Stark Suggestions

[TechZoo]

While this bike is in a spotlight, Stark Future may listen to some user input.
-A companion app like tesla uses would be nice. Mainly to keep tabs on the battery and set it to full charge remotely when getting ready. Also review rides, stats, and upload routes when the trails feature gets turned on.
-A DC source from the control unit would be useful. A light is nice for dusk but also helps alert oncoming traffic when ripping through the woods.
-The kickstand needs a little geometry fix.
-The rear shock is way too stiff out of the box.
-It could use a higher regen level. I know if the battery is full, it would have to be reduced but having a little more engine braking would be useful and extend the range.

Overall, it's super cool! I can rip my back yard, and no one hears me!

 

[mbw479]

While this bike is in a spotlight, Stark Future may listen to some user input.
-A companion app like tesla uses would be nice. Mainly to keep tabs on the battery and set it to full charge remotely when getting ready. Also review rides, stats, and upload routes when the trails feature gets turned on.
-A DC source from the control unit would be useful. A light is nice for dusk but also helps alert oncoming traffic when ripping through the woods.
-The kickstand needs a little geometry fix.
-The rear shock is way too stiff out of the box.
-It could use a higher regen level. I know if the battery is full, it would have to be reduced but having a little more engine braking would be useful and extend the range.

Overall, it's super cool! I can rip my back yard, and no one hears me!

All points would be nice.

This one would be great "-It could use a higher regen level. I know if the battery is full, it would have to be reduced but having a little more engine braking would be useful and extend the range." and would save the rear brake when cruising on trails, and would be very handy if you lost the rear brake.

I have broken a right side engine cover from a very small knock that would never damage and ICE bike I have ever owned, this dropped all the oil so luckily I noticed. These need more strength.

They have been making updates/changes/improvements without advertising them. It would be good to see a full list of what these are.

 

[happyinmotion]

-It could use a higher regen level. I know if the battery is full, it would have to be reduced but having a little more engine braking would be useful and extend the range.

In one of Anton's interviews he talked about just having an e-brake for the rear, ie no mechanical brake just braking using the motor regen.

There's advantages and disadvantages to that. On the plus side:
- Less unsprung weight so the rear suspension can work better - I've a Zerode MTB that uses a central gearbox to avoid having a three-quarters of a kilo of cogs on the rear hub and it makes a huge difference to rear tyre grip
- Less parts to fail or wear
- No brake fluid to boil
- Less parts so cheaper to buy

On the down side:
- Needs a dump load for when the battery is full and that will need active cooling
- Mechanical brakes dump their heat into the disc, not the inverter & motor & dump load cooling system, so can brake hard and long without overheating
- More chain wear as braking loads go through the chain
- Different suspension behaviour under braking - it's too early in the morning for me to work out the effect on anti-rise/squat from having braking loads go through the lower half of the chain

Very few EVs have done away with mechanical brakes, even just for rears, so the down side generally outweights the plus side. However, very few EVs have motors that are so over-powered as a Varg. The motor can use the all traction that the rear tyre has on every surface that we ride on during acceleration. That also means that with the direction of torque reversed, that motor can use all the grip available during braking. So I'm thinking that the motor is good enough and the Varg is an ideal EV to introduce a rear e-brake.

That'd save us $500 and a couple of kilos weight.

 

[Theo]

I've seen pictures of ICE custom bikes with rear brake rotors installed on countershafts and I know about ATK dirtbikes using that solution; using only regen braking should feel something similar; never tried one.
Unfortunately the Varg is already so different from ICE bikes that many people are pretty distrustful of it and I suspect that something like not having the rear brake rotor would worsen that problem.

 

[TechZoo]

In one of Anton's interviews he talked about just having an e-brake for the rear, ie no mechanical brake just braking using the motor regen.

There's advantages and disadvantages to that. On the plus side:
- Less unsprung weight so the rear suspension can work better - I've a Zerode MTB that uses a central gearbox to avoid having a three-quarters of a kilo of cogs on the rear hub and it makes a huge difference to rear tyre grip
- Less parts to fail or wear
- No brake fluid to boil
- Less parts so cheaper to buy

On the down side:
- Needs a dump load for when the battery is full and that will need active cooling
- Mechanical brakes dump their heat into the disc, not the inverter & motor & dump load cooling system, so can brake hard and long without overheating
- More chain wear as braking loads go through the chain
- Different suspension behaviour under braking - it's too early in the morning for me to work out the effect on anti-rise/squat from having braking loads go through the lower half of the chain

Very few EVs have done away with mechanical brakes, even just for rears, so the down side generally outweights the plus side. However, very few EVs have motors that are so over-powered as a Varg. The motor can use the all traction that the rear tyre has on every surface that we ride on during acceleration. That also means that with the direction of torque reversed, that motor can use all the grip available during braking. So I'm thinking that the motor is good enough and the Varg is an ideal EV to introduce a rear e-brake.

That'd save us $500 and a couple of kilos weight.

It took me a minute to get use to Tesla single pedal driving. Now it seems natural. I'd like to try it on the Varg. Control regen on rate of throttle return or position. Keep the brakes.

Ether way, left hand rear brake and the shifter delete is a game changing.

 

[mike61]

 

[Foss]

A fuse adapter for both cables off the charger which can be parted at your local auto store. Can’t use the bike if you can’t charge it, right?

We have all seen chargers brick with past issues. The user needs more control with the outcome so we are not SOL for a week. And what if you are out of warranty?? A simple fuse swap out would be nice for surges, low voltage and high.

 

[Chaconne]

Kill switch/button decoupled from the power control switch software. I think this would be good as the bike moves into more trail riding/enduro riding situations. Relying on the power control switch in a stuck throttle situation and other loss of control situations could be dicey. The power control switch becomes especially unreliable with dirt and mud especially after get offs where the bars plunge into soft dirt and mud.

 

[skuikka]

Kill switch/button decoupled from the power control switch software. I think this would be good as the bike moves into more trail riding/enduro riding situations. Relying on the power control switch in a stuck throttle situation and other loss of control situations could be dicey. The power control switch becomes especially unreliable with dirt and mud especially after get offs where the bars plunge into soft dirt and mud.

I've added one to my bike. Just one wire from the throttle going trough a generic dirt bike on/off switch. In hard enduro I sometimes end up just having to bail and I'm getting pretty good at blipping the switch while jumping off. It disables the throttle and red light comes on in the left switch, when I turn it back on, green light comes on and everything works as normal.