SWM Italy looks for growth in U.S. visit

The SWM Italy management team visited Central Powersports Distribution (CPD) in Texas during the last week of June to discuss the future of SWM in the U.S. Like most OEMs, SWM struggled during COVID-19 to keep business operations and brand quality consistent in its Northern Italian home base.

SWM says it spent the past two years regrowing the brand in Italy and Europe. Sales have rebounded in the European market with new models like the Hoku 400 Naked and StormBreaker1200. The management team says it is now looking to the U.S. with support from CPD with homologation testing, product branding, and technical support for the American market.

“SWM has always had fantastic, quality engines with a long history of performance. Their 300, 500, and 610 offroad engines are proven performers. The SWM engines are used in many other OEM brands, such as AJP, CCM, Janus, Horex, and others, but we have hit some bumps for U.S. homologations on the RS500. In addition, the Superdual adventure model production was canceled for two years while they retested for Euro 5 homologation. Planning and coordinating the bikes for U.S. homologation isn’t a quick or easy process, and knowing that SWM has been redefining its model lineup over the last year and a half, we have been in first gear for far too long. SWM is ready now, and we are excited to work towards a future together.”

Mark Berg, owner of CPD

SWM Manager Guiseppi Luisi and Export Manager Francesca Vuona met with the CPD team to showcase new models that could be sold in the U.S. market and discuss exciting updates to the dual sports models for 2025 and beyond. They also committed to resuming U.S. testing on the Superdual, aiming for production by this winter. SWM recently introduced the Hoku 400, Sidecar 500, and a large 1200cc Cruiser that is quite successful in the European market. Additionally, they presented mockups of a new Scrambler 600 and a twin-cylinder Adventure model slated for 2026.

“While visiting our importer and dealers in Texas, we had the opportunity to gather both positive and negative feedback on our products from our customers. We are committed to addressing these issues to deliver the right products to our U.S. customers, improve our current products, and ensure their satisfaction and trust in our brand. We are dedicated to continuously enhancing our product offerings and expanding our presence to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Export Manager Francesca Vuono commented.

CPD currently imports AJP Motorcycles from Portugal, Electric Motion from France, Rieju from Spain, and SWM from Italy. Additionally, the distributor offers a variety of aftermarket products, including Rtech plastics, Xgrip tires, S3 performance parts, Hebo Spain accessories, Funnelweb Filters, One Gripper seats, and Viral Goggles.