The French Motorcycle Company Presents the 2014 Enduro New Range
Sherco opens new spaces

At a recent press presentation which was held on a ranch near in the heart of the Camargue (South of France), Sherco presented the new 250 and 300 2T enduro bikes along with improved 250 and 300 4T.

These bikes were the highlights of the presentation.

This is the tenth anniversary of the arrival of Sherco into the enduro world and they have proven that they are a brand to be reckoned with.

On June 18th and 19th all of the Sherco staff was present to meet the press. They were all dressed in Sherco blue shirts and the shiny new bikes were all neatly lined up and ready to be tested. An official trucks were there along with the marquee banners. The display blended very well with the country side, it was casual and at the same time professional. The presentation was held in the south of France, around the mouth of the Rhone. The scenery was spectacular with the herds, the horses, the cattle and the open spaces facing the Mediterranean. It was in this context, colorful and full of nature that Sherco chose to reveal a portion of the 2014 model lineup. Motorcycles, horses and bulls, a fantastic venue for this formal presentation. The event was held in the time frame between two major World Enduro Championship races.

At Sherco, we do not like overnight revolutions. The changes that we prefer to make are those that are forged in technical developments which are fueled in competition along with the input of the end users. We value the input from amateur racers who are competing in enduro races. In short, we gradually advance without missteps, without making unnecessary flashes of brilliance, our goal is to effectively produce machines that can cater primarily to the unique application. All of this does not prevent us from making major technical innovations and because we are not a big factory we can respond to updates very quickly. Since we are an independent brand we can manage our development pace and modify our strategy at will. This is no doubt one of the keys to our success.

The introduction by Didier Tirard, director of the French Enduro factory set the tone of the meeting: “Our 2014 enduro models are a continuation of what we started in 2013 especially with the 4T engines which have received many improvements and should make them even more successful. Between 2011 and 2012 the increase of this line has been 60%. The second highlight of the meeting is the release of the 2T enduro models along with the launch of a new 450 4T soon.”

The next step was for the various employees to explain the updates and improvements made to the bikes for 2014.

250 4T - lessons learned from actual competition
This machine has directly benefited from the lessons learned in actual racing competition. The main change is bore and stroke (54.8 x 76 mm). The purpose of the change is threefold: Increase the power of the motorcycle, increase the stroke and provide better traction.
There are so many new features on this model, it has a lightweight crankshaft, the cylinder bore is now 76 mm. The cylinder head has been revised to optimize low speed performance, the maximum engine speed has been raised to 13,500 rpm. And the compression ratio is increased to 13.2: 1. The fuel mapping was also improved.

300 4T A top level new fuel injection system!
This model received major updates/evolutions in 2013. The trend continues in 2014 with the adoption of a new Synerject fuel injection system, Sherco takes great technological pride in this system. It is the result of thirty months of development. It is a very sophisticated system, but solidly proven, the unique injection system includes a steeper motor to manage the idle and engine braking. A pressure sensor that is located in the throttle body, manages the injection time and adjusts the mixture to compensate for the condition of the air filter. Finally, it will be possible to download updated injection maps from Sherco system via internet. Specifically, the user will benefit from three key advantages from the Synerject system: better fuel management, a better throttle response at slow speeds and perfect management of engine braking.
But there are other improvements to the 300 4T: the new cylinder head that is equipped with a 30 mm steel intake valve rather than the former 29 mm valve. It also has a larger 42 mm diameter injector body, the ignition has a lower inertia rotor, and a new flywheel, the maximum engine speed is now (13,000 rev / min).
All of which should confirm the 300 4T as the leader in this class.
250 and 300 4T: common design changes
Both of the 4T models also benefit from common improvements, the main ones.
For the engine:
- New water pump impeller.
- Strengthenedcenter engine case at thecrankshaft bearings along with newbearingsand astiffercrankshaft.
- Optimization of the transmission by reducing internal parts.

For the chassis:
- New Trail Tech computer, a design that is particularly successful. It is very easy to read, it has a maintenance indicator and also has an hour meter.
- Rear shock absorber received new settings. The comfort level will be increased when braking and on big impacts.
450 4-T: the star is back
It has to take a little patience! The Sherco range will be enhanced by a new 450 4T, which will go into production in 2014. Some information was delivered during this presentation. We know for example that the big engine will be powered by a completely new DOHC engine, and it will be equipped with the Synerject fuel injection system which has already been installed on the 300 4T. Under the leadership of Jordan Curvalle who is the “home” test rider, many tests in actual race conditions have been conducted at several major international races: Morocco Rally, Dakar, Trèfle Lozérien. The new bike will be unveiled to the general public at the Milan fair which is held from the 5th to the 10th of November 2013.
250 and 300 2T, two new bikes in 2014
The Sherco engineers completely enjoyed this exercise, one that would frighten many in the industry. They started from a clean sheet of paper and designed a completely new motorcycle based on market demands. Two new models were born based on the same base engine, a 250 and 300 2T, this is the big news for the brand for the next season.

