Messages

Was very sorry to learn of the passing of Mr John Penton. He changed the world of off road motorcycle racing that impacted so many of our lives. He was a competitor at heart and knew what the motorcycle racing community needed here in the United States and around the world. He was a visionary who was not afraid to push the boundaries of motorcycle design and capability. God Bless you John Penton. We are forever grateful for your contributions to the world of motorsports. All the best and condolences to the Penton family with the passing of your dear Father,
Grandfather and Great Grandfather!

Well if you have a good reliable shop with a clean bore you will be fine. Never seized one with that clearance.

Found them, thanks guys!!!

Hi Dave, I saw those listed on evil bay earlier EBay is getting a bit ridiculous with their fee structure so I thought I'd see what's available elsewhere first. Thought that I'd see if any of our POG friends had spares that they wanted to part with, Al has been sold out on these. They are the standard length aluminum engine braces. I'll measure them up tomorrow and post.
Thanks - Cal

Looking for a se of aluminum engine braces (left and right) for a 75 Penton Jackpiner project.
Thanks - Cal Alexander

I'd go with .003"

By the way, get some exhaust springs for the cone on the end of the exhaust. Someone has monkey rigged some bolts to hold the cone on. Al Buehner at Penton Parts USA has the springs that you need.

That's a beautiful early 1973 survivor. In March of 73 Penton started releasing a much sought after Six Day with an MX tank and plastic fenders. Those of us in the MX game on the West Coast at the time all wanted one of these. I had an earlier Six Day with the toaster tank and aluminum fenders but what we really wanted is the version that you have. My guess is that your bike was made sometime between March and September 1973. Very nice survivor and a true piece of Motocross history.

There is no discernible performance difference between a 74 1/2 and 75 Mint. Just small changes with the chain guide, brake stay etc. My experience at the Ahrma events is that they pretty much focus on suspension travel for this era of bikes. Unless your Ahrma official is a Penton aficionado they won't know the difference as the 74 1/2 and 75 bikes are identical suspension and performance wise. Penton and KTM didn't pay much attention to model years. John Penton wanted the latest and greatest innovations and best equipment on all of his bikes. They would make upgrades continually during a model year. That's what endeared Penton to so many of us in the early 1970's.

Here's my two cents worth from somebody who has enjoyed these bikes for the past 50 years. I have a 74 1/2 Mint 400 and a 75 250 (original owner). The main difference between the two is the rear brake stay, chain guard and motor supports. The early Mints used the older steel version and in 75 switched to the updated slotted Aluminum brake stays and motor supports, the chain guide was also eliminated on the 1975 model with the updated rear brake stay. There were no frame changes between the two years and no suspension changes. It's possible late in the year KTM updated the suspension but I've never seen an original 1975 model with anything but Ceriani front and rear suspension. As for the vintage class, most races I've attended will allow you to run your 74 with the shocks in the upright position, sometimes they will also measure the travel and use a spacer to limit it to 3 inches. Hope this helps. Welcome to the POG Jaan, I live close by in Utah if you run into any questions or issues with your bike.

Carl yes those are definitely Penton Trials (Wassell) fenders. I would be interested in acquiring them if you don't have plans for them. I think I have another Trials restoration or two left in me.
- Cal Alexander

Just heard the sad news that our dear friend and longtime POG member Ron Carbaugh passed away last evening. Ron touched many of us in the Penton Owners Group with his friendship, knowledge and generosity. He was never too busy to advise on a project, locate hard to find parts or share a story from his many years in Motorsports as a racer and a business executive. Ron is survived by his wife Chris. Rest in Peace our friend!

I think I have one. Will be back to my shop by December 12th. I'll do some digging and let you know.

Just to build on Dale's feedback a little, one of the bikes I restored was frame W 185 ST. It had a Sachs B motor on it that appeared to be original to the bike. Some of the components like the chain oiler and foot pegs were slightly different than the later bikes. Frame #185 is the earliest one I've see so far.

I've read up quite a bit on the Wassell's having owned and restored five so far. Also had some discussions with Ted Wassell's grandson Tyler about his grandfather's trials adventure. From what I gathered the Wassell Trials were made in one production run spanning from 1972 to early 1973. About 1000 bikes were made with about 700 sold in the US, 200 in Canada and 100 in the UK. All of the bikes originally came with the Sachs Alloy 6 speed B motors until the infamous article in I believe Dirt Bike which criticized Mr Penton's Trials Bike with its MX engine. At that point several bikes were converted to the Sach A cast iron cylinder motors and their hard to get Sachs B motors used on Penton Six Day bikes. They are definitely interesting bikes and beautiful to look at making them highly desired in today's collectors world.