Stark Varg DIY Trailside Repairs

[leadingedge]

Edit: I'm adding a Stark specific Trailside list in post #1 here from tips and experienced issues mentioned in this thread :

1 - If you can afford it, buy a spare Control Switch and spare Throttle for your toolkit. Both these items could possibly leave your Stark unusable after a fall if one of them is badly damaged.

2 - Carry a chain breaker or use a master link chain - Pushing a Stark has a lot of resistance, almost like pushing a gas bike in gear using the clutch. If not, then some tools to move the rear wheel out of the way to get the chain off of the sprocket - even if you run bib mousse.

3 - Have a thin pick (like a paperclip) available for picking debris out of the Control switch if needed. Debris / mud after a fall often seizes up the control switch buttons.


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I was thinking about this the other day, and I reckon it's necessary for us to have a good in-field "MacGyver" repair thread for Stark Vargs.

If anyone has any insight and trailside repair stories with solutions, please post them here.

As an example, one possible trailside repair I was thinking of:

Control switch failure - how to try get a EX, MX and SM switched on and select a mode (by just using the wires of the switch) when the switch is busted.

Please add ideas and trailside repair solutions to this thread.

 

[Katoom]

bubble gum, wrappers and paper clips at the ready..............

 

[drehwurm68]

how to try get a EX, MX and SM switched on and select a mode (by just using the wires of the switch) when the switch is busted.

You need to learn CAN Bus code, just like the morse code, and then "talk" to the VCU using the CAN low and high wire

Seriously, if you break the control switch your only chance is a spare one - plain and simple.

Michael

 

[leadingedge]

Seriously, if you break the control switch your only chance is a spare one - plain and simple.

Good to know, I was hoping that the wiring would be such to allow selection of a mode by shorting and opening one of the circuits.

The control switch module itself is no more than just switches as far as I can tell (I could be wrong) Does it not purely send an on/off switching signal for each button via the control wiring?

 

[drehwurm68]

The control switch module itself is no more than just switches as far as I can tell (I could be wrong)

You are wrong. There is actually two separate circuits in there - the on/off button is a simple switch with separate wires that is independent from the rest of the other buttons which will trigger CAN bus messages sent by a separate CAN bus controller inside the switch. That CAN bus controller will also operate the LED according to the CAN bus messages received from the VCU.

Michael

 

[Chaconne]

Either carry a chain breaker or add a master link to the continuous chain (I have mentioned this elsewhere). Pushing a Stark is like trying to push a gas bike in gear using the clutch. It is not easy. Even a 1/2 mile to a clearing in the gnarl can be a lot of work. Some people have suggested having enough tools to slip the chain off the sprocket that may be possible but that won't be much fun either.

It probably isn't that important if you ride on an enclosed track but out in the open gnarl pushing a good ways on your own is sometimes required.

 

[Chaconne]

bubble gum, wrappers and paper clips at the ready..............

A paper clip or a piece of wire or a pick can be a lifesaver if you drop your Stark in mud or soft soil. If the switches on the bars get submerged in mud or dirt the debris can cause the switch to fail and leave you stranded.

Made the mistake of a "quick short ride" without a toolkit and sure as shit had a get off in the deep mud --bars went far in with so much suction that it was tough even getting the bike upright. Once upright, no start the bike would default into SW update mode only. I had to work the bike out of the shit without power then use twigs and thorns to try to clean enough out of the switches to get out. So ya paper clip in the kit..

 

[Chaconne]

You are wrong. There is actually two separate circuits in there - the on/off button is a simple switch with separate wires that is independent from the rest of the other buttons which will trigger CAN bus messages sent by a separate CAN bus controller inside the switch. That CAN bus controller will also operate the LED according to the CAN bus messages received from the VCU.

Michael

I wish they would change the design of that button system. I have a 1.0 but it seems like a similar button system on all the models. They are not robust in the elements. My 2014 WR 450 has more robust sealing on its buttons. A well done rubber boot would be a big improvement.

Some people have suggested latex protectors but I haven't found them to be that good. I guess for riders on the track or street it isn't as important but with the EX I expected a more robust system given the typical use cases but that doesn't seem to have made the design updates.

 

[leadingedge]

Good points @Chaconne . I'll start making a list in post #1 of this thread.

 

[drehwurm68]

If the switches on the bars get submerged in mud or dirt the debris can cause the switch to fail and leave you stranded.

In that case it is a good idea to have a small Torx (I think T10) with you to be able to open the housing of the switch. Usually it is not the electronics that get damaged, but the buttons stuck by tiny dirt particles. Once you open the housing it is very easy to clean the sealing membrane and buttons; just don't loose the screws!

Michael

 

[Theo]

2 - Carry a chain breaker or use a master link chain - Pushing a Stark has a lot of resistance, almost like pushing a gas bike in gear using the clutch.

Some people reported success simply removing the rear wheel to then get the chain off of the rear sprocket and then reinstall the wheel: at that point you can push the bike without winning the drag from the motor.