Well, rounds seven and eight in the sands of Casterton are done and dusted, and the mighty little Sherco 300 SEF Factory absolutely smashed it.

I’ve now put around 32 hours on the bike, with the last 10 spent riding in the sand. I fitted a Dunlop MX14 before the event and, with all the wet weather around at the moment, I’ve left it on so I can still sneak in some riding.

But back to the good stuff — Casterton. It was epic. It was muddy, it was rough and it was an awesome weekend. The bike was brilliant and, as I mentioned last month, for a 300 you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a larger-capacity bike like a 350 because of how much bottom-end torque it produces.

Saturday’s cross-country race was two hours for us vets and the Sherco didn’t miss a beat. With the larger enduro tank I didn’t need to stop for fuel, as the race was only around 80km and the sand wasn’t as deep as beach sand, so fuel consumption wasn’t too bad. Being someone who likes to ride a gear taller probably helped as well.

Sunday was back to sprint racing on a lap that took between seven and eight minutes, depending on how you navigated the bog holes. By then the track was properly rough. I’m talking waist-deep holes and whoops that seemed to last for six-and-a-half minutes of the seven-minute lap!

In the opening test I got bogged so badly I couldn’t even see my front wheel, and then my start button stopped working for five or six pushes, costing me valuable time. I finished the test and discovered the plug behind the headlight had come loose. I’d had the handlebars off the week before while playing around with the mounts, so I’m guessing I must have knocked it loose. Once it was plugged back in, it was good as gold.

Since getting home I’ve stripped the bike right down to the frame and engine to clean out all the sand and mud before doing another oil and filter change. Honestly, this little Sherco has become one of the most impressive bikes I’ve ridden and it’s a bike I genuinely look forward to riding every time.

Next up I’ll be back in the bush for Kempsey with plenty of trail riding and testing planned. Other than that, there’s nothing to report in terms of wear and tear or parts needing replacement. I’m probably due for a new chain soon, but I’ll see how much longer I can stretch it. Jeff Briggs

2026 Sherco 300 SEF Factory

RRP
$17,999 + ORC
WARRANTY
6 months parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Mojo Motorcycles
INTERNET
sherco.com.au

SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS
38

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