Sno stopping Sherco
By TMX Archives on 16th Feb 07
SHERCO has a neat, tidy, instantly recognisable range of three 2T trials models based on acommon, full-size chassis which are 125/ 250 and 290 models. For 2007 the Barcelona-based concern has concentrated on further refinement of two of the models while one has improved in performance beyond all expectations. In fact the 250 has bounced from the least likeable to the top of the Most Wanted list in a single fell swoop...
TRIALS fans will instantly recognise the 2007 Sherco range with their trendy black perimeter frames and wheels, blue plastics and snazzy graphics but there's been quite a lot going on between 2006 and 2007.
Chassis geometry has been updated to that used by factory ace Albert Cabestany, there's a new Olle adjustable rear shock, the latest fully adjustable Paioli front forks and a brand new aluminium swinging arm that looks fabulous. The billet triple-clamps add bling as do the Wave profile brake discs, while practical touches include a half-litre increase in fuel capacity and a swingarm/ chain protector that can now be changed without having to remove the swinging arm - now there's real progress!
You can check out the changes in the panel but there's certainly enough to be going on with. Over straightaway to T+MX chielf trials tester WOODY HOLE for the real lowdown.
SHERCO 250
Woody writes...
It has taken three years of testing Shercos for the factory to get the 250 right - and now, finally, have they got it right! What a difference. I could tell from the moment that I fired the 250 up and rode 50 yards that this was a totally different bike to previous models.
The 250 Sherco has always been a disappointment, it never had much torque, was tricky to ride well and was generally walked all over by its 290 sibling. Each year Malcolm (Rathmell) would ask what we thought of the 250 and each year got a negaitive response. We had got to the point where we almost felt guilty.
Not anymore. This is without a doubt one of the best trials bikes I have ridden. It is NOT a softy 'Clubman' bike, it is a bike suitable for all abilities from a National winner to a club hack.
The engine is just so smoooooth, both in power delivery and feel. What you get is just total control. It makes you feel so confident. And it also feels light, very light. Compared to the old model I reckon it feels 10kg lighter. It isn't, it is just a feeling, it really feels as light as a 200 in the handling department.
I just got on the 250 and rode it, even afterwards I can't think of anything that felt wrong. I rode it completely as delivered, never touched the handlebars, levers, anything. All the conrols also felt extra-light, the clutch, even the throttle felt lighter
And test conditions were wicked. Shep's farm at Pateley Bridge was 100 per cent frozen solid and the sections just polished. And then it snowed, just to make finding grip even less likely.
We have tried testing the bikes every month from October to February - with exactly the same result - bloody awful weather! Why don't they launch new bikes in the summer?
The 250 was awesome for gripping. We tried some steep grassy climbs that just polished to ice but you could still make it grip. I tried the 290, and really struggled with the chunky power, went back to the 250 and once again we were climbing with ease.
This is a bike that just begs you to ride it. I did not want to get off. The first three gears are all fine in sections but you wouldn't get to use fourth on a monster climb, like the 290 will pull. I wouldn't mind betting that you could get just as far though, simply because it would take off that much faster.
The overall handling was pretty much all you could ask. The balance is good with no noticeable front or rear bias. And it turned uphill or down without pushing or tucking. Suspension and brakes, pretty much the same stuff everyone uses, were fine. The rear was probably above average with the pedal easy to find without getting in the way and it worked very well.
Up until now the 290 Sherco has been my favourite but not any more - the Sherco 250 is without a shadow of a doubt the pick of the range.
It is simply a superb trials motorcycle.
SHERCO 290
WOODY WRITES...
AS I have said in the 250 report, before this test the Sherco 290 was always my favourite. And the reason it is no longer is not that the 290 has got worse, simply that the 250 has made such an enormous leap forward.
The 290 is the same dependable, powerful model that it always was. The factory may have made some minor tweaks but I couldn't tell any difference in performance. It is a bike that demands the hands of an Expert to get the best out of it.
I can't help feeling that some riders must get taken for a real ride by this bike. It is just so strong - it's as if it is trying to pull your arms out. Not wild, uncontrollable power, it just never stops pulling and churning out torque.
Kicking up the 290 requires a good, firm boot and you can always tell that you are on a big 'un. First, second and third gear are no effort to this motor and it will still be a big draw for riders who face deep mud or big hill climbs where you can hook up to fourth and just let rip. It has awesome power but you do need to be able to keep up with it.