The page was indeed white a few months ago, however the goal was clear: give this new family of motorcycles a greater operating range, give the engine more response at low revs for the 250 and the 300, provide better torque distribution throughout the entire power curve, gain power through a 30 mm valve and limit the effect of engine braking. With this in mind, they have completed the project in order to enhance the Sherco range.

Three requirements were imposed on the design team: The bike had to have an electric starter, the valve system must be efficient and it must have the best electronic ignition system. The electric starter is placed as low as possible to lower the center of gravity and its protection is ensured by a guard. It is very reliable, and the kick starter has been abandoned. The chassis is designed to be perfectly symmetrical which improves the directional stability. And finally, despite the starter, the machine is very light weight.
A lot of work has been done on the valve system, it is operated by a special electronic management system that was designed by Sherco. In addition, the level of performance and reliability have dictated the choice of the components (Kokusan electronic system, Keihin carburetor, V Force reed valve, Twin Air filter, aluminum fork legs, etc..).
A large tank (9.5 l), is placed in the frame, the equipment on these two machines and the ergonomics have benefited from the knowledge acquired from the 4T models.

This new machine in the 300cc version has proven itself at the highest level of international competition, a few days after this presentation, Fabien Planet clinched a second position at the Grand Prix of Greece! At Sherco there is no time lost.

In the battle
The "family" at Shercois nowin working orderfor 2014.Itsglobal reachis enhanced bythe presence ofits riderscompeting at the highest levelin World Championships,it is locatedin fifty countries, withspecial emphasisin the UnitedStates, Australia, South Africa, Canada, anda strong commitment in fieldcompetitions andyouth recruitmentat theShercoAcademy.InFrance, which is the largest market in Europe,Shercorelies ona network ofsixtydealers, which ensures a timely delivery ofparts, andits desire to becloser to itsusers.If the marktoday is right on the heels of the sales leaderofenduromachines, itis notentirelya coincidence...
Key Points
Sherco is an independent brand, therefore it manages itsdevelopmentpaceand organizesits strategyas it pleases. We believe this is a key to success!
With the new250 and 3002TShercoopensnew markets.
10 years after its appearancein the world ofEnduro,the upcoming release ofa brand new450 4Tlandmark.
From the2502Tto the 450 4T, all of these models have the potentialto winat the highest level.

Box 1(photo of MarcTeissier)

Three questions forMarcTeissier, CEOSherco
What is your Enduro strategy?
To complete ourrange in order to sustainour place among themajor players in themarket.We startedwitha450 4T. Then a2504Tappeared, which gave birth to a300 version, which has since becomeourbattle horse. Today we presenttwo new machinesbased ona2Tengine, the 250and300. We have not, however,abandoned the450since the new 4Twill be unveiled atthe Milan showin November.
How would you summarizeyoursports policy?
We aremore andmore presentin the Enduro World Championship. Andwe followin the footstepsof our trial program whereour reputationhas been very strongfor several years,we have won severalworld titles in the junior class. Now we are movingSherco into Enduroandhave alreadyfoundthe podiumin Portugalfor example with theFrench riderAnthonyBoissiere, in Greece withFabienPlanet (who was riding the 3002T), and again inRomania by the AustralianJessicaGardiner. We continue to climb inpower...
What is yourgreatest satisfaction?
The accomplishments that we have achievedon a technical level, which in some areas, such asinjection, for example, is greater thanwhat existson the market today. Thisis the result oftrueinternal development. I am also veryproud that we have proven to be asuccessful teamin all specialties, mechanical,production, research, marketing ...Thisis what allowsus to be veryclose to ourusers andIvery much want to continue to stay close to our customers.

Box 2
Sherconumbers
2, the number ofproduction sitesof the brand.Oneis in Spain, near Barcelona,​​for trials bikes, the second is locatedin Nimes where the enduro models are produced.
25, which is likelythe projected production percentage increasefor 2013(trialand endurocombined).This growthwas 37% in 2011 and 22%in 2012.
50, which is thepercentage of enduro bikesproducedin relation to thetotal production.TrialandEndurothereforesharethe productionequally.
7,000,000, which is the amount (ineuros) of Shercocapitalaftera recentanddramatic increase. To be precise, as of December, 19th 2012,capital increased from€1,500,000to€7,000,000!
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Box 3
Sherco has been producing Enduro models for tenyears already!
The creation of theShercobranddates back to 1999, it was only in2004that the first blue and yellowenduromachine was designed and produced.It wasa450 4T with fuel injection, this bike won the covetedworld championshiprallytitle in 2010.
In 2014,ten years after thefirst introductionof this mythicalmachine there will be anew450 4T, with an engine that has received a 100% redesign, it will be equipped with the Synerjectinjectionsystem, whichwill appearon the special. It will thereforebenefit from adecadeof experience andtechnological know-how gleaned from every area of the world. The new referencecomes....