Greetings,
Rick Bennett on his 125cc Sachs powered Penton road warrior has put the first 250 miles of his trip in the rear view mirror and reported that the bike is running great. Rick says the Penton will really clip along with the gearing that he is running, a ratio that he says is very close to 14 x 54, his gearing however involves a 15 tooth on the countershaft.
They are spending the night at an airfield that belongs to one of his crazy flying buddies, near Jamestown, Ohio. Rick says he is busy checking over the bike and making sure the motor mount bolts are snug as well as checking over the rest of the Penton.
I didn't realize his twin brother Randy was riding with him on a Honda, it is nice that they are doing this together.
He says the plan is to knock off another 250 miles tomorrow.
Go Rick & Randy GO, and the best of luck...:D
Paul
That first 250 mile is a nice sign for me, things appear to be working properly. Weather may be a challenge tomorrow. Safe and Steady, Rick !! Nelson McCullough
(http://www.pentonusa.org/forum_images/2019/Rick_and_Brother.jpg)
Greetings,
Day two is over and the guys now have over 500 miles behind them. They rode in a good bit of rain on Thur. and in the picture above they were in Richmond, Kentucky taking a break. Rick said the Penton is running great and they will have a shorter ride on Friday.
It is interesting to note that Rick's fuel tank is an aluminum one that he painted to try to keep the stock Penton look. Rick hopes to have internet service after Friday's ride and will provide a more complete update on their progress.
Paul
It was great to catch up with Rick at the recent Irish Valley, PA XC round and hear about his pending "trail ride". Amazing challenge he has put in front of himself and his Penton Six Day.
For those who don't know, the Bennett Brothers are highly respected in another corner of vintage racing/motorcycles/etc. They know how to make the (125 and 175 SL, XL) Honda four stroke motors go fast, and if desired, very fast. The small bore four strokes (and their "built" motor variations...) have become very popular in our mid-atlantic/northeast XC scene, particularly in the Vintage race. Dave Kutskel is blindingly fast on a XL175 motor that's been embedded in a CR250 Elsinore frame. But I digress...
Good luck and Happy Trails (and highways) Rick and Ralph Bennett!!
Text message from Rick at 7;38 a.m. Third day or rain yippie.
Text message from Rick at 7:53 a.m. Ah the smell of two strokes and wet Barbour in the morning. Boots still wet, tent wet.
Text at 10;40. Stopped for breakfast and the sun is out !
Paul
Brad Close[8D]....that's Rick and RANDY Bennett!
And I'm pretty sure Kutskel's Frankenbike has a Bennett built SL125 engine...they are not fans of the XL175 motor...
Quotequote:Originally posted by tooclose racing
It was great to catch up with Rick at the recent Irish Valley, PA XC round and here about his pending "trail ride". Amazing challenge he has put in front of himself and his Penton Six Day.
For those who don't know, the Bennett Brothers are highly respected in another corner of vintage racing/motorcycles/etc. They know how to make the (125 and 175 SL, XL) Honda four stroke motors go fast, and if desired, very fast. The small bore four strokes (and their "built" motor variations...) have become very popular in our mid-atlantic/northeast XC scene, particularly in the Vintage race. Dave Kutskel is blindingly fast on a XL175 motor that's been embedded in a CR250 Elsinore frame. But I digress...
Good luck and Happy Trails (and highways) Rick and Ralph Bennett!!
Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA
Thank you, Rich...senior moment. ;)
Greetings,
This link will take you to the website of the folks putting on the run.
http://speeddeluxe.com/
This link will take you to a page that tells a lot of the details of the Vintage 1000 that Rick and Randy are heading out on this morning. Click on this link and scroll down and read the details..pretty neat. Grab your morning coffee and click on the video.....:D
http://speeddeluxe.com/sdva/vintage1000/
Paul
"We are off", Rick Bennett text at 8:18am.
Paul
Text from Rick at 9:50 PM Monday May 6th. "Finished no problems dusty bike needs a good look over."
Text from Rick at 11:34 PM Monday May 6th. "Great first day shorter miles, day 2 and 3 will be more dirt and longer, no wifi here".
