2025 Stark Varg SM Review – First Ride

What is the first thing that pops into a North American motorcyclist’s mind when tossing around the idea of an electric bike? Is it instantaneous performance? Massive torque? Trouble-free, low-maintenance lifestyles? No, sir or madam, the great EV range boogeyman sits in the front of our Stateside minds! But what happens when you apply the benefits of electric powertrains to a class of motorcycle unconcerned with racking up mileage? Well, gather ’round, children, and let me spin a yarn about the absurdly powerful Stark Varg SM — a fast-attack supermoto designed for rapid urban bursts of curb jumping, wheelie-induced maniacal behavior. You know, all the stuff supermotos are good at.

The Stark Varg SM is the street-focused evolution of the Varg EX dual-sport that debuted earlier this year, sharing core components such as the same motor, battery, frame, and swingarm. In its transition from dirt to tarmac, the Spanish-built supermoto has kept much of the EX’s lightweight, minimalist DNA, walking a short engineering path from dual-sport to supermoto by outfitting the SM with streetwise components. That short, but not less important, list includes tubeless 17-inch wire-spoke Alpina wheels, a superbike-spec Brembo Stylema caliper and larger 320mm rotor, as well as a mildly rejiggered fork. The result is a bike that remains at a light 275 pounds while converting electrons into thrilling momentum posthaste.

Oh, and it’s pure supermoto, friends. Homologating it as a dual-sport in Europe has allowed the SM to skirt Euro 5+ rider aid requirements, meaning there’s no ABS, no traction control, or an electronic nanny preventing you from acting a fool. That could be a positive or negative, depending on your disposition.

At the SM’s core is a 7.2kWh lithium-ion battery, now shared across all Stark Future models and used as a stressed member within the steel backbone frame. Stark developed the power unit in-house, pairing it to a water-cooled motor to unleash ridiculous levels of performance that are worthy of a spec-sheet double take. Starting at $12,999, the Stark Varg SM promises a claimed 60 horsepower and cited at the rear wheel, specifically, is an eyebrow-raising 674 lb.-ft. of torque. For the true hooligans, Stark offers its “Alpha” mode ($1,000), which bumps things up 20 ponies to 80 peak horsepower with the same absurd torque figures.

Figures like that will stop any wheelie-fiending supermoto rider in their tracks, and they certainly aren’t a typo, but they require a little explanation: The motor itself measures 66 lb.-ft. from its output shaft. That’s a respectable figure as it stands, especially when applied to a lightweight bike, but the Varg SM arrives at its triple-digit torque figure by the mathematical magic of multiplying its output-shaft measurement against the final gearing (15/47) and rear-wheel diameter.

Mapping can be tailored through the Stark app to customize power output and regenerative braking levels, while Pro subscribers (€12.99 per month) can fully manipulate torque curves. After all, that’s a benefit of electric motors — you can essentially make them behave any way you want. Owners can fine-tune their machines with five ride modes, adjusting peak horsepower from 10 to 80, in addition to regenerative braking, which ranges from 0% to 100%. There’s no transmission either. Twist the grip and off you go, enjoying ultra-linear acceleration with boatloads of torque.

Beginning our Barcelona-based street ride, we set up modes to incrementally move through the ranks from a reasonable 40 hp to a decidedly unreasonable 80 hp, all while using the default regenerative braking settings. It’s as approachable as the soft and fluffy Suzuki DR-Z4SM in lower power settings, weaving through traffic while conserving battery life. Nudging the slider toward 60 hp seems to be the Varg SM’s sweet spot: It packs serious punch, practically leaping off apexes and delivering torque that ICE bikes could only dream of right out of the gate. In fact, it has all the intensity of the competition-grade KTM 450 SMR in that state. On the street-legal side, you’d be looking at Ducati’s Hypermotard 698 or KTM’s 690 SMC R, though in a much lighter package. Sure, range starts to take a hit, but save the battery for cool parts of your ride.

Naturally, that brings us to the wholly impractical 80 hp setting, which demands respect — mainly through intimidation. If you’re not ready for it, whacking the throttle open hard at 65 mph will see the SM lunge forward cartoonishly, as if the Varg SM is going to leave the rider behind, floating above the ground in Wile E. Coyote fashion. The front wheel has a difficult time staying put, making it more a show of EV force than anything practical, mainly because it depletes the battery charge rapidly. But if nothing else, it’s an easy way to discover the 90-ish mph governor.

