Adventure Bike Rider Forum

I am not sure yet but I may be in the market for a dirt cheap trail bike. Something like a Serow, TTR250, or DR 250 would be ideal. My CCM has been back at the factory for over a month whilst they sort it out. Unfortunately I now have very little confidence in the company or the bike, they keep promising to sort it out and get it back to me but at the moment I am stuck without a trail bike and am booked on the Taffy at the beginning of next month.
Please let me know if you have anything suitable.
Thanks Jak

What is up with it ?

It ha been back to the factory about eight times previously with warranty issues, a lot of them around the fuel injection. In February I took it back for the 10,000 mile service reasoning that as it would probably be the last service whilst under warranty it made sense to get the factory to do it. The cost of the service and fitting front brake pads was about 400 quid which had crept up from the £230 I was quoted when I bought the bike. I explained when I dropped the bike off that I thought it was excessively noisy and that it seemed to use a lot of oil with no obvious signs of leaks or burning. I was told that some of the bikes were noisy and some used more oil than others. After riding it home, I took it out and the noise had got so bad that I phoned the factory. They picked it up the following week. When it was returned I was told that it had had a new crank and various other bits which seemed to amount to a full engine rebuild. It ran okay but cut out a few times, which I put down to a tight engine. Then it cut out leaving work and in the end I had to get a colleague to start it. After getting it running it was lacking in power and surging. The factory picked it up again. They had it for about three weeks this time and I was told it had a new alternator. I made numerous phone calls to the factory and was offered a paltry sum in recompense or an extended warranty and the assurance that the bike would be given a thorough going over and testing before it was returned to me. They brought it back and thankfully the driver who delivered it, as I was a work at the time, tried to start it, it failed to start, so it is back at the factory again.
When I have talked to CCM I am told that they are going to sort it again, but my experience makes me question that and they cannot tell me how long it will take. They also moan that I do not clean it every time I ride it in winter and suggest it requires a lot more regular maintenance than the five thousand mile service intervals they quote in their advertising. A friend told me that KTM stands for 'Keep Taking Money' based on what I have been told by the factory I have come to the conclusion that CCM stands for 'Constant Cleaning and Maintenance'.
I have already had to cancel several days of trail riding, and have been using my reliable 30 year old Guzzi for commuting and attending other motorcycle events. My CCM has become a standing joke amongst my many motorcycling friends, one of whom has offered in all seriousness to take it in his van to the Taffy to reduce the chance of it breaking down on the way there, to me it is a source of immense frustration and stress. At the moment I am not sure what I will do with bike I get it back, if it was a horse I would shoot it. In theory they have replaced so much that on the mechanical side it is a virtually new bike, however to
me a motorbike needs to be reliable and I would also except an adventure bike to be rugged, my bike is neither.
My problem now is time, I do not know when I will get the CCM back or if it will work when I do. As I work full time and have family and other commitments I have not got the time to look for another bike or that much spare cashI hope I get the CCM back and it lasts at least long enough to get to the Taffy and back, then I may sell it and buy a motorcycle instead. At the moment I am thinking of a back up plan.
Cheers Jak
Cheers Jak

That sounds completely sh!t. Hope it gets sorted.

Ive had similar experiences buying high end, hand built in America mountain Bike Frames, terrible quality control and despite the high-end price, simply not up to the standard of mass produced Taiwanese Frames. On one occasion I had to send back 3 frames before I got one that was even close to being properly aligned.
I only buy Taiwanese Frames now

Unfortunately the Bespoke label is sometimes code for: we don't have the quality control to make 2 things the same
Hope you get it sorted

The CCM isn't solid / dependable / reliable, I did 220 miles on mine today from motorway to green ....it wet itself from the radiator overflow every time I stopped, the rear brake sensors not working & lost a bolt on the fairing. I was still smiling all day & even out accelerated a 1250 Bandit

There's no way in hell I would commute on it though . I hope they sort out whatever the problem is

Interesting. Mine doesn't have a rear brake sensor?

Have they not got a courtesy bike you could borrow?

I can’t help with a replacement bike but crikey, what a royal pain. If it was direct from them and they’ve had ample opportunity to try to repair it, are you not able to back it to them under the consumer rights act?

Thanks for all the replies. They did at one time offer to loan me a bike but I am not sure what that would be. Last time I was at the factory they only had one GP 450 there and that was a high model. I am also loathe to borrow a bike for off road use, especially as mine is set up how I like it.
I am looking at the options of gaining redress through the legal system although this would be a last resort. CCM's current attitude makes it more likely that I will pursue this route if it is viable. The last conversation that I had with Austin when he explained that he thought it was acceptable for me to have to wait a month for my bike as he had to wait three months for the electric seats in his Land Rover to be fixed did nothing to encourage me. My previous experience of the legal system in other areas is that it is costly and time consuming for all involved and is best avoided. I have a number of options for free advice in the first instance although if anyone can recommend a specialist in this area I would be grateful.
Cheers Jak