Paul
Greetings,
By now I am sure that some of you are wondering "just who the hell is Rick Bennett ?" Well I can tell you one thing for sure..... we aren't real sure yet either, but maybe this video will help you to understand more about Rick.
Keep in mind as you watch this video that Rick did not buy the airplane kit they are talking about, no, he just bought a book that told about building your own Nieuport 17 and then proceeded to build one from scratch. And then when it was done, he told his wife he was going to work one day and went and rolled it out of the hanger and taught himself how to fly the darn thing.
Rick is in this video at the 7:13 mark twisting the prop to start the engine, and then again at the 8:57 mark, at the 8:57 mark he is wearing a Flight Line Staff yellow shirt and keep in mind you surely gotta know your stuff to wear one of those shirts......
https://vimeo.com/32382093
In closing and in all seriousness, Mr. Rick Bennett is quite a character and the Penton Owners Group is blessed to have him aboard.
Now grab a coffee and watch that video.
Paul
Text from Rick Bennett on Tuesday May 7th. at 9:42 AM. "Back on the road".
Rob,
Thanks for the offer to post photos, hopefully more will be forthcoming.
At 1PM I got a call from Rick from their lunch stop in Five Points, Georgia, all is well....:D Rick's enthusiasm came thru loud and clear during our conversation.
He said the Penton is running fine and he is having a blast. He mentioned how he rode with a group yesterday who really rode fast and that a few times he reached for another gear only to realize he was in 6th., but he kept right up with the group which he said included a Beemer. He said the other riders are pretty impressed with the performance of the little 125cc Penton........
Today he is with another small group and he said their pace is a little slower. He said that a few guys are having luggage racks cracking / breaking and one guy had his battery come loose and start bouncing around, so stops for repairs are needed from time to time. He said that today he is in 3rd. and 4th. quite a bit. Keep in mind with the gearing he is running he is still carrying the mail when he is turning some decent rpms in 4th. That is not you grandad's MX geared Penton he is riding, Rick refers to it as a road racer with that gearing. Not to digress, but that is the gearing I used when riding National Enduros "back in the day" and how it changes the charactoristics of that machine and its power delivery is simply increadable....
Rick is hoping for some wifi at tonight's campground and if that comes about he will try to post an update on the POG website. He said where they camped last night there wasn't even cell service.
I was at first concerned when the phone rang and Rick's name came up on the screen, but for now all news from Rick is good....:D
Paul
Bob you might want to remove the. At the end of your email address. Often people fail to notice that, and with it there they won't go through. It happens a lot on this site. Mike
Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Penton
1976 MC5 400
1978 KTM 78 GS6 250
L78-79 MX6 175-250 KTM's
1976-78 125-400 RM's
2007 CR125R Honda
1977 MC250 Maico
2017 KTM Freeride 250R
Just talked with Rick, the Penton is running great! Almost 250 miles today with 75% of it dirt. He said it was a long and dusty day and he is covered with red dirt from head to toe.
One bike locked up on the highway yesterday and the rider went down and slid to a stop, unhurt. The bike is now on the trailer with the rider in the tow vehicle.
Rick still had to get his tent set up and he wants to put a clean air filter in yet tonight, that info at 9:10 pm.
He said he is having a blast and that the other riders are all really great folks to be with.
He sure loves riding the Penton and he said if that little Sachs engine makes it all the way he will surely bow down and thank it..:D
If my numbers are correct, I think he has ridden over a thousand miles already since leaving home. Now that the rings are getting seated he better hang on a little tighter...
He isn't sure if there is wifi where they are camped so maybe no direct comments from Rick tonight. He said he is taking plenty of photos.
Anyhow, Rick's enthusiasm is still off the meter and he has nothing but praise for the Penton... He said he missed two shifts today and he hopes to do better tomorrow, not bad for almost 250 miles.
Go Rick Go !!!!!
Paul
Another day is in the books for Rick and his mighty Penton 125. They are camping on St. George Island, Florida tonight. 1394 miles from when they left home. Rick said he figures they are at the halfway point of their great adventure.
