Last summer, we told you Motorsports Canada was bringing the SWM line to Canada; now, we’ve got the names of the bikes that are supposed to come in, their MSRPs, and a rough timeline of when we can expect to see them.
There are 13 SWM models expected to come to Canada, and there is a broad range in the lineup, including mid-sized scramblers, big-bore duallies and small-bore dirt bikes. You can see photos of all the new models below.
Motorsports Canada is bringing in two offroad-only models, the RS125R ($5,999) and the SM125R ($6,499).
Then, there are 11 street-legal models expected this year: the RS300R ($8,499), the RS500R ($9,499), and the SM500R ($9,999). The Super Dual T is $10,499, the Super Dual T GT is $11,999, the Super Dual X is $10,499 and the Super Dual X GT is $11,999. Presumably, those Super Dual models are all based off this machine.
The Gran Turismo is $7,999, the Silver Vase 440 is $7,999, the Gran Milano 440 is $8,499 and the Six Days is $8,499. All street-legal bikes are expected to be certified by Transport Canada this spring, except the Gran Milano and Six Days. They’re expected to be certified this fall.
If you aren’t familiar with SWM, there’s a brief company history at its webpage. Essentially, it’s a rare example of a successful zombie brand. The Italian-based manufacturer was originally in business between 1971 and 1984, but was revived in 2014 by Chinese manufacturing giant Shineray. Now, SWM sells bikes built around the made-in-Italy Husqvarna designs that went out of production when KTM’s Stefan Pierer bought that brand from BMW. It’s a complicated family history, for sure, but reports from other countries with access to the machines seem to indicate the bikes are decent quality. The Italian connection has certainly resulted in better-looking bikes than most machines with a Chinese origin.
SWM has been grabbing attention from frustrated dual-sport enthusiasts in the last couple years because it’s one of a very small number of companies still building motorcycles in the single-cylinder 650 class. However, as you can see in the MSRPs above, the new thumpers won’t be in the same bargain-basement range as the existing Japanese 650s that popularized that segment.
GALLERY
Check out all the pics that go with this story!
Good to see new blood. Hope they do well. The rs500r is the one I would want. But I’m a 2 stroke guy
Interesting specifications on the DS bike: MING GROUND CLEARANCE and FUEL THANK CAPACITY. Very re-assuring relative to overall build quality.
They “look” cool. Too bad the pricing is just plain stupid. Who is going to pay premium price for an un-premium product when there are so many better alternatives? Not going to sell enough to keep the lights on. Again, too bad because the concept of small, interesting bikes is at least part of the solution to getting younger riders into motorcycling.
Seriously, why would anyone drop cash on these when there are so many good mainstream brands. Plus zero resale value……
Wow, that’s some optimistic pricing for an unproven brand that’s ‘Italian’/Chinese.
they are pretty proven, at least the 650 which appears to be identical to the Husky 630 I owned. They’re as chinese as Volvos.
And the retro bikes are made by Shinray and are actually very good and have been available in Europe for a few years. By unproven I meant a brand unfamiliar to Canadians. It takes time to build a brand. That’s not going to happen by pricing the bikes comparably to the competition. The company needs to create an incentive to buy the bikes. Saving a $1000 dollars or so over the competition is an incentive. Then the bikes will be on the streets and people will talk about them. I suspect the price of the bike will come down when they are sitting on the dealers floor for a year. That’s how RE came to their senses.
i completely agree. Price point should be attractive for first bike buyers or as a cheaper base for mods and customization.
8 grand for a 445cc retro ? good luck with that.
That’s a $5.500.00 dollar bike at most.