Dirt Bike Channel Podcast

Support DBC when buying all your parts, gear, and tires- 

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Here is the long version of the review of the Stark Varg MX bike.  

Good

• It's really great on the MX track - Love how smooth the power is and how easy it is to ride there.  
• It's so great that you can dial in the exact amount of power that you want. That is a game changer
• High-speed hill climb bike - it's amazing (not great slow speeds)
• Love that you are always in the right "gear" because there are no gears.  Always right in the power 
• Fastest bike I've ever been on  - and it's stable at speed - it feels really planted
• The range on the bike has gotten better with updates
• Over-the-air updates are cool; got reverse and forward crawl modes - 
• Brakes are great
• Forks are great for desert and MX tracks

Bad

• Feels heavy when you have to lift the bike - both off-ground and on stands
• Worst traction on loose, slow climbs - not great in the tight single-track
• Really sucks the power fast as the track gets lines into it 
• The range for single-track
• No Clutch
• The kickstand is annoying. 
• The charging cable is too short.

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Let's have a chat about maintenance items.  Nobody tells you that if you want to ride dirt bikes you need to also become a mechanic at at least some level, but it's true.  The more things you can do at home in your garage, the more you will ride, the more money you will save, and the better your overall experience is going to be.  But there are some things that I won't (or just don't often) do at home.  Hope you enjoy. 

All your parts, gear, and tires- 

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

BEST Ramp EVER!

https://stepramp.com/

Use my referral code on checkout to support me "KYLE"

While they don't give discounts, it will help support DBC and keep these videos coming. 

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/?tag=dirtbikechann-20&linkCode=ur1

https://dirtbikechannel.com

Support the show

Want to win one of the two bikes I'm giving away?? It's the March 2024 DBC sweepstakes, so make sure to visit my website and get entered!

https://dirtbikechannel.com/

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Hey, if you want some other content from and you don't mind that it's not about dirt bikes, you might want to check this podcast out!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-dates-later-podcast/id1727955511
https://threedateslater.com/

Support the show

Want to win one of the two bikes I'm giving away?? It's the March 2024 DBC sweepstakes, so make sure to visit my website and get entered!

https://dirtbikechannel.com/

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Time to talk about what I learned on the first ride with the Stark Varg.  It's been a long time coming and now I've got some things to share with you!  Let's go!

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Here is another Project I'm working on, but keep in mind this one is TOTALLY different content, and isn't as family friendly as DBC....
https://threedateslater.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-dates-later/id1727955511

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Thank you so much to Yamaha for inviting me and my son Konnor out to South Carolina for the press event they put on for the YZ450FX, YZ250X, and YZ125X.  What follows is more the experience we had and my thoughts on Yamaha and these bikes in general.  Hope you like it!

Want to win one of the two bikes I'm giving away?? It's the March 2024 DBC sweepstakes, so make sure to visit my website and get entered!

https://dirtbikechannel.com/

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Another Project I'm working on, but keep in mind this one is TOTALLY different content, and isn't as family friendly as DBC....
https://threedateslater.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-dates-later/id1727955511

Support the show

Lets talk for a second about how I came to own a Stark Varg and what my thoughts are taking it out of the box.

Want to win one of the two bikes I'm giving away?? It's the March 2024 DBC sweepstakes, so make sure to visit my website and get entered!

https://dirtbikechannel.com/

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Support the show

Visit my website for a chance to win either my 2024 KTM 300 XC-W HardEnduro or the 2024 KTM 300 XC before the end of December 2023
https://dirtbikechannel.com/

Order your Parts from this link to support DBC!
https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

In this podcast we talk about many of the "hits" and "misses" on the 2024 model year of the XC-W and the XC from KTM.  Hope you enjoy!

Support the show

Order your Parts from this link to support DBC!

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Let's spend a few minutes chatting about the KTM TBI motors and how we got here.  Spoiler alert... they are pretty great. 

BEST Ramp EVER!

https://stepramp.com/

Use my referral code on checkout to support me "KYLE"

While they don't give discounts, it will help support DBC and keep these podcasts
 coming. 

I Give Dirt Bikes Away!  See past winners here - 

https://dirtbikechannel.com/pages/past-dirt-bike-winners

Support the show

Order your Parts from this link to support DBC!

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/l/Dirt-Bike-Channel?ref=1017

Ben Burr (Executive Director for Blue Ribbon Coalition) and I talk about the BLM's proposal to sell conservations leases to the highest bidders.  This is bad news for everyone in the USA and needs our attention.  

Three actions we can help with:

1 - Contact the BLM before June 20th

2 - Contact Member of Congress 

3 - Sign the Letter 

https://www.sharetrails.org/withdraw-the-rule/

https://www.sharetrails.org/add-your-organization-to-our-letter-opposing-the-bureau-of-land-management-conservation-rule/

https://www.sharetrails.org/blm-proposed-rule-to-sell-public-land-to-highest-bidder/#/112/

Make sure to visit https://dirtbikechannel.com  in June 2023 to get entered to win my dirt bikes!

Support the show

Order your Parts from this link to support DBC!

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/?ref=1017

Here is my website.  You should check it out!

https://dirtbikechannel.com/

Not many of these things around. Maybe only 500 or so in the USA each year spread across the entire model range.  I'd never seen one in person before getting mine

Hand built and you can see they are just a little different than the more mainstream, mass produced bikes.  I'll tell you what this bike mostly resembles at the end of the podcast here.  Stay tuned for that.

Support DBC by using the links on my website for Rocky Mountain ATV 

This is a sweepstakes bike for June 

I weighed mine at 245 lbs full of fuel.  It came with a rad fan installed and a skid plate, but it didn't cover the linkage.  It also had Estart and the kickstart.  Had hand guards too  That is 6 lbs heavier than my 23 KTM 300 XC, but still pretty darn close.  It's basically identical in weight to my 22 GasGas EC300

Power valve is a little weird since it resets and has to go through it's calibration process each time the bike is started.  The dealer mitigated this for me by installing an arming switch which essentially keeps the power on the bike so that it doesn't know it's shut off.  I can then use this to keep the bike from cycling the power valve calibration each time.

Right off the bat I could tell that the forks and shock are a little stiff for hard enduro or slower riding.  My first and only ride so far was on some pretty rocky terrain.  I was bouncing all over the place.  Removed all clicks and was better, but still not great.  Why do all the bike makers assume we are hard charging racers?

The bike seems fairly front end biased.  Lots of front end traction, but maybe has a tendency to knife the front end down if you arne't careful.  Kinda like the rear end is pretty tall.  Feels more like a single track/hard enduro bike, than a desert machine.  Feels shorter front to back than some of the other bikes I've had recently like the  YZ450FX and the KTM 250 XC

Foot pegs come out flat... makes it easier for my feel to slip off the pegs

Motor is crazy powerful.  Very snappy.  Easy to lift the front wheel off the ground.  Starts really quickly.  I need to adjust my idle up.  Vibrations still there

Brembo brakes, but my front brake needed to be bled out.  I didn't notice it until the night before I went to ride it.  Wasn't great on the trail and I have since bled the air out of the line to make it better for my next ride.

Plastics are a little sharp in places like on the rear fender.  I've nearly cut my hands a couple of times lifting the bike on an off stands.  Seems a little more brittle of a plastic than some of the bikes from what I've seen so far. 

Hands and feet feel close together and the triple clamps don't allow for multiple bar positions.  Maybe you can order it with different triple clamps, but mine did'n't come that way. 

Feels and awful lot like a Sherco 300SE.  Like crazy. there I said it

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