I have 76 days before the next chapter of my Penton adventure. This ride leaves Chattanooga and heads into the mountains of North Carolina.
Time to take the bike apart and see how it did. I will post what I find.
There are a couple spot opened up for the ride if anyone wants to give it a go.
Rick
Rick I had the wet boot problem same as you last time I did a ride in the Rain. There must be a WATERPROOF boot thats not to stiff to feel the Sachs shift lever properly. Some of the members must know of this problem & have the answer![:p]
I couldn't wait until the meeting next week to clean up the bike. I have a small list of repairs and refinements to make. Some are already done, like fixing my headlight. I will need it to ride to the POG meeting. Just exactly two months out now. I leave on my birthday, August 2nd.
Rick
Just two weeks out now. After returning from Mid Ohio and displaying my Six Days at the POG tent, it is time to get ready. I removed the motor and completely disassembled to check for wear. The piston, rings, and cylinder have worn so I now have .004 clearance and .012 ring gap. All the bearings are in great shape. The gears show almost no wear. The shifter key is worn some, but I am going to leave it, and take a spare with me. The clutch basket has grooves where the plates touch. I had filed these out the last time. Will do it again. I still need to measure the the plate thickness. I will replace the front sprocket and chain, sticking with 15/57 gearing. My pipe has several cracks needing welding. Ir was cracked before I left on the last trip. The motor could have been left alone. At least I washed out the case so it is clean.
Checking the Sachs and Penton, I don't find wear limits like in a Honda manual. What is everyone using for this? If I go by CR125 specs the piston clearance can go to .008 and ring gap to .020.
On Buehner Supply Page, Item 10, He has Technical Info, and it has some info I believe you are looking for. Piston clearance and ring gap tolerances. Best Wishes, Nelson McCullough
A new set of rings measures .008 gap.
The clutch plates did not wear at all.
This motor held up really well.
Rick
PISTON SPECIFICATIONS
When to Rebore a Cylinder
Maximum allowable piston to cylinder clearance
100cc - .005" + piston clearance
125cc - .0055" to .006"
Specifications for Ring End Gaps
minimum - maximum
100cc - .004 - .005 (.010)
125cc - .007 - .008 (.015)
Clearance Specs for Boring Cylinders
minimum - maximum
100cc - .0015" to .002"
125cc - .0025" to .003" Wiseco "M" series pistons - 0.0019 (0.048mm)
Dale Fisher
Penton Owners Group - Memberships - POG Merchandise
Mudlark Registry
Facebook - Penton Owners Group - Administrator
Facebook - Cheney Racing Group - Administrator
Finished up reassembling the motor and installed it back into the frame. Doing these long rides is teaching me the weak and strong points of the mechanics. Parts that I thought would be a problem are not always the ones that wear first. The gears held up better than expected but the clutch basket is the major source of metal flakes in the oil. This part should have been made out of better steel. Something else to look for since I plan on more adventures riding this sportcycle. The top end wear was just about what I expected. I reused the piston and installed new rings.
While cleaning the Bing 27 mm carb I wrote down the jetting. 140 main, 45 pilot, .276 needle jet, no. 5 needle moved all the way up, mixture screw out 5/8 turn.
I reset the timing at 2.6 mm btdc as this worked well on the last trip. There was no evidence of damage to the piston or head using 93 octane auto fuel.
Since I have to remove the air box to get the pipe out of the frame, I washed it out with paint thinner. I installed bolts in all the holes and used plastic bags with rubber bands to seal the air boot opening. While sloshing the thinner around I found a flaw/leak needing repair. This is a good test for this part.
A new chain and front sprocket are the only other parts I replaced, other than the headlight bulb. I installed a ballast resistor from a 70s Dodge van in the bucket. The new headlight is a H4 version so carrying spares will be simpler.
I am going to leave the Rotopax one gallon tank at home. I plan on taking a smaller quart size msr bottle, trying to cut down weight. I will also cut down on clothes, food and spare parts. I have removed the gps mount. It was not needed. I will take the gps in my pack in case I need it. There will be no way to recharge its internal battery.
