SWM RS
Real ownership data from 65 UK RS motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common RS problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | major | 23% |
| Suspension | dangerous | 8% |
| Other | major | 4.6% |
| Tyres | major | 1.7% |
| Chain and sprockets | major | 1.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | prs | 0.6% |
| Brakes | major | 0.6% |
| Electrical | major | 0.6% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is suspension.
RS mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 11 | 2,665 mi | 284 | 90.91% |
| 2017 | 28 | 4,266 mi | 452 | 83.76% |
| 2016 | 21 | 1,557 mi | 132 | 80.68% |
RS questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the SWM RS?
Across 65 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (23% of all recorded faults), suspension (8% of all recorded faults), other (4.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a SWM RS?
The median SWM RS in the UK has covered 3,200 miles, and typically rides about 371 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 1,370 and 6,700 miles.
Is the SWM RS reliable?
84.56% of SWM RS MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.56 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 65 SWM RS motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.