From Bolton to Hollywood
CCM’S latest bike harks back to the company’s early days… but the future’s looking pretty good too…
CCM struck gold when they revealed the first Spitfire in 2018, and this latest scrambler version – which has just gone on sale – looks like continuing the cash-happy trend.
Called the Maverick, it has the same engine and chassis as all the recent Spitfires, but features tweaked suspension, a dual seat, new wheels, a revised clutch, a high-level exhaust and an extra-tough powder coating on the frame. The basic model will cost you £9995.
In the past CCM have mostly released limited edition Spitfires, all featuring the 55bhp 600cc single and foxy handmade trellis frame. But these have sold out so fast that CCM have changed tack with the Maverick – there’s no production limit. ‘The first Scrambler [based on the first Spitfire and launched in 2018] was an instant success,’ says CCM’S John Drogan. ‘We sold out the 250 limited edition run in a matter of weeks.’ The same thing happened with the original Spitfire. ‘The Maverick has got the same classic retro cool as the original Scrambler and because we have two CCMS in upcoming Hollywood movies [Marvel’s Black Widow, out in July and Infinite with Mark Wahlberg out in September] the Maverick seemed like a logical next model,’ says John. ‘Plus, a scrambler was how it all began when Alan Clews started CCM 50 years ago.’
In fact, CCM made a limited edition black version of the Maverick to coincide with the release of Black Widow, but the film was delayed by you know what so CCM launched it anyway and have already sold all 250 bikes. So will the Maverick be any good if you want to do some scrambling? There’s a fair chance: it only weighs 150kg and CCM know how to make a dirt bike. ‘We got Dougie Lampkin [12-time world trials champion] to ride it for the promotional video and he took it down an incredibly rocky dry river bed,’ says John. ‘Dougie could ride any bike, any where, but the real question was what would be left of it. But it came through unscathed. And all he did to prep the machine was drop the tyre pressures.’