SWM Motorcycles To Enter India Through Kinetic

Italian bike manufacturer SWM Motorcycles has set its sights on the Indian two-wheeler market and plans to enter the country by the end of this year. For the uninitiated, SWM is a motorcycle brand based out of Varese in northern Italy. The brand has a factory which was acquired from Husqvarna and is capable of manufacturing 80,000 motorcycles annually. Also read: MV Agusta F4 RC Limited Edition Launched In India At Rs 50.35 Lakh

SWM Motorcycles has international presence in 25 countries and the brand’s portfolio ranges from 125cc to 600cc motorcycles. As a part of its initial business plans for India, the brand is planning to bring its flagship motorcycle, the Superdual T. The adventure tourer is powered by a Husqvarna-based, liquid-cooled 600cc single-cylinder Euro IV-compliant engine which generates 54PS of power and 53.5Nm of torque. The bike is equipped with a generous 18-litre fuel tank, which should be ideal for long-distance riding. A fully-adjustable Fast Ace inverted fork holds the 19-inch front wheel and offers 210mm of travel. The 17-inch rear wheel is suspended by an adjustable Sachs monoshock. The wheels are wrapped with Metzeler Tourance dual-sport tyres with a tread design that hints more towards road usage rather than off-roading.

Thanks to the adjustable suspension, the ground clearance ranges from 180mm to 230mm. At 890mm, the seat height is a bit too high, especially for shorter riders. Apart from the top-spec cycle parts, the bike also gets a windscreen, knuckle guards, radiator and engine crash protection, and optional side panniers. Despite all the equipment, the motorcycle is commendably light, with a dry weight of just 169kg.

SWM has partnered with Motoroyale of the Kinetic Engineering to bring the Italian motorcycles to our shores. Motoroyale is likely to present the Superdual T for homologation around June or July and we expect the bike to be launched by the end of 2017. The bike will arrive via the CKD (completely knocked down) route and is expected to command a price-tag of about Rs 5 lakh, ex-showroom.

Currently, Motoroyale also sells the exotic MV Agusta range of bikes in India, and it is expected that both SWM and MV Agusta will share the same showroom space when the latter is launched. The company is planning to add dealerships in Mumbai and Surat, apart from the existing showrooms in Pune and Bangalore. Chennai and Delhi too are likely to get Motoroyale showrooms soon.