Post here your Stark Varg issues (or not!)

[Chaconne]

Completely agree with you Chaconne, unfortunately i was one of the first customers to be part of the deposit scheme, back then there was no dealers and it was all purchased on line. Even when my bike was delivered dealers were few and far between i was very lucky to have a electric motorcycle shop a hour away from where i live and the guy who owed the shop had just taken delivery of 2 starks which he was in the process of becoming a dealer.
After reading another thread earlier it seemed the person was struggling with the support service online more so as he had gone through a dealer but then again its difficult to have an opinion as the response he received from stark support was very abrupt. we dont know what he said to them to get that response back.

I am grateful that folks were willing to take the chance as super early adopters and made it possible for the rest of us to purchase through the channel --don't mean to sound unappreciative of the risk you took. What I am railing against is that companies that use the online route to increase their profits in order to decrease the cost of service at the consumer's expense.

We even have companies here like Nike who cut out dealerships for their own bottom line then cry when consumers abandon them since they can't even try on their $300.00 running shoes in a shop before they buy them.

Agree with you that person seemed to be stuck between online and dealer and his powerblast didn't help --the dealer/direct will probably be an issue for some time for Stark I think. Dealers now see that they can sell Starks right along side their KTMs and big 4 so there should be more uniformity with dealers and service in the future. I don't see dealers as a panacea rather that one path to pain is typically easier than two in my experience at least.

 

[UKLee]

UKLee,

Just as a update, i received battery number three mid last week, managed to get it fitted this Saturday just gone. Seems to be working as it should, taking charge up to 95% all seems well atm. I have to say though the fitting of this battery was a massive pain in the arse compared to the second one. it seemed the top bolt holes in the battery close to the head stock hadn't been set in the battery enough so trying to get the battery in as shown in the video was nearly impossible so i had to get a punch and hammer the threaded gromets into the battery about 0.5mm thus allowing the batter to fit in the frame correctly.

In regards to the contact details for the stark rep / country manager. I have been in contact with him in regards to changing my varg out for a enduro one (due to all the issues iv had over the last year) and ill be honest, he wasn't much help for the reason being it wasn't his job to deal with aftersales issues. I don't think you would get anywhere with him as i haven't. I'm a bit stuck now, not quite sure what I'm going to do, i think ill contact my local dealer and see if they can offer me any advise on a trade in. If i get any more information that's worth putting on this forum for all of your benefits i will.

Thanks for that chrismx72: sounds like yet more quality issues but at least you got it working.
So no joy from the uk rep, suppose we should not be suprised, the whole thing is very poor, stalling on warranty stuff to soak up our warranty period yet listern to anton the ceo and it is near perfect. Closer to disaster from what I have seen!

 

[Foss]

I have replaced nearly all critical parts on this bike, including the power inverter, VCU, battery, charging bay, radiator, power adapter, subframe, and other miscellaneous components. You name it have I troubleshot, replaced, and resolved.

I can confidently say this: I did not pay a single penny for these parts, and I performed all the repairs myself, following torque specifications, simply for the fun of it. As a B-class rider, I prefer knowing that the bike is assembled to my standards so I am safe on the track.

As for Stark support, I do not see any issues. All communication has been via email, which is an effective way to document claims. Additionally, any feedback or discussions with Stark have been handled through Google Meet video calls. They provide me with a time slot, and I make myself available. I have encountered zero resistance from them, as long as I supply the necessary evidence and clearly describe the issue. I am sure I have dealt with every stark support and have Anton’s email at hand and cc him for awareness to better the bike for other users.

People have these expectations that the manufacturers are just going to facilitate the whole process. I do not even recall any gas bikes that even offer a warranty program, correct me if I am wrong. Sure you can pick up the phone and make a call to Honda but have fun with the call centers which go absolutely no where; rather watch paint dry.

