GT Grabber

Wondering if anyone can give me some more insight as to the origins of this bike. I have looked around and very little information is to be found. I know the bike was built for the General Tire and Rubber Company in Ohio and that's about it.

How rare is this bike ?

Gord


 

18 Comments

I have the same basic bicycle except for the decals.

 

Mine is a 1967 Firebird Mustang 5 speed shifter bike made by CCM.

Mine is red too.

 

I am surprised that a Acron Ohio company would have a Canadian bicycle company build

them a bicycle when they could, and maybe should have, had Schwinn, a US bicycle company

based in Chicago, build them a bicycle based on the Schwinn Fastback of the same era and same style.

That's a head scratcher to me as to why it was sourced in Canada.

 

Looks like you just need a sissy bar to put the seat on and have a complete bike.

 

Very cool CCM built bike in fairly great shape.

 

Tell us how you come across it and what your plans are for it.

 

Neato !

Oh ya... this one is a 1968 by the way.

General Tire and Rubber had a complete line of bicycles that matched the CCMs of that year, identical with the exception of the model names, decals and tires. They had their own line of bicycle tires and sold these rebadged CCMs with the GATE tires.

They are rare because of the limited marketing. I've seen most of the banana seat bike models and own a Sidewinder, which is a clone of the CCM Charger bike.

Here are a few GTR scans.

 

gtr.jpg gtr_5.jpg gtr_4.jpg

Darn spell check!

My first paragraph should end with "GTR tires" not "GATE tires".

 

 

Firebirds are quite rare, I've seen maybe seven in 18 years.

Only seen two Grabbers now.

Very nice find and in great shape.

 

I have a complete Firebird and another incomplete one.

 

Fantastic info on the GTR bikes ! Thanks for the photos !

Love the Groover name.

 

 

I have a couple Firebirds too. Can you have too many CCM bikes? LOL

GTR also had some adult bikes that matched the CCMs. I've seen a few over the years, but have never owned any.

 

I have started cleaning the GTR Grabber up.

Leaving it original as possible other than a Coker reproduction rear tire and the seat cover.

( Keeping the original ) Lol !

I will be posting photos when all cleaned up.

Should be sometime within the next week or two.

Thanks again for the feed back.

Gord

All spruced up and ready to go.

gt_1_450x800.jpg gt_2_450x800.jpg gt_3_450x800.jpg

Beautiful!

If I wasn't trying to downsize, I'd try prying it from your grip.

Lol !

Thanks for the comment.

Kept all the origional paint and chrome.

Went through the entire mechanical end and it works like new.

Had to recover the seat as it was faded and torn. Rear tire is a Coker reproduction and had to replace the front brake cable as it was missing when I found this gem. Other than that it's all origional.

Believe it or not this bike was found back in the bush and brought home by a kid for his dad to fix up. The seller just wanted to sell this to get it out of his garage. I knew nothing about this bike when I purchased it and just wanted something to tinker with. Thanks to the members of this site I have found a rare one which has kindled my interest in bicycles.

By the way, this was advertised on the Kitchener KIJIJI site a few weeks back.

The seller was 5 mins. from my home so I went to get it that evening.

Guess I got lucky !

Great bike !

 

Thanks for sharing it with us

That's a great way to get your interest kindled.

The first bike that got me into the hobby was a local find for me and also turned out to be a rare bike. I don't know if I'll ever sell it, so keep this one and cherish it. 

Welcome to the hobby!

 

 

I plan to keep this one for sure.

It has been fun researching and rebuilding .

The one thing I would like to know is the value of it as I have no idea. Lol

Also wondering when there is a show I could bring it to for others to enjoy.

You say your down sizing (ccmusclebikes ), are you selling your Sidewinder?

There is a winter vintage swap meet and show in January/February in Brantford and the big summer show

the last Sunday in June in Brantford. Like Christmas morning attending it. A must for any bicycle collector !

 

Both shows would be a great place to show your bike at. Jamie has been hosting these shows and they are

incredible. I have found many treasures at them myself.

 

There is a show in the Windsor area that I have not been able to make it too yet at the end of August.

Worth checking out for sure.

 

There is also a show in Toronto in the summer that I have been able to make it too a few times.

It is near the end of July in Trinity Bellwoods Park. I have always found it a great event.

 

You will see them all advertized on this site as they are announced so keep your eyes peeled after Christmas

for the winter meet as it is only about 12 weeks away !!!

 

Enjoy your ride !!!

In regards to value, a decent Firebird usually sells for $700+.

This would easily fetch the same amount.

 

Just stumbled upon this thread and have some pics to add. I have a GTR Grabber and Sidewinder and have collected some of the brochures and posters for this line. The Grabber came with an option to buy a westinghouse radio headlight for $12.95. It would be a great addition to your bike. There's on one ebay right now. I'd buy it, but I have several already.

Just another note.The tires from Coker are original NOS and not reproductions.

grabber_2.jpg gtr_1.jpg img_7872.jpg 26793332_10156604942417788_458760565_n.jpg

Thanks for the update.

I purchased the Westinghouse headlamp/radio that was listed on E Bay a few days ago.

Yours is a nice bike in the candy red.