First ride: Sherco 300 SE-R Factory

Instant acceleration with an abundance of sharp power to keep you on your toes. A bike that makes the scenery uncomfortably blurry—yet with the flick of a switch it can be tamed to make it a grunt monster that can march its way through and over mud, tree-rutted slopes and logs with a minimum of fuss.

The Sherco 300 SE-R Factory packs an old-school punch I'd almost forgot existed. Two-strokes were the competition bikes of choice in the ’70s and ’80s, and it wasn’t until the ’90 that it all began to change. Two-strokes were lighter, faster and more reliable but when good old California started going green, pollution legislation started changing and it looked like the death of the genre.

Yamaha rolled out the YZ400F in 1998, put Doug Henry on it and started winning. Most manufacturers then started developing the four-bangers, with the old 125cc, 250cc and open 2T classes disappearing and being replaced with their four-stroke equivalents. I was one of the last to convert: I had a CR500 before eventually buying a 450cc four-stroke.
However, the fact remains: not everyone wants a four-stroke. The truth is they are generally heavier and more complicated. More complicated means more expensive when things go bang. The younger generation probably doesn’t hanker for the two-strokes, but diehards like me still want to feel that amazing rush that only a two-stroke can provide.

The 300 SE-R Factory is a very special bit of kit, and it's obvious the small French factory has gone to a lot of trouble to give this bike a chance to be right at the top of the bunch. Items like electric start, high-quality WP suspension and good ergonomics are standard on the 300 SE-R ($11,990), but the 300 SE-R Factory ($12,990) gives you more: a clear tank which makes keeping an eye on fuel level easy, flashy graphics, Brembo brakes, a very grippy seat, and FMF pipe. There are also two 300cc four-strokes as well, including a Factory-badged model.

SHERCO 300cc RANGE