In 2024 I bought a 2019 SWM Superdual T. With little just a few weeks prep time, I flew it from Europe to South America. After 20,000 miles (32,000km), here’s my Superdual review, taking a deeper look at what stood out, and what didn’t.
A little history
Who are SWM
SWM Motorcycles is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, originally founded in 1971 in Milan. The company mainly focused on producing off-road motorcycles like enduro and motocross bikes, often using Sachs engines, and even won championships in 70s and early 80s. Unfortunately, in 1984 the company went bust.
In 2014, SWM was revived by the vision of Ampelio Macchi, formerly with Cagiva, Aprilia and Husqvarna, and financial backing by the Chinese company Shineray Group.
The company is still based in Italy, and its flagship motorcycles are made there.
What is the Superdual
If the history of SWM is fairly simple, the history of the Superdual is anything but.
The engine and frame started life as a Husqvarna TE610, which then morphed into the TE630. BWM bought Husqvarna in the early 2000s, and killed off the old Cagiva developed engine in favour of the 650cc Rotax used in the F650 and xCountry/xChallenge bikes.
A few years later BWM sold Husqvarna to KTM. Pierer Mobility AG the owner of KTM was only interested in the brand, as such the factory and old designs were left untouched.
That was until the SWM brand was revived, and the RS650R and Superdual created using much of the same tooling, suppliers and components as the old Husqvarna TE630.
So, what is the Superdual? It’s a modern Euro 5+ compliant adventurised version of the TE630, still made in Italy.
Models and pricing
The SWM Superdual is available in two main configurations: the Superdual T and the Superdual X. While both bikes share the same powerful 600cc engine and core chassis, they are equipped slightly differently to appeal to distinct riding styles.
Superdual T: The ‘T’ stands for Touring. This model is more road-oriented, featuring a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear spoked wheel setup. It comes standard with more street-focused adventure tires (like the Metzeler Tourance on earlier models or Timsun on newer ones) and a color scheme that is typically grey or black.
The smaller wheel sizes make it quicker and more agile on tarmac, providing a slightly lower seat height and improved cornering confidence on asphalt.
Superdual X: The ‘X’ is designed for more serious off-road riding. It has the classic dual-sport wheel sizes with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoked wheel setup. These larger wheels, paired with more aggressive tires (like the Metzeler Sahara on earlier models), offer better stability and obstacle-clearing capability off-road.
The taller wheels also contribute to a higher ground clearance.
Price and availability
The pricing of the SWM Superdual was a key factor in its appeal, unfortunately SWM can’t compete on price with bikes coming from China, and the price of new models has shot up.
UK: New models, when available, typically retail for around £7,000. Used prices for well-maintained models are often found in the £2,000 – £4,500 range, offering incredible value for a fully-equipped adventure bike.
Europe: Prices across the Eurozone are generally around €7.500 for a new Superdual T. Availability can be somewhat limited, but SWM has a presence in many EU countries.
US: The Superdual has had a more sporadic presence in the American market. When available, the price for a new model was around $8,995. Used prices in the US market fluctuate, with models ranging from $4,000 to $8,000 depending on condition and year.
In my opinion, the used market is the place to go. My 2019 Euro 4 model was €3.500, and I’ve seen low milage ones sell for just £2,000 in the UK.
On road performance
The road going performance of the Superdual is surprisingly good. Despite being down on capacity versus the 650cc Rotax engine previously used in the BWMs. The Superdual feels punchy, and the gearing means taking it north of legal highway speed limits isn’t an issue.
The screen offers good protection, and the wind management is something I could have only dreamed off on my KTM 890 Adventure R.
What limits longer days in the saddle is the saddle itself. The seat is comfortable for about an hour. I modified mine, and that increased comfort to a couple of hours. I later added an Airhawk, which made it all day comfortable.
I find that vibrations are well controlled for a 600cc thumper. Yes, my 890 Adventure was smoother, but actually its high frequency vibrations upset me more than the low frequency vibes from the Superdual.
I’m happy cursing along at around 60-70mph (95-110km/h) for sustained periods, and running up to 75mph on occasion. If you need to go faster, the Superdual can do it, but it won’t necessarily be comfortable. I’ve had it at 110mph (177km/h) on a disused track.
With Brembo calipers front and rear, and ‘Braking’ brand discs, the stopping performance and feel is good. It’s not up there with top of the line radials on something like the Ducati Hypermotard 698, but it beats most mid-range single and multi-cylinder adventure bike in its class, including the CF Moto 450MT.
Along with this, the 19/17″ wheel set up on the Superdual T makes it a great canyon carver, inspiring confidence in the corners, especially on more street oriented adventure tires like the Bridgestone AT41.
