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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 Trials test and photos by justyn norek

SOME HISTORY OF CCM TRIALS 350 4STROKE - photos (excluding brochure) and test words by Justyn- thanks .

HAVING "KILLED" BIG FOUR STROKE TRIALS BIKES WITH HIS REVOLUTIONARY BULTACO TWOSTROKE PROJECT AND AFTER RELOUNCHING FOUR STROKE TRIALS BIKES AGAIN WITH HIS HONDA PROJECT, SAMMY MILLER AGAIN ARISED HOPES OF ALL FOURSTROKE TRIALS BIKES FANS, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT SAMMY PARTED COMPANY WITH HONDA.

HE WANTED TO CONTINUE WITH FOUR STROKES AND ASKED CCM BOSS ALAN CLEWS TO SUPPLY HIM BSA ENGINES. UNFORTUNELLY ALAN CLEWS TURNED DOWN REQUEST THINKING ABOUT MAKING 4STROKE TRIALS BIKE HIMSELF. SO WE WILL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW HOW MILLER'S BSA/CCM WOULD HAVE LOOKED AS SAMMY TURNED HIS CREATIVITY TO BUILD ITALIAN HIRO TWOSTROKE ENGINED "MILLER" TRIALS BIKE...
​
IN THE MEANTIME CLEWS STARTED HIS CCM TRIALS PROJECT WITH HELP OF NICK JEFFERIES EXPERIENCE ON HONDA TRIALS BIKE.

​
Design highlights
CCM 350 TRIALS DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS:          
                                                                                           
CCM IS BEAUTIFULL MACHINE AND IT HAS SEVERAL INTERESTING DESIGN SOLUTIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION FEW:                                                                                        
ENGINE BEAUTIFUL AS BSA WAS WITH RIGHT COVER OF CRANKCASE WITH CCM LOGO IN RELIEF,                                                                                                                                                     
FUEL TANK IN ALUMINIUM PARTICULAR SQUARISH SHAPE ,MAY BE INSPIRED BY PETE JERRED HONDAS, PARTIALLY COVERING ENGINES HEAD MAKING BIKE LOOK LOWER, BEAUTIFULLY HANDCRAFTED FRAME IN CHROMED REYNOLDS 531 TUBING,                              
CHAIN LENGTH ADJUSTMENT ECCENTRIC TYPE AT THE SPINDLY OF SWING ARM (WHO HAS DONE IT FIRST ?), NICE STYLED AND COMFORTABLE SEAT PERFECTLY MATCHING REAR FRAME LOOP WITH SEAT BASE IN FIBERGLASS, INTERESTING SILENCER WORKIG VERY WELL WITH ANTIVIBRATION RIBS,MAGNESIUM FRONT  FORKS, PLASTIC UNBREAKABLE PRESTON PETTY MUDGUARDS,                                          
DUE TO ITS RARITY, VERY MUCH SOUGHT AFTER AND EXPENSIVE, KIND OF CULT BIKE DESPITE DIDNT ACHIEVE MUCH COMPETITION SUCCESS....                                                              
​ WANTED !!! CCM 350 TRIALS 4STROKE !
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
NICK'S HONDA WAS INSPIRATION AS WELL AS IT'S MEASURES HELP TO START NEW BIKE, RATHER THEN START FROM WHITE PIECE OF PAPER.

NEWS ABOUT FOUR STROKE TRIALS BIKE EXCITED FOUR STROKE FANS SO MUCH THAT CLEWS ANNOUNCED 100 BIKES TO BE BUILT.AND OF COURSE NICK JEFFERIES WAS RIDER TO COMPETE ON IT AND DEVELOP IT.
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NICK HAS GOT HIS FIRST PROTOTYPE IN FEBRUARY 1978 HE WAS RATHER DISSAPOINTED, BIKE WAS NOT SATISFACTORY AS HANDLING AND DESPITE 4STROKE POWER IT HAD PROBLEMS WITH TRACTION, ALSO STEERING AND HANDLING SHOULD BE IMPROVED.

SO NUMBER OF MODIFICATIONS WERE CARRIED IN FACTORY INCLUDING CHANGE OFSOME DIAMENSIONS LIKE STEERING HEAD ANGLE,REAR SWING ARM PROPORTIONS ETC.BIKE WAS AGAIN TESTED BY NICK AND THAN BACK AT FACTORY FOR SOME REFINEMENTS.EVEN ENGINE CAPACITY WAS EXPERIMENTED OF 351 AND 412 JUST TO DICOVER THAT 350 WAS BEST
.
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
PRODUCTION RUN OF 105 UNITS WAS COMPLETED AND SOLD SO QUICKLY DESPITE HEFTY £ 1300 PRICE THAT ALAN CLEWS CONTEMPLATED TO MAKE ANOTHER RUN OF 100, YET WITH CCM MOTOCROSS BIKE ENJOYING GREAT SUCCES TO FINALLY HE HAS DECIDED TO SAVE PARTS FOR MOTOCROSS BIKE PRODUCTION WHERE PROFIT WAS HIGHER...
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
IN ANY CASE PROJECT OF NEW CCM TRIALS BIKE WITH ITALIAN HIRO ENGINE WAS ALREADY GOING ON SO IT HAS SIGNED END OF 4STROKE CCM, MAKING IT SO DESIRED AND RESEARCHED TODAY COLLECTOR BIKE...

