That's the exact same bike that I had out.

How did you find it this time with the T63s? You had the Dunlops on the last one if I remember right?

I had a go on the new CCM recently. It's a nice little bike. Here are the thoughts of a motorbiking newbie who is riding 660 Tenere for some time:

Good:
- It's light for sure, you can do some silly things on gravel and the back end is very easy to bring back in line
- Wind protection with standard screen is good, no sign of buffeting at 70 (I'm 6'4'' and get a lot of buffeting on Tenere regardless of screen height, deflectors etc)
- Power delivery has a nice little peak
- Fueling is nice and smooth or perhaps lack of grunt is hiding jerkiness well
- Frame is a masterpiece

Not necessarily bad:
- Fork and suspension in general on my bike was very stiff. I had a go on FE570 recently and CCMs suspenders didn't feel anything like the magic carpet of the Husaberg. Can they be set up to feel similar???
- Even with high seat I felt my legs are bent beyond comfortable but I feel like that about most of the dirt bikes (I find 690 a bit more roomy)
- Power feel like a barely acceptable minimum to me but there is not much grunt there compared to the Tenere, I like when the back steps out with light twist of the throttle and CCM needs to be worked hard to do that and mine was on semi street tyres :)
- I was trying to get some detailed info on what actually needs servicing when but staff presenting the bike didn't know much which I find a bit disturbing. They mentioned a valve check at every oil change :017:
- Found the front brake a bit spongy and vague but not a deal breaker
- Although bike feels ok at 70mph it is at the cost of first gear crawling ability, I would want to change sprockets on longer trips

So yeah it's a cool bike although feels like purposefully made for smaller people. I can't see it replacing Tenere in my case. And as a hardcore long distance trail bike I would probably start with sth like fe570.

surprised about the suspension comment mine was set too soft with excessive rider sag but ...i found it outstanding off road particularly good in rocks and rock steps ....no deflection no wrist jolt ..just skipped along on big riugbyball rocks and was very sure footed

the throtte has a stepped opening and what happened to me at first was i simply wasnt opening it enough ..ive had about thirty hours on the bike

..and the throttle deffinatly has a long action ..which is great on wet mud and rocks goiung slowly but opening it up in the right way i honestly reacon it could show my tenere tenere a clean pair of heels on a twisty road ..it pulls really hard at the top end and it steers with pinpoint accuracy ....??

i had no troble with leg comfort at all over the three days and didnt notice any problems at all the seat was generally good ....i wasnt noticing it or getting numb bum which is a good sign ...for longer trips ill just stick me airhawk on

the bike climbs steeply at walking pace and is near impossible to stall ..again i found its slow speed manners spot on

coming down very steep decents the front brake was one finger good and the suspension still did its job ith a fair amont of weight from the front brake l

..being able to use 3rd and fourth gear on pretty tough ground where the tenere would be in 2nd

the t63s were ok as the lakes are 90 percent rock based one or two muddy lanes were done but if i was doing wales id prbably use maxxis or kenda trackmaster s on it
all in all i found the bike comfy ..im 6ft 1in at 6ft 4 i would think it may be too small ..it will just do for me

.no problem on the motorway and as good or better than any dirt bike ive owned off road

my use is puley to travel and trail and i dont want to be restriceted to which trails i do ....so that really is its purpose ..its focus really is 50/50

the ktm 690 has a lot more power ...but when ive ridden them i found they were too radical for the road .....there is nothing at all that comes as standard that lends itself to long trips ....
the seat the vibration over 70 is bad ...but there is no weather protection at all and over 70mph the bike i rode feels kind of detached and vauge at the front

so its all well and good having the power ..but i dont like the ktm on the road at a ll ..by the time ive been to rally raid it would be hurtling toward 11k in ccm spec ..fairing tank racks subframe and all the rest of it ,,,,but then it would be around 20kg heavier too

all in all i find the ccm a good comprimise ...when i get it set up with the seat adjustable screen heated grips and all i honesstly see no problem riding to marroc and back

ive been riding round with a fouteen tooth on the tenere for four years as the gearspacings and overall ratio has been pushed far too high
..... the ccm is spaced for off roading and hooks up and pulls instantly
.....the difference between a 14t tenere on the road and the ccm is probably nothing in the real world ,,..and in fairness its only a 450 .. but the ccm s power to weight makes that 300cc effectivly dissapear .


the cummupance is the ccm will be 10mph slower 70 insead of 80 on the motorway than a standard tenere
....but as soon as you hit the trail ...the ccm is a much much better bike ..the other thing is managability ...70kgms lighter fully fueled ...