Off road performance
Off road, I ran Michelin Anakee Wild tires on my Superdual T. Coming straight from KTM, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of off-road performance from the Superdual, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I think the Superdual being some 20kg lighter helped, but I was able to do everything I could do on the 890, and a few things a didn’t dare on the bigger bike.
That’s to be expected, this bike has a strong dirt heritage staring with the same frame, basic geometry and engine as the TE610.
The pegs are high and wide for standard pegs, the bars are wide, and ground clearance is acceptable for adventure travel. My minor quips are that the cockpit felt a little cramped, which I improved by adjusting the bars into their forward position, and that the wheel base is quite short.
The ergonomics definitely feel more dual sport than adventure, and that inspires confidence. On my 890 Adventure with its low bulbous fuel tanks, I didn’t dare stick a leg out when cornering in the dirt. On the Superdual I was comfortable sitting down and dangling a foot for balance.
That short wheelbase helps the bike feel more agile, but in theory comes at the cost of stability. Riding rough tracks through Bolivia or Peru, never once had a stability issue. Bigger bikes like the Desert X tend to have bulk up front, and that requires a long wheel base, but the Superdual is small in comparison and so can get away it.
The main let down when it comes to off road performance is the suspension (isn’t it always). In 2017, getting adjustable suspension on a bike costing less than £7,000 was pretty much unheard of. In 2025, it’s the norm even for budget adventure bikes. It’s a shame that SWM hasn’t updated it for its Euro 5+ model.
My complaint is typical of other Superdual owners. The suspension is too firm, and harsh. See the suspension section below for more details.
Engine
The 600cc Testarossa engine is the star of the show here. The engine may have been around since 2001, but it’s a solid unit spitting out a claimed 54 angry horses, and 55nm of torque.
In the current climate of neutered A2 offerings, nothing comes close. It’s a 25 year old design that’s seemingly never undergone any refinement. As such, it retains that true single-cylinder feeling, and a twist of the throttle is guaranteed to put a smile on even the sternest of faces.
I’ve owned both an F650 Dakar, and a G650 xCountry, sporting a Rotax 650cc single cylinder engine. In terms of performance and grin factor, the 600c unit in the Superdual blows them away. There’s just no comparison, especially considering the fact that the Superdual has a 6 speed gearbox too.
Fuel economy isn’t bad either. It regularly returned 4l/100km on my travels, providing a range of 350-400km from its 18l tank.
Suspension
Like the TE630 that came before it, the RS650R was shod with Marzocchi forks, and a fully adjustable Sachs shock at the rear. That’s an important distinction as Sachs is well know for sealed non-rebuildable shocks.
The Superdual is a little different, here’s a breakdown of the forks and shock:
Forks
Marzocchi’s decision to exit the motorcycle suspension market in 2015, means that the Superdual was hastily supplied with FastAce forks. Who? That was my question too. FastAce is a Taiwanese suspension company best known for its mountain bike products.
The move to FastAce forks is a real miss for SWM. They are adjustable for compression and rebound damping (not preload though), but the damping, like on most adventure bikes, is poor.
That’s not the only issue though. The forks are harsh on the initial hit, and overly firm. In fact, in my 20,000 plus miles, I can’t think of a single time I’ve managed to bottom them out, even when fully loaded for camping.
I rode a ton of washboard, sand, gravel, rocky terrain, and other than the harshness, the forks never really caused me any issues, or stopped me doing anything. And despite my complaints, I’d still say they were more comfortable than the Sachs forks on the G650 xCountry.
The bigger issue is that, the internals are far from being a Marzocchi copy, meaning replacement parts, and specifically springs are hard to get. Added to that, the forks are heavy. Just one side weighs as much as a pair of Marzocchis.
A good suspension specialist would be able to re-valve them, but a better route, is to use a set of forks from a TE250.
Shock
The shock is a Sach unit of the non-rebuildable variety, but it’s not a bad unit overall. It’s an emulsion shock with some adjustability via a combined compression/rebound screw at the bottom, and hydraulic pre-load.
I find the shock quite harsh, but then I also did on my KTM 890 Adventure R, and my 950 Adventure before that.
With 6 years and 30,000 miles on it now, and a tough South American tour behind it, the shock is starting to leak. Since there’s no bleed valve, there’s no way for re-builders to re-gas it, and hence it’s not possible to rebuild it.
Halgon, sell a replacement (without hydraulic preload), and premium shocks like those from Ohlins can be customised to fit, but the options are limited.
At this point I should point out, that non-rebuildable shocks were common place in the motorcycle world, so I understand SWMs decision, when designing the bike back in 2015, but 10 years later things have moved on, and the decision now looks to be a poor one.
Build quality and components
For bike that is still built in the EU and to originally come in below the £7,000 ($/€) mark, it comes stacked with branded components, and a solid build quality too.
