![]() ![]() It off-loaded the historic brand to Pierer Industrie AG, headed by KTM CEO Stefan Pierer, in January 2013. Several new Husqvarnas were developed, but BMW eventually had a change of heart about the off-road market and decided to divest itself from Husqvarna. To keep production costs low, BMW sourced some parts from China. BMW also financed a the construction of a new factory in Biandronno, Italy, on the western shore of Lake Varese. The Germans originally intended to operate Husky independently, and for one year after the purchase, BMW produced the motorcycles and engines already developed by MV Agusta while internally engineering its own products. The next twist came in 2007 when BMW bought Husqvarna from MV as part of its plans to tackle the off-road market. Cagiva bought the MV Agusta brand in 1991 and years later changed the name of the parent company to MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. But where does one find unused but contemporary dual-sport enduros and dirtbikes?įor that story, we have to go back to 1987 when Cagiva purchased the motorcycle division of Husqvarna from its Swedish owners and transferred production to its factory in Varese, Italy. On the other hand, rebadging an existing non-current motorcycle is exponentially quicker and cheaper. That’s the CliffsNotes version, but the back stories to relaunching the marque are tangled and labyrinthine.ĭesigning new motorcycles from scratch is very costly and highly complicated. Despite these successes and the later adoption of some Rotax engines, SWM faltered in the early 1980s and suffered liquidation in 1983.įlash forward three decades, and the SWM marque was purchased in 2014, with six new dirt and street bikes ranging in size from 300cc to 650cc displayed at the 2014 EICMA show in Milan. SWM went on to score a trials world title and several Italian national championships in motocross and trials. ![]() In 1973, production bikes with small-displacement (50, 100, and 125cc) Sachs two-stroke engines began to roll out of the factory. SWM soon had success on the race circuit, winning the 1972 Italian motocross championship in the 125cc category. It was 1971 when off-road riding enthusiasts Piero Sironi and Fausto Vergani founded SWM ( Speedy Working Motors) near Milan and began building prototypes of enduro-style motorcycles. And figuring out how the story gets from Italy in 1971 back to Italy today is a convoluted and fascinating international journey. We’ll forgive you if you’ve never heard of SWM, as neither had we. ![]()
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