I think in MTB it's different. MTBs are purely human power and E-Bikes have motors. Different things equals different competitive categories. All the things regarding laws, trail etiquette etc. are a completely different topic and willbe left out. In moto on the other hand, you already have different categories regarding 250 2-stroke, 250 4-stroke, 450 4-stroke etc. Hence the only sensible thing would be to have a separate E-category. All the things regarding speed of the wheel while jumping etc. could be adjusted. In trials I totally see the usecase. It's small, compact, relatively short events and on world cup levels often indoors. So the fumes are in consideration aswell.
Moto is pretty clearly classified into power output these days (250f's vs 250 2s, 450 is open cc pretty much) anyway. I'd rather let electric race against gas bikes under limited power settings, much like Stark has introduced with their "Race mode". 48hp for 250 class, 60hp for 450 class. Let the best bike win within those rules. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
@@bwhaskell I’d make a own set for it i mean in the end the thing should get more advanced and when it’s competing in a all different area it might not get much better which is to a part what i expect such things do. Plus there is also MotoE already so why not classify as MotoEGP well there aren’t that many manufacturers though or at least nothing prominent.
@platin2148 theres MotoE and FormulaE because electric isn't competitive against MotoGP bikes and Formula 1 cars. In motocross and supercross it's a different story. Electric is competitive and sometimes better in moto.
@@nd4utube There's already batteries twice as dense as the Varg's being used in prototype airplanes. That'd drop the Varg weight to around 200lbs. 100HP 200lb MX bike within 10 years for sure
@@Tazdeviloo7 Oh they're insane! I bought an ERide Pro SS as an urban exploring bike and was going to keep my DRZ400 as my Motocross/Enduro bike. I wound up selling off my DRZ because the ERide just puts it to shame in every department except range.
I'm a Stark Varg and Alta MXR (since 2018) owner, and have owned many gas bikes (125s, 250s, 450s) over the years. I also own acoustic road bike, acoustic mountain bike, and an electric mountain bike. I don't think the comparison between MTB and Moto is apples to apples. In Mountain biking, you're comparing human powered vs electric, and its a clear speed advantage almost everywhere except downhill. With moto, you're comparing two different types of propulsion. For moto i think it should be "let the best bike win". Who cares how the power is produced? Stark is doing it right with their racing mode and limiting power to current 250f (48hp) and 450 (60hp) bikes. When Alta came out, electric bikes in motocross were new and alien and everyone thought the government was forcing them to ride one. But people still kept their gas bikes. Now Stark stepped things up to the next level and people are realizing how awesome electric bikes are for motocross, and i suspect pretty soon you'll be seeing a more even mixture of electric and gas bikes. I ride a lot more now because i can carve turn tracks locally without pissing off neighbors, and i'm faster on the MX track because i make less mistakes and the bike is easier to ride.
i dont get a point 'i am faster'! faster you go, more you get hurt when you crash. 2strokes were slower/harder to ride and racing was more interesting.
Come on people why has this channel only got this amount of subscribers.the sport of MTB needs this channel .growing the sport on many levels .congrats guys keep doing what your doing.need to do a cross over race for some top mtb guys and top mx/enduro guys and do like a multi discipline race we’re they start off on trials the mx bikes and finish racing a downhill or enduro something like that would be so cool
E-motos definitely have their place and they aren't going away. I had an Alta for a few years and that bike had tons of advantages. It was easy to ride (no clutch or shifting), basically zero maintenance, it ran the exact same every single time regardless of temp or elevation, could ride it more places without annoying people. The only downside, for me, is the weight. These bikes are tanks and you definitely feel it. I've certainly had crashes before where my bike followed and clobbered me and I sure as hell don't want tackled by a 270lb dirt bike. Once battery tech improves (and it will) and they can get the weight down to the 220-230 range then it's going to be hard to not buy one. That being said, I was at HighPoint over the weekend to watch the pro national and if all those dudes were on electric bikes that would be so freaking lame. The sound of the motors and the smell of race gas at the races are such a big part of the experience I'm not sure I'd have any desire to go watch in person if that went away. The start of a pro national sounds like the gates of hell are about to open up and that shit gets people pumped. I can't imagine that being dead silent and then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. They're going to eventually let them race at the professional level with the gas bikes and I'm sure all the major OEM's are working on an electric MX bike at this point, but maybe only allow one rider from each team to pilot an electric mx bike so they're mixed in there but not completely taking over.
A lot of people are afraid to say Ebikes are good or if them say no Ebikes are 👎 them could be in danger of not getting a massive sponsorship with BIG MONEY later in the future so all the pro riders are not saying to much lol utmost respect Billy a local lad from up my neck of the woods 👍😎 big up the Geordies 💥
thing thats weird is in 250/450 cc classes there is power restrictions so how does the electric come into it when they can adjust the torque on the fly so in theory it could go like a dam R1 roadbike and handle like a 250cc dirty. would there be a torque/volt limit and that be hard to regulate when it simple button press unlike to say a 250cc with engine mods they can check after race as hard to swap engines in two secconds.
they should have there own category just like F1, at the end of the day you can't race a 250 2t, against a 250 4t, or maybe they could be balanced out with range
There's no way they're not bringing electric dirt bikes with gears and clutches. The trials bikes already have this combo and they ride so close to a petrol bike overall.
@@Ozfreerider_adventures It's not an advantage IMO. Gears allow you to keep the motor in it's most effective range for your desired outcome, it's a significant advantage, even with electric... As is a clutch. Having ridden several electric bikes I've always found myself wanting gears, and having ridden a couple of bikes with gears it's exactly what I was hoping for.
I own several gas bikes and three electric bikes….two of my electric have no gear change but have manual clutch….they are absolutely amazing. Electric Motion is the brand. I also have an electric ktm and just bought another….they are great fun….but I wish it had a manual clutch. I have a stark on order but actually want to wait for a enduro model.
