Need help identifying this CCM oldie...

Hi!  Can someone help me identify the year of this CCM.  Also, can you let me know if the parts on it are original or not.  Many thanks!

21 Comments

Also, can someone tell me if the chain guard and front sprocket are original. Thanks for your help!

Look at the top of the seat post for the serial number, then google CCM serial numbers.

 

The chain guard is wrong.

 

You need a tail light..

 

Figure out the colour by looking under the head badge.

 

Don't rechrome the head badge, it's aluminum.

 

Blast it and paint it,

 

Nice bike

Thanks for all the info, Lawrence. Do you have any idea if it would be dificult to get my hands on a proper chainguard and tail light?

Also, what should one expect to pay for this model in this condition?

Hello Ray , Jamie here in Brantford.Looks to be most likely around 1933-1940  with your sprocket type which is correct.Chain guard style is close to what was available at the time but  looks out of place on the CCM  Motorbike.You will need to verify the s/n located at the top by the seat tube to know for sure.Over all your bike looks to have all the pieces that make these my favorites ie; motorbike bars&saddle, truss rods which you do not always get when a new treasure is found.Is the badge CCM , Perfect,Redbird,Cleveland,Columbia,Rambler, or maybe the elusive Massey.My earliest doublebar is a Pre 1923 with the  4 bolt Tri Plex crank and  welded on truss to fork and early style knuckleless head tube, which is badged Hawthorne Bicycle Company Brantford Ontario.Not sure where you are located, but just a reminder that the Canadian Vintage Bicycle Show &Swap is on Sunday June24 here in Brantford which is where its at if your in to old bicycles.Best Regards JCCM

Thanks so much, Jamie. When you say that the chain guard `` looks out of place on the CCM  Motorbike ``, do you mean that the bike did not have a chain guard originally, or just that this is not the correct one?

I am in Montreal, but there is a chance I will be in Toronto in late June, so a side-trip to Brantford is not entirely out of the question.

Again, thanks for all the info.

The chain guard on my '37 was the ''hocky stick'' type I'm pretty sure so yours shouls be the same.

Probably easy to find, as is the tail light

Hello Again Ray ,on the chainguard issue from what  I can tell you is that in the CCM catologue does not show a doublebar  with a chainguard as stock equipped until 1940.Your chainguard is not correct.

The kidney style sprocket seems to end after 1935.Twenty five years ago our neighbour was moving and left me with a doublebar which at the time I knew nothing about , have been collecting Canadian bicycles and related items ever since.That bike was restored long ago and the paint was done by the famed Tim Bardsley Dunnville.At the time I was not familiar with the marroon & blue colour schemes so fire engine red was used with white spears and gold and white custom pinstriping all new chrome, even the badge was chromed. This bike sits in our home and I still love looking at it as well it is great ride!Thanks for considering trying to make it out to the Bicycle Show in June. Best Regards JCCM

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Here`s an update and some new photos. And yes, I have a few more questions.  :)

The serial no. is S17556, which makes it a 1931. The headbadge is a CCM. The bike seems pretty much all original, except for the rear reflector and handlebar grips. I believe I have some proper grips -- anyone know where I can get a reflector for this model?

I plan on trying to remove the brown house paint  to uncover the original maroon paint. Hopefully it`s in nice enough condition that I can save it. Any tips on removing the top layer of paint?

One problem: as you can see in one of the pics below, some moron has welded the left crank arm to the axle! Any suggestions about what can be done about this would be very much appreciated.

Thanks once again for all your help!

Ray

Ray,

I have removed paint from several old bicycles with oven cleaner.  You would want to practice the technique on something else before, but it works well.  Spray it on, wait a minute for the outer layer to soften up, and hose it down to stop the striping process.  If you are not careful, you can make a pretty good mess of things. However, if you get it right it can work wonders for recovering original paint on just about anything.  I usually do a section to see what is hiding underneath, and make the call if its worth saving or not.  A lot of the time the original paint has been sanded down to the metal or in such poor shape it is not worth the effort.      

Erik

When I mentioned not chroming the headbadge is, I had mine chromed and it came back twisted, and a lot stiffer and pretty much unuseable.They heated it too much.

 

I would just buff it carefully with a dremel or a toothbrush and toothpaste, and clear coat it.

 

The headbadge came with an aluminum backing and on the backing I found two colours; what used to be called China red and powder blue these at one time were very popular colours, so they should be easy to match.

The China red was behind the CCM and the powder blue was behind everything else.

Erik,

Thanks very much for the tips. I`d heard about using oven cleaner before, but never actually knew anybody that tried this method. As you suggested, I`ll try it out on an old crappy bike first, just  to get my technique down pat, before moving on to the CCM. 

Cheers!

Ray

Thanks very much, Lawrence. I`m definitely not going to get that headbadge chromed!

Ray

Just wanted to chime in about your chain ring. It's most likely correst as my Zenith (1939 CCM made bike) as the same kidney type one.

Nice bike you have there.

Thanks, Zephyr. I wish someone could help me out with my crank arm problem (left crank arm has been welded to axle -- see last photo above). Any idea if I`ll be able to find a left side crank arm and new axle for this bike? I`m guessing I may have to hacksaw the arm right off. I`m sure the axle threads will be damaged as well.

Anyone?

Not sure about this welding issue. I guess it will have to be cut out and replaced. I bet you can save the ring and the other arm. I have a friend with a CCM Ranger that had to weld the pedal to the arm. I might be wrong but I thought that those years had a one piece botom bracket. Maybe it was the way earlier than 1937. Good luck with the project.

I just bought a '36 Red bird the other day. How does one remove the 3 piece bottom bracket like the one on this bike? Does it take a special wrench or something?

Hi  Bicycle  Ray

 i might have a complete crank axle like you need and the crank arm nuts but not the crank arm . You should be able to find that very easy.  Ron miller has Gibson pedal rubbers plus coke bottle grips check his add in for sale. You can have the crank parts just pass it on.Get back to me at   bikehike@rogers.com 

 

As for you 1936 CCM just remove the crank nuts a CCM wrench would be great but not necessary.Take a brass drift and hit the crank arm on the large part by the nut,or use a puller.Turn the lock nuts and it should come apart very easy.Just go for it they are very simple.

Dave Brown

For got to mention I do have a reprint of 33 and 34 CCM catalogue.

Dave

Thanks Dave, suppose I just needed a boost of confidense from someone else to knock the thing a bit harder this time. Got it off and back together.

It looks like an ingenious way to make a 3 piece bottom bracket, I'm surprised that the cottered cranks became so much more common from then until 10 years ago or so from now.