T-Ride: 2015 Sherco 300SE-R

It’s hard not to pay attention to what Sherco is up to these days. Consider what the dynamic young French manufacturer has achieved in the past three years alone. In 2012, they released their new-gen 250/300cc four-strokes, both of which have now been refined into world-class enduro weapons. In 2013, they launched their first ever two-stroke models: an immediately competitive 250 and 300SE-R. In 2014, three members of the ISDE- winning French team were Sherco- mounted (as was Australia’s Jess Gardiner, who won the Women’s class). And for 2015, Sherco unveiled an all-new 450cc four-stroke – a machine that’s already tasted stage-win success at the 2014 Dakar Rally – and made substantial upgrades to its entire two- and four-stroke range. So, for a relatively small manufacturer, Sherco is sure punching above its weight!

And it’s that growing cred that prompted us to put a Sherco 300SE-R on our long-term test fleet for the first time. We wanted more of an insight into not only the performance of the brand’s flagship two-stroke, but what it’s like to live with and maintain over the longer term as well. In other words, we wanted to replicate the average ownership experience.

In our recent 300cc two-stroke shootout (featured in the Nov-Dec issue), I surmised that Sherco’s 300SE-R had enormous potential and was only a few set-up tweaks away from being a class-leading machine. So, now that I’ve been given the opportunity to perform those tweaks, have I been able to develop the bike into a class leader?

Well, here’s an insight into what I’ve done to the 300SE-R and why, and how it’s improved the French machine’s performance and/or durability…

For more, pick up a print or digital edition of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s March-April issue (#49) that goes on sale in early March.