I bought a new pair of boots. I am done with GoreTex. Plain unisulated leather ones will dry faster. Gaiters will keep the water from running in the top.
The Barbour jacket worked well and will go again. I patched my rain pants and will take them.
Should be back riding in a couple days to check everything out.
I will make daily reports to Paul again and take lots of photos.
Next years 1000 rides are posted. Make plans to join me. You won't regret it.
Rick
Rick dont forget to put boot grease on the new boots! Use Huberds if you can find it. I hope your gaiters work better than mine did. Deep water crossing did mine in.[:p]
My Six Days is all back together and running just like it should. I am starting to pack up for the trip. I am heading out Friday morning for the 700 mile journey to Chattanooga. I will probably take three days like last time.
Campgrounds for this ride...
Tuesday night, Doll Mt. campground, Elijah, GA
Wednesday night, Standing Indian campground, Franklin, NC
Thursday night, Briar Bottom campground, Burnsville, NC
Friday night, Rattler Ford campground, Robbinsville, NC
Saturday night, back in Chattanooga, TN
Leaving in the morning. I will probably be out of touch until I get to Chattanooga. Paul Danik is off on a camping trip so he will not be posting updates for me. If anyone wants to do it, call me and leave a number I can use. I never know when stops will occur. It takes two or three hours to burn through a tank of gas. I could call or text then.
Rick
440 417 8094 cell
Rick
About to head out
Two things I will have for the rest of my life. One of John Penton's Six Days and a Barbour jacket. These sportcycles are amazing. I just finished yet another 700 mile ride to Chattanooga with no problems. Three flats on the chain adjusters each morning, lube and your good to go. You won't do that on a Honda Elsinore. Absolutely no sloshing in my boots this time. A rain cloud 50 miles north of Chattanooga was all I saw and I was able to outrun it. Being on my own this time was a bit tougher as my gps internal battery gave out this morning on the last leg. The charger I bought wouldn't work so I stopped at Wallymart and picked up a EverStart battery pack. This worked great to get some power back into the Garmin allowing me to find my way into the city. One day off tomorrow until the 7:00pm riders meeting. I plan on checking the bike over in the morning and retorque the head since the gasket was new. The ride through Tennessee today was really nice. Great scenery and good roads. I started on 20 and then 127 the rest of the way. There was a flea/antique market going on the whole way. Looked like fun but no way I could stop. Maybe leave earlier next year and check it out. I haven't had lunch yet so heading out for some dinner with Adam, Jamie, Randy and Linda.
Rick
Nap time...not much I can do to make my Six Days ready other than adding gas. The head was just a bit loose like I thought it would be. I straightened my bent center stand, checked the tranny oil and glued in my headlight bulb. The new H4 unit wasn't made for this headlight rim. I ditched a bunch of stuff out of my pack I won't be needing until the ride home. Washed a load of clothes to try and smell better. I will use the gps to get from the house to the meeting tonight and the start in the morning. I don't have a clue where to go in this city. Looking forward to the trail.
Rick
I have no idea why my Six Days still likes me. For eleven days on this ride I asked it to run harder and faster than you would think it would hold up to. At any time I expected the piston and rod to explode into scrap. Instead, it would sing along at outrageous RPMs, howling for hours and hours. John Penton sure knew what he was doing when he put these Sportcycles into production. As for the bad rap the Sachs transmission gets, it does not deserve it. Yes, I missed shifts, but less than one percent out of thousands and when it happened it was all my fault. Usually, I was distracted by something else and not holding the lever long enough. I left the key in from the last ride even though it showed some wear. Part of my goal on these rides is to find out the limits on wear items. Other than being down on power when hot, the motor and transmission work just like the day I left. I will tear down the motor when I get a chance to inspect completely.
The first four days of this ride were a carbon copy of the last one.
The only difference was the weather. Warm and dry this time, a welcome change. I followed the same route south, stopping each night in the same places. It really doesn't take three days to travel 700 miles, but I travel at an easy pace to make sure I make the start.
