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The 398cc, DOHC single in the CCM FT35S comes from the Suzuki DR-Z 400S.Only in this motorcycle it feels much more alive, thanks to some clever gearing (if you’ve got £450 the factory will sell you a big bore 450cc kit for your CCM FT35S or for £1600 you can swap it in for a special 499cc ‘race’ motor). The CCM FT35S’ gears are slick and the motorcycle always pulls cleanly and keenly.

The CCM motorcycle company has recently been reborn under new management after it went under in 2004, garnering a reputation for poor quality control as it went. This shouldn’t affect the CCM FT35S, which benefits from low production volumes and greater attention to detail. The constituent components are high quality on the CCM FT35S.

With its colossal, fully-adjustable 48mm WP forks and fully-adjustable WP shock there’s little the CCM FT35S can’t handle. It’s stable over bumps, turns quickly and feels light and controlled. The motorcycle’s riding position doesn’t lend itself to motorways, obviously, but neither does the motor. The two-piston Brembo brakes and 320mm front disc work well together, but with just 118kg of CCM FT35S to pull up that’s not surprise.

There have been very few CCM FT35S’ made, so prices are likely to remain high for years to come. Some motorcycles have been raced, so check carefully if you’re looking at a secondhand CCM FT35S.

The spec of the kit screwed on to the CCM FT35S’ frame is impressive – there’s an Acumen digital dash, a lovely ally tank, a variety of colours to have your CCM FT35S painted in and you can specify the wheel sizes on new motorcycles.

The older Rotax 598cc motor in early CCM R30 motorcycles can be tweaked for more power, but the 644cc Suzuki item in later motorcycles is more reliable – and there’s big bore kit available, too. Both SOHC lumps are quite smooth for single-cylinders. The later CCM R30’s gearbox is noticeably slicker, too and its service intervals are a whopping 4000 miles apart. Avoid motorways like the plague.

CCM motorcycles built between 2002 and 2004 (when they went briefly bust) don’t enjoy the best reputation for reliability and quality control. Swingarms pit, frames rust, base gaskets go (a fault addressed by Suzuki but not, apparently, passed on by CCM), exhaust welds snap and, rarely, the shock mount snaps at the swingarm.

All the CCM R30 needs is some sticky tyres and the fully adjustable WP forks, shock and narrow seat will let nothing come between you and a ridiculous angle of lean. Except piles should you prosecute very long rides very often. The four-piston Brembos offer great braking with both power and feel. Now you can add stoppies to your motorcycle stunt repertoire.

Post-2005 motorcycles are much better built and the only CCM R30s that make the grade as a broadly worry-free purchase. If you’re mechanically competent and can pick one up for a good price then you can be more confident about earlier motorcycles, but otherwise it’s better to save your cash.

The CCM R30′s componentry is top drawer, but there’s little else to embellish the CCM R30 – after all strict minimalism is sine qua non to the supermoto motorcycle role.