CCM Motorcycles Online

British Supermoto

2010-07-30T12:00:00.000+01:00

In house relations were not working well though. Disagreements with the board saw Austin leave and Alan demoted to a one day a week role. All this not being evident to the public the new CCM Road only bike entered the arena named the 640R. This CCM Supermoto bike came at the right time with dual sport and supermoto market sectors growing fast. The plus side was that it was one of the first supermotos in Britain at the time.

CCM Experience Days

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000+01:00

The plan to offer up market CCM up market bikes seemed to be going well with customer waiting lists growing. Writing about a CCM bike in MCN, Rob McDowell used the bike for commuting and loved it as a CCM Trails bike. Austin began CCM ride outs and CCM Green Laning where groups all went out on a CCM trail blazing day. This proved positive as many people bought bikes off the back of these CCM experience days. It was a good promotional tool for the company and worked well.

CCM 604E Trail Bike Monthly

2010-07-16T12:00:00.000+01:00

The company rebirth had attracted a lot of press attention and the current CCM 604E Bike did well and became a fully road legal bike. In Trail Bike Monthly the CCM was shown alongside supermotos. The idea was that it could be used for work or leisure on the road but with quick tyre change could hit the trails at weekend.

CCM Spare Parts Business

2010-07-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

This didn’t sit well with Alan and Austin who’s life’s work was their qualification.

They realised the couldn’t compete with the big names in the industry but with CCM marketed as a specialised premium product they could make gains on their own ground. But, they still had to massively increase production, another world away from the garage run CCM Spare Parts business.

CCM & MCN

2010-07-02T12:00:00.000+01:00

Clews was put in touch with some venture capitalists, Peter Swift and Richard Robson, two people with great experience and track record. CCM was put into receivership and taken over by investors who Swift and Robson had got in touch with. MCN headline was that “CCM Motorcycles were in the fast lane”.

The idea was to expand the road bike range and cut prices on the existing products. The investors wanted assurance of technical qualifications, the Clews did not have this so a graduate engineer was brought into the mix.

CCM & Bike Magazine

2010-06-25T12:00:00.000+01:00

Fitzsimmons and Simon Pavey did the Dakar rally also in 1999 sponsored on a CCM and Bike magazine.

Motor Cycle News liked the next C27 CCM Allrounder and they wanted to increase its range of CCM road bikes. To do this of course, they needed money but they had none. Cue the next financial up and down of CCM.

CCM Rallye Bikes

2010-06-18T12:00:00.000+01:00

The emphasis would now not just be on CCM Motocross but also on CCM Trials bikes, CCM Rallye bikes, CCM Supermoto and CCM Enduro bikes. A broad customer base throughout Europe could keep CCM alive.

The CCM Rallye bike was used by the CCM Ireland team in 1997 & ‘98 at the Paris Dakar Rally, with Nick Cragie and Vinnie Fitzsimmons finishing 22^nd and 23^rd. Cragie continued to develop and race his bike competing in 15 events up until the 2003 Tunisian rally.

A new CCM Supermoto

2010-06-11T12:00:00.000+01:00

Next off the production line was the CCM C26, Motocross News thought of it as an “all rounder” and something that could even be used on tarmac or as a CCM Enduro.

The mention of a CCM bike being used on tarmac was quite significant. A road going CCM?

The prototype showed CCM in Motor Cycle News in December 1996.

Supermoto’s had been home grown specials in Europe but now a CCM Supermoto was heading for the streets.

Sadness

2010-06-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

Sadly, Schmidt took ill and died which was devastating to the whole motocross world. The U.S.A customer went bust also.

Another turn. CCM continued on but this was a heavy blow to take.

CCM 25 Years

2010-05-28T12:00:00.000+01:00

During CCM’S 25^th anniversary year the so named C25 was designed by Austin. A simpler version of past bikes it was well received and they made a few more. Then an American made contact with them at a CCM only motocross event in the U.K. He wanted to import CCM’s to the United States, set up CCM Dealers and had World Motocross Championship winner Donny Schmidt ready to ride. After a good run in America they got an order for more bikes and so once again they moved to bigger premises ready for production.

Recovery and Design

2010-05-21T12:00:00.001+01:00

It was. Not much was salvaged, production stopped except CCM Spare Parts which went right back to just Clews and his son working from their garage. Building CCM motorcycle parts would bring in steady demand and good turnover but it wasn’t bringing Clews and his son true job satisfaction.

Their love was to build and race CCM Motorbikes and they wanted to do it again. Clews son Austin, after being in the CCM Motocross bike business all his life, now had the chance to design his own bike.