The clutch gets a caning when you are pulling big gears but like the other two bikes in the range the clutch worked fine. It was light in operation and handled the extra power easily offering smooth take-up of the power.
The 290 obviously benefits from all the 2007 updates including the all-new swinging arm which looks trick.
Shercos have previously played their bikes down a bit, sometimes fitting the most basic components but this year they have definitely gone more upmarket. The wavy brake discs, the machined triple clamps and top spec adjustable forks all add to the appeal. They look good and stand close inspection. I also noticed that Malcolm had added a pair of carbon fibre frame guards in the footrest area to protect the black paint on the frame. Good idea and they were a very neat fit.
SHERCO 125
WOODY WRITES...
THE baby of the range, the 125, sports all the factory updates for 2007, but like with the 290 I don't really feel like a lot extra has happened in the engine room. Don't get me wrong here, the Sherco has always been there or thereabouts as a 125 and it remains a cracking bike right out of the box.
To put it in context, the Gas Gas has always been a revver and the Beta has always churned out bottom end power at the expense of maximum revs while the Sherco has always held the middle ground. It has always been a safe option. The motor is actually quite a torquey little lump for its size but performance would obviously benefit massively from a lighter person than myself - like a Youth rider!
125s are going to be (almost) exclusively purchased for use by Youths and we all know the massive strides forward development has taken over the last couple of years. They are still moving forward but improvements now will surely be in much smaller measures as the really big leaps have now been made. But while riders are to be restricted to 125s until they are 17 the factories are going to have to keep burning the development oil in order gain a little more power here, a little less weight there.
To be really critical, as in previous years I still find the carburetion right at the very bottom - first eighth turn of the throttle - to be a bit 'funny'. When you roll the throttle down to nothing it seems to go rich and load-up. Having said that, this could be something to do with the fact that I am trying to ride it like a big bike. The kids just rev the nuts off 125s and there are no problems. Also, whenever we have tested the bike the weather has been freezing and damp and that can't help carburetion. And the smaller you go in capacity the more finicky carburetion is.
Once you get it off the pilot jet the power is there and it just builds evenly and smoothly until it is flying, like a buzzy little turbo. Take it as read that it feels as if it weighs about the same as a push bike and it is easy as anything to hop and jump around.
With all the added gizmos for 2007, the swinging arm, the machined triple-clamps, the Olle shock, the wavy discs etc, etc, the baby Sherco is right up there with the other hot 125s.
New for 2007...
* Common to the models 1.25, 2.5, 2.9:
* New chassis, with geometry as a direct by-product of the official motorcycle ridden by Albert Cabestany
* New design Ollé rear shock absorber, adjustable for preload and damping.
* New billet triple clamps
* Wave profile brake disks, endorsed by the FIM
* New Fuel Tank with 0.5L more capacity
* New tapered aluminum handlebars, without central reinforcement
* New chain protector
* New rear brake disk protector
* New design of the swingarm and chain guide protector
* New swingarm, more compact, lighter, and 7.5 mm shorter
* details in red next to the blue accents with silver and yellow
Dealers:
Off Road Motorcycles Plus 01383 734 789
23 Kennedy Crescent
Dunfermline
Fife
KY12 OLA
Jam Sport 01252 725 335
43 The Street
Wrecclesham
Farnham
Surrey
GU104QS
www.jamsport.co.uk
John Lee Motorcycles 01933 312 827
8 Market Square
Higham ferrers
Wellinngborough
Northampton
NN9 8BP
Highland Leisure Sport 01349 854 620
Eilanger
By Tomich Farm
Invergordon
Ross-shire
IV18 OLF
www.highlandleisuresport.co.uk
TW Bikesport 01325 718 811
Greenbank Farm
Ravensworth
Richmond
North Yokshire
DL11 7HB
www.twbikesport.co.uk
RPM Motorcycles 01909 567 125
Unit 1 Monksbridge Business Park
Monksbridge Road
Dinnington
Sheffield
S245 3QS
www.rpmmotorcycles.co.uk
NTB Racing 01904750101
Unit 8 Windmill House Industrial estate
Wigginton
York
Yorkshire
Y032 2RA
www.ntbracing.co.uk
Specification:
