Motorcycles

SWM Motorcycles unveils first new lineup in 30 years

SWM Motorcycles unveils first new lineup in 30 years
Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
View 20 Images
Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
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Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
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Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
The enduro RS650R is the first new model on offer, with production starting on July 8
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The enduro RS650R is the first new model on offer, with production starting on July 8
Styling of the RS650R is heavily based on the relevant Husqvarna model
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Styling of the RS650R is heavily based on the relevant Husqvarna model
Twin exhaust cans are the standard on all Enduro and Supermoto models in SWM's 2016 lineup
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Twin exhaust cans are the standard on all Enduro and Supermoto models in SWM's 2016 lineup
BMW-era Husky owners will find this view to be quite familiar
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BMW-era Husky owners will find this view to be quite familiar
The Supermoto SM650R will start rolling off production lines in August
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The Supermoto SM650R will start rolling off production lines in August
The RS500R is planned to go into production in September
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The RS500R is planned to go into production in September
The smaller RS300R will be available along with the RS500R in September
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The smaller RS300R will be available along with the RS500R in September
The enduro and supermoto models run on older Husqvarna single cylinder engines
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The enduro and supermoto models run on older Husqvarna single cylinder engines
The Gran Milano 440 roadster was introduced as a prototype model in last year's EICMA
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The Gran Milano 440 roadster was introduced as a prototype model in last year's EICMA
The Gran Milano 440 is powered by an air-cooled single engine of unknown origin, possibly designed in China by mother company Shineray
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The Gran Milano 440 is powered by an air-cooled single engine of unknown origin, possibly designed in China by mother company Shineray
The angular fuel tank design is a direct reference to the typical SWM styling of the seventies
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The angular fuel tank design is a direct reference to the typical SWM styling of the seventies
The Silver Vase 440 is a scrambler version of the Gran Milano
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The Silver Vase 440 is a scrambler version of the Gran Milano
The new scrambler model is named after the 1976 Silver Vase 125 7V, a legendary SWM competition model that won at the International Six Days Enduro event that was held at the Isle of Man that year
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The new scrambler model is named after the 1976 Silver Vase 125 7V, a legendary SWM competition model that won at the International Six Days Enduro event that was held at the Isle of Man that year
Along with the Gran Milano 440, the Silver Vase 440 is expected to be available in October
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Along with the Gran Milano 440, the Silver Vase 440 is expected to be available in October
Legend has it that the dot under the W in SWM's logo represents two letters V that conveniently merged into a W
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Legend has it that the dot under the W in SWM's logo represents two letters V that conveniently merged into a W
Select members of the international Press had the opportunity to test ride the first prototype SWM enduros during the presentation in Bergamo
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Select members of the international Press had the opportunity to test ride the first prototype SWM enduros during the presentation in Bergamo
Select members of the international Press had the opportunity to test ride the first prototype SWM enduros during the presentation in Bergamo
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Select members of the international Press had the opportunity to test ride the first prototype SWM enduros during the presentation in Bergamo
The official presentation of SWM's new lineup during the Italian leg of the World Enduro Championship was well received by the public
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The official presentation of SWM's new lineup during the Italian leg of the World Enduro Championship was well received by the public
View gallery - 20 images

Speedy Working Motors (SWM) has used the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship (WEC) in Bergamo to introduce its new range of street and off-road motorcycles. With seven new models in the pipeline, the Italian company plans to start production this month with a 650 cc enduro bike.

Founded in 1971, SWM manufactured Trial, Enduro and Motocross bikes with Sachs and Rotax engines until it went into liquidation in 1984. Its honors include several national Trial and Motocross titles as well as a Trial World Championship.

Theresurrection of SWM was first announced at the 2014 EICMA Milan show after securing funding from Chinese motorcycle and ATV manufacturer Shineray, a.k.a. China Chongqing Shineray Motorcycle Co.,Ltd. The new company’sCEO is Ampelio Macchi, a former Cagiva, Husqvarna and Aprilia engineer and renowned figure in Italian motorcycling history.

Production is set to begin this month in SWM’s newmanufacturing facility in Varese, Italy. The 2016 range presented during the ItalianWEC round includes three enduro models, RS300R, RS500R and RS650R, two supermotos,SM500R and SM650R, the Silver Vase 440 scrambler and the Gran Milano 440roadster.

Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo
Speedy Working Motors introduced its new official range of street and off-road motorcycles at the Italian round of the World Enduro Championship in Bergamo

Shineray acquiredthe rights to the SWM brand name as a vehicle for expansion to western markets. The Chinese company also bought a factory in Varese, Italy, that producedHusqvarna motorcycles under BMW ownership until 2013, when the Germans sold the brand to KTM. With the Austrians poised to abort operations in Italy,Shineray stepped in to acquire 10 Husqvarna models designed by BMW engineers, afully operational plant and all the expert personnel required to runit.

The enduroand supermoto models run on older Husqvarna single cylinder engines, updated to 2016 standards by the same R&D engineers that curated them in the pre-KTM period. Frames and mostof the running gear come from the relevant BMW-era Huskies as well.

The Silver Vase 440 is a scrambler version of the Gran Milano
The Silver Vase 440 is a scrambler version of the Gran Milano

What ismore interesting though is the power plant of the scrambler and roadster models. The air cooled, fuel injected, 445 cc single is a novel appearance in Shineray’s European lineup, which until now comprised of small displacement engines between 50 and 250 cc. SinceHusqvarna had nothing of the kind in its production line, this is probably the firstsighting of a new Shineray unit.

Apparently SWMhas big plans for the future. The first model to come out of the Vareseproduction line will be the RS650R on July 8, followed by the SM650R in August, the rest of the enduro and supermoto models in September and the two "classic" 440s in October. May 2016 will see the introduction of a 125cc model, August will bring a new 250 and there is also a 450 motor in the making. The latterwill be an important step for the company, after formally declaring its intention to go Motocross racing in Europe by 2016. And there’s a lot more tocome; Shineray envisages a range of off-road racing, street and adventure models, including a 900 cc multi cylinder engine available by 2018. If we areto speculate, an evolution of the Husqvarna Nuda 900 twin inescapably comes to mind.

The enduro RS650R is the first new model on offer, with production starting on July 8
The enduro RS650R is the first new model on offer, with production starting on July 8

SWM motorcycleswill be initially available in Europe; Australia will be next and North America will follow soon after. In China, South America, Asia and Africa the same motorcycles will be sold under the Shineray logo, which is more recognizable there.

Watch a short presentation from SWM in the following video.

Source: SWM

View gallery - 20 images
4 comments
4 comments
mediabeing
The SWM video is disappointing. It speaks more of the company and not so much the products produced. They didn't even care enough to speak to us. Not cool.
Most of us don't give a beep about the company if it isn't going to produce stuff that is great. I suspect the video was done in house. Pity, that. Specialists in video production should have been turned loose on the project. Oh well.
Raptorreport
I have to say that I am intrigued! The business plan appears to be sound, I like the strategy of which models will be released and when, and that first bike looks pretty darned good! We'll see how they review of course, but this could be the start of something very good. I will be following their development. Thanks for the story, Spiros!
JoseFranqueira
Thank you Spiros for bringing the resurrection of SWM outside of our little and specialized off-road world! It is a dream come true. Let's wish the new SWM people a lot of success!
Phil Winter
Thanks to gizmag and SWM for all the detail. Forget those who discredit hard work as they don't contribute to success but hold it back. Looking forward to seeing them in the market place at some point.