While researching Penton photos I see a lot of variation in bikes of the same year and model. Things like pipes,Seats,Wheels,etc. I realize a lot of the racers changed things to suit their individual preferences but were there a lot of options that could be ordered on a bike when new and were there things like using up last years parts on next year's model and running changes if a better part was developed during the model year? Just curious. Thanks for any thoughts or opinions.
It's been mentioned here before that Jack Penton has stated that sometimes they un-crated six bikes, there would be subtle differences in all six. I think it was typical of most Euro brands back then to sometimes to be of short supply on one component or another and use what was available to complete the bike. Huskies are like this. I just did the Steel Tanker Survey for my little brothers '71 Berkshire and found it interesting how much the steel tanker evolved in such a short time. As I go through the research and assembly of the '73 and '74/'75 projects I have in line I have encounter lots of small changes to several areas of the bike as time went on in the same model year. I don't think these were made in any where near the number that the Japanese bikes were, and the assembly procedures not a structured and this allowed a flexibility that made it was easy to introduce a change any time it was deemed necessary. Just trying to keep track of the different head lights can be very confusing! But I do find it interesting and part of the attraction of rebuilding these things.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
Darvin,
Another possibly from the ones stated above, is that if the bike has been restored at some point, some correct original items that were in poor cosmetic condition were changed from "factory original" to achieve the high level of finish that the restorer was after, possibly because a correct original part was unavailable or cost prohibitive.
Your question helps to point out why a bike that is truly in factory original and unrestored condition, even if it shows signs of use, is such an asset to the brand and many times will command a much higher dollar value. I have discussed this topic with numerous folks, including a number of highly respected Antique Motorcycle Club of America members, and each and every one of them is emphatic about being very, very careful about maintaining an original bike as it tells the real story as to how the machine looked right off the assembly line.
The old saying is that something is original only once.
Below is the link to the Antique Motorcycle Club of America website, if they ever hold a meet in your area I would highly recommend that you attend if possible and checkout their show and judging, and observe the respect that the "factory original" machines are given.
http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/
If you are ever near Maggie Valley, NC stop by the Wheels Through Time Museum, it is well worth the trip. While there talk with the owners, Dale and Matt Walksler, and ask them about the value of an original machine, not only in dollar value, but also in showing restorers any details that they are in doubt about.
http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/
All that being said, many machines are beyond the point of keeping them in the condition that they are in, and they do benefit from a restoration job, and those machines sure do bring back memories as to what a Penton dealers showroom looked like :)
Hope this helps,
Paul
Thanks for the replies. The reason I ask is I bought a 1974 125 Six Days in a basket with some missing parts and would like to return it to somewhere near original configuration. Over the years I have restored many vintage snowmobiles,mostly race machines.Some have been done to showroom condition while others are done as raced. I believe the as raced machines are an important part of history as they show the inovation of the riders and tuners in their quest for better handling and performance. Many times the modifications they made ended up on production machines to improve them in areas such as braking,handling and reliability. I agree that finding a totally original machine is indeed a historically significant find. In the world of vintage snowmobiles there are still some that turn up in the original crates and these are great historical references. Thankfully there are people willing to spend their time preserving and or restoring history so that future generations can view the evolution of these machines whether it be cars,bikes,tractors,or whatever.
Late 1974 OEM stock with Sachs D motor.
(http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp170/ktmgs/sc000439a9.jpg)
Nice bike! One of those nagging differences I notice is mine came with a chrome plated steel front brake stay and this one has a slotted one. If you're not running a speedo do you remove the drive or leave it in place? Thanks
My early 74 Red tank 250 HS had the chrome front brake stay also, & I always wondered about that. There is a spacer that takes the place of the speedo drive on bikes without a speedo. Unless you insert a partial cable end into the speedo drive housing receiver to provide pressure and hold the gears in the proper location, the gears will bind and wear out without a cable in place, from what I have heard. Mike
Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 175-400'S
1975 Can Am 175 TNT & 77 250 Black Widow
1979 Husqvarna OR390
1976-78 RM & 77-79 PE Suzuki's
1974 CR250M 07 CR125R 79 CR250R