First ride: Sherco 450 SEF-R

French manufacturer Sherco is well known for its moto trials fare. It prides itself on the competition scene and its bikes have been very successful in the moto trials arena with riders like Albert Cabestany taking many a win on the world stage over the years.

But by the mid noughties it became apparent that while the small but passionate moto trials scene kept the company afloat, if it wanted to expand it needed to add another string to its bow. A decision was then made to manufacture enduro bikes, which is an extremely hard segment to break into — just ask Sherco's fellow European marque BMW Motorrad whose G 450 X was a huge flop and eventually scrapped.

But from what I've witnessed after the first Aussie ride on the 450 SEF-R, Sherco has well and truly taken up the challenge. Mind you, this is the company's third-generation 450 enduro bike, following on from the original that was on sale from 2006-2008, followed by the 4.5i from 2008-2011 — the 2009 model retailing for a hefty $14,300.
The 4.5i wasn’t the lightest or sexiest in class, and for those reasons and more it just didn’t take off in Australia. Lessons learnt Sherco, like the French bulldog it is, took up the challenge to make a 450 that could take on the Japanese, KTM and Husqvarna. The outcome is the all-new 450 SEF-R, which I rode in anger at Krusic's Ride Park in Victoria on May 17 during one of Sherco Australia's enduro ride days. To keep an eye out for more ride days, visit www.sherco.com.au/ridedays.

I think the company can expect big things from the the $13,290 SEF-R, as the complete redesign has not only helped to regain its 450cc class sex appeal but it also claims to be the lightest in the segment at 109kg.

Still, I didn’t know what to expect when I rolled up at Krusic's, as I had a picture in my head of the old porky 4.5i. What a brilliant surprise when I saw the SEF-R in the flesh! The bike looks stunning, and it felt like I was about to get on a machine for Enduro World Championship action. And I can go further: if street cred is what you're after it doesn't get better than having stage wins to your name in the Dakar Rally, which is what Sherco riders Alain Duclos and Juan Pedrero achieved at the 2014 event on the firm's 450cc machine.

The SEF-R has top-notch componentry, including WP forks with preload adjusters as standard. The rear also a WP shock with high- and low-speed compression and rebound adjustment hooked up to a linkage rear end. It’s true that a bike with a link requires more maintenance compared to a non-link setup like KTM's, but the performance outweighs the small annoyance of greasing some extra bearings.

Speaking of maintenance, the 450's airbox sits under the seat and all that’s required to gain access is a simple twist of a Dzus fastener at the back of the seat. It’s easy and there are no tools required, which is important when you consider the air filter is one piece of any dirtbike you should clean every ride. The frame is not your standard twin-spar alloy but instead a Sherco-designed semi-perimeter chrome-moly light-weight steel item. I like steel frames as they tend to provide a more absorbent ride than their alloy counterparts. There are also Brembo stoppers to keep the Euro feel flowing — and stopping on a dime as I was about to find out.

Ergonomically, the bike felt right from the moment I sat on it, but it does have four-way adjustable handlebar clamps to tailor the bike perfectly to your needs. The dash is tucked well out of the way with the usual trip meters and a fuel light, and there's also an engine hour meter.

Starting the bike is a breeze with just a touch of the starter. There is no kick start backup, but with a 220-watt charger pumping energy out the battery should have an easy time. The exhaust note is pretty quiet, which gets points on my scorecard. The last thing most people want to hear on a Sunday is a big-bore four-stroke at full noise while they are bird watching. Quiet doesn’t mean timid though: the completely new donk pumps out an amazing amount of push.

The loop at Krusic's Ride Park took about 10 minutes over hardcore enduro terrain with a lot of sandy ruts, logs and high speed sections — a bit of everything. I wasn’t really looking forward to riding a 450 through sand, but as soon as I opened the throttle I felt at ease. There is a switchable map mode which allows you to alter the power curve on the fly, and I wisely started on 'soft' which makes the 450 feel like a pussy cat. It was much easier to ride than a 450 should be in those conditions.

As expected, the WP suspension worked superbly, soaking up the bumps and keeping me tracking straight. Even on soft power, the bike is very fast, but after I gained my mojo I flicked the map to 'race'. Wow. Even with full power I found the 450 very readable with more of everything than 99 percent of riders would ever need or use.

I don’t get to ride off-road much nowadays, so I give big kudos to the Sherco's frame and suspension package for making me ride better than I should have — but also for looking after my body. I didn’t get any arm pump, which is the sign of an extremely solid all-round package. I was also impressed with the brakes, as when I squeezed the lever the front stayed right where it was supposed to, with no tucking. That heightened the sense of grip available.

I stayed out until the little fuel light came on, and I was blown away on the last half-a-lap of the enduro loop. To be able to hang onto my old 450 properly I had to ride it about three times a week to stay in the groove, so I had given up the idea that a 'normal' person could own a 450 and use it to its potential on a sporadic basis. The 450 SEF-R proved my theory wrong with its light weight, easy handling and on-the-fly map adjustment. It's a bike I could live with.

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet
Final drive: Chain