SWM SuperDual Launch Details Revealed

The SWM SuperDual adventure motorcycle will be launched in India in early 2018, Carandbike has learnt. The SWM SuperDual will be marketed by Kinetic-owned premium motorcycle initiative MotoRoyale, which also sells MV Agusta bikes in India. MotoRoyale has also announced a partnership with British motorcycle brand Norton to assemble and sell Norton bikes in India and the rest of the South East Asia. Kinetic Group Managing Director Ajinkya Firodia has told Carandbike that the SWM SuperDual will be launched within the next three to four months.

"We intend to price the SWM SuperDual under Rs. 6 lakh, and have a lot of expectations from the SuperDual. We are almost ready to launch the SWM SuperDual, and it will be launched within the next 3-4 months. It's an on-road, off-road motorcycle, and we expect it to be the biggest seller from MotoRoyale," Firodia told Carandbike.

Kinetic Group Managing Director Ajinkya Firodia with the SWM SuperDual

The SWM SuperDual is a light-weight adventure bike powered by a four-stroke, single-cylinder 600 cc engine based on the old Husqvarna TE610 enduro bike. Also sourced from the Husky is the tubular steel chassis and the aluminium swingarm. The 600 cc engine makes around 54 bhp of power and 53.5 Nm of peak torque. There are no electronics to speak of though; no traction control, no riding modes, and no ride-by-wire. But what is offered is high-quality components - Brembo calipers, Sachs shock, Fast Ace forks, LED headlights and optional hard luggage, the SuperDual certainly promises a lot to the booming adventure bike market in India.

SWM SuperDual gets an 18-litre fuel tank, high ground clearance and long travel suspension

Additional standard features like an 18-litre fuel tank, long travel suspension, high ground clearance, and dry weight of 186 kg will only add to its touring and adventure capability. A proven engine and chassis from the Husqvarna TE610 also makes the SuperDual a promising package for a motorcycle market like India. What could be the only chink in the armour for the SuperDual to become a bestseller is MotoRoyale's sales and service network. Right now, MotoRoyale has just four dealerships limited to Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. But Kinetic intends to increase its dealership footprint to 16-17 across India by 2019.

The SWM brand may not be very well known, particularly in India. But it has a colourful past, with the Italian brand tracing its roots back to the 1970s, manufacturing enduro, motocross and off-road motorcycles. During the 1970s, SWM also went on to win several trials and motocross titles in Italy, but the brand faltered in the '80s and went into liquidation in 1984. Since 2014, SWM has been getting funding from the Shineray Group in China, but manufacturing still takes place in Italy, using earlier Husqvarna engines. SWM currently has as many as 12 different models on sale, ranging from 125 cc to 600 cc.