If it is an award for endurance in the world of motorcycling, British company CCM will win it. They have been around since 1971, when Alan Clews started the Clews Competition Machine in Lancashire. And today’s road-going Spitfire is a resounding success, powered by a powerful 62 cc 601 cc engine based on a Husqvarna design.
CCM brought this ADV bike idea Malle mile, and it has attracted a lot of attention. With a sand-gold paint job worthy of the Camel Trophy Land Rover, it looks no different in the CCM lineup. And the company wants to know if you think they should put it into production.
“It’s a bit of a melting pot concept,” said Scott Lanzi, product manager for CCM. “Our lead designer, Owen, wanted to do something completely different with the Spitfire platform, building on our dual shock heritage.”
“At the same time, we wanted to investigate the longer suspension of travel and were curious to see how far we could reliably go.”
Despite having only 130 mm (5.1 inches) of travel, CCM’s current Maverick scrambler is quite capable off-road. It won the grass track events at the Malle Mile, and since it weighs just 145 kg, it’s perfect for what the British call ‘green laning.’
But there’s always room for something more finicky. “A lot of our customers also own heavier, touring adventure bikes,” Scott told us. “They asked us to revisit our previous GP450 model and develop another lightweight single.”
That’s enough to make Bolton-based brains trust thinking. “Most of our current design and development team rides either motocross or enduro. And I think one of the CCM advisors still has a poster of Gaston Rahier on his bedroom wall! “
This prototype isn’t a half-baked styling exercise: very few components have been carried over from the current range, aside from the front of the chassis and engine. Designer Owen loves to get his hands on power tools, so he built most of the prototypes himself in CCM’s workshop.
There’s a new swingarm, subframe assembly and engine mount, with a greater focus on protecting the engine. They also focused on keeping the saddle height low – 830 mm – while increasing the suspension travel to 170 mm. This allows for two different wheel sizes and maintains a competitive ground clearance.
The beefy tank is one of the visual highlights, but Scott revealed that it was a last-minute design. He said: “It was literally sketched on a scrap of paper, then floated and ground from the foam on a wooden base. “If we continue with this concept, the tank will need some specifics – but the 20-litre fuel capacity will remain.”
The rest of the bodywork was designed from scratch and 3D printed. “All Owen’s work, really,” Scott said. “We took our design cues from historic Dakar bikes and tweaked them to create a slightly neoclassical look.”
Mechanically, the car is equipped with Öhlins suspension front and rear, with three trees and custom-made rims from Dutch specialist Haan Wheels. Features CNC machined parts throughout, plus some modern knobs like multifunction LED lights.
CCM is also keeping a close eye on weight targets, aiming for a dry weight of 135 kg [297 pounds]. Expect the 50 hp rear wheel to change nicely.
Still on the concept board are the pannier rack, impact bar and height exhaust on the concept board — and will likely be added if the company decides to go further. And that’s the key.
“That’s the million dollar question!” Scott said. “If we build it, will they come?”
“As a concept, it was well received. However, it often happens — after the initial high level of adoption, when you finally hit the market, you missed the boat. Or finding that a product is too niche to sustain a motorcycle manufacturing business, despite low production.”
CCM will decide whether to build the bike later this year. Do you think they should? Tap in the comments below or click an email to [email protected].
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