hello ill be honest here ive kept from posting on the hubb as i feel a bit intimidated ..with all the expieriance and long distance travellers and i take my hat off to them .....

now i have the oppertunity and time to do it

i wont as more then a few weeks away from my family and especially my grandchildren will not allow me to do it ..my family ties are far too strong ...that said i ride locally and abroad every year ..for the pleasure of feeling free and being on my bike

i have ridden bikes since 7 years old and off road bikes since 12 i am 57 years old ...in all the time i have travelled around all be it not around the world i have never fallen out with a teamate and have never had so much as a harsh word ...and would never hesitate to help a fellow rider



indeed if i travel with someone i would do anything to help a fellow rider out and expect the same ....and we have always found the same common ground ...namly motorcycles and the enthuisasum that comes with riding them

i have no connection with ccm whatsoever other than ordering one and say as i find ..if you dont believe that ....you dont know me which of courseyou dont

i am no ones uncle tom

....i make no appoligy for liking and supporting the bike ..its done what its supposed to and hasnt dissapointed me in any way ..it is open to anyone in the uk to ride by appointment ...so there no need to trust anyone elses opinion ..especially mine it seems ....???

i went down 18 months ago and they showed me the prototype ..no working tank but i just loved the narrowness and lightness of it .....i considered it could keep me riding longer off road than the big bikes ..i keep falling and stalling ..........so because i puta deposit down there and then chassis number six .......and then 14 months later there was delays
homaglation ..suppliers ectect ...they lent me the bike as i was one of the original cusomers and i had booked the taffy dakar portugal and a gatesgarth pass weekend ...expecting delivery
.......so thats how i got to ride the bike and thats why i know a bit more about it than most ......
belive me they took a chance as i will post as i will find ....
strangly i just want to get the bike now and dissapear off the internet ..other than my meets and runs as ive had enough of this virtual bollocks .....it really isnt me at all

and ive had endless disscussions with folks online ..who have never taken the oppertunity to ride one

..and they still take every oppertunity to kick the bike in the nuts .. the frame will snap ..it will blow up after 15 hours ....no way will the oil last a trip ect ect .....well evidence is building to the contary ... im pissed off with it now i just want to get my bike and ride it .....20months anyone can get a little stirr crazy

the above description of me a s a person and fellow rider is unjustified ....and written by a guy i have never ridden with or met and as far as i can tell is downright uncalled for ..ive looked at the website and its all very impressive ..i admire your expiriance and achievments ...

.but please mr brighty at least try pull the hood off before you shoot a guy between the eyes

..as it is to all the other dozens of adventure book riders and freinds ive travelled with at home and abroad over the years ..

you may be surprised where and what some of the abr crowd have done in there own litte unpubisised .. way and indeed how good some of them are handling a bike .... novice to expert and anything inbetween ...but at least we stick tgether and dont diss eachother irrespective of ability expeiriance or bike

all id say is if anything ive written about the ccm 450 is objectonal or my arguments for and against it are not your cup of tea thats fine .....
but if you want to try and dismiss and belittle somone or label them ...... on line

at least have the decency to meet him ride with him first ...maby ride the bike too

.... and then form your opinion before putting it it in to print ......

in good faith... steve halsall .. aka ordinary guy

aka ..... adventure book reader ....

Hi Steve
Thanks for your reply and welcome to the hubb. The hubb isn't about people going round the world, but whatever website floats your boat is fine by me. I found the ABR forum unwelcoming and cliquey, but that's just my opinion. I also went to an ABR meeting once, but decided it wasn't my cup of tea and left on the Saturday, having only stayed Friday night (the curry was excellent). Each to their own. Sorry to tar you with my same perceived brush.

I quote Walkabout's comment again, to which I replied. I took offense to the "just stop bleating" comment. I have a problem with giving a view and being told to shut up, rather than the person responding to my comments regarding the questionable history of the BMW G450 (same engine as in the new CCM) and the brand CCM (have gone bust twice) itself. If you didn't say "Just stop bleating", then I apologise for getting your back up. If you did, I stand by my views.

It's not apples/pears at all. We are comparing 400/450 cc dirtbikes with each other (ccm vs. drz, wr, exc, xr). We're not comparing fat ktm 950-990/bmws gs/triumph/12 tenere with the CCM

I'll overlook all the other emotive comments that aren't relevant.

Looking forward to pint of tonight. Baaaa

__________________

TBS.com

Hi,

here is another vid of my ride with the GP 450 Adventure:



Hope you enjoy

So long,

da Wolf

Last week I talked to Austin Clews:



So long,

da Wolf

__________________
Wolfs website: BIKE ON TOUR

The UK folks who actually have ordered, own and ride this bike continue to write about it elsewhere = the UK based ABR.

From the CCM staff at the UK motorcycle show in late November:
CCM started delivering the bikes a few weeks ago and have exported them also: containers of bikes have been shipped to Australia, USA and I think it was South Africa (could be wrong on that detail).
The current waiting list for a build was one month as of the dates of the UK bike show.
Within the UK, being a bespoke build and not a mass produced machine, you can meet with and talk with the people who assemble the bikes rather than with sales staff in the dealerships.

__________________
Dave

Finaly I've also got mine



So long,

da Wolf

__________________
Wolfs website: BIKE ON TOUR

Excellent enjoy it ! nice Christmas present.

Tchus Jake.

Mr. minkyhead,

THANK YOU for all of the information and FIRSTHAND no BS account of your experience with the GP450. I have read what you have posted on three websites- you are one of the best sources of good information, from what I see. As well, forums are enhanced by your kind but passionate prose!

I wish anyone well with their new bike and hope its a happy journey.

They look ace but then so did my CCM 604 back in 1999, it had lots of trick parts and looked so sweet, but looks arent everything and I'm afraid thats where the dream ended.