Comparing mountain bikes to E mountain bikes is not the same as dirt bikes . Peddling a bike is a HUGE disadvantage . In dirt bikes you can set equal power
Depends what you're doing to be fair, in down hill mtb an emtb extra weight would be a disadvantage. Similarly with enduro, especially hard enduro they all ride 2 strokes largely due to them being slightly lighter than the 4 strokes so a stark an e mx bike thats considerably heavier would be a disadvantage but not so much in moto cross
In dirt bikes I've ridden/raced a few brands, kawasaki, ktm, husqvarna, yamaha, suzuki more recently triumph and stark many different years, 2 strokes 4 strokes 80, 125, 250, 300, 350, 450 525, 690 and what I'd say for the electric bikes is if you haven't ridden one you shouldn't have formed an opinion about them, thats like saying any brand are no good without ever trying one. Theres just no logic to it. Personally I found the stark incredibly fun to ride, the lack of gears and clutch actually make you focus of body position, braking and power which is very usable but theres absolutely tons of it at any time or speed. I've said before and will again, they cost too much and need to come with 3 batteries you can change in seconds. But that said I see them at the track doing a full day no problem. As for racing, I say chuck them in, if they dominate then what are we all scared of ? Progress ? Quiet tracks ? On that one, I love the noise of a bike however, if electric bikes means 3 times as many tracks competing for my business and cutting the cost to ride then I'll take the future. Its not like they can't make e mx bikes with gears and a clutch if demand was there. On a side note triumph was pretty good, very high reving to get to the power. (I'm not saying bb shouldn't have an opinion. as a husqvarna rider I don't think he can admit to having ridden one but I'd be very surprised if he hasn't)
Electric bike class perhaps. Let consumers decide. The spectacle of Supercross for example may suffer due to lack of noise? We will no doubt see in years ahead.
But the thing is noise is apart of the soul of motorbike racing, I've been at events with e bike racing & mx bikes. The atmosphere is sucked out of the place when the electric bikes are on track, the crowd isn't hyped. In fact I missed the first race because I had no idea it was on while I was in the paddock
Daughter has had an electric trials bike for some years and I have to say it’s brilliant. No mixing fuel, trying to start it, just unplug it and away you go.
There are already batteries starting production at 450-500 Wh per kg, double of what the current density is (twice the ride time/distance as today at current vehicle weights). They should start with separate classes (eg 250/450cc) to develop the technology. Races could use swappable batteries if needed. I see the whole moto industry shifting to e-moto in 5-10 years. Wasn't that long ago 4 strokes started beating 2 strokes, that's a good analogy. Our planet and all living things on it need this change sooner than later.
@@joel387ktm Many of those are used by refineries to produce the gas and diesel as well! And with every new generation of batteries the usage goes down, heck, there are some cobalt free batteries already if thats what you refering to. Tesla has cobalt free batteries out now in some of their vehicles. Not a fan of Tesla my self but thats one example. So maybe you should do research instead of just hating on everything electric. There are batteries in the works right now that will give 2 - 3 times the power out the same size battery. That would mean for example, the Stark Varg would do 2,5 - 3 hours at PRO level on a Motocross track and last an entire day in the woods, meaning a rider in most cases will be wanting to stop before the bike ever do. And people saying batteries will be expensive to replace... well, you are not likely to be replacing them with in 5 - 10 years if not longer, compare that cost to all the cost in engine parts, oil, fuel, pistons, other fluids... Electric bikes can save on brakes too, one thing they might be hard on is the tires, but that can be tuned to be improved. So again, maybe do your own research. I'd be the first to gut the Stark Varg if it was so trash, the only proper bike out there atm on sale that I know of. So far its been very hard to find anyone putting that bike down. Also, Stark Varg will charge on a generator in about 1 hour at 240V. I know some people wanna claim it takes 8 hours to charge and what not...
Until recently, everyone was making fun of the idea of electric bikes as being wimpy/slow. Now, people are complaining that they're unfair. I used to be on a team that built jet-powered dragsters, then we started building an electric landspeed car. I didnt know much about electric motors before that project and was blown away by how much power can be packed into a small package and how customizable the power could be. You dont need the 'save the planet' stuff for electric vehicles to become popular. They have their own set of advantages and disadvantages and the infrastructure for them is coming along. Also, charging an electric bike with a generator is still more efficient than running a gas bike... A generator is much more fuel efficient than a motocross bike and an electric motor will put a lot more of thay energy to the ground than an ICE bike does while losing energy to heat and vibration/sound
In terms of pro. I'm definitely not against them, they deserve a place. Probably not with the petrol engines until we iron out the rules. Would love to see an electric class. From that you would be able to see lap time comparisons, consumer interest, because it will come down to will people pay to watch it or not. As well as how they go with a race day ridden with the type of demands a high level rider would give the bike. Personally I think they could definitely out perform combustion engines, but probably not as interesting to watch. 100% open to taking a look as some bikes in a series along side MXGP or AMA to see if my mind would change
I'm surprised that Billy never rode an E Motobike, like Varg par example. I am sure that a Worldchampion easily can adapt the special features. Throttle/brake control only, lefthandbrake and the special balancing in jumps. He would be surprised how much fun it will be, especially for him as an artist on bikes. No matter which size or engine. At the end everybody is free to decide. Why many are so desinterested or blocking. I do not understand. I had a Varg for 6 months to try! Done! Sold > 2 stroke.
First, Billy is sponsored by Hsq so he can't talk about it. Though pretty sure he hints to have ridden one anyway. Second, the reason some people are disinterested, and I can only give you my own perspective here, is that they just aren't suitable for enduro riding the way we like it, i.e. in a non-park setting where you hop on a bike and go ride for up to a full day. Even with the fake news 6h capacity that Varg advertised I'd come short on some days, and nobody wants to deal with that. It's also worse if you do get stuck without charge in some hole, where with the gas bike you can go on foot or whatever and grab a 0.5 L bottle of petrol to get you out of a pinch, on an e-moto you'd do what, drag a diesel generator into the woods or something? Anyway, I'd personally *love* to have an e-moto for woods riding, as I very much dislike the noise and disturbance we're causing with our current bikes; and I think that part has a chance to preserve our ability to even go ride anymore in the near future. It's just not there yet, not nearly, and it won't be until electric energy storage systems improve, a lot. For park settings, tracks, etc. it's gonna be okay, it's just that I don't have the money for yet another bike for very specific thing :)
@@__kvik I agree with you. That were my experiences with my Varg. Too heavy for an old man. The range was more or less okay, but you have to go not too far or remote places;-) I had a Surron before and I still use and love it because of the agility. 3 or 4 times per week I use it as my training bike instead of running or bicycling. For the rest the Rieju! The upcoming brand!!!