The Monday evening riders meeting gives the first look at the other riders and their machines. Twenty entries plus three extras make up the group. Most are in their 30s, and riding bikes in all states of repair, up to 1000cc Harley Sportsters. We cut out and prepare our roll charts and try to put names to the faces. We need to be at the start at 7am, gassed and ready to go. Riding groups are assigned for the first day only to pair experienced riders and mechanics with newbies.
Day 1
I arrive at The Bitter Alibi just after 7:00am, have breakfast and pick up my packed lunch. I am in the second group to head out.
The first day is planned a bit short to allow for new riders to get used to the ride. It also gets some of the breakdowns out of the way. Matt on a 360 Honda Scrambler led the way since he knows the area. He has ridden several 1000s so we stay on course. Once out of the city we run on country roads, then some gravel. Breakdowns this day are few. I think most riders are doing a better job getting ready after hearing all the stories from past events. All the groups reach camp by early evening at Doll Mountain, GA. I jump on getting my bike maintenance done while some go swimming in the lake. Later they have to work in the dark. I tighten the rear two motor bolts, adjust and lube the chain. Only other item is changing out the days roll chart.
Day 2
The weather is good and I break camp dry. I stayed in bed an extra 15 as it is still dark. The days are shorter than the last ride. After breakfast I choose to ride with group 3. This includes the Ural with side car. At the riders meeting we learn that today will be longer, tougher and include the first water crossing. We head out only to find out that the Ural doesn't run as well as it should. It runs down hill but slows way down in the climbs. Half way thru the day we come across a closed road. We are supposed to be on it so we go around the blockade. It should be 9.3 miles to the next turn. At 9.1 we find the reason. A large pit with no road and we can't get across. 9.1 back to where we started and out come the maps to find a detour. Our planned gas stop was supposed to be at the end of the last road. We find our way but when we get to the other end of the closed road the gas truck is nowhere to be found. A few miles down the trail there it is. Don't know why they moved, but we are glad to get gassed up. The detour and slow running is costing daylight. The trail is getting steeper when we reach the river crossing. Everyone does well except for the Ural U boat. It gets 3/4 across and drowns out. After a tow onto dry land we remove the plugs and crank it over. Water shoots out hitting Adam making him look like he wet his pants. We all get a good laugh out of this one. Next the carbs come apart for a good cleaning. By this time it is getting dark. Once the carbs are back on we realize there is a fuel leak. Back off with the carbs to find the problem. The left carb just needed the drain tightened but the right one has a hole in the float bowl. Corrosion from the inside just happened to let go. Out comes the steel stick epoxy and we are back in business. We get moving only to find a deep water hole. You guessed it...The U boat takes another dive. At least we know how to pump her out and disassemble the carbs. Now it is pitch black and we still have 50 miles to camp. We get running and Wes exclaims he has never been so happy to hear 1.5 cylinders firing. Just as we get going we find a LONG downhill full of large rocks. What a bunch of fun in the dark. When we finally hit pavement and find a gas station Adam gives us a chance to take a direct route to camp and he will follow the Ural in. None of us would take this option. We decide to stick together and finish the ride the right way. It is 11:20 when we reach camp. Our chef has saved us dinner and it tastes great. By the time I pitch my tent and catch a shower it's 1:00am. I get five hours of sleep.
Looking back on this day, we had problems from the start. We had to stop twice before even getting out the campground road. The 650 Triumph quit running half a dozen times about a quarter mile apart. Electrical gremlins kept turning off his spark. Eventually Calvin figures out the key switch is to blame. Each time it backfires and the motor dies he would reach back and fiddle the key and off we would go. The days are long enough without problems. The trick is to keep moving, no matter how slow.
