QUICKSPIN I 2024 SHerco Off-Roaders
P102
tent momentum at a good clip
around the Texas loop we rode.
It was my pick of the litter.
450 SEF Factory
The 450 SEF Factory returns
as it was in 2023 and we have
no problem with that. It's back
with the same components as
its siblings, which include KYB
suspension, an Akrapovic muf
-
fler and Brembo brakes.
TAKEAWAYS:
• The Sherco is one of the
few big-bore four-strokes out
there that I don't feel completely
intimidated by while racing from
tree to tree. It's plenty fast but
delivers all its power remarkably
smoothly and efficiently. It has
tons of torque and a broad pow
-
erband, which, combined with
some handy clutch work along
the way, allowed me to simply
leave it in third gear and just
focus on the trail ahead of me. It
was also flame-out resistant.
• Suspension was superb for
our Texas loop, which, admitted
-
ly, wasn't demanding on either
fork or shock. Still, it felt terrific.
500 SEF Factory/HRD SE
Factory RS (Dual Sport)
The 500 SEF Factory is also
unchanged and features all the
same goodies as its slightly
smaller 450 SEF Factory brother,
while the 500 HRD SE Factory
RS dual sport is an all-new mod
-
el. However, the HRD is not re-
ally an all-new motorcycle since
it's based so heavily on the 500
SEF platform. Essentially, the
500 HRD (dual sport) is the 500
SEF (enduro) with mirrors and
blinkers, which is precisely how
we rode it in Texas since Sherco
did not have an actual 500 HRD
SE Factory RS available for us
to ride. They promised, how
-
ever, that the 500 SEF we rode
was close to one, as it would
have the same settings, such
as mapping and gearing, as the
forthcoming 500 HRD. We will
see. We expect there will be
several small differences when
the production version becomes
available to the public. Sherco
says both its dual sports (the
125 and 500) have already been
EPA- and CARB-approved.
TAKEAWAYS:
• The 500 SEF Factory is a
lot of motorcycle. It felt a lot
burlier than the 450 and re
-
quired a change of strategy to
get around the single-track loop
quickly. It was one of those go-
slow-to-go-fast types of things
when riding the 500.
• Simply, the 500 dual sport
needs open space to run and
shine, and we expect it to be
a viable option in the big-bike,
high-performance dual sport
market.
CN
Sherco has given its
250 SEF Factory a new
engine with more power.
