Photo's Justyn Norek Snr.©

CCM 350 TRIALS IN OLD HOUSE IN ITALIAN ALPS... 

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Justyn Norek Jr Tests a CCM, 350 Trials.

CCM Trials riding  Impressions 

CCM 35O Trials bike is very compact. So engine seems to be rather big….

This bike has changed owner recently. Last year it was in the stable of Carlo Remella whose Ariel we tested for you recently, it was acquired by Pippo Bartorilla who is a great four stroke fan and builder of Moto Guzzi. Bartorilla Special, also tested before for you…

As Bartorilla is a perfectionist in everything , I expected the bike will start with first prod, and indeed it did… A few minutes to warm up and Pippo did some rounds with his jewel then giving handlebars to me. 

I did carefully several rounds too learning the feeling of the machine as it was fairly different to what I am riding normally a Montesa 4RT! Bike was very different if compared with the Ariel, due to short wheelbase it was very manoeuvrable and I could do tight corners and feel good balance…But it was on easy terrain, so lets go into rocky riverbed…I made carefully decent and put the bike through stony stream, despite I know the place it has changed after recent rain so I found difficulty with some big stones, and when the bike stops lot of trouble is to start it again, and definitely its heavy and tall by todays standards I am used to. But slowly I get used to machine working more with gas than clutch as I am used to… engine is very soft and taking you off the trouble with its low revs torque…

So after initial trouble with I started to enjoy riding it over various obstacles.

Anyway I put feet to ground more often than expected, it’s not an easy bike to ride over the rocks due to it’s weight…

Then we changed location having rides uphill and down hills, and with engines torque long wheelies are a sheer pleasure.

I turned to village quite exhausted and hungry so I enjoyed some nice barbecue meat prepared by Carlo… May be I understand why Carlo has sold it, he has plans to get another works bike, hope he will let me ride it too…

It was very enjoyable Sunday as always on motorcycles in the wood,and I have learned something new about vintage Classic trials bikes… However it is hard work, much harder than the other test of Bartorilla Moto Guzzi 250 that I still prefer…

Justyn Nnorek Jnr.

Here I am on the CCM in Italian alps...

CCM350 Trials Design Highlights:

CCM is beautifull machine and it has several interesting design solutions, I would like to mention few:

Engine beautiful as BSA was with right cover of crankcase with CCM logo in relief, fuel tank in aluminium particular squarish shape, may be inspired by Pete Jerred Hondas, partially covering engines head making bike look lower.

Beautifully handcrafted frame in chromed Reynolds 531 tubing, chain length adjustment eccentric type at the spindle of swing arm (who has done it first ?)...

Nice styled and comfortable seat, perfectly matching rear frame loop with seat base in fiber-glass...

Interesting silencer working very well with anti-vibration ribs, Magnesium front  forks, plastic unbreakable preston petty mudguards...

Due to its rarity, very much sought after and expensive, kind of cult bike despite didn't achieve much competition success...

                                                              Wanted!!!

CCM 350 trials 4 stroke!

Front on shot of the CCM 350 showing the Marzocchi front forks, and Grimeca front hub, wheel rims used were from the CCM scrambles bikes.

And a better shot from the other side, showing the components better.

Glass fibre work and fuel tank, very much on the lines of the Pete Jerred inspired Honda's.

Mike Mills was working for CCM... So this is where the frame design and styling came from?

Justyn Norek Jnr... enjoying the ride on the CCM 350 through a Alps mountain stream.

Justyn Norek Jnr and the proud owner of the CCM Pippo Bartorilla pose with the machine for the photographer Justyn Norek Senior.

Some History of CCM Trials 350 4 Stroke.

Having "killed" big four stroke trials bikes with his revolutionary Bultaco two-stroke project and after re-launching four stroke trials bikes again with his Honda project, Sammy Miller again raised hopes of all four stroke trials bikes fans, only to discover that Sammy parted company with Honda.

He wanted to continue with four strokes and asked CCM boss Alan Clews

to supply him BSA engines.

Unfortunately Alan Clews turned down request thinking about making 4 stroke trials bike himself.

So we will probably never know how Miller’s BSA/CCM would have looked (watch this space) as Sammy turned his creativity to build Italian Hiro two stroke engined "Miller" trials bike...

In the meantime Clews started his CCM trials project with help of Nick Jefferies experience on Honda trials bike.

Nick's Honda was inspiration as well as its measures help to start new bike, rather then start from white piece of paper.

News about four stroke trials bike excited four stroke fans so much that Clews announced 100 bikes to be built, and of course Nick Jefferies was rider to compete on it and develop it.

Nick has got his first prototype in February 1978 he was rather dissapointed, bike was not satisfactory as handling and despite 4 stroke power it had problems with traction, also steering and handling should be improved.

So number of modifications were carried in factory including change of

some diamensions like steering head angle, rear swing arm proportions etc, bike was again tested by Nick and then back at factory for some refinements...Even engine capacity was experimented of 351 and 412 just to dicover that 350 was best.

Production run of 105 units was completed and sold so quickly despite hefty £ 1300 price that Alan Clews contemplated to make another run of 100...

Yet with CCM motocross bike enjoying great succes too, finally he has decided to save parts for motocross bike production where profit was higher...

In any case project of new CCM trials bike with Italian Hiro engine was

already going on, so it has signed end of 4stroke CCM , making it so desired and researched today collector bike...

One only can't stop dreaming what would have been Miller's bike look

like, if he had his engines from CCM available?

May be one day I shall make drawing of such an immaginary bike....

thank's Justyn...

Source Henshaw CCM book and various magazines.

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A better view of the bronze and Argon welded frame.

And the Marzocchi "Oleo" rear shocks fitted to the machine.

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Thank's Guy's for another great Test,

We will see what we can do about the missing  "Miller" frame.

Justyn Norek Seniors, rendering of his take on the Concept of the Sammy Miller version CCM engined trials bike if it had ever become a production reality.

Should we build one?

The advertising literature... Did they need any? They sold by word of mouth fast.

But were not profitable for CCM. So they saved the parts for the scrambles bikes instead of making another batch of one hundred. Shame.

As you can see it was a good mix of Anglo-Italian parts that made up the machine.

And using a very low compression piston in the engine compared with what had been used by the BSA comp shop on their 350 trials engine.

All Photos Courtesy Justyn Norek Senior ©...

Just one last shot of the machine for now, there are loads more for later...

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Paul Nixons CCM we try and find its History...

This is Paul Nixon's CCM that started life as a prototype 250 machine from the Factory so I am told. We will get the story later.

 And try and trace the machines history.

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We start the story where I have information. Paul's CCM previous owner was Roy Topp's.

 from Chandlers Ford, in Hampshire.

 He sold the machine to Paul in 2006. It is not known where Roy bought the machine but the theory is from a bike auto-jumble somewhere.

 The bike is said to have been tested by Dave Thorpe, at one time.

 My other theory is that the machine may have passed through the hands of Mike Mills at one time.

 So If anyone has any information about this bike please contact me so that we can put the story together.

Photo Courtesy Mark Seward...

This is Mark Seward's version of the CCM 350, and what a superb bike it is. Mark now concentrates on building four wheeled trials cars...

Another "Norek" Trials bike test brought to you by...

More later.23.05

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