Bolton bolide
Who’d have thought the BSA comp department would resurface in Bolton…? Well, Alan Clews did actually.
The story is familiar, can’t buy what you want, so make it…alan Clews’ CCMS were born of a desire to race works BSA B50s.
So, there we were as the Sixties, with all its flower power and weird fashions ended, the Seventies dawned and we knew the world was two-stroke… okay our world at least. Big thundering four-strokes from Birmingham, or Sweden or even Belgium, were gone. ‘Good riddance’ we thought, as Greeves, CZ and Husqvarna showed the way with powerful reliable two-strokes, which knocked the idea they were toys, for the smaller classes and would never threaten the big bikes, into a cocked hat as world championships came their way thick and fast.
Then the Japanese came along, liking this motocross thing and with money to spend, they advanced things at a pace never experienced before and the old guard was gone, lost in a haze of two-stroke oil.
Then along came this Clews lad from Bolton, he apparently didn’t get the memo four-strokes were gone and hadn’t a hope in the modern world. See, Alan Clews wanted to race BSAS, like the ones Jeff Smith had won world championships on and similar to the ones John Banks almost did before the collapse of BSA cruelly dictated otherwise. Problem was, getting hold of a works BSA wasn’t easy, the factory had closed the competition department, Jeff Smith had gone to Can-am, John Banks was trying other makes and all looked bleak for those who wanted to fly the flag of the home makers.
Unfortunately for me I didn’t know Alan Clews in those day, I met him a few times much later on at classic events like Nostalgia in Cumbria.
Anyone not allowing the collapse of an industry and
the closing of its competition department to prevent him getting his hands on the desired BSA to race, has to be a pretty determined character – Clews decided a trip to BSA’S HQ in Birmingham was a chance worth taking in the hope of securing a few bits and pieces to extend his fourstroke racing career.
What he got was an ultimatum along the lines of ‘take the lot or nothing’ – the price was right and Alan came away with what ultimately would become the beginnings of CCM, though he didn’t realise it at the time.
The public did begin to be aware of the fledgling manufacturer in early 1972 when Motorcycle ran a short piece about the Clews Stroka which would be unveiled to the public at the Manchester show, though I suppose those around where Alan was racing would be more aware earlier.
Taking a stand at the show with dealer Doug Hacking in February 1972, the news piece declared the Clews Stroka to be model aimed at the 750cc class and was the result of a season’s development and testing on the French MX scene. Its rider Louis Lehaye won nearly all of the 28 races he entered in the French series, suggesting the 608cc machine was certainly a contender and strong enough to last the distance.
In that era the press were still focussed on the traditional British industry, which would struggle on for a few more years as shiny new managers came in with new ideas and no real concept of what was needed. The simple fact is CCM took what should have been the 1972 works BSAS and stepped up to the mark to the point where they were serious contenders for championships, and those who said the four-stroke ideal was over had to rethink. The world does move on however, and CCM had to move with it.
The funny thing about a nostalgic glance at the past means enthusiasts like the idea of racing what they did have, or perhaps wanted but couldn’t afford. For this idea is born classic sport. It helped the whole thing along when certain four-stroke series were launched which gave a place for these bikes to be and tracks for them to be on. This whole classic concept has grown way past its original ideas and is at the point where it is possible with certain makes to re-create what couldn’t be had in the day. This allows spectators to experience the sights and sounds of those days, and the growing industry around
the scene allows the bikes themselves to be raced in the knowledge parts are available to keep them going.
Having been invited along to Galloway MCC’S track preparation day, I tried to keep my balance as the gusts buffeted me and Ian Stainton – the owner of this 1979 CCM. It wasn’t until a few days later, when using a socially distant telephone call to catch up with Ian, I could find out the tale behind this great-looking machine.
First job was for me to establish exactly what I’d taken photos of. Ian told me it was a replica of the 1979 Works Replica production bike. “Replica of a replica?” I must have sounded puzzled so Ian continued with “I built it from bits in 2018 for the 2019 season.” Now building things from bits isn’t the easiest option in the world, but it helps if all the bits are available, so this sped the job along a bit.
Ian tells me the first bit to come his way was a set of crankcases which he found on the internet. “They were bare but in good condition so I ordered everything I needed for the internals from Mark Cook.” Normally when people say such a thing as ‘ordered everything’ they mostly mean there were a few bits they already had in the workshop. In this case though Ian was speaking literally and in pretty quick time a crank and con-rod, piston, timing gears… well everything, were ordered, as he said.
He did have a barrel from an earlier CCM, a bike he regretted selling and actually sold it too cheap. This earlier bike was a 1975 ex-vic Eastwood CCM which came from John Cooper in Kendal, and at the time he and it parted ways it was ‘just an old bike.’
“Actually the barrel had gone back and forth to my workshop, my dad’s workshop and Keith Barnes’ workshop over a period of a few years and finally made it on to this engine.” It needed a piston from Mark Cook and this sorted the engine bit. CCM aficionados will know there is such a spread of power from these machines a multitude of gears isn’t really necessary and in fact CCM went against the trend for a zillion gears in the cluster and fitted only three to the Mxers. There’s a school of thought which goes along the lines of ‘while you’re changing gear you’re not going anywhere’ and this seems to be born out on the track.
