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Purchased Mikuni VM 36 carb for my 77 Penton 250GS6 from OEM cycle. Installed it with the set-up as purchased. I live in Maryland -- essentially at sea level. Did a shake-down run with the new carb install in April. Couldn't be happier with the carb and bike's performance.  Bought a few airbox rubber boots from Al and trimmed down the carb air intake. Zero problems with this setup. Had essentially the same setup for my 81 KTM 250GS enduro -- again, no problems.

Hope this helps.

Mikuni
Round Slide VM Series Carburetor - 36mm
Sold as:      Each

    Bore Size : 36mm
    Main Jet : 310
    Pilot Jet : 35
    Needle Jet : Q-5
    Throttle Valve : 2.5
    Jet Needle : 6FJ6
    Air Jet : 2.0
    Needle Valve : 3.3 (VM34/39)

First true shake down trail ride of this bike. This bike is so satisfying on every level. The new ignition and 36mmMikuni turned a great bike into a greater bike. Could not be happier if I tried any harder.

Beautiful machine to ride on such a beautiful spring day!🙂

Two 1977 Penton 250 GS6 enduros getting prepped for the riding season.

The one on the left: installed a new HPI ignition, EE Handguards, new grips, new clutch cable, lubed cables, new 36mm Mik carb. Awaiting new tires and installation of the centerstand — once the weather gets a little warmer and stabilizes. Looking forward to getting it out on the trails.

The one on the right: About 1 month ago, I pulled this bike out of the basement. It had sat down there,
mothballed & properly stored, for 12-13 years. New Plug, freshly cleaned filter, lubed cables, and a little fresh gas, and surprisingly it fired up on the first kick. Took for a little tour through my neighborhood. The only thing it needed was to have the seat cover "tightened" up -- which I've since had re-glued and riveted since this photo was taken in March.  Other than that -- perfect. Needs nothing else. It's ready to ride.

Has anyone purchased and installed this particular centerstand on their 250 GS6? If so, do you know if it came with instructions? Do any of you have any mounting tips?  I'm considering buying it this weekend, as my bike's side stand has seen better days. Thank you.

https://ebay.us/m/4KJuyM

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I recall this article by Paul Clipper in October 1979 (had a subscription to Dirt Bike magazine), as clear as day, when I was just 13 years old and still riding my old ratty but stone cold reliable '68 Maico 360 GS (with an up-pipe). I remember thinking this would be a great template to follow for an upgrade to my Maico -- back then.

I never did, of course. My part-time grocery job only paid a modest amount. Sold that bike in the summer of 1980, but the memory of that Maico always stuck with me, well into adulthood...And as they say -- the rest is history

Still, even in 2025, I think this DB article is a pretty good template to follow for resurrecting old Pentons and similar Euro steeds.  Hope you all enjoy the article.

Kevin, the spigot OD is approx 46mm.

Dan, I tend to agree that the better flow rate is achieved with the Bing vs. Mikuni.  However, from my previous experience running on a Mik VM36 on my 81 KTM 250 GS (Reed valve) and several Maicos, I couldn't really tell the difference. 

What won me over with the Miks has been the ease of maintenance, tuning, and ease of starting. My 81 KTM's motor with the 36 Mik setup was superb. The only carb changes required was when I rode/raced at elevation. All I had to do was drop the needle jet to lean it out a bit, and then it was good to go.

I just dialed in the 77 Penton 250's jetting this weekend -- and I'm feeling pretty satisfied about its performance.  We'll see what happens when I go for a offroad test ride later this month.

If I were racing MX, I'd probably opt for the Bing or go with a Mik VM38. However, since 100% of my riding is in the woods, where low and midrange are where I live as a woods rider, I've stuck with the 36mm.

I even run the Mik VM36s on most of my Maicos (1969 Maico 360, 1971 Maico 400, 1979 Maico 250GS & 400 GS, 1970 Maico 400 [that I'm currently building, and a Mik VM34 on my 71 Maico 250). They've been pretty flawless.

