SWM Motorcycles will likely be entering India with the 600 cc off-roader called Super Dual; expect a price range below Rs. 6 lakh
SWM Motorcycles is a specialist in making premium motorcycles but its success could not be voiced out beyond the Italian border. However, everything is going to change in a rapid pace as the recently resurrected company will be entering the highly demanding yet lucrative Indian market in alliance with MotoRoyale with a new product lineup.
Located in Varese next to the MV Agusta plant, SWM commenced operations in 1971 before liquidating 13 years later. With numerous titles in the motocross and trials scenes, the brand did establish itself in the meantime and left a compelling mark in the Italian motorcycling history. Courtesy of the Chinese backers Shineray, SWM was back in action in 2014 and continues to roll out bikes across various categories between 125 cc and 650 cc.
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Part of its recent growth can be credited with the timely acquirement of Husqvarna’s Varese plant from KTM when it bought the brand from BMW Motorrad. The functioning plant comprised of 10 left over vehicles that were still under development and designed by BMW. Therefore, the influence can be still visible as the former Husqvarna engines are single-cylinder powerplants updated to existing standards.
The maiden mill that was not Husqvarna’s but received from China is the all-new 445 cc single-cyl adorning the SWM range. The multi-brand premium bike dealerships of Kinetic, the Motoroyale, has partnered with SWM to introduce the SuperDual T in India by the middle parts of this year. Kinetic, which already manufactures some parts for SWM, has also been responsible for bringing the MV Agusta exotics to India. It is looking to follow a similar strategy with SWM.
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MotoRoyale has teamed up with British legendary bike maker Norton to bring its products to India and ASEAN region. Under the alliance, the Commando will be the first product to grace our market while India-specific limited edition are expected to be released here as well before the range gets expanded. The Norton bikes will initially be brought into the country via CBU route before meeting local assembly in a later time.
Back to SWM, the off-roading based SuperDual X is expected to join the lineup as well later this year. The SKD lines used for MV Agusta will be modified to CKD assembly in order to accumulate SWM models as a price range of below Rs. 6 lakh (ex-showroom) is targeted by MotoRoyale. The rumours of SWM entering India have been there since the beginning of last year as it was said to be observing the market and contesting feasibility studies.
SWM stands for Sironi Vergani Vimercate Milano (SV.VM). Justifying the name was the fact that its founder Piero Sironi was from Vimercate and Fausto Vergani was from Milan. Offering middle-weight machines in different segments like enduro, supermoto, dual sport and classic, the Gran Milano and the Silver Vase seem to be in the pipeline with a 445 cc single-cylinder, air/oil-cooled, four-valve engine. The former Is a classic cafe-racer while the latter is a scrambler in its character.
The incoming Super Dual takes power from a single-cylinder, fuel-injected, 600-cc unit making 54.4 PS at 7,500 rpm and 53.5 Nm peak torque at 6,500 rpm. It is connected to a six-speed gearbox. Tipping the weighing scale at 169 kg, the lightweight motorcycle is off-road based with 18-litre fuel tank capacity. Built with the high-strength steel round pipes forming a single beam, double-cradle main frame, the Super Dual has the sub-frame made from lightweight alloy.
Suspension setup is dealt by a Fast Ace USD front fork with rebound damping adjustment while the rear consists of a Sachs monoshock unit with preload, compression and rebound adjustment.
As for the Braking, the ABS-equipped Brembo units with 300 mm single disc up front and 220 mm single disc at the rear are present. With the launch just three or four months away, MotoRoyale expects it to be the marque’s best-selling model in India as it will be pitched as a least expensive dual purpose adventure vehicle.