Trail Rider Magazine

SHERCO 300i Tackles New England by Kevin Novello W ith winter finally relinquishing its icy grip, we were able to run the Sherco 300i through the rigors of New England's technical terrain. For the many of you that are new to the magazine (thank you), New England is noted for its rocky, technical terrain. And in the absence of rocks you will experience an abundance of roots, a few technical hills, and a fair smattering of mud. I already had a very favorable opinion of the Sherco based on its performance in New Jersey, but I have to admit, I liked it even more in New England. Why's that? Because riding it in the snotty spring conditions played right into its strengths. New England can be a tricky place to ride, especially during the early weeks of Spring when the receding snow mass has turned the topsoil into a thin, greasy film making the omni-present rocks and roots even more fun to deal with. Even with the stock FIM tires, the Sherco was rarely squirrelly or made excessive wheel spin. Our test track includes a steep, loose, rocky hill with a smooth bedrock face at the top known as The Filter. The Filter claims about 75% of the riders that attempt it. If the loose rocks don't generate excess wheel spin and send you sideways, the slick bedrock face at the top usually will. The Sherco chugged up without incident. It was impressive. One feature that was truly appreciated was the different ignition curves. Need even more tractability? Just turn the ignition curve switch to the left towards the softer permutation and chug along. On some bikes, there isn't a clear distinction between the softer or more aggressive permutations. This is not the case with the Sherco. The softer permutation is clearly noticeable as it transforms the machine into a two-wheeled tractor. It made chugging up hills or noodling over slick roots and rocks an even easier affair. The softer setting reminded me of the old Honda XR 350. In New England, plush suspension is key and again, the 10 Trail Rider Sherco delivers. The WP open cartridge forks do a fine job soaking up the terrain and the shock kept the back end relatively straight and planted. We ended up turning out the high speed compression on the shock about 2.25 turns and then ran 105 mm of sag. And like we said in our last review, a faster, aggressive rider will run out of bottoming resistance, though it happens a lot less in New England. I was impressed with how well the Sherco kept a straight line through all the snotty types of terrain I ran it through. When your suspension is working properly, you ought to be able to hold a somewhat straight line through the baby head rocks, which the Sherco did. The bike was always going forward and rooted to the ground. Despite being the lightest 4 stroke that we've tested (and lighter than many 2 strokes), it doesn't completely surrender the stability that 4 strokes tend to offer. Once the bike is balanced, the Sherco will drop nicely into a rutted a corner (or any corner) and track cleanly through. Handling was still superb, regardless of early Spring conditions. Again, the Sherco doesn't just feel lighter than some of the two stroke boutique bikes, it is lighter. So what's not to like? As much as I like the motor, I'd like a little to try an even more aggressive ignition curve. We weren't able to get our hands on an EFI tuner, so that was a bit of a disappointment. You will be out gunned if you plant yourself on the A Open Class at a desert race or other wide open venue. Also, and not that this applies to me, but taller riders may feel cramped as the Sherco feels compact. . The bottom line with the Sherco is that it is an excellent bike that does everything well. It's Enduro lineage suggests that it is most proficient in the more technical settings that typically characterize the Enduro. Of all the bikes I've ridden, the Sherco surprised me the most. If the 4 Stroke is any indication of how good their highly anticipated 2 stroke might be, the stage is set for something exciting. www.TrailRider.com

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