Come on back to this post, we're gonna try to have a little chat session, it's going to be a rapid fire question and answer period, it may or may not work, please try to participate, thanks.
Okay, is anyone there?
yes I am
Thomas Carmichael
Hi Thomas, how close are you to getting your bike running?
and I am on my way to work, is anybody else here?
Thomas Carmichael
The grave-yard shift eh?
Should be getting the motor back from Kip Kern next week, and then on to the next step of finding someone to reglass the tank and repaint side covers also, what is going on with you?
Thomas Carmichael
Penton-wise, I need to rebuild the trans. on my rider, a 75 400.
Hello everyone.....
You had a good idea Rob. However, it seems like traffic has been a little slow on the site. Must be everyone is out doing the last minute shopping thing.... Unfortunately, I need to rush off. It is way past my bedtime and I have to go to work tomorrow. Hope you will try this again another time. Happy Holidays to all!!!!
Did you ride Penton's back in the 70's?
I would love to ride a 400, my last bike was a 430 Husky and I tell you I LOVE that open class power!!!! Rob I wish I could stay and talk but I got tonight and tommorow night and then I am off till Jan. 3rd !!! OH YEAH Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Thomas Carmichael
Lynn, I was hoping to meet you in Mass. but never did. Did you enjoy yourself?
Yes I used to flat track ,motorcross and scramble 125's. I had steel tankers both 100cc and 125cc, man I wish I still had them!! it's easy when DAD pay's the bill.
Thomas Carmichael
Thanks for giving it a shot, it's kinda weird doing this, alot of click'n, and I don't type too fast. Merry Christmas Thomas!
Thomas, I have big hopes of do'in some dirt tracking on a Penton in 04. I love it, it's close competition usually.
It was an incredible experience!!! I was in awe of all of the beautiful machinery, the awesome landscape and the unbelievable range of talented riders at the event.... not to mention the interesting "behind the Berkshire '73 scene stories" told at the banquet. I can't imagine that there will be anything like it again, but I'm hoping to get to another event... and one of these days get my Penton to ride in it.
I am sorry I didn't get a chance to meet anyone but Ed Youngblood ... maybe next time...
Oops... and how could I forget... I chatted with Billy Uhl who had me convinced that I should move to Idaho where he is restoring what will be thousands of miles of trails.
Are you guys still there?
Well, I'm glad there were only three of us at one time, it was'nt quite as casual as I was expecting. But I have wondered how something like that would go. Thanks for trying it Lynn and Thomas. I'm gonna hang out here for abit more.
Farmer58za, How's the Mikuni on the 400 tuning going? You rode Leroy's reunion ride did'nt you?
What day and what time is it there in South Africa, have you ever come close to hitting any Zebras or Lions on a ride down there?:D
rob what size of penton do you ride?
Hi there, I did the ride - Great!
The Mikuni I had was waay too rich with the Q8 needle jet. I've got hold of a P8 which is closer to the P6 that was specified in the other mail
G Ellis, I ride a 400, a 1975, and I love the power so much I don't know if I would switch to anything else.
Wednesday 06:40. The only Zebras etc are in game reserves now. - LOL
I ride a 400 (badged as a KTM)
Sorry guys, bad manners.
David Haines.
Farmer58za, Were you once an american and you moved there? What type of work do you do?
What state do you live in? I am from IL.
G Ellis, what are you riding, and what part of the country do you live?
Rob, did you ever have any problem with your clutch?
I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I rode two races in IL. this year. Casey MX, and Byron MX.
No, I'm British, in SA since '71. It was my first trip to the States.
I'm a Civil Engineer.
David
Rob, I restored my GS6 175 77 this fall. I am going to race this season. after quiting for over 20 years.
David, I've had good luck all year with my clutch, I started out with a new activator, plates, and cable. and changing the oil after every 3 or 4 rides.
Rob, and while I'm asking questions on the 400, what final gearing are you using?
This could be a record, 34 posts in about an hour. Not bad.
David, I'll get back to you on my gearing tomorrow, off the top of my head, I can't remember.
G Ellis, are you in the northern section of IL., Chicago is about 2 1/2 hrs from here. Do you have any good riding areas where you're at?
OK, this one had stood for a while, oil had some water in it and a little bit of corrosion had taken place inside the magnesium cases. I dumped the original oil and the stuff that's in now I'll trash after the next ride. Just to flush out the muck. My clutch was slipping so I roughened the plates with #80 grit paper and re-assembled with the bottom pressure plate reversed (on the fresh side). I stole a 1/2 turn on the spring tension to pull it up a bit.
I really need a new set of plates and springs.
we're trying to get a Classic off-road movement going down here. it's been slow. Once the bikes get "old" over here no one wants them and they get relegated to farm hacks and weekend playbikes, and we all know what happens then.....
David, Were there ever KTM dealers in the 70's in S.A.?
Are there any other Pentons/KTMs down there?
G Ellis, I found a 75 Penton 175 basket case this week, all complete, think I'm gonna get it. I love the blue best.
The guys in Australia are dying for parts too.
David, What's the climate like there, it was unseasonally warm here today, about 44 degrees, it felt like summer again.
