Clews Competition Machines (CCM) turns 50 this year!

[advrider]

One of the scrappiest Brit bike brands of all time marks a major milestone in 2021. CCM, purveyors of fine off-road and dual sport machines, is celebrating 50 years in business.

CCM stands for Clews Competition Machines, as founded by offroad racing hero Alan Clews. Clews tore up the scrambles and trials circuits in the 1960s, and also starred in the early motocross scene. In 1971, he went into business developing the type of motorcycles needed to win those races. See him below, in this vintage clip uploaded to YouTube:

Clews’ machines stood out in the early days of motocross, due to their four-stroke engines (BSA 500 singles, when he started out). In those days, pretty much all the competition, whether Euro or Japanese, was running two-strokes.

As time went on, CCM moved into other bikes, including street-legal dual sports. Armstrong bought a big chunk of the company in 1981, and for a while, the company was known as Armstrong-CCM, building bikes for the British armed forces and other militaries, and also venturing into the world of roadracing machinery.

These days, CCM focuses mostly on its Spitfire series, available in supermoto, naked, dual sport, scrambler and bobber styling. The Spitfire line uses the same basic engine that Husqvarna used in the TE630, with fuel injection and liquid cooling.

Marking a milestone

To mark its 50-year celebration, CCM is hosting tours through the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales on June 23 and June 25, followed by the Golden Jubilee Nostalgia Scramble at the Westmorland County Showground in Northern England, on June 27. All CCM owners are welcome, although it’s going to be pretty difficult for riders outside the UK to attend, obviously.

No doubt COVID-19 restrictions will mean the fun is a bit toned-down, but still, it’s a milestone well worth marking. The Brit bike industry is filled with tales of great marques that went bust, and for CCM to stay around this long is a very respectable feat.

For more details on CCM and what the company is up to these days, head over to its website.

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