http://www.adbmag.com.au JANUARY 2018 | 103start makes life easy and the huge
10.4-litre translucent tank lets you ride
this little beast all day. Sherco has
high hopes for this bike and has
pre-sold more than anticipated. Look
out for 125SE-Rs on the track.250/300SE-R
Sherco’s 250 and 300 2Ts are solid.
Updates include a reinforced clutch
assembly, Bendix torque limiter to
increase starter life, a new countershaft
sprocket for better wear and reduced
noise, a new coolant pump sealing and
new cylinder gasket. Not a whole lot of
performance-based mods, but the new
engines are better than the 2017 bikes,
and they run a lot cleaner, especially at
low revs. And the sound of the Sherco
two-bangers could be bottled and sold.
The 300SE-R is the best seller in the
brand’s arsenal in Australia and that’s
because it is a weapon out on the trail.
The engine is very strong off the
bottom and it can get away from you a
little bit on a tighter track. The punch
off the bottom that the 300 delivers
made it easy to get out of the corners at
a pace on the rough test loop, which
allowed me to stay on top of the
bumps. I could see a rider with a little
less experience getting into a bit of
strife on the 300 but, overall, it’s a great
bike.
The 250, on the other hand, was just
about perfect on the test loop. I am
usually all about the bigger bore
two-strokes, but the 250’s lighter
engine mass and inertia under brakes
made it easier to steer and brake. The
trackhasabunchofswitchbacksandelevation changes and the 250 felt right
at home, flip-flopping in and out and
side to side between the trees. I was
really, really impressed with it. With
only minor upgrades for 2018, I didn’t
expect the 250 to be as good as it was.
It was my pick of the two-strokes.300/450SEF-R
The 2018 Sherco four-strokes have
received the most updates. The
300SEF-R, especially, scores a higher-
compression piston, new conrod,
crankshaft, header pipe, 300g lighter
silencer and revised ignition settings.
This bike is Sherco’s pride and joy and
as soon as you hop on it, it is easy to
see why. The engine is surprisingly
punchy off the bottom, yet you feel as
though you can ride it as hard as you
want without it getting too wild. You
can rev it to the moon or you can short
shift through the gears; either way, the
300SEF-R is happy just to be out there
ripping the trails.
Its bigger brother has also received
some loving. The 450SEF-R gets a
redesigned cylinder head, the oil
system and clutch have been given a
bit of a tune to offer better lubrication,
and more than half a kilo has been
shaved off the silencer. The new
muffler sounds a lot better with a
meaner, throatier note. It sounds faster
too, and it feels that way on the track.
I always wanted a little more out of
the 2017 Sherco 450 engine, as I felt it
was a bit soft with excessive engine
braking.
However,thatseemstohave
That’s a good root if you can get it! changed,andthe450isnowalot
The 300 two-stroke is the best seller in Oz