@@shredmas That's right. My friend has one. It runs well, good quality, power and range. 3 years ago only the LightBee was available. It is a class for it's own. Light, handy and powerful. I tuned mine with 72V battery and BAC 4000 cotroller up to 21Kw - a rocket. Manitou fork, Fox rear shock and still light! Offroad range more or less 30 km.
You can really tell how he is prevented from saying what he truly thinks by KTM Group. As he says, it's a lot about politics. He is obviously positive, while KTM Group has done everything to hinder development.
Let the technology take us where it can imo. I just want to watch guys go as fast as possible. Electric bikes will help grow the sport in short course racing like super enduro and motocross but they’re no good for enduro or trail riding generally. Iron horses for courses.
I think they just need to run the Varg right next to top flight motocrossers. No e class. Straight up put em in the nationals and gp's. They will be in the back if they are no good, with no harm no foul. The only reason eF1 exists is cause they don't have the power to compete with F1 engines (yet). But the Varg has enough power to compete at gp level motocross. It just needs a clutch.
I’m all for electric vehicles/bikes as they are fun, easy to use, quiet, and generally less maintenance. I don’t own them to “save the world” that is marketing bs and people need to stop with that narrative on both sides (supporters and haters) as it just shows how surface level you are. Sure in most use cases in the long run they are more eco friendly but I see that as an additional benefit and not the main selling point. For me not paying for fuel and less maintenance/logistics is a huge selling point, you can just take one out for short spin whenever you want. EV are also not for everyone if you travel long distance and go to very remote places than EVs probably won’t suit you, but most normal people don’t travel long distances often and have unlimited time. In the end I wish people can see them coexist together and not have a vs mentally and hate the opposite side.
What do you mean a long time ? They’ve far surpassed combustion already ! It’s pretty evident by how much major brands are shit scared of having them race and beat their combustion bikes . That Tells you all you need to know
It's the same difference when it was 2 stroke vs 4 stoke now it's gas vs electric. Their different they should have been raced different is my personal opinion
I’ve been riding E-Moto since 2016 and can say I love E. my bikes are setup so similar to my ICE bikes apart from the gears. Find riding a e moto far less fatiguing than an ice bike probably can ride either harder or longer on the electric bike over ice
Nobody races an Electric dirt bike to save the planet. Period. It’s still up to the rider to pilot the bike regardless of what powers it. There’s so many advantages to electric dirt bikes over ICE bikes. Until you ride it AND get used to it you just don’t know.
What I find strange is that there isn’t a hybrid. A two stroke that could have some electric power to torque fill whilst aiding range and lowering emissions has to be worth some R&R??
I don’t understand the jumping and pitch thing, my varg is the easiest thing to jump, people need to ride them more before roasting them. The throttle is very controllable not twitchy at all. The bike in the air is so balanced and easy to control. Easiest bike I have ever ridden on a motocross track. Petrol isn’t going anywhere fast it’s just another avenue for people to get out and ride
Electric will never conquer the hard enduro scene. Hard enduro and desert racing will be the last (and insurmountable) frontiers for electric dirt bikes.
@@MarcSherwood weird comment, but I’ll bite; are you projecting? I don’t hold that belief you’re describing. There are very real physical limitations that will restrict electric from overtaking the endurance racing scene. The truth is, EV’s just don’t have the range or run time required to compete in, say, the Baja 1000 or another long distance/time race. It’s hard to imagine much more efficient and powerful energy than 5 gallons of good ol’ gasoline; batteries of that ‘equivalent energy’ size don’t exist at a reasonable enough weight so as to be competitive. There is a limit to battery efficiency, which we’ve basically already reached. That is to say that you can’t just have an incredibly small (lightweight) and extremely long lasting battery in the same item. And sir, that’s okay, because they’ll dominate other avenues of Motorsport racing. This technology certainly can and will still develop, but I don’t ever expect to see electric dirt bikes dominating in endurance format racing, like desert racing or hard enduro. Plus, especially in the case of hard enduro, I don’t believe there is any physical property of electric dirt bikes that matches the utility of a 300 cc two stroke piston that loves to lug. The sheer inertia of the engine, and how that is converted into traction, is truly a thing of physical beauty that I see no comparative advantage to in an electric bike. With that said, however, I’d love to try riding a hard enduro setup electric bike to really feel if this specific hypothesis of mine is right (I own a 300 2stroke and ride/race hard enduro). I am aware of electric trials bikes, which seem to be quite capable. Hard enduro is certainly different though. Anyway cheers
Give it a clutch and a gear system. To where the bike has to switch up a gear for the bike to keep going. That's the biggest difference, the stark will just keep pulling and pulling until it can't and no clutch means cornering is cheating. It's so easy to ride, that's where the playing field needs to be levelled.
Electric moto = indoors/rental bikes Combustion moto = outdoors/more race oriented Both have their places. Ups and downs.. variety is the spice of life. But i will say, riding a combustion motor has a certain feeling it gives you. For motorheads/adrenaline fueled, it touches our souls to control that thump..
There's no controversy in MTB, E-bikers rationalize they get "more" exercise on their e-bike and those of us that don't ride e-bikes couldn't care less.
You can't do zone 2 rides on an mtb and you can't do 5 days a week through the summer. You Absolutely do ride more and do get way more endurance work on an emtb.
I like to play with and fix petrol powered bikes with the biggest shock coming from the spark plug just and i don't need to be a qualified electrician 😂
Mountain bikes are totally different than an e bike.. one has a motor and battery the other doesn't.. more different between them then dirt bikes of gas and E.
Electric bikes will never be a thing for me. I'm old enough. And I am extremely happy for that. I would also never attend a race where it's all electric
Have you considered that he actually has no strong feelings either way? I'm not opposed to electric, I just think it's not there development wise. Should be soon though, I've ridden EM trials bikes they are getting close in feel to a petrol bike and that tech should be in dirt bikes soon enough.
Electric motorsports will need so much oversight. Hidden drives in hubs, components, possible gyros, flywheel possibilities. Not against it just going to need a lot of framework.
As opposed to combustion bikes that have ability to cheat in far more ways . Why would you need oversight for gyro effect and flywheel effect ? That’s like saying there should be oversight of gas bikes to make sure they don’t change their engine braking or power delivery… dumb …..
