Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles

Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles

Industry	Manufacturing and engineering
Fate	Sold to CCM
Successor	CCM
Founded	1980
Defunct	1987
Headquarters	Bolton, England
Key people	Alan Clews
Products	Motorcycles
Website	CCM Motorcycles

Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer. Based in Bolton, England. Alan Clews formed CCM in 1971 from what was left of BSA's off-road competition team and bought spares to produce his own motorcycles. This was a successful business and the Bolton factory was established. In 1981 Armstrong bought a majority share and Clews designed a road race competition motorcycle. They acquired the rights to the Rotax engine enduro motorcycle SWM XN Tornado from the Italian owners and developed the Armstrong MT500 military motorcycle used by the British Army in the Falklands War.

For most of the 1980s Armstrong-CCM produced about 3,500 and trail bikes, as well as the military off-road machines. Electric start models were built for the Jordanian and Canadian armed forces.

In 1983, the Canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products licensed the brand and outsourced development and production of the Can-Am motorcycles to Armstrong-CCM, who produced Can-Ams until closure in 1987, when Armstrong sold the military motorcycle business to Harley Davidson and CCM back to Clews, who continue to produce motorcycles as of 2010.

Armstrong's Road Racing department including plans, remaining stock, tooling and manufacturing rights were sold to Colin Hopper of CWH Developments in Lancashire. CWH produced the 350 cc CM36 engine for several years in the form of the CWH Armstrong F2 sidecar outfit and supplying parts for solo machines that were campaigned in races such as the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix up until the late 1990s. CWH's Armstrong equipe was later sold to a Super Kart manufacturer in Bolton, who in 2009 passed the CWH-Armstrong concern onto Rave Motorsports Ltd, in Surrey.

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