Anti-Theft?!

R

Redbull

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USA
In my questions to Stark support, it seems that there are at least two levels of security. One is using the phone as a key (mentioned above in this thread) and the other is if it gets stolen, you can contact Stark and provide a legit police report and if the bike has connectivity (via the 4G inside the VCU), they can locate and brick it. That technically means that your location data is likely available all the time when the Varg phones home (which it is supposed to do every second).
 
A few more clarifying questions I previously sent to Stark:

1. Will I the user be able to locate and brick the bike if stolen or is that something you have to do?

2. If I have the bike permanently at my remote property without cell service anywhere, will I be able to get the bike its OTA updates via WiFi (which is connecting via Starlink satellite internet service)?

3. Is there an option to opt out of OTA updates?

4. What happen if the phone gets stolen but not the bike? What problems are caused by not having the phone? Will someone be able to control the bike if they have the stolen phone?

Here is the reply:

Thank you for contacting Stark.

In case the bike gets stolen, the user will have the possibility to login to his Stark account on any device and report it to us. Once we have validated the report, we could potentially lock it, provided that there is connectivity to the bike.

Of course, for OTA services an internet connection is required, usually wifi and/or LTE.

Opting out of the OTA services is not an option as these could be related to safety issues and also maintaining the systems updated, which could be warranty relevant.

The Stark phone is paired via bluetooth, so it’s possible to make changes to the VARG’s features within the bluetooth protocol range. In case the phone gets stolen, you can unpair it by logging in to your Stark account on any other device.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with at this moment.

Best regards,

Stark Support Team
 
Hey guys new to the forum, love the bike have an Alpha… So I already did a quick search could not find anything already posted on the forum surprisingly… I will get right to the main question, “Where and what anti-theft systems are in place to prevent this bike from being stolen; OR one of my kids from hijacking my bike lol?”. Besides the aftermarket locking mechanisms you gotta lug around. Also it is not easy to pull the main cables to the battery. I am surprised Stark Future does not offer a heartbeat within the communication signal to sync with the app which requires a PIN prior to full engagement of the bike. The bike is always transmitting a signal for discovery in order to sync with the app. This seems like a very easy software solution the developers can implement, which can utilize the app/phone as the key mechanism like the Tesla app for example. Just add a simple function to the code to pass a PIN which allows full control of the power button……
 
Philip said:
Good question about the anti-theft protection. Is removing the Stark phone not sufficient to disable the bike?
Click to expand...
Negative, you can still fully utilize all capabilities without the phone and also the phone does not need to be in close proximity or paired via Bluetooth.

Stark devs can go to the extent with adding logic to lock registered phones using the mobile devices HWID and other identifiers like MAC to the bike so other Stark users can’t piggy back off using a similar device.

The great news is all these new features do not require a hardware upgrade. Software should be sufficient to provide low level protection in the meantime. Simple stuff we can do is add an Apple AirTag somewhere in the bike to provide visibility if stolen.
 
I suppose, there should be an update to the software that could make the phone act as a key if the owner chooses so.

I do not have my Varg yet. Otherwise, I would email Stark Future support and ask for this feature. How else would we keep anyone from taking the bike and riding away?!!
 
Philip said:
I suppose, there should be an update to the software that could make the phone act as a key if the owner chooses so.

I do not have my Varg yet. Otherwise, I would email Stark Future support and ask for this feature. How else would we keep anyone from taking the bike and riding away?!!
Click to expand...
Right?! I am more worried about my kids just jumping on and having all this power not knowing how much of a beast this thing is. It’s like having a loaded gun without a safe, but the safe isn’t big enough to lock the firearm up.

You’d think with all the disclaimers this bike throws at you about how dangerous it is, they would implement a parental control feature in the meantime?? This shit rips lollll
 
Update:

I wanted to confirm that I disable Bluetooth and turn off the mobile phone. After doing this, I was able to successfully start the bike, put it in ready mode, and give it throttle without needing the phone.

Also I did see Stark Future going into detail regarding my question and I was able to debunk this and bypass their security feature.

I can provide a video later, but I did email stark future, waiting on their response.

IMG_5198.png

IMG_5199.png
 
Update:

Not quite the news everyone wants, but I would insist all Varg owners who really want to protect their bike emphasize to Stark Future to implement something to prevent unauthorized access to startup functions on the bike.

So if I wanted to steal one of these bikes I would never pair it to a mobile device, this way it would be undetectable with whatever poor recovery process they have in place. So that is right Stark owners…. Anyone can steal your bike and switch maps, so hide an AirTag somewhere.

