Going through some old photos ...
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Tom Penton
Love the Jack Purcell tennis shoes...I had a pair too. [8D]
Thanks Jim
1975 175 Cross County
1972 Six-day
1971 Berkshire 100
Secretary Penton Owners Group.
Jim, I neither recommend nor condone the pre Hi-Point riding gear shown. Don't try this at home!
Tom Penton
I always looked for you guys buy your helmets . All the pictures that I remember at events you had Blue helmets with the white stripes. Is this correct?
We generally did have the Blue helmets with white stripes. The basic reason was that Bell often generously gave us ISDT team members helmets for the event, with US team blue and white colors, and we would then wear them during the following year.
When my wife Julie joined the Air Force as a nurse in 1989, our first base assignment was at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Ill. I was riding my bicycle one day, and just a couple miles away I found that the Bell Helmet factory was there in Rantoul! I stopped in to give my thanks for their wonderful support during my ISDT days.
If you would have caught us riding in the '60's prior to our ISDT experiences, there would have been a variety.
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Tom Penton on Sachs Boondocker, 1967, cousin Chris Kovach with stopwatch
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Tom Penton, first ISDT, San Pellegrino, Italy, 1968
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Jack Penton, Honda S-90, 1966
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Tom Penton, 1968?
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I'm quite certain this is during the 1976 riding season. The red Belstaff riding jacket is blackened from the previous fall's disastrous fire of my 250 at the Isle of Man ISDT. I think I added the red stripes just to do my own thing.
Tom Penton
Hi Tom, nice photos.
The second photo down of Jeff, is that the Honda shop he is in front of ? Interesting to note that there were no decals on the tank, I knew that the proto model arrived without decals but this bike looks to be a little later as it doesn't look to have the long early airbox. Looks like a VW stinger was attached to it and maybe a wider front fender, the early ones were quite narrow. I think Jeff looks a lot like you dad in that picture. Just a few observations......
In the photo of you and Jeff on the Jawa/CZ machines, looks like your dad's home on the right, I think I can make out the "P" on it, and would that be your uncle Ike's home behind the pole? If so is your uncle Ted's home obscured or not built yet ? Are you two on the breastwork of the pond ?
My mentor in all things motorcycling was Bob "Augie" Augustine. Augie had been a Jawa dealer and he still had a leftover 175 tucked away in his barn when I met him. I started out riding a 150 Honda Dream in local mudruns and he offered up the 175 Jawa to me for one in mid winter. What I remember most about that bike was that it had a cable operated rear brake and when the mud froze to the cable it made riding it that much more interesting, but it sure was much better than the 150 Dream.
Thanks for posting the photos, they are quite interesting.
Paul
Paul, I don't remember Jeff's "Photoshoot". The brick behind the still pose is the right color for the "New Shop" (Honda), but something seems off. But it's been a few years ago .... I don't remember the flowers, but as a teenage "racer", flowers weren't quite my thing. A shame, I later in life appreciated mom (Donna) had some wonderful flower gardens at home. She worked at the Honda shop on paperwork, and may have been instrumental in coloring it up. Looking at the wheelie photo, the background doesn't look anything like around Pentonville ... is this even Ohio? Wait, what I was taking as a palm tree trunk on the left is probably just a telephone pole.
The picture of Jeff and me is indeed taken on top of the dam for Uncle Bill's pond. Don't know nothing about the word "breastwork", it must be one of those highly technical landscapers terms, or perhaps an alien Martian word. (And I'll leave the innuendo to other POG readers.) I'd say it is Uncle Ted's house (currently Barbara's) behind Jeff and Uncle Ike's house (currently Jeff's, are we confused now?) to the left and mostly out of frame. Uncle Hank's house is between us in the farther background, down next to the Honda shop. His house was a two story, with residence up top and garage underneath. It would have been convenient during the flood a decade or so ago.
Interesting you had Jawa 175 experience also! Our bikes were slow and heavy for their classes. However, the powerband was good, and the steering/suspension was done right. We took advantage of that to do OK. I remember the cable brake. Did yours have the dual purpose shift/start lever? (push in and up to go to start lever mode). Sure made racing dead engine starts interesting. I remember going to a winter's hare scrambles in Bryan, Ohio: cold, wet & muddy. But above freezing, I think. All three of us, Dad, me and Jeff, rode the Jawa/CZ's, stepping down 250, 175, 125.
Tom Penton
Tom, Paul, all this is great info and love the photos and stories!
It seems the Honda S90 or "Super 90" was a good start for a bike to modify for dirt use and racing back in that era......;) A high front fender was a MUST (or removed)...DAMHIK :) I like the removed rear fender too.
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Mike
Mike, Paul ... the picture of Jack wheeling the S-90 is in front of the Old Shop, looking up at the pond dam.
Re: the Penton 125 Jeff is on. I don't remember that well, but my guess it's the prototype, with our modifications. I hazily remember it came from KTM loud, maybe even just an expansion chamber. Yes, we tried some things exhaust-wise. I remember, (as recommended by someone with carting experience), that I once welded a stinger inverted (inside the rear of the expansion chamber) with the Volkswagan muffler at the end. I don't remember if this was on the prototype, though.
Tom Penton
Quotequote:Originally posted by Mike Rosso
Tom, Paul, all this is great info and love the photos and stories!
It seems the Honda S90 or "Super 90" was a good start for a bike to modify for dirt use and racing back in that era......;) A high front fender was a MUST (or removed)...DAMHIK :) I like the removed rear fender too.