Rick said he is starting to hurt in places that he didn't know he had. The one example he gave is that his big toe is really starting to hurt from all the shifing and he cut a piece of cardboard and stuffed it in his boot to try to cushion his toe. I don't know if I want to hear about the other sore places....:D
He sent me a picture on my phone of his Penton front wheel to front wheel with his brothers Honda on the beach with the ocean as a backdrop, one cool photo.... I just have a flip phone so I can't upload it.
He said they rode a decent amount of deep sand today and that a few of the bigger bikes did some tank slappers and went down, but the Penton kept chugging along. Seems they were in a big National Forest with lots of sand roads, and some of it was deep.
Rick gives much credit to the Penton and the Sachs powerplant, but without a doubt Rick has some pretty darn good riding skills combined with a logical mind and a strong will, plus incredable mechanical skills as evidenced when he figured out how to rebalance that Sachs crank to take away much of the inherant vibration, plus he did build his own airplane from scratch :)
At 7:53 when I talked to him he still needed to get his tent up and he was hoping to get the sand washed off of him.
He said he did an airfilter change today and greased the airbox. I had asked him earlier in the week if he had greased the airbox and he said that he had not but that he had some really good grease with him.
He said when he gets home he is anxious to check the end gap on the rings and see just how much wear there is.
He said that they have to stop a occasionally as folks need to do repairs on their luggage carriers and such. I am sure the others are happy to have Rick and Randy along as they are both pretty darn handy at figuring out how to fix stuff with what they have to work with.
As always, Rick is upbeat and looking forward to the next part of their great adventure. AND, he never stops praising that little Sachs 125cc engine that is powering his Penton along !
Go Rick Go !!!!!
PauL
PS Just talked with Rick again and he said they are chowing down on fresh caught shrimp cooked on the BBQ....:) He said it doesn't get any better than this...
(http://www.pentonusa.org/forum_images/2019/Rick_and_Brother2.jpg)
Thanks for posting these updates Paul, really enjoying following along. Sounds like a blast!
[email protected]
On Thursday evening, May 9th. at 8:41 PM Rick called in to report that all is well with him and his trusty 125cc Penton Sportcycle.
He said they rode about 225 miles today with more sand roads as well as some pavement. He said the area they were riding in was heavily damaged by the hurricane with the tops of many of the trees just snapped off. The local logging companies are working at cutting the remains of the snapped trees off in an attempt to salvage as much timber as possible, but in doing so they are really putting a hurt to the sand roads which is making the riding a lot tougher.
The Penton is leaking a little bit of oil around the shifter / kickstarter area, and the forks are weeping a bit, but the Sachs is just humming along. He is keeping an eye on the transmission fluid level just to be safe which is wise as he said he is running down the highways at 55 - 60 mph in 6th. gear with lots of throttle left.He said the little Sachs just purrs along at those speeds with a bit of a roar coming from the airbox from the turbulence of the air rushing in.
He rode with group 3 today which included the event organizer, Adam, who stays with the rear group acting as a sweep rider. He said guys luggage racks will break sending their gear onto the highway at 55 - 60 mph and they all stop to gather it up and try to get the rider ready to continue.
Adam, the event organizer, originally tried to talk Rick out of riding the Sachs powered Penton in the event saying "those two strokes don't have the power", but Adam is now a convert....:) Rick says that the others are starting to realize that bigger isn't better....gee, who does that sound like... I guess the guy with the 750 Honda is rethinking his machine selection. He said a few folks are starting to ask "where do you get one of those".
Two more days left till the end of the trail ride then they still need to cover the 700 or so miles back home. Rick is still quite upbeat and even talking about riding more events such as this one on
his Penton. He said he plans on riding his Penton to the next POG meeting, that would be the June meeting.
His trusty Penton has a build date of 404, that would be April of 1974 with the rest of its serial number being 72722. 404-72722.
Go Rick Go !!!! You too 404-72722.
Paul
Paul,
Thanks so much for posting Rick's progress – I really enjoy bike chronicles like this...even more so when they are about Pentons! Your post this morning especially piqued my interest when you posted the frame number of Rick's Six Day.
