Words: Guy Streeter

Sherco’s big-bore two-stroke, the 300 SE-R, has to be on your short list of trail bikes for 2016. The French brand has been going from strength to strength with more exposure both on the world Stage and here in Australia.

Dakar stage wins, World Enduro race wins and strong ISDE performances, plus having Australia’s Jess Gardner and dual World Enduro Champion Mathew Phillips signing on to race in 2016, sees the brand really establish itself locally.

The 300 SE-R is easily one of our favourite models. Besides being fiends for the smell of burning oil, the bike is really easy to become comfortable on, really quickly – except for maybe the power, there is plenty of it and needs some respect.

This isn’t our first meeting with the Sherco 300 SE-R. Last year we had the opportunity to ride the 2015 model and for this year the bike hasn’t been changed too much, but what Sherco has changed has resulted in refinements that have made real progress towards making a really competitive bike.

Just in case you haven’t caught up to speed with the Sherco 300 SE-R, here are a few of the highlights that come standard. First thing most people will notice from a distance is the FMF Gnarly Exhaust, because it looks trick and a genuine asset to the bike.

It boasts Brembo brakes and hydraulic clutch. Most people would be familiar with these components on other European brands and the clutch just feels so good, I cant understand why the Japanese brands haven’t jumped on this bandwagon yet.

There’s a dual ignition map switch on the bars, which is thumb operated and turns this animal from a straight-up beast that keeps you on your toes, to a slightly more tamed version with plenty of tourque. Whatever the trail throws at you, you have the ability to adapt the bikes power.

It’s electric start only. Sherco have literally thrown the kick-starter away, because their view is cars haven’t had a hand crank for years, so why do bikes need a kick-start? The e-start on the Sherco is bulletproof and really reliable from all indications. There’s also an electronic power valve, aiding the power delivery and smoothing it out.

As mentioned, the 2016 Sherco 300 SE-R has been massaged a little to improve the overall feel and performance of the bike. The main contention some people had from the 2015 model was how aggressive the motor was.

Sherco, being conscious of this, have smoothed out the power delivery and spread the power, which makes the bike that much more versatile for a wider range of riders. Needless to say, the bike has plenty of power and engineers have given you the right tools to use that power.

The ability to change ignition maps on the fly with the flick of a switch with your right thumb is awesome and you can really use the low down grunt of the motor in the mild setting to climb your way over tricky rock gardens and slippery trail conditions without the aggressiveness that you expect from a stock 300cc two-stroke. Having said that, flick the mapping to race and the bike really comes alive, you will have more than enough power.

As with the rest of the fleet, the Sherco 300 SE-R is designed around a slightly more slimmer, smaller frame, not so much that you would really know it immediately. It doesn’t look or feel drastically smaller, but you really feel the way the bike handles and it is just really nimble.

You feel you can man-handle the bike a bit more than usual. The Sherco 300 SE-R WP suspension, together with its geometry, is really stable and predictable and corners so well, especially in tight, tricky conditions.

Its easy to understand why large capacity two-strokes are so popular, especially in the Australian enduro market. The Sherco 300 SE-R is a really strong performer in the category, with features that stand out. Over the last 15 years Sherco has come a long way to be a major contender in the off-road segment.

The 2016 Sherco 3000 SE-R is available at your local Sherco dealer from January 2016 for $11,990 plus ORC. If you’re interested or want to get out for a test ride or compare the bikes they have on offer, make sure you check out the Sherco Motorcycles Australia website for the next scheduled ride day or contact your local dealer to arrange a ride on one of the test fleet.