Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

E ·B E MCM Cross Country V2 and V1 · · N W IK S By Chris Jonnum t wasn't too long ago that the United States had the dubious distinction of not boasting a single dirt bike manufactu rer. Of cou rse ATK and ADB have changed all that in the past few years, and now MCM - an upstart company out of Co sta Mesa, California - has d ecided to throw their hat into the ring. In case you' re thinking that all builders of Ameri can dirt bikes must have names consisting of three initials, MCM was origin ally known as Excelsior. But when it w as found tha t the name was already taken, arriving at a different title became necessary. The company followed the lead o f Sw ed ish manu factu rers Husqv am a a n d Husaberg, whic h a re named af ter t h eir cities of ori gin; MCM stan ds for Motorcycles Costa Mesa. To say tha t MCM is a small organization would be an understatement. For the time being at leas t, the whole shooting m atch - bike design , R&D, ad vertising, marketing, etc. - consists of just four pe0p le, But fortunatel y, this quartet possesses a list of accomplishments that most larger companies would give their eyeteeth for. Bjorn Elvin - a native of Sweden with an En g in eering degree at th e Goteberg Machine Techincal Institute - has worked for Husqvama, Husaberg and ATK. Fellow Swede Ove Hasselberg has lived in the U.s. since 1967, working as an engin eer for Saab for much of that time. Wi llia m Kniegge has experi en ce with Husqvarna, Bell Helmets, Accuride and ATK, while Colorado native William Thomas has an Engineering degree at the University of Colorado, and has wo rked as a rid er coach, motocross promoter, track designer, aftermarket prod uct designer and R&D man for ATK. We got a chance to check out a productio n prototype of MCM's flagship bike, w h ich is powered by a 948cc V-Twin Folan powerplant, MCM started building the bike in Ju ne, and it's amazing what they' ve accomplished in such a short period . MCM plans to sell 40% of their bikes outside of the U.S., so their goal was to h ave the bike ready to display at Octob e r ' s Cologne, Germany, motorcycle show. They pulled it off - barely {Kniegge ended up dismantling the bike and taking it on the plane as luggage}. The bike we saw was not meant to be ridden, as it featured aluminum body panels and other temporary parts that will be used to make the molds for the production versions. The company will now build three test bikes, and by April or May, they hope to be in the production stage. MCM's Scandanavian influence ex ten ds further than personnel, as the heart of their introductory motorcycle th e d irt-only "Cross Country" - is the Swedish Folan engine. The 948cc V-twin features four valves 'and a single, chain-driven overhead cam per cylinder, with roller-type followers. A s ix-speed transmission is used, which goes along with MCM's plan to design the b ike for lower, less s tr essfu l engine speeds. . The Folan twin was developed in conjunction with the Husaberg engine, which was built by five -of the employees who earlier came up with Husqvarna's fourstroke. That being said, the Folan is almost completely pro prietary - the cylinder head is the only part it shares with the Husaberg, and MCM says that, too, will soon change. The engine's primary ad vantage is its comp act size, which is accomplished in part by moving the cylinders forward . The axis of the cylinder centerlines is 6mm ahead of the crankshaft, which creates less " rockin g" torque on the p istons. This allows extremely short piston skirts, I which in tum allows a shorter engine. Other measures - like a CAD-designed crankcase with thick aluminum in highstress areas, and thinner material in areas of lower stress - further enhance the economy of space. A dry-sump oiling system is used, with pressure lubrication to the rockers, and sprayers for the crankshaft and gearbox. The twin weighs a phenomenal 85 pounds - 70 less than a HarleyDavidson XR750 - and the single weighs in at 62. MCM let us throw a leg over the bike, and we must say, it