CCM Street Moto (2024 - ) review

Credit to CCM for the sheer variety of bikes it’s spun off its beautiful, trellis-style chromoly steel frame and the distinct characters they all have. To that end the Street Moto has a more contemporary look than others in the range, this latest version stripped back to the absolute basics. As such it’s a neat, visual nod to the firm’s heritage of competition scramblers, trials bikes and enduro machines, reinforced by the 600cc single-cylinder thumper at its heart. Clue is in the name, though, and while it might riff on Supermoto vibes this is a street bike through and through, and one CCM actually reckons competes with mainstream lightweight nakeds like the MT-07, the Ducati Scrambler perhaps a closer rival in terms of looks and hipster spirit. The bike seen here, meanwhile, is the fancier R model, adding lighter Dymag wheels and a trick under-seat exhaust among the upgrades.

While it feels like a 125 in size, weight and all-round flickability the Street Moto also has a substance about it, the mid-rise bars fitted to our test bike meaning a decently upright riding position while the skinniness of the frame means the 865mm seat height actually feels much lower. Grippy, MX-style platforms also connect you to the bike in a way conventional pegs simply don’t. It feels shorter in the reach than the Maverickwe rode previously but not cramped, even for your six-foot tester, and you can chuck your weight around if you’re really throwing the Supermoto shapes in the corners.

Spoiler alert, we loved riding the Street Moto. While accepting it’s also a desperately impractical bike, given the lack of padding in the single seat and obvious lack of any creature comforts. Or, indeed, much in the way of bodywork. That means you get the full force of wind, rain and spray while the dirt-bike style kick stand is a pain to use given you have to try and wiggle your foot around the foot peg and fight against the spring loading to extend it. But no pain no gain, and the practical compromises feel worth it when you get it on the right road, the lack of weight and tiny size making it supremely agile whether you’re carving the back roads or through city traffic. It’s also a cinch to move around when parked, though beware that self-folding kick stand…

55 horsepower might not sound like much but the Street Moto is one of the lightest bikes CCM makes and against the 145kg dry weight the 600cc single punches well above its weight. Raw, noisy and vibey, it’s got bags of character, torque aplenty and a razor-sharp throttle response to keep you entertained. The six-speed gearbox is super slick and the hydraulically assisted clutch well-weighted, which is just as well because you need to get busy with both to make progress through the closely stacked ratios. No harm in that, given it suits the unashamedly hectic riding style the Street Moto encourages. True, more mainstream supermotos like the KTM 690 SMC R, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto and Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono make over 70 horsepower against similar kerb weights (nearer 80 horsepower for the Ducati) and the CCM is all but done by about 70mph. But the way it gets there is laugh-out-loud fun, and the performance more relevant to what you can enjoy on the public road than many supposedly more serious rivals. The stock brake set-up is a single J.Juan up front, with great bite and lever feel. Which is good, because there’s no ABS. This and the powerful rear brake mean plenty of steer from the rear potential if you’re happy skidding it around, though less confident riders may prefer the reassurance of the modern rider aids on rivals.

Like everything on the bike, there’s absolutely no filtration between input and output and an impatient sense of urgency about the Street Moto you’ll enjoy when you’re in the mood. And perhaps find a bit tiring when you’re not. But this is unlikely to be the only bike you have in the garage, and better saved for those short blasts on twisty roads or across town where its puppy-liked bounciness is a thrill. Suspension-wise the ‘street’ part of the name makes more sense when you compare the suspension with that of Supermoto rivals, the 120mm of travel less than half of that on things like the KTM, Husqvarna or Hypermotard. You feel that when you hit the bumps as well, this unashamedly intimate interaction with the road surface at least meaning you can sense how much grip you’ve got to play with through your palms and balls of your feet. There is, admittedly, a full range of adjustment in the Marzocchi forks and YSS monoshock if you want to fiddle – we didn’t get the chance and accepted this uncompromising ride as all part of the bike’s uncompromising character.

The £9,995 starting price makes CCM ownership look a little more attainable than you might have thought, hopefully helped by the strong residuals and fact you should recover a decent portion of that when you’ve had your fill and come to sell it on. Given how light the bike is, and the likely usage model, it’s hardly going to strain brakes, tyres, chains and other components and its simplicity means it should be cheap to run, though CCM does recommend using more expensive super unleaded where possible.

CCM is a small brand making bikes in limited numbers so it’s hard to make any meaningful assessment here, though its background building competition off-road bikes is obvious in the component choices and mindset with which it has been assembled. The Street Moto is a very simple bike as well, with minimal electronics or other things to go wrong, while the Husqvarna derived engine is proven and seemingly built tough.

CCM offers a regular two-year manufacturer warranty on its bikes, managed through its network of authorised Service Centres to whom you take the bike in the first instance if anything goes wrong. With the short 3,500-mile service intervals you’ll be getting to know them quite well anyway, though to be fair a bike of this type isn’t likely to be racking up huge distances so it’ll still be a once-yearly affair for most owners.

Modern riders expecting TFT screens, phone connectivity, variable rider modes and other conveniences are going to be in for a rude awakening here, the Acewell LCD display offering up only the basics. And not even especially readable. Money has instead been spent where it matters, namely on the mechanical components. Which is just as well, because there’s no bodywork to hide any cheap and nasty bits behind! As standard the Street Moto comes with fully adjustable Marzocchi forks and YSS monoshock, wire wheels, standard low-level exhaust and Magura supplied levers. The R gets those lighter Dymag wheels, the neater under-seat exhaust set-up and a remote reservoir for the rear shock. Beyond that is CCM’s vast range of carbon fibre and CNC machined goodies to really bring the bling.

The Street Moto is as extreme and uncompromising to ride as the looks suggest, but at least you know what you’re in for in that respect. Raw, noisy and not especially comfortable, it’s an intense riding experience that strips motorcycling back to the thrilling basics. Sure, ‘proper’ Supermoto rivals can be had for similar money and, relatively speaking, a broader range of talents and greater sophistication. But even they will feel like a de-caff option after the jolt to the senses you get from riding the Street Moto.