Range is cited at 53 highway or 73 combined city/highway miles. Be it ICE or EV, your mileage may vary, but the figures do seem plausible with a measured throttle hand. Our first day consisted of a 54-mile canyon loop that included photo passes, which saw me roll back into the Stark offices with single digits of battery life on the display. Our second day included a 44-mile urban loop, where wild oats were sown, though varying power modes and paces only used about 75% of battery life. On that note, charge times are said to take 3.5 hours when using the stand-alone 3.3kWh “backpack” charger on a standard North American 120-volt AC outlet. Level 2 charging is also compatible, but the cute little charging brick needs to be carried on your person or stowed away at your destination.

Fiddling with regenerative braking settings will have an impact on battery life as well as overall feel. Turn it down low to get a freewheeling two-stroke sensation when rolling into a corner, or crank it up to mimic the most oversquare V-Twin you’ve ever witnessed. My only hang-up is that regen braking can be inconsistent when carrying lots of roll speed into a corner at faster paces, simply because the controller is metering voltage being fed back into the battery. Exceeding those voltage limits means a sudden loss in what’s effectively engine braking, which creates inconsistency when barreling into a curve.

Keeping everything pointed in the right direction is its steel backbone frame and forged-aluminum subframe, though with a few SM-specific modifications. Mostly, mild changes apply to the fully adjustable 48mm closed-cartridge KYB fork that’s held in place via wider triple clamps with a shorter 16mm offset, leaning into what promises to be incredibly lively handling. Though, widening triples do limit lock-to-lock steering, making u-turns wider than what most supermotos would offer. The fork lowers are also new, fudging the trail numbers a scooch, though their main purpose is to accept a now radially mounted four-piston caliper. Meanwhile, the shock carries right over.

Coming in well below the 300-pound mark, the SM is as light, whippy, and maneuverable as you’d hope it to be. A little input through the wide motocross handlebars goes a long way, making it snap into corners whether you’re adopting a knee-down or leg-out riding style. The exceedingly narrow MX seat offers nothing in terms of comfort during seated road rides, but that’s an aspect riders will look past because it’s a true-blue, playful supermoto with inherently forgiving handling. A front end that never quits on you is encouraging, and so is its ability to correct lines, giving it a “can do” attitude in any environment.

There’s an abundance of feedback through the SM, arguably a bit too much, with our preproduction units running the stiffest “hard” springs at either end. Owners will be able to pick “medium” or “soft” options during point of sale. Same goes for tires, which saw the sportiest Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV spooned on the 17-inch wheels that still managed to achieve decent grip in the wet. That’s saying a lot, as the complete lack of rider aids does raise eyebrows in those situations, but if the chassis makes traction happen, there’s just nothing beyond that to save your bacon. So act accordingly.

Massive ground clearance is on hand for curb launches or urban off-roading by way of adhering to Euro 5+ dual-sport height regulations. There is some give and take there with Stark’s under-the-radar homologation approach, as it also means that its center of gravity sits quite high when viewed through an SM lens. The fork’s suspension travel is about the same as the EX’s, only about a half-inch shorter than the off-road bike, while the shock is identical. For context, the track-only KTM 450 SMR shaves over two inches of travel from its boingy bits in comparison to the 450 SX-F. Arguably, lowering it would tease out additional stability, and as a road or kart track machine, that’s a welcome trade.

Bringing the lively Varg SM to heel is the beefy, street-aimed braking hardware that hooks up to a Brembo 18x21 master cylinder, where expectations do fall short in terms of feel as well as stopping power. There’s precious little lever sweep before abrupt engagement. Those feelings don’t translate to the SM’s aft, as the rear handbrake takes the place of where a clutch would normally sit — remember, this is direct drive! And it’s nothing short of awesome. Managing brake pressure is much more precise when done via your sensitive digits instead of a boot-covered foot. That said, Stark Varg SMs landing on American shores will have the foot brake installed per DOT compliance, though the handbrake will ship with it. The same can be said of the EU-spec blinkers shown in the images here.

Battery technology is what it currently is, which leaves long-distance riding or touring out of the question. It isn’t built for endless highway miles or cross-country endurance. Range anxiety wins in that specific debate. But the Stark Varg SM doesn’t have performance anxiety — not in the least — and it does so while championing every ridiculous, fun-loving aspect of supermoto in an authentic way. So if you happen to live near a canyon, kart track, or simply want your commute to be far more exciting, then this might be a glimpse into your future.

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