In the beginning…
…engineers created motorcycles and an industry grew, then it grew complacent as those driving it from the forges of workshops became old and retired. A new generation took over, run by those who operated in boardrooms, did studies, formulated action plans, regrouped as things changed, didn’t adapt the product and latched onto fancy marketing ideals while those at the dirty end improved where they could.
Then it all ended and the workshops were still… along came a man with a van and the BSA comp shop moved to Lancashire. Is that fitting this new home was in the birth county of the lad who took BSA to the top of the MX world – twice?
Alan Clews wanted to race BSAS like Jeff Smith and John Banks had, but they weren’t available to the public… except as the factory closed these parts did become available and Clews took the lot from Birmingham to Bolton.
In short order he launched his version of what BSA may have built for the Mxer of 1972. The model he created used stocks of BSA parts such as magnesium fork sliders, conical wheel hubs and other things hitherto only whispered about.
What he had to make, Clews made from lighter material than BSA used and he incorporated his own ideas into the engines too, as bores and strokes were increased to give larger capacities and his bike was to be launched on the public later in February 1972.
With an eye to the future, CCM also offered improvements to the standard B44 and B50 MX models, knowing their owners would look favourably on his own machines when the time came to change their tired mounts.
With his works testbed 608cc Stroka tipping the scales at 205lb and production versions likely to be close to this it was felt success was possible.