Should never have allowed 450 4t's race against 250 2t's back in the day. It should have been cc to cc, so electric shouldn't be allowed to compete against ICE bikes.
I refuse to ride by I should say an electric bike electric car I refused to I will work with what’s left of it and I’ll even make my own gas if I have to diesel. And talking about the trials aspect technical riding I just I prefer riding slow going through the trails and racing and I prefer playing around on the obstacles in the trail.
This is the most rediculous conversation. He compares mountain bikers and e bikers. Well one of them is pedalling under their own power 😂 so of course they wouldn't compete. This guy just spent 10 minutes avoiding the fact that gas bikes will not be able to compete with an electric and that could be the end of moto because 85% of fans and riders want an exhaust, the rumble and the noise.
I haven't listened to Bolt speak before. His take on electric bikes is not very informed or thoughtful. I was hoping for better insight from such a well known rider.
I don't understand the cult like hatred around electric vehicles. People who constantly hate on electric vehicles are starting to sound like vegan who constantly hate on meat eaters I drive a manual car but the fact that people are willing to go out of their way to hate something is weird
E racing is a failure ... look at Formula E (e version of Formula 1) and Moto E (e version of MotoGP) ... all the racers are retired racers, zero audience, zero sponsors and they are literally trying to give away tickets and no one cares. Why? The cars, bikes sound like RC toys. They are trying to kill gas powered vehicles to control the population. When they do that all racing will shut down. E racing has zero audience. Also, E racing charging is dangerous ... fast charging led to e bikes catching on fire and burning all of them to the ground.
Like gas vehicles don't catch fire all the time. I am a fan of e MotoGP not everyone likes loud motors. I hate loud anything. But then again I'm 53 now and getting crotchety!
Come on Billy I love you, but tell us they suck and then point out all the facts and bad stuff about making and disposing of the batteries! WAY NOT GOOD for the environment!
Electric power delivery does not compare to the control allowed by expert use of controls ie: clutch & brake work still not great for hard enduro ok for trials
Hahahaha, you think that Trials needs less finesse of clutch and brake? Trials is the development bed for a lot of motorcycle advancement, the electric dirt bikes with clutch and gears are coming off the back of the bikes developed for trials.
@@krazed0451 You misunderstood the point. As BB said & I agreed personally as a trials rider prefer combustion engines 2 or 4 stroke. Demo sherco etrials bike in parking lot in Idaho recently and found power too abrupt not smooth enough. No real flywheel effect either off or on
@@Megahegs So you don't like them as they are not environmentally friendly? After a few hundred thousand KM in EVs, I can't wait for the on demand torque, massive power, and almost no maintenance required. What is it that scares you about them? Do you want to show us on the doll where you've been hurt?
@@MarcSherwoodEvs and E bikes are NOT more environmentally friendly. Best do some research! It’s all propaganda BS. Just another way to help push the BS climate crap. It’s all about money laundering really.
I think in MTB it's different. MTBs are purely human power and E-Bikes have motors. Different things equals different competitive categories. All the things regarding laws, trail etiquette etc. are a completely different topic and willbe left out.
In moto on the other hand, you already have different categories regarding 250 2-stroke, 250 4-stroke, 450 4-stroke etc.
Hence the only sensible thing would be to have a separate E-category.
All the things regarding speed of the wheel while jumping etc. could be adjusted.
In trials I totally see the usecase. It's small, compact, relatively short events and on world cup levels often indoors. So the fumes are in consideration aswell.
Maybe there are multiple of these upcoming from some quite big company in off-road moto.
Moto is pretty clearly classified into power output these days (250f's vs 250 2s, 450 is open cc pretty much) anyway. I'd rather let electric race against gas bikes under limited power settings, much like Stark has introduced with their "Race mode". 48hp for 250 class, 60hp for 450 class. Let the best bike win within those rules. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
@@bwhaskell I’d make a own set for it i mean in the end the thing should get more advanced and when it’s competing in a all different area it might not get much better which is to a part what i expect such things do. Plus there is also MotoE already so why not classify as MotoEGP well there aren’t that many manufacturers though or at least nothing prominent.
@platin2148 theres MotoE and FormulaE because electric isn't competitive against MotoGP bikes and Formula 1 cars. In motocross and supercross it's a different story. Electric is competitive and sometimes better in moto.
I want to see electric vs gas, after a while it probably won’t matter.
I ride my Yz 450 in 3rd gear all the time, maybe 4th
Wide open 3rd gear starts
My 12 year old daughter rides a KX 2 stroke . Glad she can experience this bike before it’s one day obsolete 😔
never be obsolete dont stress
The electric bikes she'll be able to ride will be absolutely insane. More power and lighter than any bike today.
🥲
@@nd4utube There's already batteries twice as dense as the Varg's being used in prototype airplanes. That'd drop the Varg weight to around 200lbs. 100HP 200lb MX bike within 10 years for sure
@@Tazdeviloo7 Oh they're insane! I bought an ERide Pro SS as an urban exploring bike and was going to keep my DRZ400 as my Motocross/Enduro bike. I wound up selling off my DRZ because the ERide just puts it to shame in every department except range.
I'm a Stark Varg and Alta MXR (since 2018) owner, and have owned many gas bikes (125s, 250s, 450s) over the years. I also own acoustic road bike, acoustic mountain bike, and an electric mountain bike. I don't think the comparison between MTB and Moto is apples to apples. In Mountain biking, you're comparing human powered vs electric, and its a clear speed advantage almost everywhere except downhill. With moto, you're comparing two different types of propulsion. For moto i think it should be "let the best bike win". Who cares how the power is produced? Stark is doing it right with their racing mode and limiting power to current 250f (48hp) and 450 (60hp) bikes. When Alta came out, electric bikes in motocross were new and alien and everyone thought the government was forcing them to ride one. But people still kept their gas bikes. Now Stark stepped things up to the next level and people are realizing how awesome electric bikes are for motocross, and i suspect pretty soon you'll be seeing a more even mixture of electric and gas bikes. I ride a lot more now because i can carve turn tracks locally without pissing off neighbors, and i'm faster on the MX track because i make less mistakes and the bike is easier to ride.
But is the Bike easily to Race? I think thats the real question. Until theres 20 Electric bikes at a starting gate we dont know.
i dont get a point 'i am faster'! faster you go, more you get hurt when you crash. 2strokes were slower/harder to ride and racing was more interesting.
