It’s been a few weeks between rides thanks to busy dad life, kids’ sport and everything else that seems to get in the way of riding dirt bikes, but I’ve finally got back on the horse. The sand tyre stayed on for a few weeks after Casterton and I managed one small ride on a sandy track, but I’m back onto the Dunlop AT82 now and getting in some motocross and trail riding.

 

Unfortunately, I missed Kempsey due to coaching my kids’ soccer team and I’ll also miss the final round for the same reason, as they’ve found themselves in their grand final. I’m obviously very grateful for that, but I’m also slightly disappointed to miss the last two rounds after getting back into racing this year. It’s been great seeing everyone at the races again and reminded me how much I miss that side of the sport.

 

The plan is to race the series again next year, cover the events again and hopefully give you guys, the readers, a cool insight into our sport from the other side of the handlebars. There’s something pretty cool about racing the same tracks and conditions we’re reporting on rather than just standing on the sidelines watching everyone else do it.

 

Onto the Sherco, and I still cannot fault this little blue bike. For me, this has been one of the most enjoyable bikes I’ve ridden in years and it continues to impress every time I get back on it. I’m now up to around 37 hours and still haven’t had any problems, with most of those hours coming under race conditions.

 

Those hours have included everything from dust and sand to mud, creek beds and logs, with the bike proving more than capable through all of it. I wish I could say the same for the rider! Haha. The Sherco 300 SEF Factory has just been incredibly easy to live with and, other than normal servicing and maintenance, it hasn’t asked for anything.

 

I’m due for a suspension service, which I’ll tackle next month along with another oil change. I’ll also check the servicing schedule to see whether a valve-clearance inspection is due, even though the motor hasn’t missed a beat. With the weather finally drying out, it’ll be interesting to give everything a good once-over and see how it’s holding up after a season of racing.

 

Now that it’s dry, the plan is to clock up some decent hours and spend a bit more time on the motocross track as well. I’m keen to see how the Sherco handles some bigger jumps and faster MX-style riding rather than the enduro terrain it has spent most of its life tackling so far. Until next time, ciao!


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
40

MODS THIS MONTH
Dunlop AT82 rear tyre

MODS NEXT MONTH
Suspension service
Oil change
Check valve-clearance service interval