SWM Six Days 500 and Shineray XY400 clones

ChillRider · 03-06-2023, 08:34 AM

Well, after three-odd years with my trusty '07 Zongshen LZX200-GY2 (or Zongshen Sierra, stateside) it's time to move on, for several reasons.

I already paid for and am awaiting delivery of a shiny new SWM Six Days 500. What does have to do with chinabikes, you may ask?

Well... a lot, actually! S.W.M. (Speedy Working Motors) may be an older Italian brand, which made somewhat of a splash in the Enduro racing scene in the 1970s, but it's currently owned by the Chinese Shineray group. Yeah, I knew that before buying...

Apparently there's this "Shineray XY400" platform, which is based on a clone of the older Honda XR400/XBR500 engine, andis often used for classic, cafe racer & scrambler motorcycles, sold around the world as e.g. the MASH 400 in France, modern Jawa-branded 400cc scramblers and sidecars, the Geon 400 in Russia & Ukraine, etc. Most are classic standard bikes or scramblers, but there are more modern "neo-retro" models as well as dirt bikes and "adv"-type bikes.

There's an interesting site that documents some of this newfangled 400cc goodness:

https://adventure-motorcycling.com/tag/shineray-xy400/

S.W.M. uses the Shineray 400 engine with some variations: 2022+ models are mated to a six-speed gearbox, it's overbored to 445.3 cc with an enormous 92mm bore (67mm stroke), while it uses the same oil filter as some of the older Huqsvarna/Husky engines. But for the rest, a lot of engine parts from the basic "XY400" design are still compatible and recognizable. SWM has used this same engine on its Silver Vase, Varez, Outlaw, Six Days, Gran Milano etc. models, formerly designated as "440", now 500. Of course, since the SWM-branded bikes are sold in the EU, they have to comply with Euro 5 regulations, and so the engine output has suffered somewhat (elsewhere, the same engine may still be carbureted!). The dual exhaust setup, cat or no cat, however, seems to be a constant among XY400 clones/derivatives.

So, chinabikes everywhere

Let's hope it will be at least as reliable as the Zongshen Sierra

03-06-2023, 08:34 AM	#1
ChillRider Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: A small country with a funny name Posts: 164	SWM Six Days 500 and Shineray XY400 clones Well, after three-odd years with my trusty '07 Zongshen LZX200-GY2 (or Zongshen Sierra, stateside) it's time to move on, for several reasons. I already paid for and am awaiting delivery of a shiny new SWM Six Days 500. What does have to do with chinabikes, you may ask? Well... a lot, actually! S.W.M. (Speedy Working Motors) may be an older Italian brand, which made somewhat of a splash in the Enduro racing scene in the 1970s, but it's currently owned by the Chinese Shineray group. Yeah, I knew that before buying... Apparently there's this "Shineray XY400" platform, which is based on a clone of the older Honda XR400/XBR500 engine, andis often used for classic, cafe racer & scrambler motorcycles, sold around the world as e.g. the MASH 400 in France, modern Jawa-branded 400cc scramblers and sidecars, the Geon 400 in Russia & Ukraine, etc. Most are classic standard bikes or scramblers, but there are more modern "neo-retro" models as well as dirt bikes and "adv"-type bikes. There's an interesting site that documents some of this newfangled 400cc goodness: https://adventure-motorcycling.com/tag/shineray-xy400/ S.W.M. uses the Shineray 400 engine with some variations: 2022+ models are mated to a six-speed gearbox, it's overbored to 445.3 cc with an enormous 92mm bore (67mm stroke), while it uses the same oil filter as some of the older Huqsvarna/Husky engines. But for the rest, a lot of engine parts from the basic "XY400" design are still compatible and recognizable. SWM has used this same engine on its Silver Vase, Varez, Outlaw, Six Days, Gran Milano etc. models, formerly designated as "440", now 500. Of course, since the SWM-branded bikes are sold in the EU, they have to comply with Euro 5 regulations, and so the engine output has suffered somewhat (elsewhere, the same engine may still be carbureted!). The dual exhaust setup, cat or no cat, however, seems to be a constant among XY400 clones/derivatives. So, chinabikes everywhere Let's hope it will be at least as reliable as the Zongshen Sierra
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