 

[RutsMonsterRaw]

Did they send you a new charger? Could you give approximate VIN and hours? Thanks

Hours ~30 on bike and similar on charger.

No new charger yet but Stark did ask for videos to show slowness of charging.

Vin is in 32xx

Two important notes:
#1: [Dealer might help] Slow charging is likely due to a charger slowly failing, per dealer. Chargers are not tracked by serial/vin, so dealer offered to plug in a broken charger for the bike log to show no more charge, and would give me a new charger (he has extras) and ask Stark for reimbursement.

#2: [Stark Vargs 1st response likely AI or Engineer] First response from Stark about this issue looked to be AI and had zero emotion. After pushing back, the tone shifted to an actually human backing their product.
- Push back on Stark if first response not what you want. We who paid 15k, being told to spend $800 for a new charger (sold with stand only) less than a year of ownership made no sense (1st response). Second response shows someone cares at Stark and asking for more info.

 

[jasonjm]

So my bike is dead so no troubleshooting can be done so stark basically are not doing anything.

My options seem to be narrowing to possibly small claims court to get a refund in full.

 

[hawk101]

VIN 2***

0 hr: First track day had water pump error. Long story short, it was caused by aluminum particles in the coolant system. After multiple water pump replacements (4) and coolants flushes, i finally cleaned the system out and haven't had issues from 5hr-~19hrs.

1 hr: System cutting power under hard acceleration. Radiator fan cutting out. Replaced and no further issues.

10 hr: discovered a lower frame beam bolt was cross threaded from factory and not fully torqued down. Replaced lower beam bracket and bolt.

10 hr: Noticed a linkage seal was torn from factory. Replaced.

10 hr: noticed a fork pinch bolt won't backout smoothly. Haven't addressed as I can move the bolt enough to relieve pressure and remove the front axle.

19 hr: Lost a fork guard bolt. Replaced and discovered none of the bolts were torqued to spec of 10Nm.

All of the above issues were resolved under warranty except for the linkage seal, which Stark said is not covered. Lost bolt I just bought myself.

 

[Beagle]

Same electrical warning that Lee got, pretty rare, possibly limited to early production runs?

 

[UKLee]

Same electrical warning that Lee got, pretty rare, possibly limited to early production runs?

Seen a few have had that message, must be a general thing my issue turned out to be the drivetrain.
Not great mileage, 18 miles and well in to the limp mode at that.

 

[Voozee]

Update - When they told me it was the powertrain, I asked how they knew it was the powertrain. I was just curious being as the only other user I found who posted that video had 2 bad cells in his battery. Stark replied with
"After some more investigation I believe it would be a battery sorry. I can see a there is an issue with the cell." So they are actually sending a battery instead. I'm glad i asked?.... much easier swap to be fair. Ill update after get the battery swapped.

Update on my situation.

Battery took 11 days to get here because of the recent freezing weather event, and it was also shipped economy not priority which was a little disappointing I must admit.
Installed the new battery in about 30 minutes with a friend. Fairly impressed with how easy the whole process was. I ran the bike around a for about 10 min in the field by my house and everything seemed great. Wont be able to truly test it until I get it out to the track tomorrow or Thursday.

Couple interesting things to note.
1. My original battery only had one greed dot QA/QC sticker on the top of it, and the new battery had two, one on top and one on the backside of the battery facing the inverter.

2. Originally the bike would flash green while in neutral, but after the battery swap it flashes yellow in neutral. I have asked stark about this along with telling them the old battery is ready to be picked up but haven't heard back just yet.

All in all my experience with support was good. They were a bit slower than I would have hoped at first, but things started to move quicker after I sent them videos and they actually began to diagnose the bike. I submitted multiple support tickets to stark at first but to no avail, they just went off the first one. Seems like the best way to get things solved quickly is one well thought out detailed ticket. If you use the support email directly you can attach videos of the bat and probably eliminate one more reply from stark and get to a solution faster.