We all have our own unique quirks....one of mine is an odd unintentional habit of memorizing numbers, dates and things like that. I can spend a Saturday afternoon cutting the lawn and afterwards tell you the state and license plate number of every vehicle that drove by that day. Mind you, I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday – but somehow manage to squirrel away useless sets of numbers for recall.
Anyway, when I read that frame number (404 72722) while having my coffee this morning the first thing I thought is – I know that bike! I thought about it for a minute and said, yup – that's Ron Corporon's old bike that I resurrected for him 2012 from several boxes of parts and fresh 6B motor (#7663044 – yea I remembered that too) that Kip had built for Ron.
So, I went back through some old pictures and sure enough – one in the same bike. It sure is a small world and that appears Rick's Penton is even more well-traveled than this event as I recall Ron purchasing from someone in Maine, it making its way to me for build in Rhode Island then back to Ron in Massachusetts and then finally to Rick in Ohio.
My last memory of this bike was Ron (with an ear to ear grin [^]) doing a shakedown run on it on Saturday April 7th 2012 – the bikes 40th birthday...and it was snowing while we were riding!
Thanks again for posting this – awesome play by play! :D
Hopefully the links below are accessible - just a couple I snapped while the bike was visiting Rhode Island
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PyESKHJDKrtpv3H48
https://photos.app.goo.gl/aYbFYUcMv3p1qhhy5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/aD4Y4R3XHA3DkHcv5
Kevin J. Donovan
Foster, Rhode Island
72 Jack Piner
72 Six Day
73 Berkshire
74 Hare Scrambler
Wow! Think how smooth that machine must be running if Rick can pick airbox noise out of all the background sounds! Amazing!
Hank Rinehart
In the downhill skiing world losing your equipment/luggage is known as a yard sale, things scattered everywhere. Paul thanks for the updates and Rick thanks for carrying the torch.
-don
Text from Rick at 4:20 pm Friday May 10th. "Stopped for pecan pie and ice cream, Penton running great. Almost 2,000 miles in".
Kevin,
Yes, I do believe that Rick said the Penton came from Maine. I asked Rick for the serial number last night as I like to document machines that have a pedigree or interesting history of any sort, that is why I made note of it in the post. As for the engine that came with that bike, I do believe that it is at rest on a shelf at Rick's shop. Rick started from scratch and built the engine he is running, starting by sourcing correct original NOS bearings, no repops or cross referenced items. He wanted the real things that Sachs used as he felt the quality was then a known factor. We had a discussion about this last night.
I had provided Rick with the original crank out of my 1973 ISDT Penton which my local dealer and engine builder had balanced to a much higher degree of perfection than Sachs did, it takes much of the vibration out of the engine and reduces many of the issues that come from the excess vibration. Rick duplicated the balance we had achieved on his own crank and that is what he is running. In a moto cross or hare scrambles the vibration is not such an issue, but I found in running National Enduros "back in the day" that when running hi speeds for any extended time on high speed trails, dirt roads or paved highways that the vibration was significiant, that is why we worked to get the engine into a much better state of balance. The difference is increadable especially when Rick is running miles and miles at high speeds and fairly high engine rpms between sections of trail.
John Penton carried one of our balanced cranks in his suitcase back to KTM "back in the day" as he was then and surely still is a firm believer in the benifits of a well balanced engine. That is why he loves the BMW boxer engine, and when I picked him up one day in my Subaru the first thing he asked is if it had the four cylinder engine, which it does. He said if he was going to get a new car that is exactly what he would buy because of that engine and its more natural state of balance.
Paul
At 7:39 PM on Friday the 10th. of May Rick checked in and all is well :D
He said they rode 273 miles today with roughly 60% paved and 40% gravel roads, with just a bit of the more nasty rutted type of dirt trail thrown in.
Tomorrow they will reach their starting point for the run which will now be the end of it. Leaving Rick and Randy with a 700 mile jaunt to get back home, they hope to reach home Tuesday evening.
We talked about how gravel roads are not always the easiest to navigate and he said the Penton will sort of wander about a bit and he just makes sure it keeps going in the general direction he has in mind. I am sure many of you can relate to that feeling. He said on a few bends at speed in the gravel the bike started to dance towards the outside of the cornor but with proper throttle adjustment it would stop the sideways drift.
