CCM into receivership.

Another casualty of dwindling bike sales?

Very sad …

Remorse is not constructive - so never become defeatist. If you take time to consider what we have and rationalise how it can be used, promoted and improved - we might all proceed down a slightly different path. On this forum, people such as Jim Schmidt and Concours have skills in short run manufacturing, and there are people such as Molnar and Summerfield - a coordinated approach might help. Motorcycle road-racing is the entertainment industry. Road motorcycles are a spin-off. They are not a good form of transportation. There is no fun in riding a motorcycle in traffic.

acotrel said:

Remorse is not constructive - so never become defeatist. If you take time to consider what we have and rationalise how it can be used, promoted and improved - we might all proceed down a slightly different path. On this forum, people such as Jim Schmidt and Concours have skills in short run manufacturing, and there are people such as Molnar and Summerfield - a coordinated approach might help. Motorcycle road-racing is the entertainment industry. Road motorcycles are a spin-off. They are not a good form of transportation. There is no fun in riding a motorcycle in traffic.

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A ‘coordinated approach’ with Molnar and Summerfield…?!

Utter twaddle.

Do you even know who Molnar and Summerfield are and what they do ?

Do you even know who CCM are and what bikes they build ?

CCM have gone bust. To anyone interested in British motorcycles that is sad. Your pseudo philosophy adds no value.

acotrel said:

Remorse is not constructive - so never become defeatist. If you take time to consider what we have and rationalise how it can be used, promoted and improved - we might all proceed down a slightly different path. On this forum, people such as Jim Schmidt and Concours have skills in short run manufacturing, and there are people such as Molnar and Summerfield - a coordinated approach might help. Motorcycle road-racing is the entertainment industry. Road motorcycles are a spin-off. They are not a good form of transportation. There is no fun in riding a motorcycle in traffic.

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Wipe your bottom lip... there's a bit of shit on it from what you last said!

Damn it’s sad to see another British motorcycle company go by the wayside they had a lovely prototype on show at motorcycle live unfortunately I think the cost of entry probably was prohibitive to a lot,

It’s a shame they didn’t get some good affordable trail bikes out with all the expertise they had on that with war department production for various countries,

Sad to see as well another local engineering and manufacturing company gone in the North,

savingclassicmotorcycles said:

Damn it’s sad to see another British motorcycle company go by the wayside they had a lovely prototype on show at motorcycle live unfortunately I think the cost of entry probably was prohibitive to a lot,

It’s a shame they didn’t get some good affordable trail bikes out with all the expertise they had on that with war department production for various countries,

Sad to see as well another local engineering and manufacturing company gone in the North,

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I had a GP 450. Amazing bike with some clever tech like glued together alloy frame. It was VERY light and the chassis was very capable.

But it was let down by the engine. Needed max rpm all the time, basically racing engine!

I, like many, hoped they’d produce a 600-700cc variant. I reckon they’d have sold like hot cakes.

As you say, they had a lot of knowledge of such bikes, a real shame if it all goes.

I hope some backer steps in, but I don’t think motorcycle manufacturers look attractive to investment companies right now…

Aren't CCM the bikes which were built by Jeff Clews. I think originally they were based on BSA B40 Victors. My memory of dirt bikes is very bad. I suggest the British were always more likely to develop existing designs than research what already exists and use the best parts of their designs. I have always been amazed at the way the Japanese are prepared to completely change designs between models. Triumph tried to do it with the 350cc Bandit and failed miserably. If you look at all those old British bikes of the 1950s - there was a large numbers of ways different motors and gearboxes could be fitted into different frames. With the Japanese - nothing from one model ever seems to fit another. Even with Yamaha air-cooled two strokes - you would expect barrels from a 250cc twin to fit their 500cc four. But doing a complete redesign seems to be no problem. - Different mindset ?

acotrel said:

Aren't CCM the bikes which were built by Jeff Clews. I think originally they were based on BSA B40 Victors. My memory of dirt bikes is very bad. I suggest the British were always more likely to develop existing designs than research what already exists and use the best parts of their designs. I have always been amazed at the way the Japanese are prepared to completely change designs between models. Triumph tried to do it with the 350cc Bandit and failed miserably. If you look at all those old British bikes of the 1950s - there was a large numbers of ways different motors and gearboxes could be fitted into different frames. With the Japanese - nothing from one model ever seems to fit another. Even with Yamaha air-cooled two strokes - you would expect barrels from a 250cc twin to fit their 500cc four. But doing a complete redesign seems to be no problem. - Different mindset ?

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You are joking right ?
Have you ever worked on Japanese bikes?
The list of parts that fit from one model to another and one make to another are absolutely endless!
I know because I've done it
I've never read such utter ill informed rubbish in my life

Alan Clewes, not Jeff

Scientist do get things wrong and never admit to it when they do get it wrong, Al keeps telling us about his Lab days.

Fast Eddie said:

A ‘coordinated approach’ with Molnar and Summerfield…?!

Utter twaddle.

Do you even know who Molnar and Summerfield are and what they do ?

Do you even know who CCM are and what bikes they build ?

