Research your CCM with our VIN Checker

Clews Competition Machines was established when the BSA Competition Department collapsed in 1971. The founder, Alan Clews, had always had an interest in motorcycles and he bought his first, a Douglas 90 Plus flat-twin, in 1950 when he was 16. It cost him all of £21. CCM is based in Bolton, England and manufactures single-cylinder four-stroke motorcycles.

As soon as he had bought all the BSA works parts that were attainable, he began making motocross motorcycles in his garage. He had access to BSA engines which he improved until he achieved the standard BSA 500cc engine. He started gaining recognition as a maker of four-stroke cycles that could hold their own against the more prevalent two-stroke ones in competitions.

Mid-seventies saw the company achieve some modest results in the 500cc Motocross World Championship. CCM’s rider, John banks, ranked in the top five positions a number of times. In the 80s and 90s, the company on from BSA engines and began using Rotax engines. At the same time, production peaked at 3,500 units per year.

CCM was licensed to export motorcycles to the USA under the brand Can-AM Motorcycles.  In 1984, CCM was contracted to produce the Armstrong MT500 motorcycles for the British Army. The machines were built with Rotax engines.

The company was eventually bought by the Robson family in 1998.  In 2004, when the company stopped operating, Allan Clews, the founder of the company, bought back its assets.

Interesting Facts  

1. Alan Clews was a skilled trials rider himself and was influenced by the motorcycle skills of Derek Brooks, a trials rider who was a few years older than Clews.
2. Unimpressed by his first bike, Clews ditched it for his first trials motorcycle, a Villiers-powered James, that he purchased form Cliff Holden’s shop located in Bury.
3. When his father refused to sign the finance forms for the purchase, his mother did. The James allowed him to practice intensively. In addition, he started competing in local events and did well winning a number of center trials. He also finished runner-up in the North West Center Championship.
4. In 1987, Harley-Davidson acquired the rights to the MT500 after it was chosen by NATO. The company created a 350cc version that featured an electric start and reduced weight with improved pollution standards. The machine was called the Harley-Davidson MT350E.