He said the Penton by far is his favorite bike and that he has a barn full of Hondas that just might need to go when he gets home. Rick said he is running Golden Spectro at 50 to 1 and he has nothing but praise for it as he can lug down the Sachs pretty far and then start to accelerate with no bog at all. He also made note of the fact that this Penton had a Mickeyrunie carb on it when he got it and he pitched it and put a Bing on it.
He is guessing they might have about 200 miles to Chattanoga. He sounded a little tired as by all means he should. He commented on how in the morning he hasn't needed to adjust his chain, just oil it up and check over the bike and off he goes. I asked if any bolts are consistantly loose and he said no. Rick is using nylock nuts everywhere and any nut that should not need checked daily has locktite on it. The ones he needs to check, like the motor bolts, have grease on the bolt with never sieze on the threads.
I sent him a text the other night and mentioned it might be good to check the spokes, he did and they were fine.
From where I sit I am comfortable in saying his bike is preped pretty much as well as a Six-Day machine from "back in the day".
Day 6 is coming up, and Rick as Larry Maiers used to say at the end of each MotoWorld show...."Keep your wheels on the ground and your feet on the pegs".
Go Rick Go !!!! You too 404-72722.
Paul
Paul..I may have missed it in this thread but (1) do you know the carb set up and (2) what precautions are being taken on those long straight sections to keep the piston from seizing up? Back "in the day" the secret was to apply a little choke. Thanks for all the updates! It feeds my inner "Walter Mitty".
Steve Minor
Quotequote:Originally posted by Steve Minor
Paul..I may have missed it in this thread but (1) do you know the carb set up and (2) what precautions are being taken on those long straight sections to keep the piston from seizing up? Back "in the day" the secret was to apply a little choke. Thanks for all the updates! It feeds my inner "Walter Mitty".
Steve Minor
If the main jetting is correct, or maybe just a tad to the rich side, he shouldn't have to crack the choke. With his gearing, he's "cruising" at 2/3 to 3/4 throttle and he says he has throttle to spare at 55 and 60mph. I would be interested in how his plug looks, and if he has changed it at all. That really tells the tale. If he had the throttle pinned all the time, that may be a different story
I am THOROUGHLY enjoying this thread!! Just shows what a little attention to detail can do for you. Details on how he balanced the crank would be interesting also, once he's back home and rested up. And if he does tear it down to check the ring gap, I'l predict that it won't be out of spec. I hope John Penton is seeing this also. It has to make him proud! Rock and ride on Rick!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
He did it ! :D
At 7:29 PM Rick called and said he had finished the ride. He had a pretty good get off at speed on a gravel road that knocked the lens out of his headlight and bunged him up a bit, but he said he walked it off, remounted, and was soon back up to speed.
He said he also had a flat rear tire and I am pretty sure he said he changed the tube and was going again in 6 1/2 minutes, and that is with 2 rim locks in the rear wheel. I would say that was pretty darn good.
Tonight he hopes to get his first shower in several days and in the morning will take time to check over the bike and see if he can find a replacement headlight lens.
They hope to make their way back home, some 700 or so miles, over the next couple of days with the intent of being home Tuesday evening.
As always, he was giving great praise to the 125cc Sachs engine and the Penton Sportcycle.
In reply to the questions above.
Rick said his carb has the choke blocked off so he can't enrichen the mixture in that manner.
I asked him how tight he set up the piston and he said 2.5 thousands. He knows he could go tighter but he didn't feel he had enough time to break in the engine before the ride to set it up tighter.
I had asked him what main jet he was running, 140.
I also have asked about the plug and Rick said it looked perfect when he checked it.
I do agree that it was critical for him to have the hi speed gearing and not to be pushing the engine to its rpm limits on the open roads.
Paul
Walking like a pirate as my knee is a bit bloody. I came in to a LH sweeper in third or forth gear, got into a rut and high sided. Took five minutes of wincing before I could restart. Twenty minutes later on a downhill I managed to get a flat rear tire. Picked up a three inch cotter pin right in the middle of the tire. I had taken a 21 inch tube taped behind the headlight and stuffed it in. I guess it was just my turn today.
