Stark confirms VARG electric bikes still need oil

Stark details the oil, coolant and brake fluid used in its electric VARG

Electric motorcycles remove plenty of the familiar service items associated with combustion engines, but they do not remove fluids from the equation entirely.

Following Stark Future’s announcement of a strategic partnership with Swiss lubricant and maintenance specialist MOTOREX, MCNews.com.au asked Stark for more details on exactly what fluids are used in its electric off-road motorcycles.

Stark VARG fluid specifications

Fluid	Product	Quantity
Gear oil	MOTOREX Gear Oil 75W-90	80 ml
Coolant	MOTOREX M3.0 glycol-based coolant	600 ml
Brake fluid	MOTOREX DOT 4 / DOT 5.1	As required when bleeding/top-up

MOTOREX motorcycle maintenance products displayed in front of Stark VARG electric motorcycles. — Electric motorcycles might remove many familiar service items, but cleaners, brake fluid, greases, coolant and gear oil remain part of the picture.

The answer is a useful reminder that while the Stark VARG does without fuel, engine oil and the many associated service consumables of a combustion engine, it still requires carefully specified fluids in key mechanical and hydraulic systems.

Stark confirmed that both its production line and race team use MOTOREX Gear Oil 75W-90, with a fill quantity of 80 ml. The bikes also use a glycol-based coolant, specifically MOTOREX M3.0, with a 600 ml quantity. Brake fluid is MOTOREX DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, with the amount dependent on bleeding and topping up the system.

Close-up of Stark VARG front bodywork with MOTOREX branding and KYB front suspension. — The MOTOREX branding on Stark’s VARG is not just sticker space, with the Swiss brand supplying fluids for production and race use.

That means the maintenance conversation around electric off-road bikes is not quite as simple as “no oil”. It is more accurately “no engine oil”, with gear oil, coolant, brake fluid, greases and cleaning products still very much part of the ownership and race-preparation picture.

The detail also provides additional context for Stark’s new long-term collaboration with MOTOREX, which covers racing, production, and product development. Stark says MOTOREX is involved in the production of the Stark VARG, including supplying transmission oils and coolants for first fills, as well as high-performance greases used during assembly.

Stark VARG electric off-road motorcycle being ridden through tight bushland terrain. — No fuel tank, no engine oil, no exhaust note — but the VARG still has plenty of mechanical and hydraulic systems that need the right fluids.

The partnership comes as Stark continues to expand its competition presence across World Supercross, SuperEnduro, Hard Enduro and EnduroGP. The company also points to its 2026 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship Manufacturers’ title as an early competitive milestone for the collaboration.

For MOTOREX, the deal adds another high-profile electric platform to a motorsport portfolio built over more than a century in lubrication technology. Stark, meanwhile, is using the relationship to reinforce the point that its electric performance platform is being developed and maintained with the same attention to small but critical details as a high-end combustion racing motorcycle.

The difference is in what those fluids are asked to do.

There is no oil circulating through a conventional four-stroke motocross or enduro engine. Instead, the oil requirement is tied to the bike’s gear drive/transmission needs, while coolant remains necessary for thermal management, and brake fluid remains as relevant as ever on a high-performance motorcycle, regardless of whether the rear wheel is being driven by petrol or electrons.

So yes, electric bikes still need oil. Just not in the way most riders grew up thinking about it.