There’s no J.Jaun, or Bybre (or Bye Bye as I like to call them) brakes here. The SWM comes stock with Brembo calipers front and rear, and a Brembo master cylinder. The 300mm front disc, and 220mm rear are by the Italian company Braking.
The ECU is by Athena, and although not as modern as the one found on the AJP PR7, it is still somewhat tuneable. The bearings are made in Japan (Koyo brand), and the rear shock is Sachs.
The fuel tank is steel, and the plastics are flexible dirt bike style. This means they are soft (and scratch easily), but also means they won’t break when you drop the bike.
Overall, the build feels solid, and although not quite premium (due to the plastics), it’s well done, and everything fits together well. The paint, coating, and finishings also seem well done, and not just slopped on like the 390 Adventure frame.
The dash on the <2024 models is basic to put it mildly. I think some Casio calculators might be able to display to more. That being said, you get your speed, fuel level, and a trip meter. You can cycle between the tip meter, RPM (in figures), clock, and stopwatch. There’s also an hour meter, left over from the bike’s previous incarnation as a dirt bike.
Overall, the biggest issue for me is not the build quality but the thoughtfulness and access to certain parts. For example, the rear shock is adjustable, but the adjuster isn’t accessible. The linkages have grease nipples, but because the bike has an underslung exhaust (unlike the original Husqvarna design), one of the grease nipples is inaccessible.
Switchable ABS
The 2018 and later year Superdual come equipped with switchable ABS. It’s not the lean angle sensitive unit you find on more premium bikes, and the manufacturer is unknown. I don’t believe it’s a Bosch unit.
The good news is that there’s a dedicated ABS slider above the horn. Push it up three seconds while stationary and it switches off the rear ABS. The bad news is that it resets again if you cycle the ignition.
One thing I loved about the KTM was that it remembered your settings even if you turned the bike off. The Superdual doesn’t, but at least using a dedicated button is much easier than having to go into various menus on the dash to turn it off and on.
The other downside is that ABS is disabled on the rear wheel only.
On the road, the ABS performs great. It’s not overly intrusive, and when called for does a great job of bringing the bike to halt. Off road, it’s a far cry from the top systems out there.
I remember testing the KTM 890 ABS, by riding 80km/h on loose gravel and then hammering the front brake. The result was a nice clean stop faster than I might have been able to do manually.
That isn’t the case on the Superdual. On hard packed dirt roads and even gravel it works well enough. The problem comes when the front wheel hits a bump or skips over tree roots or stones on the way into a corner. This will trigger the ABS, and leave you running wide.
Despite this I still run with ABS on when off road a good 80% of the time, you’ve just got to be aware of its limitations in the dirt.
Weight and standard equipment
The weight of an adventure bike is one of the first items people look for on the spec sheet. We all want something lighter and easier to handle right? The Superdual (both X and T), come in at 192kg (actually weighed with a full tank of fuel).
That might sound heavy for a single cylinder bike. It’s only 4kg lighter than CF Moto’s 450MT which is a twin, and far heavier than KTM’s more exotic 690 Enduro.
It’s important to note, that the SWM Superdual comes equipped with a centre stand (3kg), metal skid plate that’s actually usable (1kg), upper and lower crasher bars (3.5kg), auxiliary lights, hand guards (albeit plastic), rear rack and pillion grab handles (2kg).
It also ships with a standard AGM battery, and it’s a huge one, at a full 12Ah. Anyone wishing to reduce weight should start here. Changing to LiFePO4 battery like Antigravity, or Skyrich HJP18-FP saves nearly 3.5kg, bringing the bike down below 190kg.
Losing the rear upper rack saves another 1.1kg. Neither of these modifications affect performance or functionality, as the under rack is perfectly good for mounting luggage too.
That results in a 188kg bike fully equipped to take on the world. There aren’t too many bikes putting out over 50hp that come in that light, and there’s still far more weight to trim.
Swapping the exhausts (end cans only), or converting to a 2-1 setup will save nearly 7kg, and losing the centre stand (not recommended), another 3kg.
Now you’ve got a bike as light as a Kawasaki Versys X300 with far more power, more torque, and better equipped.
Servicing, maintenance and parts
The oil change is every 3,000 miles, and valve clearence check every 6,000 miles. Those are very short service intervals for an adventure bike. Fortunately, both are very easy to do. On my trip around South America, I actually extended these intervals. The oil was changed at roughly 5,000 miles, and the valves checked at 12,000 miles.
I had previously set the valve clearances on the wider side of the tolerance before I left. On checking the valves again, I found all to be within tolerance, with barely even 0.01mm change since my initial service.
