Are 450cc four-stroke enduro bikes still relevant? I have been asked this question quite a few times lately and I totally understand people's thinking. On the average trailride I attend, it is not uncommon to see swarms of mid-capacity four-strokes ranging from 300cc to 390cc. Then when I look around the pits at all of our Australian desert races and it seems 99 percent of competitors are on 500cc four-strokes. So it would seem the 450cc four-stroke is pretty much redundant, right?
Rocking up to Sherco Australia's, 2023 model ride day I thought this would be the perfect chance to spend a decent amount of time on the current Sherco 450 SEF Factory and see where it fits amongst the full range of Sherco Factory enduro models. Our test location was the Broadford Motorcycle Complex in Victoria, the terrain is your typical Aussie bush, quite dry and slippery coming off a warm end
