Italian motorcycle manufacturer SWM recently made a comeback in the European market with its beginner-friendly road bikes. Known for its decades-long history in the world of off-road racing, the brand continues to market enduro models today, but has gained renewed popularity among first-timers thanks to its stylish and technologically advanced beginner-friendly models.
For the 2023 model year, SWM unveils the newest addition to its lineup, the Varez 125. Designed and manufactured entirely in Varese, Northern Italy, this beginner-friendly naked sportbike sets itself apart from the other players in the game thanks to a slew of upmarket components.
To start with, the bike has a rather impressive chassis consisting of an exposed steel trellis frame mated to an aluminum rear subframe. What’s more, the swingarm is made of aluminum, and is supported by a linkage-equipped monoshock with preload adjustability. Up front, a pair of Fast Ace 41-millimeter inverted forks offer compression adjustment, too. As for the brakes, the Varez 125 packs front and rear disc brakes with a 300-millimeter rotor up front and a 220-millimeter rotor at the back. Dual-channel ABS is standard equipment, as well.
SWM’s Varez 125 rolls on 17-inch wheels front and back, shod in skinny 110/70 and 140/70 front and rear Michelin Pilot Street tires. While these seem rather skinny for a naked bike, they should be just the right size to make for a nimble riding experience given the bike’s pint-sized engine.
Speaking of the engine, the Varez 125 rocks a 125cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single cylinder engine developed in-house by SWM. With 15 horsepower at 10,500 rpm and eight lb-ft of torque on tap, the Varez 125 sits at the limit of beginner-permitted performance in most countries in Europe. Power is subsequently sent to the rear wheel via a chain-driven six-speed manual transmission.
Last but not least, the Varez 125 departs from the accustomed retro styling of SWM, bringing forth sharp, angular bodywork and modern tech. It gets LED lighting all around, a fully digital LCD display. The only hint of retro inspiration lies in the round LED headlight, which gives the bike a rather clean-looking front end. As for pricing and availability, SWM has pegged the Varez 125 at 3,147 Euros in Spain. This makes out to about $3,430 USD. We can expect pricing for the bike to be similar across other parts of Europe.
