Penton Owners Group

General Discussion => Penton Talk => Topic started by: roost_racer_27 on February 14, 2007, 09:18:01 AM

Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 14, 2007, 09:18:01 AM
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid224/p63883496eb4c14ecf64970cddd89bffc/eaacb4cc.jpg)
anyone know what this is, i found it in the shop and was told that it could be off of a penton i really have no idea what it is. thanks for the input.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Doug Wilford on February 14, 2007, 02:09:50 PM
It looks like a neat idea, to make a tail light using a clearance light from some other normal application.   For sure not a stock Penton tail light.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 14, 2007, 03:25:58 PM
Doug,
I do know for a fact that this came off of a very old Penton 125.It looks to be hand made. This old man down the road gave it to me to figure out what it was. He should know he because he has a whole barn full of old Pentons. He has them in his loft, barn, house, everywhere you look. Ive got some more interesting pictures of junk that ill get posted later.
La8er!
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: conrad2 on February 14, 2007, 05:28:46 PM
Roost, I was a truck driver/mechanic for a few years and as Doug states it appears to be a clearance light from the rear of a trailer. But I have no idea if Penton used this config or not.

Conrad Pfeifer
1972 Penton Six Days
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 14, 2007, 08:11:57 PM
Ya i know that its a clearence light from a trailer, but was it made for a tail light or something like that? the old man down the road wont tell me excatly what it is, or who made it, he said if i could find out who made it, where it came from and all he would give me something. so i was trying to find what it was.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: G Ellis on February 15, 2007, 06:41:39 PM
roost_racer I do know what this is! It is an original tail light for a penton steeltanker. I even know for what bike and which one it was removed from.  It was made in OHIO I do believe. Tell the old man that you have the goods on this tail light. Hope this will help out.   Gary Ellis
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 16, 2007, 11:18:25 AM
ill have to go tell him what i found.. Im just glad to know that he wasnt B-S'in me. Thanks alot.
La8er
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: rob w on February 16, 2007, 12:22:46 PM
I can postively identify that part, as a..............tail light off of a '71 Wheel Horse lawn tractor.

BW
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: G Ellis on February 16, 2007, 08:53:40 PM
BW that might be true but it did come off, of one of the first few PENTON steeltankers. I think maybe one of the first Ten into the states. Gary
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Rain Man on February 17, 2007, 06:00:57 PM
Bob, stop hollering, your scaring my bikes !!  And its not off a wheel horse, its off a cub 1967. 18 horse I think [8D]

Raymond
 Down East Pentons
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 17, 2007, 08:33:35 PM
Gary is right, the old man said that its off of one of the first penton steeltankers. its not off a tractor, trailer or anything of that kind.
now if he will only tell me who made it????

Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 18, 2007, 11:43:14 AM
I will have to go talk to the old man to see if he will tell me what number it was off of, and maybe i can get him to tell me who made it! ill try to get that from him today and get back on here and let cha all know!! take it easy la8er!
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: ABORN on February 20, 2007, 03:29:44 PM
Hi Roost and Gary Ellis--This is not a taillight from the first Pentons and I dont remember seeing one like this as stock equipment.  I still have the one that came with #003 and it sure is not anything like this picture.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: G Ellis on February 20, 2007, 06:55:30 PM
I do know which penton this came off of, and it is one of the first ten into the states. I do know it was hand made by someone, I do not know if this is the one the man from Ohio made. I do know that he did make some of these up.  I would like to know,maybe it can be brought up at the next POG meeting. Maybe then we can get to the root of this taillight.  Just a thought Gary Ellis
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Paul Danik on February 20, 2007, 07:06:29 PM
Gary,

    We will save you a chair, it will be interesting to hear all that you know about the light.

   See you on March 1, at the KTM building, 7 pm.

Paul
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Paul Danik on February 20, 2007, 08:31:14 PM
Gary,

   I think I am catching on.  It might be best to show the actual item to those who may remember it, sometimes a picture isn't enough.  You let me know how you wish to do this and we will work it out.

Thanks
Paul
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: kevin1971 on February 21, 2007, 06:21:56 AM
There were many homemade tailights made by riders and dealers.  I used a sheet of 3/16" rubber and 2 small marker lights. One for tailight and one for brake.  Why is this topic so interesting? Kevin
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: 454MRW on February 21, 2007, 09:18:33 AM
I may have dreamt this, but I vaguely remember one story that was told about a racer during an early event having to procure a lost tailight from someones old truck or farm machinery in the middle of a race to avoid being penalized, so anything is possible. Mike

Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 175-400'S
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: rd400pi on February 21, 2007, 11:55:34 AM
It might just be me but, I am reminded of the old man behind the curtain from the Wizard of Oz.  The "old man down the road" won't let you peek behind the curtain at his barn full of Pentons.  Here kid, what's this?  Why the mystery?  
Cuh Cuh Cuh Courage! [}:)];)

  Mike H.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 21, 2007, 08:08:08 PM
Why this is such a mystrey and y its so interesting is because it seams like only a hand full of people even have a remote idea what this is, and who actually made the thing. This tail light might just be the only one left.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: sixdazed on February 26, 2007, 02:56:05 PM
What?

ric emmal
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on February 27, 2007, 08:06:59 PM
well the old man finaly told me that this tail light was made by Mr. Penton himself. it did come off of one of the first 10. which didnt come with tail lights so Mr. Penton made them himself. so ive been told.

