Sherco have STreet cred!
By TMX Archives on 12th Feb 09
SHERCO heads into 2009 with its tried and trusted range of quality trials bikes that have been carefully fine-tuned for a new season from their long-established base. The simple, twin-spar, perimeter-style steel frame continues in its cool black finish and amazingly handles all the full-size motors from the little 125 two-stroke through the 250/290 models to the man-size 320cc four-stroke.
All models benefit from minor chassis tweaks to ensure as near perfect balance and poise at all times while the white plastics make for a very light look. Two-strokes are finished with traditional Sherco blue graphics while the 320 looks really good with red decals and red-rimmed wheels.
WOODY HOLE got to ride the four-bike range in very slippery, muddy conditions on a very damp, foggy day (that didn't help on the photography front!) but broke into a good old sweat to bring you his overall impressions.
IT seems that for years now the 125 Sherco has effectively been the benchmark machine for the class. The Gas Gas was always the rev-box of the bunch, with awesome performance for a really good rider to exploit while the Beta erred on the side of safety and was a better option for beginners and novices.
However, for 2009 both factories have raised their game considerably - and we know this because we have tested both models previously. The Gas Gas was a total surprise as their baby has found genuine bottom-end, without losing that fantastic top-end performance while the Beta - which made a huge step-up last year - has gained further in performance with the new (lighter) EVO.
All of which put the Sherco, always the safe option for novice or expert alike, under pressure for pretty much the first time.
So, firing it up for the first time it certainly felt nice and lively, performance was good from the bottom end and I quickly found that you could still use the three lower gears from the five-speed box in sections.
But, Sherco seem to have been playing with the flywheel weight, in the search for ever greater performance, and I reckon it is lighter because when you shut the throttle the engine revs are killed virtually instantly.
The engine does seem to have lost some of its previous torque and along with this it does rev harder. Not mega revs like a Gasser but definitely a higher ceiling than before.
The Sherco is a real easy bike to ride, just climb on and it feels good. Footpeg and handlebar relationship feels spot-on and the front rear balance must be right because you don't even think about it.
Carburetion was always clean and all controls did their thing without the rider even thinking. The clutch was easy to control, which is always good and brakes offered plenty of feel.
Overall handling is as steady as it gets with stable steering and smooth action forks and rear suspension that was more than good enough to handle anything we threw at it.
In all, the 125 Sherco still holds its own in increasingly hot company as its rivals throw everything at what has become a very important class.
THE 250 is the model in all the manufacturers ranges that we have come to use as the base model. In recent years they have all settled on a really nice, mellow, 250 model, that is the ideal machine for 95 per cent of their customers. This then leaves them clear to produce a larger capacity model that is as powerful and wild as they see fit. And while Gas Gas and Beta have both tamed their 'big' two-strokes for 2009 there's no doubt that the 250 is the 'one-size-fits-all' safe option.
So I was expecting exactly the same thing with Sherco - but it didn't quite work out that way.
Sherco's have actually always done their own thing. For several years their 290 outsold the 250 - mainly because the 250 just didn't perform how it should. Then, two years ago the factory finally did what British importer Malcolm Rathmell had been asking for and the 250 jumped straight into a class-leading role, suddenly being very easy to ride with a flat power curve to die for and it gripped like never before. The 250 was the model.
So I went out on the 250 and to cut a long story short, it was just as good as I recalled from last year. This is a solid 250 that has more than enough performance and finds grip well but I have to be honest and say that the carburetion was weak at the bottom and the bike would improve, possibly with a slight jetting change.
But the handling is dead-on, suspension excellent and overall the 250 is a real easy bike to ride, even in the slippery conditions of the test. So far so good.
On to the 290, expecting it to be a bit of an animal and here came the shock. It isn't! Sherco has made a real effort with the big stroker for 2009 and among other things treated it to a new cylinder head and a longer front pipe and suddenly - what a transformation. It is now much easier to ride than previously and I have to say I spent a lot of time switching between the 250 and 290, riding them on different sections, streams, rocks and steep slippery bankings - and I have to say at the end I favoured the 290!
Usually, big two-stroke trials bikes feel good when you first get on them but quickly tire you as they pull at your arms and shoulders. But I didn't get tired with the 290, it has loads of torque and finds grip exceptionally well. It was particularly good on climbs where you couid rev it up on wheelspin and then back off the throttle and feed the grip in.
Both bikes will pull fourth gear on a climb although the 290 comes into its own here. As ever, southern riders would gain most here. So the question is - 250 or 290? For 2009 I'm going with the big 'un!
WELL, you might spend all afternoon debating whether to buy a 250 or a 290 two-stroke but I don't think you'll need long to tell whether or not you like the 320 four-banger! It is a unique trials bike, a proper old-school style four-stroke that is armed with as much power as anyone needs. This is one beefy motor.
In the right place the four-stroke is genuinely awesome, it absolutely levels hills and is absolutely brilliant on muddy climbs. It really doesn't matter what gear you are in, just hook a couple up and let the motor go. Because it is a 'thumper' of an engine rather than just a rev-box it grips like you just can't believe.
When we tested the very first four-stroke Shercos, starting the engine was very much an issue. Sometimes they went first kick, at other times it took 20. Turns out it was only a matter of painstaking accuracy in the build-up. Each engine is now individualy built with close attention to tolerances. The result is a bike that started easily every time on our test. You need to give it a good boot though. Take a good strong kick and it cracks into life with a roar that could frighten your rivals on the spot!
And it ran like a dream. Carburetion was probably the best of all the bikes we tested. And it was consistent with no sneezing or coughing, the engine always responded immediately to the throttle.
The suspension on the test bike was something of a surprise though, it was set-up with very little damping effect front and rear and boinged around like Zebedee. There's no doubt that the four-stroke is heavier than the strokers, and the extra weight is in the cylinder head, so we can only assume that the lively suspension was to give the bike a lighter feel.
Overall handling is good with a firm, planted, feel and it is fine, tracking nicely up rocky streams - as long as you were going in a straight line. But when there are tight twists and turns on the rockery the extra weight and strong, torquey power soon had my arms aching.
Overall, the big 320 is actually great fun to ride, the snort from the exhaust as you let loose all that power and the way the bike simply destroys hillclimbs makes for a great buzz.
If we are talking horses for courses, this is one lively charger...
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