Uh, yep, guess I had PR7 on the brain. It does have the SWM motor though; kinda like the 630 returning.......I'm old and get confused easily.
Very cool bikes. Swm and ajp did the right thing lol. Done nothing but look up 630 related maintenance and reliability stuff today lol
It looks to be a really strong showing for lighter and midsize ADV bikes at EICMA this year, when you throw in the 701, PR7, Honda Africa Twin, the new ADV offering from SWM hinted at by Erik (I assume that is distinct from the PR7), and perhaps some other surprises! The 701 vid circulating on the Austrian section of CafeHusky is extremely slick. With 200,000+ views for a video about a bike that is essentially a 690 in different plastic, it shows there is a lot of interest in this segment right now, which is fantastic news: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh88exSsQ-g On the PR7, the specs are much closer to my 610 than the SWM 650, which makes it very interesting from my perspective. Its also a plus to have another application for the 630 engine. I am curious how the PR7 hybrid frame holds up with weight over distance. Putting an oil reservoir in the steering head seems a bit of a gimmick. Also, there are still things I lose if I make the switch from my 610. What does the extra 15 kgs do for me? 4" less rear travel? The 5th/6th gear from the SM630 instead of the wider TE gearing? Beyond a fairing and a larger tank, what do I gain? No mention of ABS, slipper clutch, cush hub, stronger lights, better seat, luggage, or other options... I am really looking for reliability in my next Adv bike. SWM has increased the power and strapped on a different EFI to the 630/650. This makes it an untested combination. I'm thinking in particular of the example of the TR650 folks and their awful EFI woes. How can we be certain SWM has ironed the kinks out? In this regard I think both SWM and AJP underestimate the importance of their website/media presence. Its one thing to hand over a few thousand for a dirt bike you use locally and then load onto a truck. Its another matter to hand over 8000 EUR for a bike you take on/offroad a long way from home, where a breakdown has major consequences. For a niche brand, website consistency, attention to detail, continual updates, regular YouTube videos and community outreach are important tools for reassuring new buyers that the product will also be reliable and consistent. AJP and SWM both drop the ball. The AJP site still lists last years specs for the PR7, even as they have started giving out new specs to the media; the various SWM sites list inconsistent information for the specs of the 650 (Mazarocchi front forks, for example). There are only a tiny number of videos. The main SWM site has actually been been taken down and all the old pages deleted, producing 404 NOT FOUND errors rather than redirecting to a new page. This is unnecessarily sloppy. CCM seems to be much more cognizant of establishing a strong web presence in my opinion. I love my 610, I know it well, but when it dies, right now I can't see jumping to SWM or AJP.
Well, if you base a bikes reliability on Web presence then maybe you are not giving them a chance. Sure you can pick things apart based on some old pictures. Like we all know the PR7 won't have 'zokes on it, probably Sachs. Go get yourself a CCM if that's what it takes for you to make a purchasing decision and report back on how great it is.
I think it's more that they aren't getting bikes out there for tests and a presense in general. You can know the husky 630's are great but who builds these bikes? What equipment? What changes? More info would be comforting rather then being the guinea pig for new products. How many zipty parts would you have bought without tinken and the following reviews?
Yeah, for me make no sense that SWM take not enough care on his web or youtube videos. I smell a rat here… That’s true that videos and photos is not all about a bike, but if a company run a business and trust in their products, want to launch them to the market and feel proud about them, I think you´d have to spend more in publicity… The only video so far about RS650R is crap (sorry) compare to the one from Husqvarna 701. It’s a bit of a shame. I contacted Spain´s dealer for SWM and they were incapable to tell me the front suspension travel. They even get annoyed because I made “such a question”. They only kept telling me “is a superb bike and has a superb sound”. My god, what a shame ! Do you believe they have improve the EFI, sub-frame, side stand, clutch basket and so on? If I had to bet on it, I’d say not. I wish I’m wrong, of course… Regarding to front suspension travel, I show you two photos. If you compare with the 260mm wide front disc, I’d say SWM front travel could be 250mm, what it’s not too bad. SWM web wrote 210mm… I feel quite a bit disappointed. I was thinking of buying a second hand TE 630 or a new RS650R… but now I'm not so sure…
Sometimes I think the engineers and suits work in a vacuum; aren't they aware of sites like CH and ADVR? There is so much real world experience here, with weak points identified and often simple fixes worked out that it seems a crime not to put the knowledge to use. Fixes cost pennies at the manufacturing stage, and sometimes there would be no cost at all other than a bit of time prior to production. Gearing, sub-frame, side stand are things that come to mind, along with a factory option for more fuel capacity. OK, that's off my chest.
Hehe - my issue with the CCM is that its not my 610! A five-speed gearbox, smaller engine, pricey. I'm keeping the 610 till she fails, then I'll see what is available. Here's hoping SWM / AJP offerings are mature and well established by then. I admit the PR7 looks the part. Landof/Motarts - I think this is really my point. I picked up my 610 after watching (and hearing) my buddy having a blast riding his for several thousand miles, watching videos on YouTube, reading CafeHusky posts from other riders, taking one for a test ride, and finally visiting Dan at MotoXotica. I can't do any of those things with SWM / AJP brands - nobody has one, no test rides are available, no mechanics I know can talk about them... The only thing left is the web. A good web presence would mean having actual people out there riding and testing the bikes - and showing up on places like CH and ADVR, and making it clear the manufacturer is listening - this would make a big difference. As Kenneth says, it seems more like a vacuum at the moment.
Landof/Motarts - I think this is really my point. I picked up my 610 after watching (and hearing) my buddy having a blast riding his for several thousand miles, watching videos on YouTube, reading CafeHusky posts from other riders, taking one for a test ride, and finally visiting Dan at MotoXotica. I can't do any of those things with SWM / AJP brands - nobody has one, no test rides are available, no mechanics I know can talk about them... The only thing left is the web. A good web presence would mean having actual people out there riding and testing the bikes - and showing up on places like CH and ADVR, and making it clear the manufacturer is listening - this would make a big difference. As Kenneth says, it seems more like a vacuum at the moment.[/quote] Unfortunately most of this is not possible since neither bike is available for sale yet. We do know about the 630 motor though. I do agree that both brands could help themselves with some glossy advertising like KTM is so good at. Although if the advertising is too far in front of the product that can also be a bad thing.
Don't forget SWM is just 6 months old. They are still in a start-up fase. So it is not fair to compare their web presence to Husqvarna and KTM which have been around for much longer! They are building pretty fast already! They went from 0 to 9 dealers in 6 months in the BeNeLux! so that's pretty good!
We all hope so And would you be so kind as to tell as the real travel suspension for RS650R? At this moment I'm looking for a second hand Te630, but if travel suspension for SWM ones is bigger than 250mm I'd rather buy a new RS650R. Also is the doubt about Marzocchi - Kayaba. May be first units -that come with Marzzorchi -may be because they have it in their warehouse- came with 250/270mm fork length and later they will change to Kayaba 210mm? I wouldn’t like to be a pain in the neck, but I think it would be really good if you can give us more info about it
SWM is serious, there's a lot of development time in that bike. Metal gas tank, crash bars, luggage system (hope they strengthened the subframe), windshield (I want one), seat, center stand. .
That thing looks great, I would assume they changed the subframe to handle that luggage, the seat is different, and i hope the gas tank is a bit bigger, that thing could be the lightweight Adventure bike that really hits the sweet spot. People have been waiting for it!