@@madMX96 U genious. Yes we love slow races for sure.😅
@@madMX96 you chicken? Than don t do motocross
@@madMX96 I'm faster because i'm more confident and feel safer. Also, fun for me is riding fast.
Come on people why has this channel only got this amount of subscribers.the sport of MTB needs this channel .growing the sport on many levels .congrats guys keep doing what your doing.need to do a cross over race for some top mtb guys and top mx/enduro guys and do like a multi discipline race we’re they start off on trials the mx bikes and finish racing a downhill or enduro something like that would be so cool
Real talk. Thanks for the kind words ♥️
That wasn't a diesel generator if you were in Europe, but even if it were, it would still be more efficient than a car with a petrol engine
It was the cooling system for the power inverter in the charger. They move insane amounts of energy in a really short time and need assisted cooling.
E-motos definitely have their place and they aren't going away. I had an Alta for a few years and that bike had tons of advantages. It was easy to ride (no clutch or shifting), basically zero maintenance, it ran the exact same every single time regardless of temp or elevation, could ride it more places without annoying people. The only downside, for me, is the weight. These bikes are tanks and you definitely feel it. I've certainly had crashes before where my bike followed and clobbered me and I sure as hell don't want tackled by a 270lb dirt bike. Once battery tech improves (and it will) and they can get the weight down to the 220-230 range then it's going to be hard to not buy one. That being said, I was at HighPoint over the weekend to watch the pro national and if all those dudes were on electric bikes that would be so freaking lame. The sound of the motors and the smell of race gas at the races are such a big part of the experience I'm not sure I'd have any desire to go watch in person if that went away. The start of a pro national sounds like the gates of hell are about to open up and that shit gets people pumped. I can't imagine that being dead silent and then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. They're going to eventually let them race at the professional level with the gas bikes and I'm sure all the major OEM's are working on an electric MX bike at this point, but maybe only allow one rider from each team to pilot an electric mx bike so they're mixed in there but not completely taking over.
Got a Sur Ron in my shed ..Love it to bits, but not as much as my Collies
They can’t get enough of the chase ✌️
A lot of people are afraid to say Ebikes are good or if them say no Ebikes are 👎 them could be in danger of not getting a massive sponsorship with BIG MONEY later in the future so all the pro riders are not saying to much lol utmost respect Billy a local lad from up my neck of the woods 👍😎 big up the Geordies 💥
thing thats weird is in 250/450 cc classes there is power restrictions so how does the electric come into it when they can adjust the torque on the fly so in theory it could go like a dam R1 roadbike and handle like a 250cc dirty. would there be a torque/volt limit and that be hard to regulate when it simple button press unlike to say a 250cc with engine mods they can check after race as hard to swap engines in two secconds.
2 strokes forever
If privateers have to race against factory teams, then why should e-moto be banned?
Don't understand why they don't just have a separate class. Makes much more sense.
Big up, thanks for the comment!!
Yeah for the gays
they should have there own category just like F1, at the end of the day you can't race a 250 2t, against a 250 4t, or maybe they could be balanced out with range
I’ll keep my 2 strokes thanks.
There's no way they're not bringing electric dirt bikes with gears and clutches. The trials bikes already have this combo and they ride so close to a petrol bike overall.
Why the hell would you add gears to an electric bike ? It’s literally the biggest advantage they have is NOT having them 🤷♂️
@@Ozfreerider_adventures It's not an advantage IMO. Gears allow you to keep the motor in it's most effective range for your desired outcome, it's a significant advantage, even with electric... As is a clutch. Having ridden several electric bikes I've always found myself wanting gears, and having ridden a couple of bikes with gears it's exactly what I was hoping for.
@@krazed0451gears on an electric vehicle are not an advantage
I own several gas bikes and three electric bikes….two of my electric have no gear change but have manual clutch….they are absolutely amazing. Electric Motion is the brand. I also have an electric ktm and just bought another….they are great fun….but I wish it had a manual clutch. I have a stark on order but actually want to wait for a enduro model.
They already weight a ton, that would add like 15lbs
from the outside, separate classes, you choose which way you want to go. who cares both will be awesome
Comparing mountain bikes to E mountain bikes is not the same as dirt bikes . Peddling a bike is a HUGE disadvantage . In dirt bikes you can set equal power
Depends what you're doing to be fair, in down hill mtb an emtb extra weight would be a disadvantage.
Similarly with enduro, especially hard enduro they all ride 2 strokes largely due to them being slightly lighter than the 4 strokes so a stark an e mx bike thats considerably heavier would be a disadvantage but not so much in moto cross
Billy, i have one thing for you… THEY WILL ALWAYS MAKE GASBIKES/cars! electric wont last..
Been riding electric dirtbikes on hill climbs. Super nice.
In dirt bikes I've ridden/raced a few brands, kawasaki, ktm, husqvarna, yamaha, suzuki more recently triumph and stark many different years, 2 strokes 4 strokes 80, 125, 250, 300, 350, 450 525, 690 and what I'd say for the electric bikes is if you haven't ridden one you shouldn't have formed an opinion about them, thats like saying any brand are no good without ever trying one. Theres just no logic to it.
Personally I found the stark incredibly fun to ride, the lack of gears and clutch actually make you focus of body position, braking and power which is very usable but theres absolutely tons of it at any time or speed.
I've said before and will again, they cost too much and need to come with 3 batteries you can change in seconds. But that said I see them at the track doing a full day no problem.
As for racing, I say chuck them in, if they dominate then what are we all scared of ? Progress ? Quiet tracks ? On that one, I love the noise of a bike however, if electric bikes means 3 times as many tracks competing for my business and cutting the cost to ride then I'll take the future. Its not like they can't make e mx bikes with gears and a clutch if demand was there.
On a side note triumph was pretty good, very high reving to get to the power.
(I'm not saying bb shouldn't have an opinion. as a husqvarna rider I don't think he can admit to having ridden one but I'd be very surprised if he hasn't)
Electric bike class perhaps. Let consumers decide. The spectacle of Supercross for example may suffer due to lack of noise? We will no doubt see in years ahead.
But the thing is noise is apart of the soul of motorbike racing, I've been at events with e bike racing & mx bikes.
The atmosphere is sucked out of the place when the electric bikes are on track, the crowd isn't hyped.