Rob
there's been a KTM presence here since the early-mid '70s. It's believed that a few Pentons may have made it here initially as part of the same dealer agreement. I've never actually seen one here. My 400 is original except for the fenders and headlight (Preston Petty) and the paint on the frame. I was soo lucky to get one that had been spared the ravages of the casual rider or farmer (no relation lol)
If you're getting tired or need to go, I can understand, it's now past mid-night here, all this excitment has giving me a head-ache.
Remember we're in summer here. 90deg F yesterday. 300 + days sunshine a year. Coldest in Johannesburg, 25degF, hottest 95 deg. Rains in summer.
OK guys
Sleep well. Nice "chatting" to you
Cheers
David
Hey, well, it turned out to be some fun, I'm glad you came in and joined my expieriment, I doubt if I would have had a chance to get to know this much about you any other way, thanks, if you ever have any problems with shipping something from here to there, let me know, they can send it here and I will ship it to you. I've packaged up a complete Penton and shipped it UPS in 4 over-size packages. Good talking with you David, good-night now. Have a great day.:D
Hi Thomas, hard at work on the 3rd shift ?? I've been a cnc machine tool technician for 22 years,on the 3rd shift. I got 3 pentons,all in a bucket and 1 dkw 125 Sachs, in a bucket. the 2 jackpiners I have I owned back in 73-80. road them all over the North East. They we're pretty well used up when I sold them. I just recently bought them back. Im sending out one Jackpiner and one Sachs for over haulover the vacation here. talk soon R:):)
Hey Raymond, I have been on a 4 shiftsch. for 10 yrs. I work 3/ 6hr days and then either off 2 days or work 2/12hr days and then it flips the next week with me working Thurs/Fri or Sat/Sun. I am a Laminate extrusion operator for Cryovac.I am in a total rebuild on a 1976 250gs with a 1974 mc5 250cc motor.I hope to be riding this winter.
Thomas Carmichael
tmc3c, that shift schedule reminded me of a 12 hour shift that I used to work. It was 2 days on, 2 off, 3 days on. Every other weekend was a "no work" 3 day weekend. This shift worked out good for rally weekends. We would also flip back to days every 3 months. 2 shifts, 24 hours of similar work in plastic extrusion.
Anyway, my 74 250 is on the bench. The engine is in process of a rebuild. The bike its self has been sitting for 12 years. This site got me motivated.
Hey Thomas, that shift sounds harder than mine for sleeping purposes. I go in @ 11:30 pm, get out @ 7:00am mon-fri. Its gravy for me. I can use all the tools and machinery any time I need to work if I want, goof off all I want. Fixing and trouble shooting CNC's is really interesting, so most of the time I "do something". Now if I could only figure out how to spend most of the time machining Penton parts up.:) I just started in on my 2 Jackpiners today, 21 years of neglect and living with... ahh Sheep!! Other than the rust and corrosion all ove everything, I think I'm gonna make it a rat bike!! I dunno, I rebuilt one of them back in 1979, but.. its a mess. I guess age, crashes, and plain ole "I miss touching the ground"will keep me motivated. People could never understand how a guy can ride through the worse of terrrain, over rocks and roota @ warp speed, only to fall over every time I go to start my late model Katoom or come to a halt, short legs kinda ..., damm Im gonna miss disk brakes!! R[8D]
Rob W I am 3hrs south of chicago. There is a place about 1hr from my house. It has about 300 acres to ride. Do you know of any 175 76,77 penton's for sale that needs some work for a fair price. I have three 175 motors, that I have just rebuilt. Had a 76 175 when i raced the national enduro circuit.
Gary, I don't have anything like that, is this bike going to end up as a full-on enduro mount or could it be a MC5.
I would love to hear your stories about racing and following the big-ones.
I've heard of that place to ride you're talking about, is it worth it?
There will be two ahrma cross country natl. races at Casey this year, that's near you I bet. See ya, Bob
G Ellis
I live on the oposite side of the state from you, about 20 miles from Iowa. I have a 77 GS6 175 that I restored. If you ever get over my way, stop in.
Rocket
Lyndon, IL
I am 1 hour southwest of Chicago in Yorkville (just East of the Casey track). There are two places with a mix of tight woods, old quarry hills and dales and motocross track. They are both just outside of Morris, Il off of I80, about 1 1/2 SW of Chicago ... Buffalo Ridge is motorcycles only and Fox Valley is all ORV. Most folks around here will head for trails in Michigan or Wisconsin-- about 4 and 5 hours away. Gary, I would be interested in knowing where that 300 acre place is or Rocket... if you know of some trails that are within my range if I head towards Iowa.
Well enough of wishing I was out on the trails. I have had 3 cups of coffee and need to go help Santa finish putting goodies under the tree.
Rob and Lynn the riding place is called lincoln trails park. It is close to casey, a little south east of there. South of marshall IL. I am planning to race at casey this year. Casey is only 45 miles from where i live. I would like to have GS enduro model, I am planning to ride some cross-country races this year. Would like to ride the isdt reuion ride this year. I use to go to the two day trails , and would like to talk to some old friends. Didn't get my old GS6 finished in time to go this year, really hated that.