Hopefully this battery has me sorted long term. I cant wait to just enjoy the bike. Best of luck to anybody dealing with issues. Be patient and cooperative. Stark will get back to you.

 

[AL_V]

2. Originally the bike would flash green while in neutral, but after the battery swap it flashes yellow in neutral. I have asked stark about this along with telling them the old battery is ready to be picked up but haven't heard back just yet.

A friend's bike was blinking yellow in neutral. At that time, his phone would not connect to the bike, so he could not tell his battery state of charge.
Stark sent a new wireless charging module for the Stark phone, and this solved the problem.

 

[Voozee]

A friend's bike was blinking yellow in neutral. At that time, his phone would not connect to the bike, so he could not tell his battery state of charge.
Stark sent a new wireless charging module for the Stark phone, and this solved the problem.

hmm... I'm not having any connectivity issues, and seen a few other bikes on Youtube blinking yellow in neutral. Phone connects and charges as normal. Says in the manual that neutral can be Green, Yellow, or Magenta. Hopefully everything is fine. Ill reply back if stark says otherwise.

 

[Theo]

hmm... I'm not having any connectivity issues, and seen a few other bikes on Youtube blinking yellow in neutral. Phone connects and charges as normal. Says in the manual that neutral can be Green, Yellow, or Magenta. Hopefully everything is fine. Ill reply back if stark says otherwise.

According to the Control switch LED statuses guide that you can find here:
Stark Future
if it's flashing yellow fast it can mean that there is an update available and if you haven't turned it on for 11 days or more probably it needs to be updated because a couple of weeks ago, I think, mine updated. Usually now it also shows you a specific update message on the phone, though.

 

[Voozee]

According to the Control switch LED statuses guide that you can find here:
Stark Future
if it's flashing yellow fast it can mean that there is an update available and if you haven't turned it on for 11 days or more probably it needs to be updated because a couple of weeks ago, I think, mine updated. Usually now it also shows you a specific update message on the phone, though.

Thanks Theo,
I guess i was a little confused on the update process I thought it would be flashing in "standby mode".
Anyways just did the update in my garage. Everything seems good. light is flashing green now.

 

[wfopete]

MX1AEXPA00240
19" Rear wheel
Pedal brake
Alpha 80HP model

Picked up 3 Feb 24

Replaced battery April 2024 (took 1 week to arrive).

Phone connectivity issues for updates, one requiring video call to Stark to "Force the Update" and resolve.

Crossed thread chain adjuster

Good customer support overall. Happy Stark owner/customer.

 

[UKLee]

Another problem phone will not connect to the bike, no use like that. My lad did the first 15 minute practice session on a sandy track from full charge and it was down to 31% even with a short red flag period, put it on charge but then the display went off tried everything but the phone would not connect to the bike so yet again we had to put it back in the van and bring out one of our yamahas, its every time we take it out there is one issue or another.
Good news is the charging is back up to 3.3 kw so don't know what was going on last time.

 

[LTJ]

Another problem phone will not connect to the bike, no use like that. My lad did the first 15 minute practice session on a sandy track from full charge and it was down to 31% even with a short red flag period, put it on charge but then the display went off tried everything but the phone would not connect to the bike so yet again we had to put it back in the van and bring out one of our yamahas, its every time we take it out there is one issue or another.
Good news is the charging is back up to 3.3 kw so don't know what was going on last time.

Not sure if this will solve your problem, but when my phone has issues connecting with the bike, I reset the phone (hold off button for a while to re-start) and completely shut down the bike (press both silver buttons for a few seconds until the light stops blinking). Once I re-start the phone and bike, it will connect.

 

[UKLee]

Not sure if this will solve your problem, but when my phone has issues connecting with the bike, I reset the phone (hold off button for a while to re-start) and completely shut down the bike (press both silver buttons for a few seconds until the light stops blinking). Once I re-start the phone and bike, it will connect.