Fire!

2010-05-14T10:42:00.001+01:00

They had no debts, parts in stock and a ready made motorcycle production line. Twist, turn,…fire.

Criminals had got into the factory to steal bikes, couldn’t and in frustration set fire to a bike which sent the whole CCM Motorcycle factory, CCM Parts, CCM Spares and CCM Race bike up in flames. MCN reported Clews saying it was “devastating”.

Trials and Motocross News - CCM

2010-02-01T12:00:00.000Z

But for all the fantastic publicity and hype - gloom lay ahead. The British motorcycle market took a massive slump an so too did Armstrong’s big targets.
Work continued and some success was had on the CCM CMT310 Trials bike which was reported on in Trials and Motocross News.

TT Races for CCM

2010-01-25T12:00:00.000Z

It started with the Armstrong CM35 Road Bike being produced and attracting all the right attention from Superbike journalists to established road bike racers. On this bike they broke the Isle of Man TT lap record for 1981 and finishing in1st place also broke Kawasakis’ Dominance of the Junior 250. It was the 1st British bike to win it for decades.

British Motorcycles

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000Z

The British motorcycle market was big though and Armstrong wanted to capitalise one this. There was no British volume motorcycle manufacturer to supply it and CCM motorbikes were the way to do this.

CCM Military Bikes

2010-01-11T12:00:00.000Z

After steady growth through the 1970’s CCM was taken over by Armstrong Equipment Ltd in late 1980. There was ambition and vision with the funds to back it up. CCM Motorcycle were to be a rival to Japanese motorcycle manufacturers.
They even acquired lucrative contracts with the military and other sponsors but the dream to develop into a CCM motorcycle giant didn’t materialise.

CCM in MCN

2010-01-04T12:00:00.000Z

Not all doom and gloom though as in 1980 Clews built the first CCM Road Racer Motorbike. The media were particularly interested in the CCM Racer bike, with Motor Cycle News reporting on the new CCM Road Bike.

CCM Motorbike Dealers

2009-12-28T12:00:00.000Z

But it just wasn’t enough and the workforce of once 52 was reduced to about 12. CCM motorbikes for sale were now just at the factory and not being sold through CCM Motorcycle Dealers.

CCM British Motorbikes

2009-12-21T12:00:00.000Z

Some good new came in the form of CCM exports with CCM receiving an award for exports from the British Chambers of Commerce which gained them some well needed publicity.
The financial going was tough but with so many CCM motorcycles for sale and sold, the CCM Parts and CCM Spares division of the business was highly profitable, so profitable in fact that it kept the production side going.

CCM Enduro

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000Z

However, hard times were on the way again. Although CCM motorbikes Bolton had a complete line up in their stock of a CCM Enduro version based on the CCM motocrossers, a tightening recession hit the whole motorcycle industry. This delayed the release of a range of CCM Little Hiro’s and they subsequently missed the sales peak.

CCM Four-Stroke Trials Bike

2009-12-07T12:00:00.000Z

All this was publicity. In the past CCM Motorcycles had attracted big sponsorship names such as Camel and Castrol, LPS Lubricants and Dunlop. Although these and other sponsorship deals helped them and the popularity of CCM Motocross bikes, they still needed something that would boost sales and demand.As well as starting to design his own CCM bike forks put into place for a CCM trials bike, the first not being a CCM two-stroke but a CCM four-stroke trials bike.

CCM Spare Parts

2009-11-30T12:00:00.000Z

Some good new came in the form of CCM exports with CCM receiving an award for exports from the British Chambers of Commerce which gained them some well needed publicity.The financial going was tough but with so many CCM motorcycles for sale and sold, the CCM Parts and CCM Spares division of the business was highly profitable, so profitable in fact that it kept the production side going.

Enduro Motorbike

2009-11-23T12:00:00.000Z

Although CCM motorbikes Bolton had a complete line up in their stock of a CCM Enduro version based on the CCM motocrossers, a tightening recession hit the whole motorcycle industry. This delayed the release of a range of CCM Little Hiro’s and they subsequently missed the sales peak.

4 Stroke Trials Bike

2009-11-16T12:00:00.000Z

As well as starting to design his own CCM bike forks put into place for a CCM trials bike, the first not being a CCM two-stroke but a CCM four-stroke trials bike.

CCM Motocross

2009-11-09T12:00:00.000Z

All this was great publicity. In the past CCM Motorcycles had attracted big sponsorship names such as Camel and Castrol, LPS Lubricants and Dunlop. Although these and other sponsorship deals helped them and the popularity of CCM Motocross bikes, they still needed something that would boost sales and demand.