i guess its a balence we all have to make ....rob peter to pay paul

bearin mind this was full on tough trail weekend ..running in the company of some very good riders on 450 excs 690s freewinds drzs crfs yzfs and anything in between .so given that near all the rest came out of the back of a van ...the ccm did a very good job indeed

so whats bad
its a bit snatchy feuling wise at filtering speeds

the clocks are sparten mph trip thats it i think http://www.adventurebikerider.com/co...ticons/sad.png

theres a speedo pickup on the front hub begging to ripped out by a forward facing branch

the luggage i borrowed was to small in capacity and did leak water in fairness i was told to use dry liners ..i think it would be much better for access with roll top s as the zips prevent stuffability ...on the upside of that the saddle fitting system was brilliant and the luggage and contents stayed where they should and it ws bucked from piller to post

evryone said the rear light carrier was flapping like a excited puppy ..i have a fear it may come home strapped to the rear seat if caught in a fall or backed it into a wall or somthing daft it may need bracing or cutting down somway ....??

the rear seat can only accesses be realeasing a bolt under the petrol tank its resessed that should be fun after riding a muddy feild should you need to .....

the standard radiator guard isd plastic but the centre bit.. big squares clogged with mud badly ...so on a hot summers day it could cause the fan to work overtime or worse ..certainly dont want that clogged in merzuga ..ill upgrade to the stainless i think

so based on the 400 miles i did thats about it everything worked fine stayed in place
http://i60.tinypic.com/wsmbzs.jpg

http://i60.tinypic.com/e8l3pl.jpg

I was trying to get some detailed info on what actually needs servicing when but staff presenting the bike didn't know much which I find a bit disturbing. They mentioned a valve check at every oil change


http://imageshack.com/a/img12/5536/4mqb.jpg

What would worry me most is the term "subject to further testing". Is a lot of that to be done unwittingly by owners? How long is "further"? A month, six months, a year... indefinitely?

Love the bike, I'd buy one if I could afford one, but I just can't help being a little apprehensive with the issue of reliability and servicing.

Oh... and I see they still haven't managed to find a chain guard for it yet! ;)

im in eyes wide shut .....

i have the concerns about the doner engine ...the same as anyone would .....
but i have talked alot with ccm about what has been done to manage the engine .
i effect they have taken a race engine ..that at competition level went up to 10600 revs at the 52 hp and remanaged it

the ecu is brand new produced for ccm by the firm that managed their race bikes in the brish mx gps ....so although it still revs freely the internal stress and heat is much reduced controled by the ecu .....
the oil questioned was addressed by kymco and bmw ..the finding was to increase the oil with auxilery tank would lower the operating temperature so for that reason the capacity remained the same ......
it has moved from semi to full syntyhetic ......
i know that the original test engine is still running a year on albeit in its third chassis ......
i expect the bike to do much better than the doubters think ..its already staring to prove itself a little with 800 mile road trips dispatched with no issues ... so it didnt blow up after 10hours after all

that said i dont expect anywhere bear xt or klr levels of longevity
and fully expect piston and valve work at the major intevals of 15000 miles ...i would guess that would be 7/800 quid

so i understand there is a cost of ownership .. i really have some faith in the ccm ...i believe a lot of work has gone into the managment of the engine i dont believe they are throwing their customers a bum steer and lets face i the amount of cost and effort that has gone into the bike ..i dont belive replacing 240 engines under warranty is bult int their ist year buisness plan

so the proposed service items are what they are ..and when you look at it it isnt such a big deal

im not buying the bike to travel the world or slog to the boondocks ..i want it mostly for trail weekends in dear old gb ...the ccm is perfect for this ..200 miles to brecon trail all weekend and then 200 home ..thats my primary aim for the bike ..i do think she will do this work pretty well

a bit of common sense too ...i mean i took the klr to marroc and after the desert run changed the air filter and the oil over there at 2200 miles after the hot sand .....
i changed it again when i got home ...so twice in 4000 miles ..the service interval on the klr is 6000 ....?? but i wasnt happy to leave it that long .......
ill treat the ccm to a freash oil change evey 2000 ...sooner if its hot and dusty ..later if its mild and damp

afterall it s a 10 min job after tea ...even when your away ....
then ill see how it goes

wish me well

hi
i think your going to love it and as youve said you not looking to go round the world on it.
very envious of your pics looks like a great time out on the trails
By the way I'm just up the road from you in Aintree
regards
Geoff

ow do ill let you know its anythings going on

Hi Steve and OMTCsee...

Good update...

Upon checking the service sheet...what are polymer bearings?

:)

.

Polymer bearings usually refer to plain bearings made from plastics. They've been used on mountain bike pivots and suspension linkages for a number of years, but CCM claim a first for use on a motorcycle.

IGUS are the largest manufacturer of these type bearings and I reckon they'll more than likely be something like this?

http://www.igus.co.uk/wpck/9857/N13_4_8_iglidur_Q2_Standardprogramm?playlistid=33

To quote CCM - "Polymer Lightweight Linkage Bearings - unique to CCM. Offering a hugely extended service life over conventional bearings. They are maintenance and lubrication free and are resistant to chemicals, dirt and salt."

..and we all know what "maintenance and lubrication free" usually means in real life, in the long term! ;)