ONE ONLY CAN'T STOP DREAMING WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MILLER'S BIKE LOOK
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com

LIKE, HAS HE HAD HIS ENGINES FROM CCM AVAILABLE ?
​
MAY BE ONE DAY I SHALL MAKE DRAWING OF SUCH A IMMAGINARY BIKE....
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
CCM 35O TRIALS BIKE IS VERY COMPACT. SO ENGINE SEEMS TO BE RATHER BIG.
THIS BIKE HAS CHANGED OWNER RECENTLY.LAST YEAR IT WAS IN THE STABLE OF
CARLO RAMELLA WHOSE ARIEL WE TESTED FOR YOU.BUR RECENTLY IT WAS AQUAIRED BY PIPPO BARTORILLA WHO IS GREAT 4STROKE FAN AND BUILDER OF MOTO
GUZZI "BARTORILLA" SPECIAL, ALSO TESTED BEFORE FOR YOU....
AS BARTORILLA IS PERFECTIONIST IN EVERYTHING, I EXPECTED BIKE WILL START WITH FIRST PROD AND INDEED IT DID. FEW MINUTES TO WARM IT UP AND PIPPO DID SOME ROUNDS WITH HIS JEWEL THAN GIVING HANDLEBARS TO ME.
I DID CAREFULLY SEVERAL ROUNDS TOO LEARNING FEELING OF THE MACHINE AS IT WAS FAIRLY DIFFERENT TO WHAT I AM RIDING NORMALLY MONTESA 4RT !
BIKE WAS VERY DIFFERENT IF COMPARED WITH ARIEL, DUE TO SHORT WHEELBASE
IT WAS VERY MANOUVRABLE AND I COULD DO TIGHT CORNERS AND FEEL GOOD BALANCE.BUT IT WAS ON EASY TERRAI SO LETS GO NOW INTO ROCKY RIVERBED.
I MADE CAREFULLY DESCENT AND PUT THE BIKE THROUGH STONY STREAM.
DESPITE I KNNNOW THE PLACE IT HAS CHANGED AFTER RECENT RAIN SO SOON I FOUND DIFFICULTY WITH SOME BIG STONES, AND WHEN THE BIKE STOPS LOT OF TROUBLE IS TO START IT AGAIN AD DEINITELY ITS HEAVY AND TALL BY TODAY STANDARDS I AM USED TO....BUT SLOWLY I GET USED TO MACHINE WORKING MORE WITHGAS THAN CLUTCH AS I AM USED TO. ENGINE IS VERY SOFT AND TAKING YOU OFF THE TROUBLE WITH IT'S LOWER REVS TORQUE. SO AFTER INITIAL TROUBLE I STARTED TO ENJOY RIDING IT AVER VARIOUS OBSTACLES.
ANYWAY I PUT FEET TO GROUND MORE OFTEN THAN EXPECTED, IT'S NOT AN EASY BIKE TO RIDE OVER THE ROCKS DUE TO ITS WEIGHT.
THAT WE CHANGED LOCATION HAVING RIDES UPHIL AND DOWNHILL AND WITH ENGINES TORQUE LONG WHEELIES ARE SHEER PLEASURE.
I TURNED TO VILLAGE QUITE EXHAUSTED AND HUNGRY SO I ENJOYED SOME NICE
BARBEQUE MEAT PREPARED BY CARLO.MAY BE I UNDERSTAND WHY CARLO HAS
SOLD IT, HE HAS PLANS TO GET ANOTHER WORKS BIKE,HOPE HE WILL LET ME RIDE
IT TOO.
IT WAS VERY ENJOYEABLE SUNDAY AS ALWAS ON MOTORCYCLES IN THE WOOD, AND I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING NEW ABOUT VINTAGE TRIALS BIKES....
HOWEVER IT WAS HARD WORK, MUCH HARDER THAN OTHER TEST OF BARTORILLA MOTO GUZZI 250, THAT I STILL PREFER....
JUSTYN NOREK JR.
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com
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1978 ccm 350tr mk11 trials test and photos by justyn norek www.retrotrials.com

other below tests and exquisite photos by justyn  norek
The exquisite classic / retro Trials photo collection by Justyn Norek ...
Testing Sammy Miller's ARIEL - 786 GON 
222c MotoGuzzi Trial photo test and specification 

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