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Mike
Wonder how many other off road riders got started on a Honda Super 90.....I personally know one that converted his '66 Honda S90 to dirt form with scrambler bars, Webco up pipe and even a Webco performance camshaft and valve springs. He took the front fender off after he tried to ride down the side of a western PA muddy hill in the rain and wound up low and high siding due to the mud locking up the front wheel from mud jammed between the low fender and tire. He ended up removing the front fender half way down with the bike's tool kit 10mm wrench. His buddy, also on a S90 did the same. Took almost an hour to ride down the hillside, soaked, muddy and tired BUT WAY TOO MUCH FUN and a great learning experience for future off road riding back in '66.
Here's another photo (that you posted and I borrowed from another site) of Jeff riding your Honda S90 with an awesome front fender mod back also in '66.
Mike
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Here's that rider back in '66 on his white Super 90 with the front fender removed, scrambler bars, up pipe, etc. His next bike was another classic a 305 Scrambler and then he went on to get a PENTON 125 SIX DAYS MX from Ron and Melvin Bohn...and then ;)
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Tom & Mike these are some great vintage photos. So glad these are shared with all that follow . You guys were all just a little in front of me but I kept up with the technical publications and events when I could . Those days for me were somewhat challenging compared to later . Keep the photos and experiences coming . Great memories guys.
Let's throw in Al Born's S-90 TT special, here starting to get put together after he got it painted. It's awaiting engine work, wished I knew what he had done to it. It ran well, somewhere in the front pack at the scrambles. At the time Al was living in the apartment above Penton Bros. Machine shop. The picture was taken, I'm quite certain, in front of the Old Motorcycle Shop, looking up at Grandma's house.
Oh ... I remember the mud jamming up the front wheel. It was quite an experience, a skidding front wheel in muddy ruts!
A bit of discussion on facebook re low vs high fenders. There is an art to making low fenders work properly, and Dad had it dialed with his BMW. Making them flat allowed the mud out the sides, but equally important was a closer gap at the bottom of the fender, flaring out towards the top. The S-90 was wrong on both those counts!
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Tom Penton
My first was a Honda S90. I think it was a 1967. Came with a high pipe. Fun bike, learned a lot from it!
Quotequote:Originally posted by Mike Rosso
Quotequote:Originally posted by Mike Rosso
Tom, Paul, all this is great info and love the photos and stories!
It seems the Honda S90 or "Super 90" was a good start for a bike to modify for dirt use and racing back in that era......;) A high front fender was a MUST (or removed)...DAMHIK :) I like the removed rear fender too.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PamEaNywK9k/XwAfsKeZiiI/AAAAAAAAGRE/TFru7c6A_0UrLq830yLpXqU1hOKR9mwfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Jack%2B_%2BWheelie%2B_%2BHonda%2BS-90.jpg)
Mike
Wonder how many other off road riders got started on a Honda Super 90.....I personally know one that converted his '66 Honda S90 to dirt form with scrambler bars, Webco up pipe and even a Webco performance camshaft and valve springs. He took the front fender off after he tried to ride down the side of a western PA muddy hill in the rain and wound up low and high siding due to the mud locking up the front wheel from mud jammed between the low fender and tire. He ended up removing the front fender half way down with the bike's tool kit 10mm wrench. His buddy, also on a S90 did the same. Took almost an hour to ride down the hillside, soaked, muddy and tired BUT WAY TOO MUCH FUN and a great learning experience for future off road riding back in '66.
Here's another photo (that you posted and I borrowed from another site) of Jeff riding your Honda S90 with an awesome front fender mod back also in '66.
Mike
(http://a12mopar.com/yabb/Attachments/107376721_3653319861363119_1039411772878595892_n.jpg)
1976 250 MC5 Original Owner
1976 Penton 175 XC
Tom,
Thanks for sharing the pix, gotta ask, what was the dog's name?
-don
Don, Re: Dog's name. You're asking a bit from my distant memory, but I believe the dog's name was Renee.
Tom Penton
Tom, What happened in the fall to get that machine on fire? Never have experienced that . Was that a 1975 Harescrambler or ? Any photos of that experience ? Hope you were able to save it. Thanks William
William,
I had a fire shortly after the start of the 1975 ISDT at the Isle of Man. I believe that I had tickled the Bing carb too much, causing gasoline to pool under the motor. I had wrapped the Air Box with foam and Duct tape in order to dampen noise. They had sound checks during the event, and failing cost valuable points. It is my theory that the gas splashed back into the foam, then something ignited it. I only made it 2 or 3 miles and my Six Days was over. So I certainly didn't "save" the ISDT that year. It didn't take much, however, to get it going back in Ohio: a wiring harness and fuel lines. If only I had those in my fanny pack!
Tom Penton
You know, that might have got me somewhat excited with my machine starting to burn. That's a lot of work and travel for that result but I can understand trying to pass the noise test . For us who never experienced that sort of competition only people like yourself educate us on that type of competition. Back in the sticks you run what you brung! All was fun for me in that time frame . Always good to know . thanks
Tom even though your air box caught fire your Theory was solid. Proof is if you take the cowling off a large outboard engine during acceleration you can hear the noise created from the air entering the engine. I appreciate your many posts here as you were always so helpful back in the 1970s. Thank you.
Ron Carbaugh
Tom, I very much appreciate your pictures, and stories. Thanks, Bob