SWM (motorcycles)
Encyclopedia
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. SWM manufactured Observed Trials, Enduro
Enduro
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on courses that are predominantly off-road. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges...
, Motorcross and off-road motorcycles in the 1970s and 1980s. They started with small capacity Sachs engined enduro bikes and began making Rotax engined trials bikes in 1977. The other main manufacturers at this time included Fantic, Bultaco
Bultaco
Bultaco was a Spanish manufacturer of two-stroke motorcycles from 1958 to 1983.-Origins:The origin of the Bultaco motorcycle company dates back to May 1958. Francisco "Paco" Bultó was a director of the Montesa motorcycle company founded in 1944. After several years of steady growth and road racing...
and Montesa
Montesa
Montesa may refer to:* the Spanish motorcycle manufacturer, now known as Montesa Honda;* Order of Montesa, a Christian military order;* Montesa, Valencia, a municipality in Spain....
.
Trials Bikes
SWM started making RotaxRotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...
TL125 and TL320 trials bikes in 1977. Rotax built a special trials
Motorcycle trials
Motorcycle trials, also termed observed trials, is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participants around the globe....
version of their rotary valve motor, with development input from Sammy Miller and Charles Coutard. Acerbis made the plastic mouldings, and suspension was by Marzocchi. These first trials machines were red and white.
In 1979 yellow and black models appeared, and in 1980 these were fitted with Girling Gas shocks and Betor forks.. Gilles Burgat won the 1981 Trials world championship on an SWM.
In 1982 a 240 model was produced with a blue frame, acknowledging Pernod's trials sponsorship.
In 1983 all bikes got alloy swing arms, and the TL350 Jumbo was introduced. This was a new reed valve motor and frame wearing the same yellow and blue colours.
In 1984 the 125 and 320 were put in the new frame, but then production ceased.
Enduro Bikes
SWM RSGS and SWM TF1 in capacities 125, 175, 250, 350, 370, 440, 506Joan Riudalbá, riding an SWM TF1 of 125 cc was Enduro Spanish Champion in 1980.
When SWM went into liquidation Armstrong of Bolton, England bought the rights to the SWM XN Tornado, a Rotax engined enduro machine of 350cc or 506 cc. With CCM
Clews Competition Motorcycles
Clews Competition Motorcycles or CCM for short, is a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bolton, England.-History:CCM was born out of the collapse of BSA's Competition Department in 1971....
, Armstrong developed and marketed a military version, the Armstrong MT500, which was so successful Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
bought the manufacturing rights in 1986, and further developed the bike as the MT350E.
SWM today
SWM went in liquidation in 1984 and production ceased. There are still people out there riding SWMs in classic and twinshock trials in the UK. RotaxRotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...
engines spares are still readily available, with many of the other spares that went out of production, like the Acerbis plastics, are being produced and distributed by specialist companies such as MotoSWM in the UK and MidWest SWM in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.