Post Your ***STOCK*** Stark Varg Suspension Clicker Settings!

[Philip]

Post Your ***STOCK*** Stark Varg Suspension Clicker Settings in this thread!

I got my Stark over a month ago. The dealer or the factory had a few clickers slightly off, and I so wasted a few practices figuring stuff out. Eventually, I set the clickers to the factory default, but I still hated the Stark. I missed the confidence and predictability that I had on my Alta. I was at a point when I was regretting not bringing the Alta to the track too. Riding the Stark was not fun.

I recently expressed hope that since the stock Stark suspension has plenty of clicker adjusters (4 in the rear!) with some clicker tuning the suspension can be made rideable. I was right!!

Last week, @DonCox and I went to Glen Helen. There, @Bob Casper and his son Casey, who is a pro and a magazine test rider, watched me ride the Vet track, then checked and set my suspension ride heights and clickers.

OMG! My stock Stark with its original wooden suspension that had no feel/give/traction turned into a tame, soft, easy-to-ride, vet-friendly, and fun toy.

Rider	Weight	Skill Level	Primary Riding
Philip	195 w/o gear, 225 with gear	Intermediate	Motocross
FRONT Suspension	Factory Default for 90/95 kg	Philip's Settings (by Casey Casper)	Delta from Factory
Top Clickers - Comp Low	10	17/18	+7.5
Bottom Clickers - Reb Low	12	14/14	+2
Fork legs above the triple clamp	2.5mm	5mm	+2.5mm
Front tire	Pirelli	Bridgestone X31 @12psi
REAR Suspension
Silver - Comp Low	12	16	+4
Blue - Comp High	14	12	-2
Red - Reb Low	10	10
Bottom - Reb High	15	15
Rear Sag	105	105
Rear tire	Pirelli	Bridgestone X30 @11psi

Feedback:
A HUGE improvement over stock.
Great front and rear traction. I can run tighter off-camber lines around the track.
Predictable understeer in corners. Easy to follow berms. Easy to turn tighter with brakes.
Leaning the bike into the turn immediately sends the rear tire into a slow slide and makes the bike turn.
Softening the front compression by 1 click makes the bike turn easier. Stiffening by 1 click adds high-speed stability.
The front still sits a bit high. The handlebar still feels too far back and has a wrong bend.
The bike feels very soft and too nice. I might need stiffer springs, LOL!

Here are the factory suspension settings for your reference:

Stark Varg Factory Suspension Default Settings

I got this from Stark support.

electricdirtriders.com

 

[Philip]

It's worth saying, the clicks are counted as the "number of full clicks out".
Screw the clicker adjuster all the way in without forcing it.
Then back out until you hear a click.
Do not count this click, this is your "click zero".
I count only FULL CLICKS from there on.

 

[Hoodsmoto]

I signed up just to say these setting changes made a drastic improvement on my Varg. Thanks for sharing!

 

[PsychoBunny]

I’m using the stock settings but I am just riding dirt trails with zero airtime so far,

Only have 150 miles on it but the suspension feels better. Any recommendations for dirt trail riding?

 

[fully]

I ended up getting 80-85kg rating to get the spring down for trail riding softness. I weigh 89kg plus gear.
The bike is incredible in sandy and hard whoops hitting the front wheel on the peaks or jumping from one to another sometimes.

A think it's a bit too hard still everywhere else but I'm coming off a 2021 Te250i. Apparently they are soft stock.

Following for trail riding clicker advice.

Thanks

 

[mbw479]

I ended up getting 80-85kg rating to get the spring down for trail riding softness. I weigh 89kg plus gear.
The bike is incredible in sandy and hard whoops hitting the front wheel on the peaks or jumping from one to another sometimes.

A think it's a bit too hard still everywhere else but I'm coming off a 2021 Te250i. Apparently they are soft stock.

Following for trail riding clicker advice.

Thanks

I did similar, I asked for 85kg suspension even though I'm 95kg (I ride mostly enduro). However, I still got the 5.0n fork springs. I have just had the fork and shock revalved, the valving was a big contributor to the stiffness, the valving alone has made a much smoother ride.

 

[fully]

I believe you have to specify 80-85kg to get the softer spring.
85kg you get the 85-90 harder spring that is on the higher weights

 

[Happy Track MX]

Thanks Phillip! I'm your exact same weight and skill level, I can't wait to try these settings but I'll wait for the weather to cool down. I'll let you know.

 

[Travelingmike]

Funny , I spent a day and came up with very similar clicker adjustments. First ride my neck hurt from the jarring landings . Clickers and couple days much better ride. Springs to my weight as ordered with bike. I thought that I would have to valve the bike as I have previous bikes- KYB yz450. I honestly think no valving changes necessary on the moto track- at this point- still getting feel for the bike.

 

[jswr450]

Just got my bike dialed in with these settings. Looking forward to testing it....Thank you for sharing the specs.

 

[PaulS]

Signed up to resurrect this thread to say thanks for the starting point (and say hi to @DonCox). I had a couple "family rides" on the Stark early on, but in the last couple weeks I had a couple more spirited runs in Hollister and downhill braking bumps at speed were hard to hold onto. Philip's settings brought that into a window where I'm not counting down the seconds until the bouncing stops. I'll probably fiddle a bit more with the shock settings, but a couple rings around Jay's Way and Peats Path even in their current whooped state are plenty bearable now, if you're in a proper riding position. As a side effect, loosening up the front end causes the bike to more naturally pop over big rollers like Lake Rd instead of trending towards tail-high nose dives. Plenty worth the minor loss of corner exit stability if you're ham-fisted on the throttle.

 

[DonCox]

Signed up to resurrect this thread to say thanks for the starting point (and say hi to @DonCox). I had a couple "family rides" on the Stark early on, but in the last couple weeks I had a couple more spirited runs in Hollister and downhill braking bumps at speed were hard to hold onto. Philip's settings brought that into a window where I'm not counting down the seconds until the bouncing stops. I'll probably fiddle a bit more with the shock settings, but a couple rings around Jay's Way and Peats Path even in their current whooped state are plenty bearable now, if you're in a proper riding position. As a side effect, loosening up the front end causes the bike to more naturally pop over big rollers like Lake Rd instead of trending towards tail-high nose dives. Plenty worth the minor loss of corner exit stability if you're ham-fisted on the throttle.

Hello Paul. Are you enjoying the new Stark. Steve Agular got his new Stark also. Ron Shuler at ESR did some really good stuff on his suspension, give Steve a call or get in touch with Ron at ESR fuellerr@aol.com 760 9818802

 

[PaulS]

Hello Paul. Are you enjoying the new Stark. Steve Agular got his new Stark also. Ron Shuler at ESR did some really good stuff on his suspension, give Steve a call or get in touch with Ron at ESR fuellerr@aol.com

Thanks, Don. The bike's good. The learning curve is not as steep as I would have expected, and there's still some adjustment both I and the bike need to do, but we're becoming fast friends. I think I want to get a bit further along on this curve before I do a full re-valve. Right now I feel like it's probably within the range of the settings to get something that's super usable, and I want to see how it responds to the seasons changing (and a couple more types of terrain) before I commit to a real directional change on the character. Thanks for the info though!