CCM is hardly a large manufacturer, but it’s a manufacturer with a lot of heart. The UK-based company proves that again with its new Heritage ’71 model, a machine that celebrates 50 years of history.
CCM is another classic “founded in a garden shed” story, like so many British brands. Alan Clews started building offroad bikes in his garage in the 1970s, based around massive four-stroke singles. At least, they were massive for their time, when pretty much everyone else was running little two-strokes.
Today, CCM still builds big thumpers, using four-stroke singles that are derived Husqvarna’s designs, back before BMW sold Husky to KTM. The lineup has scramblers, bobbers, dual sports, and now this Heritage ’71 model, which could be the ultimate evolution of the old idea of a hot British single-cylinder. The lines are contemporary, but there’s no praying mantis headlights and no extraneous bodywork. Instead, that lovely titanium frame is displayed prominently, along with a set of Dymag wheels (built specially for this model, it seems). The titanium exhaust is handmade from 64 individual pieces, all welded together. There’s an adaptive cornering LED headlight as well.
The engine itself is 600 cc, making a claimed 62 horsepower and 48 lb-ft of torque. That’s not crazy-muscular, but with wet weight a claimed 136 kilos, we’d expect the bike would still remain quite a bit of fun, especially when you add in the relaxed, upright seating position.
The bike’s brakes, suspension and other running gear come from the likes of Ohlins, Brembo, Rizoma and Blackline, so we’d expect it all to work quite nicely at speed, as long as you don’t mind a bit of windblast.
Unfortunately, it’s expensive. How expensive? £28,995 on the road, says CCM. You can find more details here at CCM’s website, and place an order, if you’re feeling spendy. And if you buy one, could you please drop it off at CMG HQ, so we can take it for a spin?