In fact I missed the first race because I had no idea it was on while I was in the paddock
Daughter has had an electric trials bike for some years and I have to say it’s brilliant. No mixing fuel, trying to start it, just unplug it and away you go.
What happens when the battery is dead? Brilliant?
@@pccchurch Lol just charge it. I think it's great especially for kids. No noise.
@@pccchurch put the spare battery on
There are already batteries starting production at 450-500 Wh per kg, double of what the current density is (twice the ride time/distance as today at current vehicle weights). They should start with separate classes (eg 250/450cc) to develop the technology. Races could use swappable batteries if needed. I see the whole moto industry shifting to e-moto in 5-10 years. Wasn't that long ago 4 strokes started beating 2 strokes, that's a good analogy. Our planet and all living things on it need this change sooner than later.
Clearly you dont do much research on rare earth mineral mines and what they do to this planet inform yourself some
@@joel387ktm Many of those are used by refineries to produce the gas and diesel as well! And with every new generation of batteries the usage goes down, heck, there are some cobalt free batteries already if thats what you refering to. Tesla has cobalt free batteries out now in some of their vehicles. Not a fan of Tesla my self but thats one example. So maybe you should do research instead of just hating on everything electric.
There are batteries in the works right now that will give 2 - 3 times the power out the same size battery. That would mean for example, the Stark Varg would do 2,5 - 3 hours at PRO level on a Motocross track and last an entire day in the woods, meaning a rider in most cases will be wanting to stop before the bike ever do.
And people saying batteries will be expensive to replace... well, you are not likely to be replacing them with in 5 - 10 years if not longer, compare that cost to all the cost in engine parts, oil, fuel, pistons, other fluids... Electric bikes can save on brakes too, one thing they might be hard on is the tires, but that can be tuned to be improved.
So again, maybe do your own research. I'd be the first to gut the Stark Varg if it was so trash, the only proper bike out there atm on sale that I know of.
So far its been very hard to find anyone putting that bike down.
Also, Stark Varg will charge on a generator in about 1 hour at 240V. I know some people wanna claim it takes 8 hours to charge and what not...
Thinking that electric dirt bikes will limit.The carbon emissions on this planet.It's nothing but a bunch of woke shit
id be nice to see a race with a couple of starks as guests
Until recently, everyone was making fun of the idea of electric bikes as being wimpy/slow. Now, people are complaining that they're unfair. I used to be on a team that built jet-powered dragsters, then we started building an electric landspeed car. I didnt know much about electric motors before that project and was blown away by how much power can be packed into a small package and how customizable the power could be. You dont need the 'save the planet' stuff for electric vehicles to become popular. They have their own set of advantages and disadvantages and the infrastructure for them is coming along. Also, charging an electric bike with a generator is still more efficient than running a gas bike... A generator is much more fuel efficient than a motocross bike and an electric motor will put a lot more of thay energy to the ground than an ICE bike does while losing energy to heat and vibration/sound
In terms of pro. I'm definitely not against them, they deserve a place. Probably not with the petrol engines until we iron out the rules. Would love to see an electric class. From that you would be able to see lap time comparisons, consumer interest, because it will come down to will people pay to watch it or not. As well as how they go with a race day ridden with the type of demands a high level rider would give the bike.
Personally I think they could definitely out perform combustion engines, but probably not as interesting to watch. 100% open to taking a look as some bikes in a series along side MXGP or AMA to see if my mind would change
Me watching this waiting for my Varg!
My guy it's amazing, it's so easy to ride. Everyone hates till they ride one
It’s pretty simple to calculate horsepower to watts. Just limit the electrics to a comparable power
I'm surprised that Billy never rode an E Motobike, like Varg par example.
I am sure that a Worldchampion easily can adapt the special features.
Throttle/brake control only, lefthandbrake and the special balancing in jumps.
He would be surprised how much fun it will be, especially for him as an artist on bikes.
No matter which size or engine.
At the end everybody is free to decide.
Why many are so desinterested or blocking. I do not understand.
I had a Varg for 6 months to try! Done! Sold > 2 stroke.
Go back and listen around the 2:20 mark, I'm pretty sure he's been on one.
First, Billy is sponsored by Hsq so he can't talk about it. Though pretty sure he hints to have ridden one anyway. Second, the reason some people are disinterested, and I can only give you my own perspective here, is that they just aren't suitable for enduro riding the way we like it, i.e. in a non-park setting where you hop on a bike and go ride for up to a full day. Even with the fake news 6h capacity that Varg advertised I'd come short on some days, and nobody wants to deal with that. It's also worse if you do get stuck without charge in some hole, where with the gas bike you can go on foot or whatever and grab a 0.5 L bottle of petrol to get you out of a pinch, on an e-moto you'd do what, drag a diesel generator into the woods or something? Anyway, I'd personally *love* to have an e-moto for woods riding, as I very much dislike the noise and disturbance we're causing with our current bikes; and I think that part has a chance to preserve our ability to even go ride anymore in the near future. It's just not there yet, not nearly, and it won't be until electric energy storage systems improve, a lot. For park settings, tracks, etc. it's gonna be okay, it's just that I don't have the money for yet another bike for very specific thing :)
@@__kvik I agree with you. That were my experiences with my Varg.
Too heavy for an old man. The range was more or less okay, but you have to go not too far or remote places;-)
I had a Surron before and I still use and love it because of the agility. 3 or 4 times per week I use it as my training bike instead of running or bicycling. For the rest the Rieju! The upcoming brand!!!
@@mitikumitiku4442 That's why I bought an Ultra Bee. 190lbs and enough power and range for a good woods ride
@@shredmas That's right. My friend has one. It runs well, good quality, power and range. 3 years ago only the LightBee was available. It is a class for it's own. Light, handy and powerful. I tuned mine with 72V battery and BAC 4000 cotroller up to 21Kw - a rocket. Manitou fork, Fox rear shock and still light! Offroad range more or less 30 km.
You can really tell how he is prevented from saying what he truly thinks by KTM Group. As he says, it's a lot about politics. He is obviously positive, while KTM Group has done everything to hinder development.
Let the technology take us where it can imo.
I just want to watch guys go as fast as possible.
Electric bikes will help grow the sport in short course racing like super enduro and motocross but they’re no good for enduro or trail riding generally.
Iron horses for courses.