Anyway...
The vintage 1000 now complete, I will be heading home tomorrow after some maintenance. I have burned up seven headlights and smashed the last one to bits. The last few days all my Penton has needed is oil on the chain. It is hard to believe that this Sachs motor on this bike stands up to the abuse I have dished out on this trip. It ran the last 40 miles to Appalachacola at near wide open without letting up. I also miss an average of five shifts a day. It seems to be making more power now than when left over 2100 miles ago. I haven't had any problems keeping up with any of the other bikes. This event covered every kind of road and trail you could think of, mud, sand, rocks, water holes, and freeways.
The reason the other riders had more problems was twofold. Poor choice of bikes and poor preparation. No oil on air cleaners was a big one. Broken luggage racks was the number one failure. Most of the bikes have never been rebuilt and by the end they were hard to start and smoking. Mine starts first kick, runs when it is soaking wet and has an excellent air box. Credit has to go to John Penton for coming up with this motorcycle. You can truly do any kind of event on a Penton.
Off to the shower and bandage up my knee...more later.
Rick
Well done Rick! SAFE RIDE HOME to you and Randy...stay sharp and alert on the highways for the errant cars and trucks.
Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA
Well done Rick! Glad your not to dinged up from the high side get off. Have a safe & good ride home. What a great PENTON adventure![:p]
THanks for the great posts that allowed us tofollow you trip.
Ron Carbaugh
On Sunday May 12th. at 7:24 PM Rick sent a text that he was at Burnside, Kentucky with the message "All good". If I am correct Rick and Randy will be spending the night at Burnside in their tents.
Earlier today Rick called and said he was hurting a bit from his get off yesterday, but his Penton is in fine shape !
They are basicly retracing their trip south on their trip home, staying at the same places they stayed at before. If all goes well tomorrow they will be staying in the hanger owned by Rick's flying buddy and finishing up their trip home on Tuesday.
Paul
Text from Rick on May 13th. @ 11:20 am.
Headed north cold riding stopped for coffee Brea, KY
Text from Rick @ 2:30 on May 13th.
Ten miles to Ohio lunch stop. 300 Miles to go. 2,500 miles in. All good.
Paul
At 6:32 PM. Rick called and said they had reached the airfield belonging to his flying buddy and they would be spending the night in the hanger.
Today's ride was rain free but cloudy and cool.
Tomorrow they hope to get an early start and cover the final 250 miles to home by sometime in the afternoon.
Paul
Ron
That is indeed the Six Days I purchased from Ron C. and am riding on this trip. The motor that came on the bike lasted a year of AHRMA racing before the key broke locking up the transmission. I have rebuilt this motor but it had an original rod in it that seems good but I wanted the most new parts I could get for my trip motor. When I bought this bike, First Turn Dan brought it to me in Ohio. At that time I also purchased from him another 74 125 and that is the motor I am using now rebuilt to new for the trip.
Rick
OK, that last one was for Kevin... still a bit tired I guess.
Rick
After I ride the Six Days to the June POG meeting I will disassemble the motor and measure everything just to learn what I can get away with. I am planning on riding this Penton again for the August 6 to 11 "Mountain 1000".
Rick
The three day 700 mile ride home was uneventful, dry and a bit cold. I had a rough time with my left knee, having to help it up onto the peg at stops. Once there I was Ok shifting. Each day is better and I will be fine. The last day, 235 miles I didn't miss a shift. Good to be home but strange to not have to get on the bike in the morning. I miss it. I rode it today and it sure is lighter without camping gear. I need to cut down the load for the next time.
Rick
In 13 days of riding I covered 2867 miles. The bike used 60 gallons of gas, all but one 93 octane with 10 percent ethanol. I made an extra effort to only use 93 and had to sometimes find my own gas station. I use exactly 12, 12 oz bottles of Spectro Golden two stroke oil at 50 to 1 mix. The bike turned out 47.75 mpg for the trip. My fuel burn was almost identical to the Honda twins but at a much higher RPM
Rick
Correction...that would be thrownchain Dan.