Also if insurance companies catch wind this bike has zero security features… the premiums for off road policies will sky rocket, or worse not insurable.

Also I strongly advise not pairing your registered email with the Stark Future phone because guess what… I can retrieve the recovery code and transfer ownership lmao.

But what is confusing is it contradicts their FAQ which clearly states there is some sort of proximity keyless entry feature?? So seeing there is official verbiage on Stark Futures website stating a security mechanism possibly in place, but not implemented seeing from the support email. I would say judging by these two FAQs, there may be direction in the near future to add these features with an update.

IMG_5206.jpeg
 
"...as we would be able to take measures from our side".

It appears that the bike has some built-in anti-theft already, but it is not yet fully activated, and they don't want to talk about it.
 
Philip said:
"...as we would be able to take measures from our side".

It appears that the bike has some built-in anti-theft already, but it is not yet fully activated, and they don't want to talk about it.
Click to expand...
I hope the measures are like Amazon, provide a police report and we send you a new bike lol. Then I have no issues with all of this and I can get off my soap box.

Not sure what “measures” they can do if the bike doesn’t have a direct signal to the internet. The phone would have to be attached to the bike with an active SIM to be able to push or pull any data.

In the meantime, I took the whole body off and wedged an AirTag in the cushion of the seat. There is a large enough opening where the body locks on the pegs to the frame. Now I can sleep a little better at night if and when I go on vacation.

FWIW, in no way am I trying to bash Stark Future, I just want to make it better. An owner should be able to park his bike at the track, walk away for food or bio and walk back knowing his property hasn’t been tampered with.
 
Although it seems like they could easily program a security/disable mode with all of the sophisticated electronics, realistically it is just like every other offroad or race bike I have owned (except the ALTA MXR). There is an on/off kill switch and no key. If you want to secure the bike, you need to use a physical lock.

Most of my dualsport bikes have had a key and a steering lock. I still use a lock and cable to secure them.
 
leeo45 said:
Although it seems like they could easily program a security/disable mode with all of the sophisticated electronics, realistically it is just like every other offroad or race bike I have owned (except the ALTA MXR). There is an on/off kill switch and no key. If you want to secure the bike, you need to use a physical lock.

Most of my dualsport bikes have had a key and a steering lock. I still use a lock and cable to secure them.
Click to expand...
Understood that is why I mentioned in the first posting “aftermarket locking mechanisms”.

But Stark Future on their main website clearly states they potentially use the physical phone as a proximity keyless start, yet it is not implemented. Hopefully soon they can just push an upgrade with the feature working as design.
 
Witzig! 😁👍

Ich würde Dich gerne mal sehen in Deutsch zu schreiben. 😎

Ich meinte natürlich Anti Diebstahl Sicherung.

Aber weißt Du, so etwas kann nur ein Ami fragen. Bei uns in Österreich brauchst Du so etwas nicht, jeder bekommt vom Staat soviel Geld, das man nicht stehlen gehen muß. 😉
Ask your translater. 😘
 
Gunter Schmutz said:
Witzig! 😁👍

Ich würde Dich gerne mal sehen in Deutsch zu schreiben. 😎

Ich meinte natürlich Anti Diebstahl Sicherung.

Aber weißt Du, so etwas kann nur ein Ami fragen. Bei uns in Österreich brauchst Du so etwas nicht, jeder bekommt vom Staat soviel Geld, das man nicht stehlen gehen muß. 😉
Ask your translater. 😘
Click to expand...
So The USA is the only place Motos get stolen?
 
I guess they are still figuring out how to unlock the bike without the phone by the rightfull owner. My best bet would be that they secure your stark account with a two factor login.
That way you can log into your account and unlock the bike when the phone is broken.
 
Beckern said:
I guess they are still figuring out how to unlock the bike without the phone by the rightfull owner. My best bet would be that they secure your stark account with a two factor login.
That way you can log into your account and unlock the bike when the phone is broken.
Click to expand...
I am curious now, can anyone pair their non-stark android device to the bike? Or is it dependent on the BV6300 Pro stark future model?

For the technical folks, if I can root a device and alter the app code for the HP adjustment does that mean I can bypass the 60HP bike to 80HP without needing to pay the added $1000? Also maybe achieve more HP than 80HP max limit?? Which I could investigate and start another thread with doing a deep dive into the backend of the app code.

To clarify with the original topic, “Anti-Theft” I meant some sort of key to be used to start the bike. Not Lojack or OnStar tracking GPS and other on demand remote feature.

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