Gold Seal 2025: Stark VARG is the pick of the electric off-roaders
Adjustable power from 10 to 80 hp and up to six hours of trail riding earn Stark the Off-road Electric gold.
By ROOST New Zealand desk · 21 July 2025
Stark Future’s VARG has become a familiar sight at Kiwi tracks. Now it has an award to go with it. The Barcelona-built electric motocrosser is the Gold Seal 2025 Off-road Electric winner. As always with Gold Seal, there is a single gold winner per category and no minor placings.
What sets it apart
The VARG doesn’t try to be a softer, entry-level electric bike. Stark designed it from scratch to line up against petrol 450s. It has the numbers to do it: up to 80 hp on the Alpha model (60 hp Standard) from a 360 V-nominal motor, in a bike weighing around 118 kg. Stark claims the best power-to-weight of any production motocross motor and quotes 978 Nm at the rear wheel for the Factory Edition.
Power on a dial
For many New Zealand riders, the most useful feature is the power adjustment. Output can be changed in real time anywhere from 10 to 80 hp. One bike can be gentle enough for a learner on the farm and still have enough for a club racer on a Sunday. Stark quotes up to six hours of trail riding from a charge.
The MX 1.2 uses a 7.2 kWh, 420 V battery. On the 3.3 kW charger it takes about two hours from a standard 240 V socket, which means overnight charging at home is easy.
Chassis
Suspension is a KYB 48 mm fork with 310 mm of travel, the same class used on petrol motocross bikes. The frame and bodywork are designed around the battery, so the VARG doesn’t look like a petrol bike with a battery bolted in.
Cost
US pricing for the MX 1.2 is US$12,490 (Standard) and US$13,490 (Alpha), in line with a premium petrol motocrosser. New Zealand pricing depends on the local importer.
The verdict
The Gold Seal judges chose the VARG for its combination of claimed power-to-weight, adjustable delivery and trail range. No other production electric off-road bike matches all three right now. It sets the standard for the category in 2025.
At a glance
- Up to 80 hp (Alpha), 60 hp (Standard)
- Power adjustable from 10 to 80 hp
- 7.2 kWh battery, about 2 hours to charge at 240 V
- Around 118 kg
- KYB 48 mm fork, 310 mm travel
Full specifications, the judges' notes and video are on the Stark VARG winner page at Gold Seal Awards. The complete list of Gold Seal winners is also published on IMR Awards.
Photo credit: Stark Future (official press image).
Sources
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