Magoo69
Well-known member
- Likes
- 75
- Location
- Massachusetts
After over two years of waiting I finally got my Stark and rode it for two hours on single track yesterday. I had already demo ridden one but it had a modified suspension for motocross not trail riding. It (the demo) was crazy stiff front and rear.
These are my opinions and my opinions only. I’m not looking to get into any debates about my opinions on the Stark.
Pros:
- Ergonomics are really good. Note: I put taller and narrower bars on it. I did not like the stock bars for trail riding.
- Tunability, the modes are great BUT there are some Cons as well, see cons below.
- REAR suspension. It was plush enough for trail riding. Front suspension…see cons.
- Cornering, it just goes where you want.
- Build quality.
- Tool kit, very nice.
- 220v charging. It charges very quickly on 220v. I didn’t time it but it seemed like about an hour to go from 35% to 100%
- Range. I rode for two hours in single track woods riding and used +/- 60%. That included some 80hp pulls in an open area.
Cons:
- Lower HP modes. My biggest gripe for trail riding is that it is hard to get the front end up over obstacles if you use +/- 45hp modes or less in the technical stuff. The problem is not a lack of power but rather a lack of throttle response at the lower HP modes. I found I had better rhythm in the tight stuff using lower HP modes (40-45hp) but I much preferred 55-60 hp for the throttle response. That said, 55-60hp in technical single track was exhausting. Throttle control is paramount. I’m hoping Stark will come up with some lower Hp modes with better / snappier throttle response. To me the throttle sensitivity is backwards. It should be a little more snappy/quicker at low HP modes and a little less sensitive at the higher HP modes. I’m sure these mods will be available at some point from stark. A third column on the mode screen would be nice. Three columns: HP, Engine braking & throttle sensitivity.
- Front suspension is OK for trail riding but it’s on the harsh side especially the first part of the travel. That said, overall, the suspension is OK especially at higher speeds. FYI I had all the clickers 3/4 of the way out of full soft across the board, front and rear.
- Seat removal. The seat can only be removed by removing the entire body kit. Once that is removed, you can remove the seat by removing 8 screws. I know there is no reason to remove the seat other than to replace the seat cover…which I did.
- Display/phone location. I wish Stark would just use a normal bar pad and have the phone further forward. It’s hard to look down and see what mode you’re in. Minor annoyance.
- Inner tubes. I didn’t even try them. I use Tubliss on all my DB’s… I didn’t want to get a pinch flat out in the woods.
I added some bling as well.
These are my opinions and my opinions only. I’m not looking to get into any debates about my opinions on the Stark.
Pros:
- Ergonomics are really good. Note: I put taller and narrower bars on it. I did not like the stock bars for trail riding.
- Tunability, the modes are great BUT there are some Cons as well, see cons below.
- REAR suspension. It was plush enough for trail riding. Front suspension…see cons.
- Cornering, it just goes where you want.
- Build quality.
- Tool kit, very nice.
- 220v charging. It charges very quickly on 220v. I didn’t time it but it seemed like about an hour to go from 35% to 100%
- Range. I rode for two hours in single track woods riding and used +/- 60%. That included some 80hp pulls in an open area.
Cons:
- Lower HP modes. My biggest gripe for trail riding is that it is hard to get the front end up over obstacles if you use +/- 45hp modes or less in the technical stuff. The problem is not a lack of power but rather a lack of throttle response at the lower HP modes. I found I had better rhythm in the tight stuff using lower HP modes (40-45hp) but I much preferred 55-60 hp for the throttle response. That said, 55-60hp in technical single track was exhausting. Throttle control is paramount. I’m hoping Stark will come up with some lower Hp modes with better / snappier throttle response. To me the throttle sensitivity is backwards. It should be a little more snappy/quicker at low HP modes and a little less sensitive at the higher HP modes. I’m sure these mods will be available at some point from stark. A third column on the mode screen would be nice. Three columns: HP, Engine braking & throttle sensitivity.
- Front suspension is OK for trail riding but it’s on the harsh side especially the first part of the travel. That said, overall, the suspension is OK especially at higher speeds. FYI I had all the clickers 3/4 of the way out of full soft across the board, front and rear.
- Seat removal. The seat can only be removed by removing the entire body kit. Once that is removed, you can remove the seat by removing 8 screws. I know there is no reason to remove the seat other than to replace the seat cover…which I did.
- Display/phone location. I wish Stark would just use a normal bar pad and have the phone further forward. It’s hard to look down and see what mode you’re in. Minor annoyance.
- Inner tubes. I didn’t even try them. I use Tubliss on all my DB’s… I didn’t want to get a pinch flat out in the woods.
I added some bling as well.