Basic parts such as brake pads, oil and air filters are easy to come by. More exotic parts are best ordered from Evolution Bike in Italy. Evolution ships all over the world, and any parts that aren’t in stock, they order from SWM directly. I’ve never had to wait more than 2 weeks for ‘out of stock’ parts.
Yes, it’s a bit more hassle than hopping over to your local KTM or BWM dealer, both of whom mights actually stock some small parts given the bike’s history, but it’s not a huge deal.
Reliability and Known issues
The 600cc single in the Superdual has been around for donkey’s years, and is pretty robust, but the bike itself does have a few known issues or things to be aware of.
This isn’t going to be an exhaustive list, as there are always bikes with one-off issues, but the following are well known:
Snapped subframe bolts
The subframe on the Husqvarna TE630 and the RS650R was a known weak point. SWM beefed this up for the Superdual to bolster its luggage carrying capacity and make it adventure ready. And while I’ve not heard of any reports of an actual subframe breaking, the lower bolts can come loose and snap.
The fix, is to replace the OEM 8.8 grade ones with 10.9 or 12.9 grade bolts and ensure they are tight. Check them periodically, and you’ll never have a problem.
Fuel sender gasket leakage
The fuel sender gasket did leak on some early models. I believe this was fixed when it came to the Euro 4 and Euro 5 bikes. I carried spare with me on long trips, but in over 20,000 miles (50,000 km) I haven’t needed to use it.
Air box nut inserts
Be very carful not to over tighten the air box cover, otherwise the brass inserts can rotate or come loose. The fix if one does come loose is to remove it and add a new insert. The inserts I ordered were too big, so I just headed up an M6 nut and pressed it into the plastic. Job done.
Oil screeners
The engine has two oil screens that are supposed to be checked and cleaned at each service. The one under the clutch clover is known to disintegrate, leaving debris in the sump. SWM issues a bulletin on this and created a more robust part.
Not wanting to remove the clutch cover each time I do an oil change, I just removed my screen completely (not advised). That was 20,000 miles ago.
Regulator / Rectifier
The regulator / rectifier on these bikes is a shunt type system. It works fine, but the way the cables are bent under the frame causes hotspots. That eventually leads to the non-waterproof connector melting, and killing your battery.
The RMS021-106036 is the best replacement here and even comes with a waterproof connector. Alternatively, just re-route the cables from the stator, and keep an eye on it.
SWM Superdual T & X verses the competition
There isn’t really a bike like the Superdual currently in production. It used to be that we had a glut of 600cc plus single cylinder bikes. The F650, G650 Sertao, Tenere 660, KLR650 etc.. but many of these have now fallen by the wayside.
There’s the KTM 690 Enduro, and Husquvarna 701. Both are high performance ‘enduro style’ bikes, that would run rings around the Superdual. That’s to be expected, they cost nearly double the price, and need extensive modification for RTW adventure travel.
There’s the V-Strom 650, which is a heavier far more road oriented machine, and the NX500, which again isn’t remotely close to being similar.
The closest adventure bikes to the Superdual are the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, KTM 390 Adventure R, and the CF Moto 450MT.
The Superdual has more power and torque than all three of them. It’s also lighter than the RE450 and CF Moto, but in return all three of them offer better suspension out of the box, and more modern electronics.
Perhaps the Elephant in the room is the AJP PR7, a more extreme adventure bike, that uses the same SWM 600cc engine, yet eeks out another 4hp bringing the total up to 58hp. It comes with rally like performance, but you also play a rally-like price. It’s far more of a niche model. I don’t think anyone considering a Superdual will also be looking at the PR7, but it’s there if you want it.
Is the Superdual a good buy
On its release in 2017, the answer would have been unequivocally YES. For the price you there just wasn’t anything similar around. Over 50hp, less than 200kg, adjustable suspension, ready to travel straight from the factory.
Now, things are a little different and there’s been a spate of featureful adventure bikes at budget prices. None quite have the raw exhilaration of the of the Superdual, but some in many ways are more soft adventure ready.
Personally, I still think the Superdual comes out on top in most comparisons. In particular the power and more specifically, the low down torque. It’s just a great all round bike.
It’s not without its faults. It will feel too unrefined for some, and the short service intervals, are a bit of a pain, but I look at it this way.
If your bike doesn’t inspire you to go out and seek adventure. If it holds you back from taking the routes you want to, or exploring the path less travelled, then you’re on the wrong bike.
After more than 20,000 miles, I’m happy to say that hasn’t been the case with the Superdual. It’s done everything I’ve asked of it, and taken me everywhere I’ve wanted to go.
The good news is that SWM has updated both the Superdual T and the Superdual X to be Euro 5b compliant. That means they’re still going to be around for years to come. It also means someone is buying them. The question is will you?
