The company was officially founded on 11^th July 1971, the headquarters were in Palazzolo Milanese and the plant was located in Rivolta d’Adda.
SWM, acronym of Speedy Working Motors, was the name chosen although the first proposal was for SVVM, which stood for Sironi, Vergani and Vimercate, Vergani’s workshop location where the first unit was manufactured.
Franco Acerbis, Renato Anesa and Pasquale Bernini, led by the team manager Alfredo Manfardini, were called to carry out the testing directly on the competition grounds.
Research and testing went on over this first period as production was very little; every bike produced was a little workshop on which new components and alternative solutions were tested; the most important changes occurred on the reinforcing tubes under the middle vertical rod or the enlonged silencers with unusual shapes.
The season ended with the presentation of its most recent models during the Bikes and Motorbikes Exhibition n Milan, and the manufacturing of the first units, always on the series off road, although they were still very handcraft shaped.

1972 – The first unavoidable initial difficulties were fast over and SWM blew in full swing, the Rivolta plants slowly set the manufacturing in motion, the presence on the competition grounds became significant and both excellent men and means were employed.
Fausto Vergani, Antonio Redrezza, Giuseppe Signorelli, Pierluigi Rottigni e Gualtiero Brissoni were the official SWM representatives and took part in the Italian and European Championship competitions achieving satisfactory results.
If compared to the previous year models, the new off road units had improved frames with new “sheets” in strategically points
Marzocchi forks with 34mm stems were reinforced and Marzocchi 315mm shock absorbers adjustable in three positions were confirmed on the back.
Though it was equipped with the same frame as the more powerful models, the following differences occurred in the 50 cc model: the back hub was made of plate instead of steel, forks with 30 mm stems and the anchorage of the engine on the inferior part consisted in two passing screws inside the tube which linked the double cradle on the bottom. This solution turned out to be very fragile and was soon modified.
It became quite common to mount the cross model back mud guard on the 50cc model too.