The SWM SuperDual is about to hit the global ADV scene and once again tackle the question: Can a 600-class thumper really work as a competent, modern adventure bike?
Speedy Working Motorcycles expects to have the SuperDual on dealership floors by end of the summer. Of course, no SWM motorcycles are available in Canada at the moment. It’s a niche Euro brand, so don’t expect to see one available at your local brick-and-mortar dealership.
That’s unfortunate, because the bike has a liquid-cooled 600 cc one-lunger, with EFI (natch!). Supposedly, it makes around 50 hp, which is considerably better than your old-school KLR, and even XR650L or DR650, hard as that may be to believe. The motor itself is derived from the old Husqvarna TE630.
The SuperDual has a 19-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel — certainly not optimal for off-road use, but much better on-road than a 21-inch front hoop. The front forks are Marzocchi units with 210 mm of travel. The rear shock (Sachs) has 270 mm of travel. Seat height is 890 mm. The metal fuel tank has 19 L capacity.
Curb weight, without fuel, is 159 kg.
Optional upgrades include a bash plate, crash bars, centrestand, and rack. They’re working on a fully-equipped version, and bespoke hard and soft luggage will likely be available in the future.
Euro pricing for the SuperDual is very reasonable, but we’d hate to speculate as to what a Canadian MSRP would be if it showed up here. The CCM GP450 would be the closest competitor in our market, and any time we publish a story on that bike, there’s a lot of complaining over the price tag. The SuperDual would probably see no better.
They do have a US distributor listed (MotoMan), but they don’t seem to have any real presence in that market, and we have heard no rumours of a Canadian entry.
Find more details on SWM’s SuperDual at their website here.
GALLERY
Check out all the pics that go with this story!
I really like this bike. Just like a well set up DR650, only with the six speed and EFI that Suzuki will never build. I would buy one if less than $10K
Truly, a DR650 with EFI and a six-speed would be nice (although the five works well enough, and is really the bike’s only weak point).
But — SPOILER ALERT — I would guess that within 10 years, the Japanese 650 thumper duallie will be a forgotten relic of the past. A dinosaur, made no more, only kept alive by the faithful, same as old Toyota FJs and Jeep CJ7s.