When in Doubt WFO!
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: TGTech on February 28, 2007, 01:40:24 PM
roost,
I think you'd better talk to Al Born, the owner of #3, and ask him if it originally had a tail light on it. His memory is like a DVD: he remembers everything.
Dane
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: DKWRACER on February 28, 2007, 08:22:12 PM
Roost Racer 27,
You have a task @ hand
You are up against "baby boomers" some 30/40/50/60/70 and 80 years both young and old a-like.
In our youth, we had nothing like the Internet.
Television brought us nothing, but visuable images of body parts from Kent State and Vietnam. 4 dead in OHIO, not our proudest moment in history.
We persevere, only to discover, that our Nation, needs some help.
Part of America today, is the youth...
You must understand, that our Fathers, died for our Country, and to give you the Right to speak
A keyboard can be an asset
I remember my youth, I never had such tools, than I have today......

Tom Brosius
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Gary Roach on February 28, 2007, 11:32:26 PM
These are 2 pictures of Al Born on his V003 Steel Tanker, and it looks like his bike has the black taillight assembly that has a round lens and a license plate bracket.

The believe the first picture is from Daytona, and the second is from Stone Mountain, GA.

Gary

(http://www.pentonusa.org/forum_images/misc/Al_Born_-_Daytona.jpg) (http://www.pentonusa.org/forum/)

(http://www.pentonusa.org/forum_images/misc/Al_Born_-_Stone_Mt.jpg) (http://www.pentonusa.org/forum/)
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: thrownchain on February 28, 2007, 11:45:29 PM
touche'
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: 454MRW on March 01, 2007, 09:37:29 AM
I guess the question would be...Did John and the people associated with uncrating and assembling the first 10 bikes have to come up with the lights, since they may have not have been included, or did they come with them already installed or included in the shipments. Mike

Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 175-400'S
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: TGTech on March 01, 2007, 11:17:44 AM
Gary,

Thanks for posting those shots of Al and his bike. I was thinking of that second shot, but didn't know if I had one or not.

454,

Yes, those would have come from Austria on the first 10 machines.

roost,

Now do you understand what originally came on the first 10 machines? That having been proved, I can say that those were not the best parts for serious enduro riding. Wayyy to easy to damage. Soooooo, it could easily have been decided that somebody in the Company, came up with the tail light that you're showing in your picture. Did KTM ever build a light exactly like that one? No, but they did make one with a rubber flap and a light that was about 1/2 the width of that light. The light had a metal cover with a small red lense on the face and a clear lense on the side.

Dane
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on March 01, 2007, 02:34:53 PM
The old man told me that he used to be a Penton Dealer back in the day. He was telling me that back then you really didnt know what you were going to find when opening up a Penton crate.Bike colors, accessories, frames, etc. were different. And that rarely that two were excatly alike. And as far as the light, reliable sources say that it is authenic and built by John Penton himself.

When in Doubt WFO!
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: thrownchain on March 01, 2007, 03:46:17 PM
Well somebody show it to John and see what he says. Simple enough.
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: swamp fox on March 01, 2007, 05:43:44 PM
Or better yet,
WHAT'S THE OLD MAN'S NAME.[?]

Robert Manucy
72 Berkshire
72 Six Day
82 Honda cr250r
04 BMW K 1200 GT
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: Dennis Jones on March 01, 2007, 07:36:39 PM
The old man was in last months photo quiz.

Dennis Jones
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: roost_racer_27 on September 05, 2007, 06:49:32 PM
So has anyone talked to John about this?

When in Doubt WFO!
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: DKWRACER on September 05, 2007, 08:18:51 PM
Why do you ask?

Dave Sanders is a friend of the POG, and his vision from the "barn" has given me the inspiration to create Pentons, not of this earth.....

Whitness the "Super Piner"............
it is a gift, one that will be treasured forever!

Why do you ask?

Tom Brosius
Title: Anyone Know what this is?
Post by: 242 on September 06, 2007, 12:03:31 PM
242 here, Tom, I'm going to send some pictures of my "Specials" into the  Web-man and see if he will post them. I'll have to just send him some pictures as I have no idea how to e-mail them. I'll sent the one of my Super Piner, DKW trials, and my be, a picture of my 1956 Ariel Cafe Racer, After I finish the work on my 19731/2 250 Penton, 1974 400 mint and 1977 GS400 this winter I'm going to build another special of somekind. I have some ideas, lets see, I have a old 420 motor, a 350 Honda 4, a Suz 750 4, and a tractor motor. I had some of my Pentons at the race in Evanville last weekend. I was riding my Piner and my wife was riding the '68 steel tanker.  A big thanks to all the POGers who came. I filmed saturdays races with our helmet cam but the battery blew up and we got 0. I'll try again neek year. Dave