Powerdeliverycanbe alittlesnatchylow downin
the rev-rangeand the engineismuchmoreresponsiveif
you workit harder.Be toughon it! There's plenty of mid
rangetorque, allowing youto accelerate outof corners
andovertakewithconfidence.Basically,onceyou get
usedto wherethepower'savailable,the littleSWMis
ajoy to ride. It soundsfantastictoo,with adistinctive
single-cylindergrowlemanatingfromits twin,upswept
exhausts. Its five-speed gearboxandclutch arelightand
precise,although findingneutralcan sometimesbeabit
of achallenge.
It's verycomfortablewithits upright,relaxedriding
position,low seatand wide bars-andbecauseof the
bench-styleseat,youcan slide forwardor backto find
acomfortableridingposition.Infact,Ifoundmyself
sliding forwardto attackcorners,andithandles these
surprisinglywell.Despiteits 19infront wheeland
knobblyPirelli MT-60tyres,there'sno vagueness
fromthe frontend,anditturnslightlyinto corners and
holdsitsline wellatdeepleanangles.
Thesuspensionis capable,but as you'dexpectit
is not the most sophisticatedof set-ups-thoughit
doesofferpreloadadjustmentatthe rear. Ingeneral,
it'sfairl ysoft,whichhelps offeracomfortable ride.
Mid-cornerbumpsarelikelyto unsettlethe bike,but
becauseofits wide bars andlightweight,it's not too
muchof challengeto muscleitinto place.Brakes
are fairlybasictoo. Its front single260mm disc
(withABS)is amplefor stoppingthelightweightbike,
offering decent biteandreasonableprogression,while
the rear220mmdiscisperfe ct for smooth filtering
andtightturnsintown.
Off-road,the littl eSWMis greatfun. Ofcourse, you
can'texpectmodernmotocrosslevelsof performance-
mostlyas aresultofits shortsuspension travel.Sono
big jumps...butit's quite happy tacklingsomeniggly
greenlanesandsingletracks. It'll probablysurprise you
with justhowcapableit is on the dirt-Iknowit didme.
Controlsare basic,buteverything worksas you'd
expect. Its tall,circular mirrorsarewide andwell
WhoisSWM?
Sinceits inceptionin Milan
in the early1970s, SWM
madeanameforitself
buildingarangeof innovative,
small capacity machines
forTrials, Enduroand
Motocross. Foundedby Piero
Sironiand Fausto Vergani
in Milan,in reactiontothe
off-roadsuccessesof Japanese
manufacturersinthe early
1970s, SVVM (or Sironi
VerganiVimercateMilano)
enjoyed someserioussuccess
on theworldcircuitfor20
years,takingtitlesacross
awidebreadthof off-road
competition.
But it didn'tlast. Sadly,
SWMwentintoliquidation
in 1984.Andthatwasitfor
30 years... untilAmpelio
Macchi(formerlyan engineer
withCagiva,Aprilia and
Husqvarna)got his hands
on theSWM brandand
joinedforces with Chinese
businessmanDaxingGong.
Together they kicked offits
resurgence,unveilingsix
newmodelsatEICMA2014.
Interestingly,despi te the
Chineseconnection,SWMhas
chosentokeep manufacturing
in Italy andmaintainits
historicrootsto the region,
basing thebrandataformer
Husqvarnamanufacturing
plantin Lombardia.TECHNICALSPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE: 445ccsingle-cylinder,four-stroke,sohc FRAME: Steel single
tubebeam with doublecradleSUSPENSION: Telescopichydraulicforks,
doublehydraulicshockabsorber;spring preloadadjustment BRAKES:Front- fixed disc with hydrauliccontrol andABS; Rear-fixeddisc with hydraulic
controlWHEELS/TYRES:Front-100/90-19;Rear-130/80-17IPirelli
MT-60 POWER,29bhp@5300rpm SEATHEIGHT,874mmGROUND
CLEARANCE:226mm DRYWEIGHT:153kg FUEL CAPACITY:
20 litres PRICE:£5499CONTACT:swmmotorcycles.co.uk
placed,the switchgear is whereyou'dexpectand its
simpledual-podanalogue instrumentpaneloffers a
speedometerandtachometer with asmallLCD screen
showing odometerand onetripmeter.Thereare no
fancy extraslike afuelgauge,just afuel warninglight.
If yo uare afteraretro-inspired scrambler,check
outSWM's SixDays.It'sastylish bike thatturns
headsandyoucan rideitonanA2 licence.It's a
verycapablemachine,ashappytearing up the trails
as commuting-andcosting £5499on theroad,it's
significantly cheaper thanmostof the competition.rilml