To put it mildly it was the most unreiliable heap of shite, when it ran it was a joy it let me down so many times it ruined all that, I was lucky to enjoy a trip to Portugal and back across the Picos Europa but I could have done the same on a Honda without all the heartache and I would probably still own the XR 400 that I should have purchased instead of the CCM.

I remember the week before I picked mine up MCN suddenly ran an article on how tempremental they were and I very nearly cancelled mine!!

Its all well and good saying people are giving negative opinions, well the negativity comes from a high cost product from a company with a very sketchy background. If I had 8k to invest in a bike I don't think I would take a gamble on an unproven product that could completely ruin an adventure. Are CCM still knocking out chineese junk re branded with red plastics and snazzy graphics for double what they cost elsewhere? Yeah great company destroying the future of biking by selling utter tat to youngsters who could be put off motorcycling for life and don't have the spare money to keep replacing engines made from jelly.

I really do hope this new venture works for them because its not fair to charge 8k for a bike that the customers are going to develop and test for you.

Just make sure that if you venture far away from civilisation on one of these that you take a mate on a proven bike to bring you home.

Have you seen and examined or ridden the GP450? If not, then your words lack the relevancy of someone who has spent time riding the moto.

In my 45 years of motorcycle riding, motos have failed me- including transmissions on a Suzuki and a Yamaha, and electrical problems and general craziness of a Husky CR360 like Mikkola used. As well a Suzuki did well for two seasons traveling, as has a Yamaha that is very good but tends to get a lot of unreasonable illogical dissing online- much like the above.

What is online about the GP450 supports overwhelmingly that it is a very good moto, and thus far no big problems showing up.

One of these bikes has been used to follow the 2015 Dakar race; pics in the link -
http://www.adventurebikerider.com/fo...t=10&start=170

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Dave

Both you guys make fair points. Mtnguy, is the Noob here and may want to consider reading what's gone before and what's been said about this bike on another thread here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ure-bike-69964

Pretty much covers it all. I'm on there with a few opinions as is Stuxtttr and several other knowledgeable HUBB members with VAST experience. it's 20 some pages and well worth the read if you want a broader ranges of voices on the CCM450 GP, the companies history and it's future. Very useful thread with a few diversions.

All that said ... one can't deny the questionable history of CCM. But for me, I'm totally willing to give CCM the benefit of the doubt. Lets just not forget that the CCM "Phoenix" has risen from ashes at least twice (I'm aware of) ... and I know little about them, never owned or ridden one. Maybe more to their history ... ??

But seems they've gone back to "ze old drawing board" more than once ... and this bike really does look good (IMO). But they have carried over a few design elements I disagree with .... namely the swingarm shaft going through the countershaft. This is Horst Leitner's (ATK) idea ... and failed on several bikes ... including BMW's own World Enduro GP race bikes when David Knight was riding for them. It's also a BAD IDEA to have on a travel bike for a number of reasons. (remove swingarm for sprocket change or changing chain? )

I rode ATK's in the 90's and watched these systems fail ... in person. The rear brake rotor was also located up on the countershaft! They burnt up... literally. Some say it helps handling. If it's such a good idea how come no world champion race bikes use it? NONE of the Japanese use it ... but I do know they tried it ... back in the 1980 ...and realized it was NOT SUITED for a Moto cross or off road bike. They never went back to it.
See also:
ATK motorcycles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ATK models & brand history - autoevolution

Here in California, my local dealer carried CCM going back to the early to mid 90's. Not positive, but IIRC the first one I saw used a Rotax motor? Next one I saw a few years later used (I think) either a Suzuki DR650 motor or a DRZ400 motor?? ... don't recall which. The bikes looked pretty trick ... but very few were sold, dealer ended up eating it on them. I doubt he'll be signed up to carry anymore CCM, given his 10 years (or so) of experience with them.

I wish CCM all the best ... and many have very short memories and don't do research. So who knows? Perhaps CCM have a shot at success. We DO need such a bike in this class, that we all pretty much agree on. But is the CCM more a Race Bike more suited to racing the Dakar than going RTW on a budget?

Yes, sounds like problems in the past. I think one can make that case for any brand of moto. Even Honda had some duds.

The data that is accumulating in regard to the CCM GP450 so far seems ok. Wait and see.

You have clearly stated a key cultural difference between the "good old Brit" nation and the "upstart, breakaway colonials".
In the UK we just don't do "forgive", never mind "forget", especially in business.

I think this results in a lack of entrepreneurs in Britain: much business research has been done on this matter - we punish miscreant businesses very harshly compared with the business law in the USA.

I think I have read, or heard in conversation with the CCM staff at the UK show last November, that the front sprocket can be removed without detaching the swinging arm: hopefully, one or more of the new owners can confirm if this is the case.

__________________
Dave

I hope I'm wrong on that ... but seems it was stated early on in discussions on the CCM? Not really sure. Anyone confirm?

Where and how does the swingarm attach? Does main splined drive shaft go through swing arm and countershaft sprocket?

I know the BMW 450 GP race bikes used this system. With this system I would also be concerned with bearing wear. Normally swingarm bearings aren't something RTW riders need to worry about very often. But with that system?
Dunno ? :confused1:

I'll have a look on CCM site and report back.
EDIT:
OK, here is what is stated on CCM website:

Swingarm
Race track derived rear swing arm using a pivot point near to concentric with the output shaft to reduce chain tension variation and increase traction on loose surfaces. Careful controlled lateral flex leads to a swingarm giving a smooth and predictable ride on the road with the strength and ability to handle the toughest terrain possible.

I question the "race track derived" ... what major OEM race team has ever used such a system besides BMW's very brief
involvement in World Enduro? The above statement seems bit vague, anyone have a more detailed technical explanation?