Connecting the engine to the three-speed cluster is a chain primary drive and CCM style clutch. Up at the top of the engine sits a two-valve head. ‘Hold on’ I hear you say, ‘shouldn’t a 1979 engine have a four valve head?’ Well, yes it should or at least most of them were supplied with four valves.
“Typically though, CCM could and did do a two valve head to special order, as not everyone could use the power provided by the four valve head apparently,” says Ian. He goes on to add: “I do have a four valve head for the bike and my dad is currently fettling it up to keep him out of trouble.”
After reading motorcycle papers for more years than I care to remember, something stirred a memory for me and niggled a bit about the two valve head. Raking through the back issues of the Motorcycle in one of those ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for but will know when I find it’ instances, I came across a feature on CCM’S 1980 500cc Sports Trail which featured a two valve head.
It seems the original trail bike – okay let’s say
“There’s a school of thought which goes along the lines of while you’re changing gear you’re not going anywhere”
‘enduro’ as ‘trail’ suggests a gentle wobble around a leafy path – was created from the 1979 Works Replica Mxer, complete with four valve head.
For most riders this was a bit too exciting in the enduro world, so CCM fitted the Sport Trail with two valves and lowered the compression a little, making for a flexible motor.
In a blatant piece of journalistic blagging, if anyone has a 1980 500cc Sport Trail CCM can we – postlockdown – pop along and take some photos please?
Anyway, back to this replica of the 1979 Works Replica, for 2021, which is the season we’re all looking at now, the four valve head will be in place and track life will be more exciting for Ian.
Feeding fuel into the engine is a Dell’orto carburettor and I wondered what alchemic concoction Ian feeds the engine with. “Oh, nothing fancier than Shell Super Unleaded,” he says, “I’ve tried things like Avgas and methanol in the past but something I can buy from a biggish petrol station is best for me. I do use Morris castor oil to lubricate things with though, is that fancy enough?” To keep things in prime condition inside he changes the oil and filter – an in line filter from Mark Cook again – every meeting or so. It is a fact or life with a petrol driven engine an exhaust is needed to pull the burnt charge out of the engine, the sensuously curved steel tube doing the job here was made by Rayson’s Exhausts and ends in a Keith Barnes fabricated megaphone silencer.
“Keith had one on the shelf and the cost was better than me setting to and making one myself,” Ian tells me.
This motor sits in a Joe Maxwell frame and is to CCM’S design, holds the Morris oil in the frame tubes and has proved to be strong enough for the job. In common with a lot of makers from the period, rear suspension was becoming longer and CCM used a bent swinging arm to keep ride height in the realms of sensibility.
On this particular machine Ian has fitted Ohlins from Classic Suspension to handle the rear end, while up at the front are a pair of 1986ish CR250 forks.
“They’re similar to the CCM type and were handy,” he says, “they’ve been fully stripped, cleaned and checked over and fitted with new bits as required, then new seals in each leg and fresh oil to be ready to retro fit.”
Sitting in the suspension at either end are CCM hubs with gold anodised Morad rims laced in and Mitas tyres keep the rims from the dirt. Mitas are a popular fitting for MX and local man Bill Brown is a stockist – Wulfsport.
Moving up to the rider area, Ian tells me he fitted Renthal handlebars with Magura levers and a Venhill twistgrip, which is easily available from Venhill. Come to think of it they’re Magura stockists too. On this bike the tank, seat, mudguards and side panels are eye catching and to the style of the 1979 machines. In answer to my ‘what are they?’ question Ian comes back with “they’re CCM… but not the CCM which you’re thinking of…” The mouldings are from someone local to Ian in Cumbria and are Cumbrian Classic Mouldings – ‘CCM’. It helps the company have a direct connection to CCM as it’s run by Keith Barnes, and his dad Mike was one of the first to be mounted on the Bolton-built bikes in 1972…
Once all the bits were together, Ian started assembly with new fasteners, which I had assumed incorrectly would be metric in thread form, as they are in fact imperial fasteners. Ian did concede they were in a variety of materials such as stainless steel and titanium. It was just such material which helped CCM pare down the weight of their initial machines to a staggering 205lb. They did this without sacrificing strength and set their machines up to be well received by a public who maybe did want a big four-stroke based motorcycle.
Having seen Ian put in some fast laps during the track preparation day, I was curious to know just how long the setting up process took, as few bikes are right straight out of the initial build.
It seems this was one of those times and it’s not only been ‘right’ from day one but has remained ‘right’ through the full season of racing which included not only UK classic rounds but the European ECMO series too.
“One of the things I wanted to do was the European rounds and lots of riders were whetting my appetite for doing them, they can involve a lot of travel but are well worth it,” he says.
I asked Ian if there have been any issues with the bike at all. “The only big problem was with an ignition system. I run an Electrexworld kit on the bike and the first one I used was about 10 years old and not giving its best. I’d been at a meet down near Electrexworld’s workshops and the bike hadn’t been quite right, I had to pass their door on the way to another meet and took a chance on calling in to see if they could do anything to help.”
Ian is full of praise for the technical help Electrexworld gave him, “they came out to the track, tested all aspects of the ignition, sorted the problem and it’s been great ever since…very impressed.”
So, what’s to do for next season? “The bike is looking a bit scruffy so I think there’ll be a bit of tidying up going on over the next few months, in the hope this pandemic is finished and we’re allowed to race again in 2021.” I think this is a sentiment a lot of people will appreciate and we at CDB can only agree too.