felt qu ite light and maneuverable for a two-cylinder motorcycle. The designers were shooting for a weight in the 275- to 280-pound range, and their prototype meets that goal, tipping the sca les at 275. (The production version could be sligh tly heavier.) For comparison, a 1000cc BMW R100GS weighs in at 434 pounds, and the dirt-only Kawasaki KLX650 single is 276 pounds. The narrowness of the machine als o surprised us, as the bodywork and lateral frame m embers len d a bulky, hea vy appearance. Numbers don't lie, however, and the frame measures just .10S inches between the pegs, eight inches below the seat. The engine is fitted into the fram e from the bottom, and the head can be rem oved with th e motor in the b ike (though it's easier with the engine out). We ight bias is approximately 48% front/52% rear, and the 550cc single is interchangable with the 948cc twin. Suspension has not yet been finalized, though Thomas says the front and rear components will come from the same company - probably WP, Oh1ins or Marzocchi. The shock uses an ATK-style, sidemount, linkageless system. The frame, swingarrn, exhaust and several other parts are all built in-house, and Performance Machine supplies the sano aluminum calipers. Another interesting item is the 2.7-galIon fuel tank, which fits below the sea t where the airbox normally resides. The filler neck is in the standard location, leading into a catch tank and a large-diarneter hose down to the primary cell. The air intake is located under the d u mmy fuel tank - a plas tic s h rou d th at is e asily removabl e. Though it is too early to quote a sugge sted retail price for the b ike, MCM w ou ld say that they'd like to sell it for under $10,000. No dealer network has yet beenestablished. MCM has big plans for the future as well, though they admit that getting their first model into production is of primary concern at the moment. Among their tentative plans are a dual sport bike (which would feature a lower seat height than Sho wn here in prototype form , the Folanpowered MCM will be built In Southern California. It is an extremely light V-twi n. their dirt model ) and a Supermotard-style machine. They will also imp ort Folan engines for individual sale to road racers and dirt trackers. In addition, MCM ·will import Folan's EFI M1 electronic fuel-injection system, which is designed to be sold as an aftermarket accessory for the MCM V1 and V2, as well as KTM, Husqvama and Hus~ aberg four-strokes . IlCII Cross CotIlIry -1enIatiYe speciIicaIions 948V2 550Vl Displacement 948cc 553cc Bore xstroke 95 x 68 mm 95 x 78mm Cylinder heed 4 valvesl1 cam 4 valves/l cam camshaft . .• • .. . . . ••.Single overhead, roller·type followers. chairHlriven Compression 10:1 ; 11:1 Horsepower 100 (+/-) . ... . •• . . .. . . • . • . . ..55 (+1-) carburetor 1 or2 Keihin 39 FCR •• • . . . .• • •1Keihin 39FCR (Fuel injection optional) Clutch •• • •. . ..• . . . . . .Dry; sintered plates .• . .•. •. . • .Dry; sintered plates 0 1 capacity 1 1.38quarts Cooling •. .. • . • •..• . .Liquid (radiatorlfan) . ••. .. . . • •.liquid (radiator) Transmission 6 speed 6 speed Ignition SEM electronic 140 W SEM 140 W Starting . • . • . •.. . . . .. Electric Bectriclkick Frame Chrome-moly steel Chrom&-moIy steel Front suspension WPISS ..•.•....•. ••.•• .... •WP ISS Front travel 12in 12in. Rear suspension WP ISS .wp ISS Rear travel 12 in. .. 12in. Front brake . • . . . . • . . .Hy draulic 260mm . • . • .. • . .•.. .Hydraulic 260mm Rear brake .. • •.. .. ...Hydraulic24Omm Hydraulic240mm Front tire 90190 x 21 90190 x21 Reartire 130190 x 18 130190 x 18 Wheelbase 58.7 in .58.7 in. Length •.• .. •.. . .•. ..86.5in 86.5 in. Seatheight 36.5 in 36.5 in. Ground clearance 14.35 in 14.35 in. Fuel tankcapsclty • • . . .3.17gal 3.96 gal. Engine weight : 80ibs. 62Ibs. (without carbs & starter) Claimed dry weight . • . .275 Ibs.•• .... .. •..••.. . . . •. .248 100. MCMGroup 2930 Grace Lane. Unit K, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 . Phone 714185D-0829 / Fax 714/85lHl317

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