Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125828
Page 42 October 2, 1973 CCMMX IIi_Me! ~SDiilrt In Heoy-Uuty P~teetl" Uyngndte Uenbns • for Racing or Street Snap Pocket _ R8d ·or Yellow Stripes and Stitching Enduro Bill ·Qw*lls Reel or Yellow Stripes and Stitching Velcro Pocket and Fly Closures M.crhs ......ts Zipper Leg Smart Narrow Red Stripes Heavy Quilted Padding Cornering is staady and predictable with tN power on. 1, 2, 3, ThuIIlP Heavy Pads By T elemachus Jones Photos by Archie Even Waist Sizes 20" - 38" Dealers: Phone today for name of nearest distributor. 1717 San Agustin Laredo, 1)( 78040 512/723-0682 Sold only through MC D ....... - • Youngsters are often amused by an old timer's tale of his exploits aboard a mighty four-stroke single, and how it was "back in the old days." Today's lad is likely to smile to himself and think, "If this old fart was to climb on a 400 CZ it'd probably scare the lumbago out of him." The big four strokes are often considered historical items, notoriously . slow-paced slugs that were difficul t to start and too heavy to ride. . Another modem myth recalls the riders of yesteryear as big, muscle bouod dudes who could wrestle tlIe unwieldy machines, but Jeff Smith Another jump shot. DKW THE LITTL::: BIKE THAT \'iINS THE BIG RACES _0 Has C_..... Un. Of "-"ton - cZ-t......n 610W.6t11St.lBox 879) COfONI.CA 9172 ....... (716'717.7136 " (twice World MX champ on BSA) isn't bigger than J oel Robert. The big valvers faded for a number of reasons, many of them purely economic in nature. Technology is expensive, but witlI it comes prosperity, which in turn is costly, which means... England is the traditional home of big singles and it's from tlIere we get the CCM, which stands for Clews Competition Machines, motorcycle constructors and .manufacturers of original equipment. Clews is located in Bolton, Lancashire, which is up in the north country. You would most probably be welcomed for tea if you happened to be in tlIe neighborhood. Ours came from Ring Cycle in National City, California, which acts as western distributor. Englishman Rob North, now with Ring, was involved witlI tlIe original design of tlIe Clews frame. He's now developing a trick motocrosser to be known as the Dye Rebel (a project backed by Edison Dye). The bike has a unique swingarm with Bage shocks mounted a la Maico, Betor forks and probably a Yamaha 125 engine. But that's another story. The CCM test machine had a displacement of ~50ccs and was equipped witlI an alternator and kickstarter. The models with total loss CD! and a bump starter are listed at 209 pounds, the FlM miniml!m. Our "enduro" version weighed in at just over 220. (The fll'st Clews had magnesium fork sliders and front huh, both from the BSA works machines. There are probably a few left, if one were willing to pay the extra tuppance or so.) The alloy frame weighs 26 pounds and carries fIVe pints of oil in its backbone. The c1Iain adjuster cams are situated at the swingarm pivot and GirJing shocks are fitted at the other end. The front forks are reworked BSA units. Most of the mechanicaJs are BSA, but the cases are Clews creations with footpeg assemblies bolted directly to tlIem. It's mighty neat, but the peg position was too far forward for our