Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

someonehaddemolishedacastleand

then let the forest grow back over the

ruins.Therewasrock,morerockand

morerock,andI’mnottalkingabout

thesmoothsandstonetypewegethere

inOz.I’mtalkingaboutlarge,sharp

boulders...everywhere!Theridingwas

slowerandmoretechnicalthanI’m

accustomed to, but my personal favorite

wastheEnduroXtrackthathadbeen

setupforus.Ithadtyres,logs,rocks

andjumps;everythingyouwould

encounterinthebushbutlinked

togetherwithbermsandsetupfor

racing,allinfrontofacrowdso

everyonecanwatch,andlaugh.

TWO-STROKES

Themainfocusofthetwo-strokerange

for2018isthebrandnew125ccenduro

bike.The125classisratherlargein

Europe,mainlyduetothetoughand

technicalterrain,butIcan’tseethis

bikebeingahugehitinAustralia,

whichisashame,becauseasfaras

road-registered125sgoit’srightup

therewiththebestof’em.

Ifyouareajuniorraceroralearner

lookingforacompetitivedirtbike,then

this125iswhatyouwant.Ithasa

claimed36.66hp,electricstartand

comeswithamapswitchthatoffers

thefullpowermaporasoftermapwith

3hpless.For2018ithasa15mm

shorter wheelbase, the steering

anglehasbeenreduced0.9degrees

andthepowervalveisoperated

electronically,meaningthebikeis

nimbleandeasytohandle.

FIRST RIDE I 2018 SHERCO ENDUROS

APRIL 2017 http://www.adbmag.com au

The Sherco

Story...

Sherco was born in 1998 as a result of

Marc Teissier’s love of Trials. Since then

the company has continued to grow with

a 15 per cent increase on enduro sales

since 2010. The company has two

factories: the Spanish factory (in

Barcelona), which was founded in 1998,

specialises in the trials category, while

the French factory, which was established

in 2003, specialises in the enduro range.

In 2001 Sherco bought HRD – a French

firm dedicated to the production of

enduro bikes – with the aim of expanding

its activities in the enduro market. To

ensure this new production activity would

not interfere with the trials bike divisions,

the new factory was created in the town

of Nimes in France’s southern region of

Languedoc, close to Italy, which is the

country that is the principal supplier of

materials and components for Sherco

enduro bikes. Just recently the company

has opened a new factory in France,

doing away with the old 3000m2 factory

for a new 12,000m2 factory, with the

capacity to build up to 100 motorcycles a

day, or 22,000 a year. With their current

sales sitting at 6,000 units a year, you

could say Sherco is anticipating huge

sales growth.

Despite its rapid growth, Sherco is still

a family-owned company. The brand is

owned and operated by the Teissier

family, with Marc the founder appointing

both his son and daughter to major roles

within the company.

New for 2018

All the two-strokes score V force reeds

and share the following components:

220W alternator, wheels, swingarm,

plastics (which are 20% more flexible

for 2018 and have molded in UV

resistant graphics), brakes, handlebars,

tyres, airbox and seat. They also get a

new WP46 shock, while the 125 gets a

WP EXPLOR fork with its own specific

settings and the 250 and 300 both have

double cartridge spring forks.

All models get a new easier access

radiator cap, Luna Selle De La Valle

seat cover, water-resistant computer,

reinforced front light with new bulb,

new rear axle with stronger tightening

torque, new rim locks, modified shift

drum for smoother gear changes and a

new, stronger gear selector spring. The

primary transmission drive and water

pump has been modified with less

friction and less noise, and there’s a

new water pump seal. The clutch

assembly has been reinforced, the

cylinder gasket is new and the Bendix

torque limiter resistance has been

improved over the last model.

68 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

Translucent tank helps check fuel level

The 125 was one of the best

Boydy has ridden but in a

land where V8s rule, it might

struggle to sell