Just be quiet when the guest is talking. Its so annoying when the host cant stay quiet for 20 seconds.
I think they just need to run the Varg right next to top flight motocrossers. No e class. Straight up put em in the nationals and gp's. They will be in the back if they are no good, with no harm no foul. The only reason eF1 exists is cause they don't have the power to compete with F1 engines (yet). But the Varg has enough power to compete at gp level motocross. It just needs a clutch.
Husqvarna and Rokon had automatic bikes, and Terry Cunningham won championships, so not having gears is not such a big deal.
I’m all for electric vehicles/bikes as they are fun, easy to use, quiet, and generally less maintenance. I don’t own them to “save the world” that is marketing bs and people need to stop with that narrative on both sides (supporters and haters) as it just shows how surface level you are. Sure in most use cases in the long run they are more eco friendly but I see that as an additional benefit and not the main selling point. For me not paying for fuel and less maintenance/logistics is a huge selling point, you can just take one out for short spin whenever you want. EV are also not for everyone if you travel long distance and go to very remote places than EVs probably won’t suit you, but most normal people don’t travel long distances often and have unlimited time. In the end I wish people can see them coexist together and not have a vs mentally and hate the opposite side.
Long time until E-Bikes match current combustion ones. I’ll wait and see their progress before buying one
What do you mean a long time ? They’ve far surpassed combustion already ! It’s pretty evident by how much major brands are shit scared of having them race and beat their combustion bikes . That Tells you all you need to know
Only issue is range.
@@OtisFlint range isn’t an issue motocross , hard enduro , enduro cross
@@Ozfreerider_adventures it literally is an issue he says it in the video, hard enduro, doesn't have a set course size etc.
@@markilleen4027 hard enduro doesn’t have a set course ? What you mean ?
It's the same difference when it was 2 stroke vs 4 stoke now it's gas vs electric. Their different they should have been raced different is my personal opinion
I’ve been riding E-Moto since 2016 and can say I love E. my bikes are setup so similar to my ICE bikes apart from the gears. Find riding a e moto far less fatiguing than an ice bike probably can ride either harder or longer on the electric bike over ice
I ask anyone watching this watch some videos of how these batteries are made
Nobody races an Electric dirt bike to save the planet. Period.
It’s still up to the rider to pilot the bike regardless of what powers it.
There’s so many advantages to electric dirt bikes over ICE bikes. Until you ride it AND get used to it you just don’t know.
What I find strange is that there isn’t a hybrid. A two stroke that could have some electric power to torque fill whilst aiding range and lowering emissions has to be worth some R&R??
weight
There's plenty of torque on a 300cc 2 stroke, and as Weekendenduro mentioned, the weight is never going to make that feasible.
Yes, you are completely wrong about generators in EV charging stations 😀 it was most likely a fan, fast charging needs cooling
I don’t understand the jumping and pitch thing, my varg is the easiest thing to jump, people need to ride them more before roasting them. The throttle is very controllable not twitchy at all. The bike in the air is so balanced and easy to control. Easiest bike I have ever ridden on a motocross track. Petrol isn’t going anywhere fast it’s just another avenue for people to get out and ride
I'm looking for a confirmed dirt rider to test my prototype.
Please contact me
Electric will never conquer the hard enduro scene. Hard enduro and desert racing will be the last (and insurmountable) frontiers for electric dirt bikes.
I hope so
Those motor cars will never take over the work from the horses. Lets stop all development on them as I DON"T LIKE CHANGE.
@@MarcSherwood weird comment, but I’ll bite; are you projecting? I don’t hold that belief you’re describing. There are very real physical limitations that will restrict electric from overtaking the endurance racing scene. The truth is, EV’s just don’t have the range or run time required to compete in, say, the Baja 1000 or another long distance/time race. It’s hard to imagine much more efficient and powerful energy than 5 gallons of good ol’ gasoline; batteries of that ‘equivalent energy’ size don’t exist at a reasonable enough weight so as to be competitive. There is a limit to battery efficiency, which we’ve basically already reached. That is to say that you can’t just have an incredibly small (lightweight) and extremely long lasting battery in the same item. And sir, that’s okay, because they’ll dominate other avenues of Motorsport racing. This technology certainly can and will still develop, but I don’t ever expect to see electric dirt bikes dominating in endurance format racing, like desert racing or hard enduro.
Plus, especially in the case of hard enduro, I don’t believe there is any physical property of electric dirt bikes that matches the utility of a 300 cc two stroke piston that loves to lug. The sheer inertia of the engine, and how that is converted into traction, is truly a thing of physical beauty that I see no comparative advantage to in an electric bike. With that said, however, I’d love to try riding a hard enduro setup electric bike to really feel if this specific hypothesis of mine is right (I own a 300 2stroke and ride/race hard enduro). I am aware of electric trials bikes, which seem to be quite capable. Hard enduro is certainly different though. Anyway cheers
Do an electric only class.
Give it a clutch and a gear system. To where the bike has to switch up a gear for the bike to keep going. That's the biggest difference, the stark will just keep pulling and pulling until it can't and no clutch means cornering is cheating. It's so easy to ride, that's where the playing field needs to be levelled.
Or just have a e class so you don't ruin the bike with a unnecessary transmission.
In motocross, it’s not the bike it’s the rider. Does not make a difference.
Electric moto = indoors/rental bikes
Combustion moto = outdoors/more race oriented
Both have their places. Ups and downs.. variety is the spice of life.
But i will say, riding a combustion motor has a certain feeling it gives you. For motorheads/adrenaline fueled, it touches our souls to control that thump..
A lot of championships won’t let elec race against petrol
When will the AMA come and fuck it all up like they did with the four stroke??
Just the AMA? Not like the FIM brought in 4 strokes in MXGP & MotoGP
just go back to the days of 2-STROKES! WHEN MEN WERE MEN AND SHEEP WERE NERVOUS!
They will never be a MOTORBIKE
Hate to break it to you, but they have an electric motor. They’re called motorbikes, not enginebikes.
They ruined the sport when 4strokes double the capacity were allowed to race against 2strokes. They need own Ebike series like formula e.
There's no controversy in MTB, E-bikers rationalize they get "more" exercise on their e-bike and those of us that don't ride e-bikes couldn't care less.