My Bing carb'd bikes run fantastic as well, and until they don't, I'm going to stick with them. 

[The only carb available is a 54/36/109 clamp mount, no choke. It is $868.65 jetted as is. If you would like it jetted to your application, the jets, slide, and needle will be additional. UPS ground shipping would be $36.50.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXGeneral ManagerBing Carburetor(970)541-7110]

I have just finished setting up my other (second) 77 Penton 250GS6 for its upcoming maiden voyage this fall. 

Based on my initial impression and general overview of the Stock Bing 54/36/102 carb, the stock carb was a no-go due to the hairline cracks on the carb body, as indicated by the black magic marker marks in the attached pictures below. So, I immediately replaced it with a new Mikuni VM36. I shortened the Mik's air intake bell and installed a new airbox carb boot (thanks, Al B.). Great fit, starts up easily, and runs well throughout all the ranges. 

I have a stock Bing carb on my first 77 Penton 250GS6 and a couple of Maicos, and they are in great shape and work perfectly fine, so I have no reason to change at this point.  For the most part, I prefer to keep bikes as stock as possible.  I have several other well-used Bing 36 carbs in my parts bin, and I could probably cobble together a decent carb that would work reasonably well on the second 250.

Still, I thought, why not contact Bing International and see what they have? So I did.

Welp, here's their response regarding my request for a stock replacement carb for a 77 Penton 250GS6:

 The only carb available is a 54/36/109 clamp mount, no choke. It is $868.65 jetted as is. If you would like it jetted to your application, the jets, slide, and needle will be additional. UPS ground shipping would be $36.50.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
General Manager
Bing Carburetor
(970)541-7110

Ouch, Yikes!  Geez -- now THAT would've left a mark! I'll stick with the Mik on this! I know there's a bit of ongoing back-and-forth debate about Bing vs Mikuni. And, I would stick with the OEM carbs if they were better priced and more available. But in this case, uh, yeah...I can't justify paying that much for an OEM Bing carb. Whew!

Thank you, Don! Big thanks to Gary Ellis for the motor rebuild!

My good friend (salt of the earth, humble man) and his family have allowed me to ride on his 40-acre farm for 10+ years. It probably has about 2-3 miles of trails -- but at this stage of my life, that's enough for me!  The week before last, my fiancée (she rides a Kaw KLX 140 with farkles) and I camped out and did some riding here for 3 days. These past 2 weekends of weather reminded me of when I was a kid riding in the fall. I couldn't ask for more than that

Sunday October 26, 2025: DKW pics

Finally did a shake down run of the DKW this past weekend. Fun little scooter, to be sure. Admittedly at 5'11, 219, I'm a little too big for it.  Still, it was fun and an enlightening ride. 

It had ample power to haul me up some fairly rocky hills, but the 52-year-old stock suspension really limited its full potential.  Needless to say, the  NEW front and rear suspension have been ordered and will be installed accordingly - Hagon for the rear and repop Boge replica shocks I found on eBay for the front.

For this ride, I opted to go with the stock (rebuilt) Bing 27mm carb setup. The choke mechanism, after replacing the disintegrated wax with my own MacGyver repair, worked well. The bike started and ran fine.  Still, I'm convinced that my Mikuni VM28 setup allows for easier starting and performs better at off-idle and in the low to midrange, so I'm going to reinstall it during my bike's servicing.

The only true glitch I had was with downshifting back into lower gears after hard acceleration through 6th gear.  As this was my first 125 Sachs-powered bike (I have 2 Rokon 340s), I believe the issue was due to user error. I am going to change the oil, buy & install a longer gear shift lever, and heed the advice of Doug Wilford's tech tip "Sachs and Your Left Foot 101."

Other than that, it was all "cool runnings" and a great fall day for a trail ride!

A true American icon, off-road racing legend, innovator, and inspiration to all -- indeed. Thank you, Mr. Penton.
My sincere condolences to the Penton Family.