Messages

Cool looking dirtbike, Dirtbike!!! I cannot wait to see it when you have finished putting it back together. How is the cold weather treating you over there? Got that time to finish up your pojects, I bet.
Every once in awhile I see some new or nice looking KTM bodywork on Ebay for the late 70's thru the early 80's. I try to scarf it up just to piss other people off!! Haaaaaa. I am bad. Not too many Pentons or early KTM bike here in Florida. I come across a few every once in awhile. I wish I knew more people here who rode them.

Keep us posted on the ride, Dude!!!
Ed

71 Suzuki TM400,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX,89 KTM 250EXC, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Mike....oooops i left out the i in my e-mail.
 it is [email protected]

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey, Mike. I saw you bid on my bodywork. Yes, this is a 79 KTM 250. I checked the numbers for the  sixth or seventh time here on the POG group and elswere to be sure as my bike came with the Acerbis tank and Preston Petty fender(front) and M.Robert rear number fender when it was new. This at first got me confused also. The frame is a 79 and the motor numbers say it is a 250 vintage 79. Unless the POG site info is wrong. I had several Penton and KTM people who I sent my numbers to tell me this is what it was also. Email me tonight at home at
[email protected]  with your e-mail address and I will give you the vin and motor # of of it. This way there will be no mistake. Like I said, I was told this is a 79. I hope it is as I have had it for over 6 years and it was running until the motor started some high pitched screaming one cold winter day!!! It never locked up and just amkes a small grinding noise now when I turn it over. So I know it needs a rebuild for sure..just never wanted to look at it as all my other bikes run and cost a bunch to maintain. I just parked it and used it as a parts bike whenever I needed something which was only a few times thank goodness!!

  Seeeyaaa for now.   Ed T.


71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey everyone. I see there are 79 KTM 250 parts on Ebay Get them while you can.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey, Steve, it's Ed again. Check with Vintage Dirt Bike. I think it is //www.vintagedirtbike.com . They rebuild stators and do a good job also. Maybe he can give you some advice. Don't buy a used one unless you are sure of the person you buy it from. I think they charge right ar $170.00 to rebuild yours and give you 6 months warn. on it as well.
 I hope this helps you out!!!    Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Shaun, hello. Welcome to the site. I too am sorry for the loss of your father so many years ago. He did what he must have loved to do until that fateful day. Be proud of him for that. I hope you have many great memories of your father.
Please try to see if anybody in your family has any photos of your dad racing or working on a bike or hanging out at the track (unless you already asked). This site will be proud to have some photos of your dad racing his beloved Penton.
Look on Ebay and check all the photos here and ask other members to send photos of the early 70's 125-175 Pentons to see if you see the bike your dad rode back then. I still have a couple of the bikes I owned from way back and they are not original anymore. I changed things to make them faster and lighter (plastic tanks and wider fenders). Some people back then also repainted their bikes from the original factory paint. Your dad might have done this also. There was no rules for this in the 70's that I knew of as alot of people I knew put different stripes and decals on their bikes and changed colors. I am sure that some classes might not have been allowed to do this but I am not sure of it. A lot of people got into the 'Works' look in the 70's and raced this way.

   Seeeyaaa for now.    Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Shaun, hello. Welcome to the site. I too am sorry for the loss of your father so many years ago. He did what he must have loved to do until that fateful day. Be proud of him for that. I hope you have many great memories of your father.
Please try to see if anybody in your family has any photos of your dad racing or working on a bike or hanging out at the track (unless you already asked). This site will be proud to have some photos of your dad racing his beloved Penton.
Look on Ebay and check all the photos here and ask other members to send photos of the early 70's 125-175 Pentons to see if you see the bike your dad rode back then. I still have a couple of the bikes I owned from way back and they are not original anymore. I changed things to make them faster and lighter (plastic tanks and wider fenders). Some people back then also repainted their bikes from the original factory paint. Your dad might have done this also. There was no rules for this in the 70's that I knew of as alot of people I knew put different stripes and decals on their bikes and changed colors. I am sure that some classes might not have been allowed to do this but I am not sure of it. A lot of people got into the 'Works' look in the 70's and raced this way.

   Seeeyaaa for now.    Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Tom...this is your boss. Get to work!!!
Good job on this product, Tom. I just got some to use on one of my old steel Yamaha MX tanks that I forgot I had up in the attic. The Paint is near mint still but the insides were a little crusty in a couple of spots. This works GREAT!!!!!
I used 'Rustol' on my spokes on my spare KTM rear wheel spokes and it made them look like new again. I put a light oil coating on them when I did this last summer and the spokes still look great. I thought I was going to have to buy some spokes and lace them up again but did not have to. Plus, I can use the Rustol again. I have never used it on a tank before. Has anyone out there used it before on a gas tank?

