Exclusive: Sherco TVS 2017 Dakar Bike Ridden

The toughest bit is over. For a shortie like me, the idea of getting onto a motorcycle with a seat height of 970mm was akin to being asked to do a pole vault without a pole. Just to be clear, that is 130mm more than a Triumph Tiger. A fleeting moment of athleticism and driven by desperation, it was done. Phew. The motorcycle in question is the bespoke Sherco TVS Rally Factory RTR 450. It has been specifically crafted to tackle the world’s toughest rally, the Dakar; which means it is expected to gallop through two weeks of mud, sand, rocks, ditches, mountains, and deserts without missing a heartbeat. The Sherco TVS RTR 450 that I have clambered onto is being given finishing touches before it is packed off to South America, where Indian supercross and motocross champ Aravind KP will make his Dakar debut in January 2017.  For now, we are south of France at a test facility that is used by WRC and Dakar teams to develop their vehicles and will be where we will get a taste of the Sherco TVS RTR 450’s ability. Did I say the toughest bit was over?

Get a hold

Now with the heavily booted right foot firmly on the ground, my left foot dangled inches below the gear lever. The RTR 450 loomed over me, as did the threat of dropping this all-custom-built, carbon-fibre-bodied racing machine. Quick, get going I tell myself. David Casteu, the team manager for the Sherco TVS team, a 12-time Dakar veteran and runner-up in 2007, is waiting up ahead to lead me around the track. I thumb the starter and the engine comes to a start with a growl. It has a pulse and the beat, typical of a big single, but if anything it feels smoother than I expected. The left foot pushes the side stand off, I engage first gear and hop onto the seat just as I let out the short clutch lever and head out of the bivouac. 

Earlier that morning, we spent time to get used to the track. It was a maze of paths, bounding through heaps of mud, disappearing between clumps of bushes, or diving down the rolling countryside. From hard packed and fast, to deep loamy mud, rocky paths and boulders thrown in for good measure, there was a lot to watch out for. Blasting down at speeds around 100kmph, leaping over crests, or tiptoeing through hairpins, it all felt like edge of the seat stuff. The bike that I rode was enduro pro Lorenzo Santolino’s race-spec Sherco 450 SEF-R, and that helped inspire a bit more confidence. 

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For most people who have never ridden off-road, the first time can be frightening. The variety and volume of sensory inputs is something you will never experience on tarmac. You have to learn to let go; to let the rear slither about, to let the handlebars flap, to let the bike buck and weave. And then, you will find a rhythm. Despite some amount of off-road experience, this was the first time that I had a 450 to ride in earnest. As the route became familiar, the right wrist started to take some liberties, and that had some side effects. Suddenly, I didn’t have to remind myself to stand up on the pegs, or to use my legs to clamp onto the motorcycle with all my might, or to push my body forward with the head held out above the headlamp. It was plain necessary! To counter the thrust of the motorcycle, to keep from falling off, to keep the front wheel down, you just did it. A momentary lapse in the coordination between the body position and the right wrist, and you could very well be a part of the dusty scenery. But, the sense of where to tread with caution and where to take a few liberties helped me when it was time to step up onto the RTR 450.

Judging a book 

Sorry, but, you can’t help but be intimidated by the RTR450. Now sitting in the comfort of a chair looking at the spec sheet it seems quite manageable. After all, the 300mm of suspension travel at the front, 330mm of travel at the rear, and the 355mm of ground clearance is identical to the SEF-R. What makes the Dakar racer more intimidating is its stance. The tall and slim wind deflector with a variety of navigation-related equipment stashed behind it, the wide bars, switches galore, the three fuel tanks, the two fuel pumps, the longer wheelbase and the higher seat just adds up to make it look like a tough creature to master. 

As it turned out, that was far from the truth. My first thought about the Sherco TVS RTR 450? Plush. Believe me. Suddenly, the rocky surfaces felt distant, the boulders felt rounded, and level changes mattered lesser still. The palm grips were soft and the saddle, too! No doubt, when you are expected to race over 700kms of mud and dust in a single day, the added comfort helps. Aravind KP explained afterwards that the first 25 per cent of the suspension stroke is soft for comfort, but the suspension stiffens up as it hits bigger obstacles at higher speed. The level that the racer use these machines is in another universe, which is why they can term these 135kg motorcycles as heavy! Albeit with 32 litres of fuel, they must feel like a handful! 

For me, the Sherco is putting up a great show. The sharp front end is communicative, and it is light to steer, too. There are a couple of flowing switchbacks with muddy embankments, the Dakar bike’s fluidity through them suggests it is no different from the smaller Enduro bike in this regard. While both bikes share the same chassis, the Sherco TVS RTR 450 has been strengthened and is hence a bit heavier. It also boasts a longer swingarm and that will give it an advantage in terms of high speed stability, which is plenty important as riders are known to hit speeds of 180kmph while racing off-road! 

What catches me by surprise is the engine. While the enduro bike had been torquey, this is feeling a lot more. Even in tighter corners, 2nd gear seems the better option as the punch sends the rear wheel slithering wildly if you go lower down the ‘box. Even then the Dakar bike is a handful and you need to work to stay on top of it. With the inner leg stuck out in corners, teeth gritted and with a prayer humming in my head, I follow David around for a while longer. And, I am secretly relieved when he guides me back to the bivouac. Now, for sure, the toughest bit is over.