CCM have gone bust. To anyone interested in British motorcycles that is sad. Your pseudo philosophy adds no value.

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Wrong tree, dawg...

ashman said:

Scientist do get things wrong and never admit to it when they do get it wrong, Al keeps telling us about his Lab days.

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My project bike is an Egli TZ750 frame copy with Suzuki RG250 forks and wheels. The motor is H1 Kawasaki with reed valve RD350 barrels, The crank is rebuilt with labyrinth seals and Yamaha rods. I have achieved Yamaha TZ750 port timings by adjusting the barrel heights. It capacity is about 630cc, however it only has 5 speeds. I only have two chambers for it, and need to make another. If you like I will sell it to you - and you can find out if you are clever enough to complete it. The stroke is now 54mm, not 59.5mm. The rake on the Egli frame is 26 degrees, and it has a Koni monoshock.
It is actually a folly, I only built it to find out what it would be like. You would never get it into a race class.

acotrel said:

My project bike is an Egli TZ750 frame copy with Suzuki RG250 forks and wheels. The motor is H1 Kawasaki with reed valve RD350 barrels, The crank is rebuilt with labyrinth seals and Yamaha rods. I have achieved Yamaha TZ750 port timings by adjusting the barrel heights. It capacity is about 630cc, however it only has 5 speeds. I only have two chambers for it, and need to make another. If you like I will sell it to you - and you can find out if you are clever enough to complete it. The stroke is now 54mm, not 59.5mm. The rake on the Egli frame is 26 degrees, and it has a Koni monoshock.
It is actually a folly, I only built it to find out what it would be like. You would never get it into a race class.

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Folly indeed…

As mentioned many, many times before; a concerted racing effort begins by building the most competitive machine you can, within the rules for a given class.

It’s more important than all subsequent development, tuning, riding, etc.

Cobbling random bits together and then moaning that the race classes are wrong could be described in many ways Al, but ‘folly’ will do.

The bits were not cobbled together randomly, it was actually planned. I just wanted to see what the potential would be in that combination. The H1 Kawasaki had no reed valves and it had a shit frame. That is why it is a 'widow-maker'. There are two ways the bike could be used in Australia - before Moto GP and historic racing, we used to have club meetings. We still sometimes have Seniors meetings where anyone can race and 'run what you brung'. However the fact of the matter is that motorcycle road racing and speedway racing, are now finished in Australia. We have MotoGP once per year at Phillip Island. Basically they were killed by the internal politics in motorcycle clubs, and the controlling bodies.

When historic racing began in Australia, I was still racing my 500cc Triton which was created in 1958 against 1970s bikes. I was never in disgrace. I rode in the first ever historic race. I actually stopped on the other side of the circuit and waited to make a race of it. After that I walked away for 25 years.

acotrel said:

When historic racing began in Australia, I was still racing my 500cc Triton which was created in 1958 against 1970s bikes. I was never in disgrace. I rode in the first ever historic race. I actually stopped on the other side of the circuit and waited to make a race of it. After that I walked away for 25 years.

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That was mighty sporting of you Al!

It is really quite funny, my project bike is really quite nice. Anyone who has seen it, really likes it. I just cannot move myself to start working on motorcycles again. It is purely psychological. If I could just wheel my Seeley 850 out onto a circuit and race it. I would do it. But the bullshit involved these days is horrendous. A guy such as Ashleigh would know more about road racing, than our race organisers. We have rules for the rules.

acotrel said:

My project bike is an Egli TZ750 frame copy with Suzuki RG250 forks and wheels. The motor is H1 Kawasaki with reed valve RD350 barrels, The crank is rebuilt with labyrinth seals and Yamaha rods. I have achieved Yamaha TZ750 port timings by adjusting the barrel heights. It capacity is about 630cc, however it only has 5 speeds. I only have two chambers for it, and need to make another. If you like I will sell it to you - and you can find out if you are clever enough to complete it. The stroke is now 54mm, not 59.5mm. The rake on the Egli frame is 26 degrees, and it has a Koni monoshock.
It is actually a folly, I only built it to find out what it would be like. You would never get it into a race class.

Click to expand...

No thanks Al I am into British bikes, am not interested in racing around in circles, I am smart in what I do on a motorcycle have had my share of 2 stroke dirt/motocross dirt bikes and still ride my CRF450X Honda when I get the chance for over 50 years now, I ride I don't just talk about it when.
I was given a Honda CB250R race bike to fix up but the motor was too far gone years sitting out in the weather uncovered, so I just parted it out, the frontend, 17" front and rear wheels and Nisson disc race brakes might be used even the alloy frame and swing arm might be used for something down the road, the taco red lines at 17k RPM, must have been a screamer in its race days.
Anyway I lost a good school mate I grew up with he just turned 17 and brought a RD350 with expansion chambers, couldn't get it around a fast bend and hit a tree going flat out, he only had the bike for a week, prob egged on by other mates "how fast will it go" crowd, he only lived around the corner from me, his mum never recovered from his death, only child and no father.
AI already have a project bike on hold at the moment 1960 Manxman so no need for a junker taking up wasted space in my shed.

Ashley