 Seeeyaaa for now.    Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey, Steve!! No problem. You had me scratching my head alot. I looked all over for my 76 RM owners manual and repair manual to read what it says about the primary kick. I could not find them. So I must have lost them. So...got to buy some more and they are needed. So if you had not brought that up I would still think I had the manuals. So I thanks you also.
 I do hope you get that beast of yours running!!! I am waiting to find out why you are having this problem. There are a great many good people on this site. Not all of us own Pentons and nobody seems to mind. I do know this...as soon as my wife gets her new car (maybe next year)I want to get another Penton.
Take care,Steve and keep us informed about the Husky, ok?          Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey, Steve. I am back from riding. I asked my buddy, Mark about your problem. He said try another coil first(known good one) to see if it will spark going front wards only. The stator if good and no exposed wires or damaged, should give a spark in the forward direction. If not, then there is a bad wire or ground. Mark, as Scott says, If the stator has wires with a diode attached (on some older stators) try checking the diode. Take the stator down to an electrical shop and have them check it out as I did. Then you will know for sure if it is bad.
 My 79 KTM has no diode in the wires that I can see and your 84 should not either as far as I know as it is much newer. I had the stator replaced last summer since it had weak spark and the coil was good. Now there are people who can rebuild these starors I found out early this year.
I did what you mentioned about the primary kick... I went out just now and put all my bikes in second gear and pulled in the clutch handles and I can kick over the bikes. I have resistance on all of the bikes except the KTM as it is torn down awaiting my new piston and ring set(some day it will come in). I bought my 76 RM about 5 years ago and have put in another tranny and crank/kicker twice in the past four years. This is what happens when a friend borrows your stuff!! Unless I put it together with some older stuff it can be kicked over when I pull in the clutch. Go out and try yours for me.
 Hope you get it running. Husky's are great even the newer ones!!

   Many regards.   Ed T.


71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Hey, Rocket, thanks for the advice on the Penton clutch/primary kick. I have been riding for almost 38 years and as far as I know, I have never owned a bike from the 70's (Japenese) I could not start in gear. I have not owned a Penton since 1975(it's hell getting old) and do not remember if I could start it in gear or not. I had to sit down and talk to some of my old riding buddies and they could not remember either. I have never stalled my KTM in this great Florida sand and muck yet to see if I could do so either. Right now I have the motor apart waiting for my new piston and ring set. But I am curious about it now....

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Yes, the infamous TDC to run in reverse. Steve, I can say this for you about the spark you are looking for. Check your shaft/key on the stator and make sure it has not worn down (even a little bit). A stator is of course nothing like a set of points but it works sort of like it. Another thing I would do and put on a known good coil and try it again. The bike sounds like it is timed for TDC if it is sparking while  pushing backwards. But you say it is rotating the correct way(way of the arrow).Kick it over again several times and watch the way it turns and make sure it is only going one way. Also push it forwards and watch for spark (even weak spark). Do something else...hold in the clutch handle and kick it over to see if it does spark. Yeah, go ahead and laugh about this but I know of one guy who did this to get his bike started up. I laughed at him when I told him to do it and so did several of my friends. This was his first bike (used) and he bought it with out hearing it run. Well, it fired up after he pulled in the clutch. Some safty feature on his old Kawasaki.  Also, Put it in gear and try it. Some bikes back in the old days (vintage Desert racers on deep dunes)had their bikes set up so they could set it a TDC and kick it over and back out of some real deep sand. Some racers who reaced in the winter time did this too. My older Yamaha golf cart motor runs in reverse when I turn the key in the opposite direction.
 If you do not have one..go out and get a service manual for your bike. Nobody who owns a bike should be without one. This is the best way to learn and understand about this bike you own. Even if you are the worlds best builder buy one and keep it if not for you, then for whoever you sell the bike to later on.
 This week I will be at a friends house in Deltona, Fl who is one of the best builders of two strokes  I know at this point in time. He has built some of my TZ and RV and RG500 motors for my older road racers. I will see him on Wednesday and ask him about your problem. I tried to call him today but his wife said he is helping a friend set up the cycle shop and he will be back Tuesday late. What a way to get some time away from the wife!!!
 Well, can anybody else help us out here? I will get back to you, Steve.   Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

John, thanks so  much for taking the time to shoot the photos and share them with us. I have asked many times for photos on this site. It was worth the wait to see some good old vintage bikes out there still running full steam ahead!!!! Brings back so many good times for me!!! I hope everybody here can get the same feeling as I do when I see the photos!!!

    Seeeyaaa for now.    Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

Ok, guys. I too have a lot of bikes with plastic and 'glass tanks and have owned them all for years. I never had a 'glass tank 'rot' from pump or race gas. I had a plastic one yellow from age before but it still works great!!
 One thing I do is drain the tanks if I am not using the bikes for awhile. Another thing I do is us a product called Stabil (I think that is spelled right)which helps to keep the gas from going bad. I have been using it for several years and it has not harmed my tanks or the mixture of race gas I use either. I use it in my lawn equipment also and it works great. You people in real cold weather states know about cold and 'glass I am sure.
 I never had one of my old Penton 'glass tanks go bad and none of my old race buddies had any problems with theirs except for crashing one and messing up a tank. So if the tank has gas in it and you let it sit for awhile use some Stabil in it. This also cleans out the carbs as I never had to clean out a carb when the bike sits up for awhile. Make sure you run the bike and shut it off with gas in the carb with Stabil in the tank if you are going to let it sit for a short period. If yo are going to let it sit for a lot longer then you can run the bike and turn off the gas and let the carb run empty then spray some WD40 in the carb. I love nothing more than being able to come out to my garage and fire up a bike with one or two kicks after the bike has been sitting for awhile. This is a good feeling. WD40 is good for that 'glass tank after it is drained and will be sitting for awhile also by the way!!
 I hope this helps out somebody out there. I have ' Been there done that' as the expression goes.

  Ride hard,fast and safe, dudes!!
      Ed T.  Sunshine Florida Rider.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.

The coil is bad? Take it out and try another in it's place. The stator is bad? Go to
 www. vintagedirtbike.com. They rebuild stators (send yours to them) for about $176.00. At least you know you will have one in about a week to ten days.

 I hope this helps out.     Ed T.

71 Suzuki TM400,72 Suzuki TS400 Desert racer,76 Suzuki RM250,74 Yamaha MX360,79 KTM 250MX, 87 Yamaha FZRR750 X-endurance racer #112.