Day 3
I pack up as quickly as I can and look over my Penton. A nagging problem is the two rear motor mount bolts. The lower one is hard to reach and needs a quarter turn each day. This bike came with stainless Allen bolts and I can't keep them tight. The lower left nut is hard to reach an oily from my leaking kicker shaft. I check the oil level and it is ok. I had put 800cc in before leaving Ohio. The Oring has always leaked on this bike. After breakfast the groups form up. I like to mix up who I ride with but fill in as needed to make up five riders. I end up in group 3 with two SL 350s, a XL 250 and a CB 125 that has joined the ride late. Again we don't make it out the camp road. The CB 125 keeps quitting. It will restart after a few minutes rest but the problem persists. Finally I tell him to loosen the cap the next time and this cures the problem. We begin moving steadily and the little Honda does surprisingly well. Nearing the first gas stop I run dry and my motor quits. The others have stopped at a light so I pull in the clutch and coast around them and off down a side road. I figured that would get their attention, but no. The light turns green and off they go. I carry a 30 oz. bottle of spare fuel and pour it in. It takes a few minutes to restart and get back on the main road. Now, I pass them going the other way. They had filled up at a station so I wave but know one notices. I find the fuel stop and am filling up when in rolls group 4 with Adam following. I tell him my tale and he says, "I guess you're in group 4 now".
The Ural takes this day off to change all fluids and rejet the carbs leaner. This day finds us on mostly gravel roads, and ending the day on the Blue Ridge Pkwy for about 40 miles. The scenery is spectacular with lookout stops we stop at. The days ride is shorter and it is nice to get into camp at a reasonable time. Briar Bottom Campground is the nights stop. I get my machine looked over, eat and pitch camp. Off to bed at dark to catch up on my sleep. I can hear the others drinking beer and going over the days events. It doesn't keep me up. 1318 miles since leaving home. My Penton is running great and NO rain.
Oh yea...forgot one thing...
The CB125 lost a connecting rod, smashing the spark plug shut and is on the trailer.
The rider is on the spare 400 Honda twin road bike for the duration.
Day 4
Ever since I learned about the two Harley Sportsters coming on the 1000 I want to ride with them. Each morning as the groups begin to form up you can see a pattern. The faster guys want to run in a pack and so do the slower ones. This leaves two groups of average medium speed riders. This doesn't mean they will finish the day in order. The slowest may come in first if they have no problems on the trail. When I announce my intention to go out with the big bikes, Adam tries to talk me out of it. This will be a 200 mile day with a lot of road miles mixed in. He isn't sure I can keep the pace. He should know better by now than to throw down a challenge. Also in this group will be a 500 Honda, 650 Triumph and 500 Yamaha.
Off we go finding some of the best scenery of the trip. Mountain top views mixed in with rocky river valleys make keeping your eyes on the road tough. The problem is, these guys are good at really moving. The gravel roads vary greatly from almost dirt to deep 3" stuff. Sometimes I stand for miles at a time because it's easier to control me bike. It really moves around on the bigger stuff. On the paved mountain roads the switch backs are VERY tight and never ending. Right..left...right..left, with elevation change and lots of shifting. I hold my own except for a couple climbs where I loose a few bike lengths before reaching the top. My motor is screaming, but doesn't skip a beat. Gas stops find me burning about the same amount of fuel as the big bikes. I am doing it at two or three times their RPMs.
Around the half day point we find a long, steep, gravel climb that gets worse the farther up you go. Half way up we come across a Toyota Camery with a family inside. I have no idea how he got that far or how he planned to get down. I was trying to take this in second but had to drop to first with a bike in front. The rocks get bigger the higher we climb. Like Paul Danik said, "It's ok if you wait at the top", and the XT 500 and I did. I tried to call my brother to tell him not to let Linda climb the hill, but with no cell coverage, he didn't get the message.
Around 2:00pm a planned stop is the Wheels Through Time museum. If you ever get the chance, stop here, unless you hate Harley's. Tons of machines going as far back as the early 1900s. We could only take an hour or two and stay on schedule of making camp before dark.
More Blue Ridge Parkway, fantastic views and gravel and we made camp in good shape. I think my little Penton did ok.
The Ural is back up to speed. He has two wheel drive and motored right up the nasty hill. Linda tipped on the hill and sprained her ankle. She doesn't ride the last day. She rode well on a Honda SL350K0 without much dirt experience.
Another good dinner from Jason, our chef, hot shower and maintenance finish out the day. My sleeping bag feels good and I am out for the night.
Day 5
Since about the third day you could notice a change in the way the bikes start up each morning. More of them are balky and smoking a bit. Some require a push down the parking lot. I turn on my fuel tap, hold down the tickler for five seconds and jab the kicker. It fires first kick and I look up to see Adam watching. He just shakes his head.
