple of days?

I'd set up Map One as a "Pit Mode". to keep me from launching off the stand and into the garage door. Need Hot-Swap Battery Packs.

Hopefully they made the bike where the batt can be easily accessed and just build out a lithium bank that’s better and stronger like we do in car audio.

These bikes are like a Prius. I’m sure Joe would say “if you ride an e bike, you vote for me”

@mxlocker Well, I posted my comment with a lot of usefull info from my own experience owning a varg..just curious as to why it was removed?

open class should be the highlight of motocross racing then

Also I freaking love the Miller MX Gear #MXLocker #JeffEmig

Just what we need , an honest opinion - thank you Jeff !!!! I have seen the Stark in action but not really impressed - the bike hooked up well and was unique , looked normal etc but at this time I will not be trading my KTM FE 450 or Beta RX300 in on one - I do like the concept and agree that there should be a class for e bikes - their own class - but def the future 😁

Their own championships 🏆

Mr party time jeff emig with the miller high life geaf is like i dont drink😂😂😂

Jeff was use to 2 strokes as well, I don't even know if he got into 4 strokes that much so noise and inertia going from 2 stroke to 4 stroke is a change as well. Just wanted to throw that out there

I love this video

Hmmm. no clutch lever makes space for a rear brake lever. Anyone thinking the same?

Fro’s gear is Fn rad! 🤘🏻

So you can ride it for thirty minutes or less…. Then you have to fire up a GAS powered generator, sit around and listen to a noisy generator in your pit while waiting for it to charge. Thanks but no thanks. I’m sure they are fun but for what they cost I just can’t see having one when for less money I can have a bike I can ride, pull in, gas up and take off again.

I love breaking the fork guards off these on a 125 twostroke.

very good

Stark put a clutch to it so you can control the power smoother and will be awesome

jeff=we still burning gas

The screen needs to go, won’t last, if that screen was on my bike it be smashed or missing within 10 rides I recon.

So basically Jeff was too polite to say out loud "it's shit I want engine noise and I want to smell gas as I top it off"

Man i wanna see danger boy on this in alpha mode! Hes gonna lap 2nd!

Good honest opinion. Yeah, if I can't hear a bike near me, I don't want a bike near me. Emig at 53 looks physically much better than most young chaps. I too am 54 so um........lose the 'o l d ' word, or at least hush that word hehe!

Ya, I get that there's a market for them, but no thanks, my 450 beast goes a long way on one gallon and I'll stick with a clutch.

The opinion; Emig don’t think the two should compete next to each other… it’s like blending/ mixing fire with ice…What does that mean? Why shouldn’t they mix? What is the actual reason behind his opinion? (Love Emig by the way!)

So cool. But hilarious you are charging it with a generator haha!

Quick Swap batteries and have a One Pit-Stop Supercross race. Saturday Night Supercross: Afterhours. Add cheerleaders, live music and VIP boxes. Everybody just runs out of the stadium before trophies and champagne. So stupid. Stadium rave with silent dirtbikes.. Arena Rave and Dirtbike Rodeo. May as well have a Sur-ron class.

Miller?? Havnt seen that since 96