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Looking for the jetting for a 1976 MC 5 250.  36 or 38mm?

This year the US team is going to Zschopau, Germany for the 2026 Enduro Vintage Trophy race.  I decided to give up my team spot and I am going to be riding as an individual.  I am changing classes this year going from the B2 to the B3 class.  Being that it is the 50 year aniverary of owning my 250, I thought it would be appropriate to ride it in this year's event.  We have a large team this year with 25 riders!  I am honored to be representing the US again and being on a great team.

If anyone has any interest in helping support my effort on going to Germany, please contact me by my email address: [email protected]

I will be updating any new information as times goes on, thanks!

My Race at This Year's EVT, Kielce, Poland 2025

Wow!  What a way to spend two weeks.  The people, culture, and food were off the charts.  We were able to see how the country went from power and great castles to being ruled under communism, to transforming itself into the vibrant society it is today.  I didn't exactly get the race results that I hoped for going into the race, but, as we all know, that's racing.......  So, this year we (Leslie and I) got there five days ahead of the start of the event to be better prepared.  Last year we got there two days before the race, and it wasn't enough time to walk all the tests and get familiar with the area.
Registration and Tech: both went very smoothly.  The hosting club was well organized and made registration painless.  The tech inspection was a little different.  We had designated times to go through tech, but when I got there, there were about 30-40 bikes waiting to go through.  The club decided to have only one team inspecting the bikes and that team seemed to like talking to everyone.  So, the process was slow, really slow.  Once my turn came around, everything went smoothly.  They checked my helmet and body amour for the correct tags and the bike got several parts marked for future inspections throughout the race.  A first for me was that they weighed the bikes before impounding. Done, in the Parc Ferme, ready to race the next day. 
Day One; Short day, a timed acceleration test and then they allowed us to pre-ride the tests for a total of 40km.  As I pushed my bike to the start from the Parc Ferme, the thought is always there, will the bike start withing the one minute allowed?  Yes, one kick and I was off.  The day went okay, bike ran well, and I had a good ride.  I had a 20-minute work period after the ride which was enough time to go over everything on the bike.  The day ended back in the Parc Ferme. 
Day Two; The first long day; 130km. Six tests to ride.  Again, one kick and I was off, all good.  Ran the first test with a smile on my face.  Got to the second test, and the bike started over revving; and air leak.  I didn't want to stop so I kept going.  It was one of the longest days in my life!  Trying to ride tests and some knarly transfers with a bike that started to over rev every time I let off the throttle, was not fun.  At one of the water crossings the water was front wheel deep, and I took in some water, the bike stalled.  Getting off the bike, my boots immediately filled with water as I pushed the bike up onto dry land. Are we having fun yet?  I started getting my tools out, trying to remain calm, wondering if I was going to finish the day.  Somehow, I got the bike going and continued on.  I finished the day completely fried.  Once back at the pits for my 20-minute work period I decided that either I fix the bike here and now, or I wasn't going to ride day three.  Turns out, the boot between the carb and the motor failed and kept sliding off the manifold.  The boot only had nine hours use on it.  The previous one had two years on it, go figure.  I didn't have another one, so I decided to turn the boot around, so the bad side was against the carb.  I took a 10-minute penalty getting into the Parc Ferme. 
Day Three: Started on time, one kick.  I rode the first test, and the boot started leaking. The second test was close by, so I rode that one too.  After which I decided not to continue riding another day like yesterday.  I went back to the pits to take the boot off the bike and go searching for a new one.  Lucky for me the supervisor of the Paddock, Robert stopped by and offered to help.  Twenty minutes later he returned with a piece of automotive hose that was the right diameter! I put the bike back together and made it to ride the last test of the day.  Even though I took a 60-minute penalty, I was allowed to continue.
Day four; The final test on the MX course.  Bike started on the first kick and off I went.  It was unfortunate that the club decided to put myself and another 175 in a class of 250's. The course was fast and had elevation.  Not exactly ideal for my 175.  Having all the penalty points I had the last gate pick; way on the outside.  The gate dropped, I got off the line well, was mid pack in the fist turn, moved up to 5th place for a short time but I couldn't maintain the speed against the 250's, so I started falling back faster than a stone on water.  Our team did okay, everyone had a good time.  After the race, we packed up the container and said goodbye to everyone. Another year, another country, another race.  Next year's race is in Zschopau, Germany at the end of September.  Will you be there?
And finally, I would like to thank all my supporters, sponsors, and those who wished me well for this event.  Throughout the two weeks I was there, I thought about all of you many times.  Your help has been greatly appreciated. To Suzy, you have no idea how appreciative I am for all you have done for myself and the rest of the team before, during and after the race.  Your knowledge of the event, your contacts around the world, and your patience to respond to the million questions I asked leading up the race is over the top!  To the support crews that got up at the butt crack of dawn every morning to get out to your check point on time for us.  How you helped each of the riders as much as you were allowed to, and the help to keep us on time.   Lastly, to my beautiful wife Leslie.  With your support and help to prepare me for this event, the work you did during the event and keeping me from getting too crazy in my helmet is off the charts.  You, and the others that manned the check points kept all of us going throughout each day.  Your dedication to your task, your attention to all the details, I'm so proud of what you did not just for me, but the rest of the team as well.  And to my fellow teammates, thanks for supporting an old guy that is just trying to have some fun riding a dirt bike internationally.  A toast, to all of you!