Thanks for that but we tried it no luck,
I have done this sam thing…….

“ Hello, I am Sam, what can I help you with today?

Phone not connecting with the bike

If your Stark phone is not connecting with your VARG, please follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Ensure Compatibility: Only the Stark phone can connect with your VARG. No other devices can connect.
2. Update the VARG App: Make sure you have the latest version of the VARG app installed. You can check for updates in the Google Play Store. If an update is available, click "Update." If no update button is available, the app is up to date.
3. Correct Login: Ensure you have logged into the VARG app with the correct Stark user email. Only the Stark user registered with the VIN will be able to connect.
4. Location Services and Permissions: Ensure that location services and permissions are correctly activated on your Stark phone. Go to App Info for the VARG app and ensure "Files and media" and "Location" are allowed.
5. Restart Devices: Try restarting your Stark phone and perform a hard shutdown of the VARG. A tutorial video for hard shutdown is available here.
6. Re-attempt Connection: Turn your bike ON and attempt to pair once again.

If the issue persists after following these steps, please contact us here for further assistance.”

Also no luck with that, messaged stark strongly worded and they got back to me first thing monday morning asking is the phone charging when docked and bike is on, I checked and it is not. Stark say it Seems like the wireless charging assembly is faulty, that also emits the bluetooth signal for the phone so they are sending me a new one.

As I say it was a sand track which is going to drain the battery more than most conditions but at the rate we were on 15 minutes in each hour we would have been getting in to limp mode in the third session or even the second even with full speed 3.3kw charging and he was in the slower adult class.
Battery range has always been the big concern but what we are seeing (backed up by others) is far worse than I feared.

 

[chrismx72]

Update,

Battery number 3 now in bike. Bike running well.

I am getting a small squealing noise when the motor gets hot under load after about 50mins of riding, im not going to look into this, im a combustion engine rider by heart and the silence when riding still messes my head a bit so i think its me hearing things.

Back and fourth emails with UK country manager and had no luck with part ex or even any good will gestures.

Local dealer to me has said he would part ex the bike but is offering peanuts for it so iv had to advertise the bike privately.

Im due to deliver my bike tomorrow to a potential buyer, iv paid for a deposit on a new varg E today.

Paid £11k for my original Varg
Sold for £9500
lost £1500
New bike is £12,290
with all the problems iv encountered over the last year its cost me £2790 to own the bike, sell it and buy a new one.

Very frustrating but i just really really enjoy riding it and now i have a varg Enduro on order it means ill get alot more use out of it , going to work and green laning in the winter.

 

[UKLee]

Update,

Battery number 3 now in bike. Bike running well.

I am getting a small squealing noise when the motor gets hot under load after about 50mins of riding, im not going to look into this, im a combustion engine rider by heart and the silence when riding still messes my head a bit so i think its me hearing things.

Back and fourth emails with UK country manager and had no luck with part ex or even any good will gestures.

Local dealer to me has said he would part ex the bike but is offering peanuts for it so iv had to advertise the bike privately.

Im due to deliver my bike tomorrow to a potential buyer, iv paid for a deposit on a new varg E today.

Paid £11k for my original Varg
Sold for £9500
lost £1500
New bike is £12,290
with all the problems iv encountered over the last year its cost me £2790 to own the bike, sell it and buy a new one.

Very frustrating but i just really really enjoy riding it and now i have a varg Enduro on order it means ill get alot more use out of it , going to work and green laning in the winter.

You got £9500 For it ! Did well there get a new 80hp now for £9399. Hope your EX is better.

 

[isitpete]

New Alpha Varg. Just took delivery, I assembled and tested all the operations. The bike updated, led turned red and nothing would work. Shut down bike now it seems bricked. I press the start button and the red led comes on, I release the start button and the red led shuts off. No phone connection, no start, no charge, just dead. I'm on day 4 waiting for a response from Varg. Anybody experience this?