You can't do zone 2 rides on an mtb and you can't do 5 days a week through the summer. You Absolutely do ride more and do get way more endurance work on an emtb.
You are getting zero exercise on ebikes!
I like this commentator. idk what it is like a guy martin type guy martin type he is
ha you said doo doo
I like to play with and fix petrol powered bikes with the biggest shock coming from the spark plug just and i don't need to be a qualified electrician 😂
Do some research and look at the cobalt mines.
super dirty
Gonna need power classes instead of capacity classes .
We wont run out of oil.
Mountain bikes are totally different than an e bike.. one has a motor and battery the other doesn't.. more different between them then dirt bikes of gas and E.
Electric bikes will never be a thing for me. I'm old enough. And I am extremely happy for that. I would also never attend a race where it's all electric
Ok boomer
Until you get on one..
Why? What would be missing for you? Is it just the sound? I would rather see the fastest riders on the fastest bikes than hear noise.
Moto riders are definitely more resistant to changes to bikes for some reason, just give them a go then talk shit about it
Why does his accent keep sliding into 'Brixton'? 😂
in fact it's terrible that contracts muzzle him like that. it's not funny
Have you considered that he actually has no strong feelings either way? I'm not opposed to electric, I just think it's not there development wise. Should be soon though, I've ridden EM trials bikes they are getting close in feel to a petrol bike and that tech should be in dirt bikes soon enough.
Electric motorsports will need so much oversight. Hidden drives in hubs, components, possible gyros, flywheel possibilities. Not against it just going to need a lot of framework.
As opposed to combustion bikes that have ability to cheat in far more ways . Why would you need oversight for gyro effect and flywheel effect ? That’s like saying there should be oversight of gas bikes to make sure they don’t change their engine braking or power delivery… dumb …..
Privateers have to race factory teams that have way more resources, so I'm not sure why e-moto would need a bunch of oversight.
Should never have allowed 450 4t's race against 250 2t's back in the day. It should have been cc to cc, so electric shouldn't be allowed to compete against ICE bikes.
But the joy of being one of 3 or 4 2 strokes on the start line in the early 2000s..... 😊
At some point they’ll run out of minerals to make batteries just like you’re saying some point they’ll run out of petrol
I refuse to ride by I should say an electric bike electric car I refused to I will work with what’s left of it and I’ll even make my own gas if I have to diesel. And talking about the trials aspect technical riding I just I prefer riding slow going through the trails and racing and I prefer playing around on the obstacles in the trail.
This is the most rediculous conversation. He compares mountain bikers and e bikers. Well one of them is pedalling under their own power 😂 so of course they wouldn't compete. This guy just spent 10 minutes avoiding the fact that gas bikes will not be able to compete with an electric and that could be the end of moto because 85% of fans and riders want an exhaust, the rumble and the noise.
I did not see any alectric dirtbike in the entire video, just trash talk.
Welcome to the world of podcasts.
A comment like the title was "Billy Bolt onboard electric dirt bike"
Adapt or perish.
Ppl fear change.
I don't want to be forced electric
I haven't listened to Bolt speak before. His take on electric bikes is not very informed or thoughtful. I was hoping for better insight from such a well known rider.
He said he’s not riden one, why should he, he’s not paid to ride one.
I have a CRF250R a CR250R and a Stark Varg. I love all of them but rides the Varg 95%
It's just a bike with an engine. What you need is a bike with 20kw v 20kw..
Should be a different class.
Just make a electric bike class.
Let's go back to steam powered motorcycle.
E bikes are going to smoke gas bikes soon. They are only getting lighter and more powerful.
both are talking about theories... so many thoughts are straight out wrong. GO RIDE ONE BEFORE YOU TALK
ev's are not the future and people should stop buying in to them. mountain bikes and e-bikes are a lot different to full on ev's .
imagine all the generators spewing exhaust to charge all the ebikes at a mx race lol...2 strokes for life hahahah
I don't understand the cult like hatred around electric vehicles. People who constantly hate on electric vehicles are starting to sound like vegan who constantly hate on meat eaters I drive a manual car but the fact that people are willing to go out of their way to hate something is weird
Fuck electrics and fuck communism.
emoto - yuk ! send them to their own f'in class
E racing is a failure ... look at Formula E (e version of Formula 1) and Moto E (e version of MotoGP) ... all the racers are retired racers, zero audience, zero sponsors and they are literally trying to give away tickets and no one cares. Why? The cars, bikes sound like RC toys. They are trying to kill gas powered vehicles to control the population. When they do that all racing will shut down. E racing has zero audience. Also, E racing charging is dangerous ... fast charging led to e bikes catching on fire and burning all of them to the ground.
Like gas vehicles don't catch fire all the time. I am a fan of e MotoGP not everyone likes loud motors. I hate loud anything. But then again I'm 53 now and getting crotchety!
Stark👎🏻
Come on Billy I love you, but tell us they suck and then point out all the facts and bad stuff about making and disposing of the batteries! WAY NOT GOOD for the environment!
Electric power delivery does not compare to the control allowed by expert use of controls ie: clutch & brake work still not great for hard enduro ok for trials
Hahahaha, you think that Trials needs less finesse of clutch and brake? Trials is the development bed for a lot of motorcycle advancement, the electric dirt bikes with clutch and gears are coming off the back of the bikes developed for trials.
@@krazed0451
You misunderstood the point. As BB said & I agreed personally as a trials rider prefer combustion engines 2 or 4 stroke. Demo sherco etrials bike in parking lot in Idaho recently and found power too abrupt not smooth enough. No real flywheel effect either off or on
@@luigimassello4357 Get yourself a ride on a new EM, they're way closer to the feel of a combustion bike overall :-)
negate the negativity of ebikes....become a master of them NOW....your a master of engines already so whats the big deal billy
E is gay.
Why master emoto when you don't have to? E motos in hard enduro are far from reality
I wouldn’t even bother to go watch them. Bloody coal powered motos.
@@Megahegs So you don't like them as they are not environmentally friendly? After a few hundred thousand KM in EVs, I can't wait for the on demand torque, massive power, and almost no maintenance required. What is it that scares you about them? Do you want to show us on the doll where you've been hurt?
@@MarcSherwoodEvs and E bikes are NOT more environmentally friendly. Best do some research! It’s all propaganda BS. Just another way to help push the BS climate crap. It’s all about money laundering really.