As part of my fundraiser for this year's event, I have these really nice patches for $10.  Please PM me for details.  Thanks for your support!

I will again be riding in this year's event being held in Poland starting August 5th.  I will be part of the club team "Team USA Club" riding my 1977 175 GS-6.  The total US will have a total of four teams competing this year.  My bike prep is well underway, as is my fitness program.  I am looking forward to racing there, and seeing many of the people I met last year.  I will keep everyone posted along the way.

I wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year.  I hope everyone stays healthy and gets the bikes and parts they are wihing for. 

You have done an amazing job over the years which is greatly appreciated!  Thank you.

Thanks Al!  They look awesome!

Great information, thanks!

1976 Penton 250 MC-5

Back on the market, former deal didn't work out

I am selling this rebuilt 250 MC-5.  I started out prepping this bike to go to Italy, but then the FIM came out with a notice that MX model bikes would not be allowed to enter the EVT race.  So, I put this bike aside and built a GS model for the race.  I put a couple of hours on the bike to be sure everything is working as it should, it runs strong, feels good.  It is ready to race MX or Cross Country or just to trail ride.  It's a 250 Penton, do I need to say more?  So, this is what has been done to the bike:
Steering bearings cleaned, and re-packed
Swing arm bearings cleaned and fresh oil
Swing arm has mounts for center stand
Wheels have new tires, tubes, and brake shoes, front and rear
New chain and sprockets
Motor bottom end has new bearings and seals. Top end new re-bore at 72mm with a new Wisco piston.
12-volt Motoplat ignition
New cables
Mikuni carb
New Magura 314 throttle
New Magura grips
Lights hooked up
New air filter
Forks; 35mm Marzocchi with new oil and double seals
Shocks; rebuilt Marzocchi with 12mm shafts
New fenders front and rear
Bark busters
Asking price $4,450

Yes. A good newsletter and enjoyed reading Dane's piece.


Your welcome!  And thank you for all you help!  So greatly appreciated!  It was fun artile to write.

James, thanks for taking the time to write such a fun article about your trip to Italy. What an adventure! Great job!

Nicely done Al!  You did a great job on the piece on Dane!  Thanks for all you do here, and for the group!

Really?  thanks for letting me know!  Hope all is well..

James,

I may be wrong - but I think the post Paul put of FB regarding Al's health was a repost from 2022.  I re-read it a couple times and thats what I concluded.

Thanks,

Kevin

Jim, can you email about this?  [email protected]

If you still have it for sale in February I'll drive down to Florida to purchase it

Anyone have any info on how he is doing?