School of Quality and Efficiency
and Sherco are two brands that try to say the same thing, but with different words. Both strive to lighten their sets as much as possible, to achieve balanced mechanics and, of course, to be the first to equip technical innovations that allow them to expand their market share. The TXT has always been the most balanced bike in the industry, a privilege that owes mainly to the extraordinary performance of its mechanics, although Sherco has worked a lot in recent years and today we can say that such an advantage no longer exists.
The new Sherco maintains its spirit of being an accessible and easy-to-ride bike, but this time it reinforces its more competitive side. Standing above its driving position, it looks like you’re literally on a bicycle; The part of the frame closest to the steering tube is really narrow and the steering angle has gained quite a few degrees. The most impressive thing is the lightness of the front end, which invites you to drive on one wheel and constantly maneuver in the area without great physical demands. This detail is important, since the average age of these pilots will be around fifteen years old and they will not exceed fifty kilos in weight.
By comparison, the Gas Gas feels big and less playful, although that feeling fades as the rider adjusts to its controls. The best endorsement is the weight figures, which once again decide the everlasting battle in favor of Gas Gas -66.6 kg empty-, with a two-kilogram advantage. In any case, Sherco has got the line of work right, despite the fact that the rear tank is uncomfortable for certain tasks, such as the filling operation or finding out the range available at a given time.
Equal in data, but different sensations
We can say that the performances of both bikes are very similar and the efficiency within the zones is more than guaranteed, although each one stands out minimally from the other in some details. The Gas Gas engine continues to captivate us, especially for its excellent behavior in the mid and high rev range, as well as how well it withstands overrevs. Down below it is somewhat sluggish and needs the help of the clutch to lift the engine to the ideal revs, i.e. above 4,000rpm.
Our surprise came after seeing on the ground the great improvement of Sherco compared to last year. We have noticed the engine much fuller from low revs, so much so that for a moment it made us doubt if we were indeed facing a “one hundred and twenty-five”, well you will remember that until a few years ago both brands also manufactured “two hundred” versions, equipped with an engine
It is a 160cc market, whose days were numbered since they had no place in competition and went really unnoticed in the dealerships. A shame for them, but nevertheless, here you have the option of buying a 125 with authentic big bike flavor. In mid-revs the Sherco is also impeccable, even in the highest rev range; however, we appreciate how the engine runs out early compared to the Gas Gas. We check this in big obstacles where the TXT holds up well, while the Sherco forces you to put in one more speed to make sure, something that does not represent major problems if we take into account the extraordinary bass that we mentioned before.
Suspensions, Brakes & Conclusions
In the suspension and brakes section Equality reigns, especially in the front end, where Gas Gas has always boasted the greater poise and lightness provided by its 40 mm aluminum bars, however in Sherco they have countered well the thrust of their rival with different geometries that provide amazing agility. Both absorb strong obstacles well and it should only be noted that, in general, the morons are somewhat softer in order to compensate for the reactions of the group to the weight of the young riders who will get on these bikes. At the rear there are no great novelties, we only appreciate how it is somewhat more difficult to make changes at a standstill with the Sherco, perhaps because those two kilos of difference with the Gas Gas are felt more in this part of the bike, but certainly the performance is good.
In short, it is difficult to conclude this race with a clear winner, since both sets offer excellent performance and the differences are minimal. What we are sure of is that the good work that Sherco has done for the 2010 range continues to pay off and as a result of this we can say that, despite not being more powerful or lighter, finally the two bikes are at the same level.
[Continúa en la siguiente página con las declaraciones los pilotos]
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