▲ In February this year, CCM "revealed" its new Spitfire, a "limited edition", minimalist, 600cc, 111mm x 76.5mm, liquid-cooled 4-stroke single housed in a T45 carbon-steel frame and aimed at anyone with an overactive attitude gland. The word is that plenty/dozens/150 units more or less instantly found buyers. Certainly, at least one bike has been built and shown. But beyond that, we don't yet have any production numbers. Maximum power is a claimed 55hp. The torque promises 58Nm @ 5,500rpm. The front suspension is WP. The rear is a single Tractive monoshock. Brakes are Brembo. And the price has been quoted at £7,995. The first bikes are expected any day in April, and a Scrambler variant is planned by the CCM "Skunkwerx" gurus. But hey, haven't we seen all this a hundred times? Or maybe we've just been alive too long. It happens. Good luck to CCM if they can make it viable. www.ccm-motorcycles.com

MOTORCYCLE NEWS

April 2017

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Optimate 4 Dual Program

Optimate make some of the best battery chargers we've seen. In fact, we tested the Optimate 5 Voltmatic not so long ago, and we liked it plenty. The device now sits in the Sump garage for prolonged evaluation, and it gets used pretty much all the time. It's a simple, reliable and durable unit. Consequently, we've got few worries about introducing the Optimate 4 Dual Program 1A V3 charger. So what are the Dual Programs? Well, you can hook up the crocodile clips in the usual way and charge/top-up your battery as and when needed. Or if battery access is a problem, you can wire-in the included charging socket and locate that socket somewhere convenient. [More...]

Oxford Heritage Luggage

Oxford Products has developed a new luggage system aimed squarely at the traditional, classic and retro motorcycle market. There are two roll bags in the kit (30-litre and 50-litre), plus a matching pannier set of 40-litres for each side. All items are manufactured from waxed cotton. Features of the roll bags include convenient grab handles, traditional buckles, internal and external pockets, a carrying strap and a water resistant top closure. The price for the 30-litre roll bag is £79.99. The 50-litre will cost you another tenner. And the panniers (which includes adjustable seat straps and is the main image on this news item), will set you back £119.99 for the pair. [More...]

Porsche 618 electric bike

Spanish designer Miguel Angel Bahri is the man responsible for this new Porsche concept bike. It's called the 618, and like most two-wheeled modern concepts, it's electric. And naturally, it draws inspiration from the established and classic Porsche 911 family of cars. Features include hub-centre steering, a luggage compartment where the petrol tank would normally be located, an onboard GPS device, and the usual bells and whistles intended to make this motorcycle internet ready, etc. Why the hell anyone wants to have the internet intruding into their, ahem, private riding moments we don't know. Neither do we know if this bike has actually been built, or if it exists only on a hard drive or inside someone's cranium. [More...]

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Click the link for last month's news: March 2017 motorcycle news from Sump

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EAT SLEEP RIDE REPEAT T-shirt £19.99

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