CCM 640RS SUPERMOTO (1999 - 2000) Review

The CCM 640 comes in three versions – the 640 RS is a roadster with swoopy bodywork, there’s a Dual Sport version with taller suspension and off-road wheels and then there’s the more popular Supermoto, with more traditional, off-road style panels and numberboard-style front fairing. All that separates CCM’s 640 machines from their 604-designated counterparts is a wider cylinder bore.

The CCM 640's WP shock and 46mm Paioli forks are excellent; supple and sophisticated enough to cope with on and off-road with little need to twiddle. The Dual Sport (DS) has taller suspension than the Supermoto and Roadster variants to facilitate the use of off-road wheels (though the Supermoto wheels also fit). The Brembo brakes are excellent and have no problems hauling down the 640’s 132 kilos.

The CCM 640's SOHC, air/oil-cooled Austrian-made Rotax motor is generally very reliable. It has a widely-spaced service interval (3000 miles) and it responds to tuning very well. It’s easy to ride and the greater displacement makes it a more rewarding ride than its smaller, 598cc, sibling. Off-road it’s a bit of a handful – there’s just too much power and weight for novice riders on all but the simplest trails.

CCM went bust in 2004, largely as a result of churning out very poorly constructed bikes in its last couple of years. The spares pool is good and the factory is back in action, but some of the post-2002 motorcycles are very poor – plagued by poor welds and mechanical gremlins.

The CCM 640 is so cheap they almost qualify as winter hacks. They’re great to ride and providing you’re mechanically-minded worth a punt. Find a CCM 640 supermoto for sale.

The CCM 640 has little in the way of creature comforts – no fuel guage or tacho, the headlight’s poor and other than an race-style exhaust there are few factory supplied aftermarket bits available.