This is the last day of the 1000 and will find us back in Chattanooga. Today I was going to ride in the last group to follow everyone in, but group three is short riders. The XL250 and CL72 in this group are not running well. Randy is also riding, I haven't seen him much this week. Linda's ankle is not doing well so she opts out.
This will be a shorter day with more pavement the closer we get to the city. Some long gravel stretches in the woods come first. All through this ride there have been butterflies in the woods. Sometimes in groups you couldn't miss hitting. I have nerves seen so many.
Adam warns us at the morning meeting that we have more water to cross. Half way through the day we find it. A stream, maybe fifty feet across, rock bottom, with grooves and slippery. Matt, a CL360 driver, has crashed here every ride. Check out the video on Instagram. The right side is shallower but bigger grooves. The XL250 in front of me takes this and I wait until he is almost through before entering. He crashes just after getting out of the water and I squeeze by with just a little water in my left boot. About this time the Harley riders group shows up. This ought to be entertaining.
Jake on the 1970 Ironhead goes first. No, he doesn't take the shallow side but plows right in up to the carburetor on the left. I don't know how but it doesn't stall even after coming to a stop in the middle. Next comes the 1997 Sportster. Not to be outdone, he takes the same approach, getting stuck in the deep part and then powering out. Gotta love Harley's with knobby tires. Worth the price of admission. After this the rest of the day is pretty uneventful and we arrive at Jason's restaurant. One group is already there but the final one comes in a couple hours later. I didn't hear what happened but Wes and the Ural came through the water just fine. Everyone orders food and a beer while telling tales of the trail. Another great adventure over, I still have 700 miles to get home.
The ride home
Luckily the weather for the 1000 left me dry. Coming back into Chattanooga it threatened but I only saw a sprinkle. After the evenings party I did laundry and packed for the trip home. My Penton was in good shape and only needed the normal maintenance. I called home and asked Donna to see what the weather report would be for the next three days. She reported good weather for two and then rain. I have wanted to try this trip in two days so I left at 7:00am Sunday morning. I picked up some fog for an hour or two until the sun burned it off. Heading north on 127 I made good time. Coming down, my route took me on route 200 near the Kentucky line. This road was due to be closed so I skipped it and saved some time. I passed by my Burnside State Park stop around noon. No sense in stopping so kept up the pace. It was good weather, low humidity and not much traffic. Kentucky rolled be with just gas and lunch stops. I hit the Ohio line around 5:00 and started thinking about where to stop. I picked Cowen State Park and headed that direction, only to find the road closed and a detour. The detour was long enough I gave up and continued north. My next choice was my friend Russ Turner's airfield in Jamestown. A quick call found him home and stopping would be ok. For a minute I thought about trying for home but it would take until midnight. Besides, I enjoy morning riding when it is cool and southern Ohio farm country is beautiful. Russ wanted to talk about getting some cowlings made for his Sopwith Camel project and a Nieuportpilot 12. Winter projects to keep me busy. It had been an eleven hour ride to go 425 miles.
Up at dawn and back on the road, it was a bit chilly riding but a perfect day to be on a Penton. I tried to find a breakfast spot but no luck at first. I try to find the "Mom and Pop" places instead of fast food. I finally find a good one in Butler and remember Randy and I stopped here last time. Good coffee and service. The rest of the ride is just following the map north and east. I make a small detour to find a horse rescue farm. I had to bury my second one the day before leaving on this trip. They are not open so I will come back another time. Thirty miles from home wet roads force me to put on my rain pants. I roll in my driveway after eleven days and 2370 miles.
What I learned on this trip...
Start with new tires and brakes. Both took a beating.
I don't mind riding alone.
I need to do better truing the wheels.
Take less stuff...take less stuff!
You can't kill a properly prepared Penton 125.
It doesn't matter what you ride, go have an adventure.
Well done!!!
Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA
Thanks for your reports on your ride. I really enjoyed it! For your next great adventure go to //www.akrider,com My sons & I did this a few yrs. ago. I highly recomend it![:p]
Great read/ride report! Congrats, Rick.