Messages

I am so excited to be able to be there. When asked by a friend why I was going to the 50th anniversary party, I replied that John Penton and his creation, the Penton Motorcycle, really defines my whole life time dirt bike experience. In 1968 I was racing a DT1 Yamaha enduro in the Michigan, Ohio and other midwest events (owned the first DT1 imported into Michigan). I remember vividly at the Jack Pine that year a little bike screaming and passing me and afterwards I asked the other riders "what was that?" The answer - the new Penton Six Day!!! I had to have one and got mine soon afterwards. I entered the Berkshire International 2 day in 1971 and had the joy of riding with John, Jack, Paul and many others that weekend. I was one of about 26 riders out of the about 125 riders in the 125cc class that started and finished the first day. The next year I moved to the Ozarks and put the bikes in the barn. I didn't touch a bike for 38 years, then in 2000, my son asked me to get the bike in the barn running so he could ride it when he came home from college that summer. He found the POG site and I called Al Buehner to figure out what I needed to get my 6 day running again. He was excited that I had a 6 day from the day, and said that I needed to come to Mid-Ohio and be part of a parade with John Penton leading the parade. I saw him with a Penton flag leading a single line of bikes in a parade around the compound. I was excited. Rosemary and I bought camping gear and headed for Mid-Ohio. The parade turned out to be a Motocross race. I was lined up with a 20+ year old on a 250cc Penton and a 40+ year old on a Mint 400 on either sides of me. I was wearing farmer boots, jeans and a helmet i found from somewhere. Someone looked at the original 40 year old cracked tires that were on my 1970 Six day and said "be careful on the jumps". JUMPS? This is supposed to be a parade lap!!!!! The rubber band snapped and we were off. My goal - to stay upright for one lap. After one lap, my arms were shot but I was still upright, so let's try another lap. The next lap went better so lets try another lap. Then I was passing people, wow, this is really fun!!! At the end of the Penton parade lap/Race (which John was not in!!!), I ended up 22 out of 27 guys and I was HOOKED!!! Racing was in my blood!!!! Over the the next 17 years I enjoyed racing the AHRMA cross country and motocross series and the MOVMX series on Penton motorcycles!!!! I have met an incredible number a wonderful people during these years. I want to thank John for all that he has done to create an environment for us to have so much fun. God bless you John, and I know He has.

I probably have one that I could sell.

Gee, I put a 38mm Mikuni on mine and then bored it out to 40mm. It had a 38mm Bing, but the Bings don't seem to last a whole season without having to buy another slide. The Bings breathe better than the Mikunis so that is why I made it bigger.

Hey, it was a stroke of genius to put that 80's KTM seat on TOP of the existing Penton seat!!! The problem was I had the original seat remade 10 years ago to show off the bike at the Reunion Ride in the Berkshires in 2003. It looked great but I didn't know enough about seat making and the foam that was used is so soft that the seat squishes down to practically the frame when you sit on it. So sticking another seat on top of it and holding it on with bungee cords worked great!!! My knees thanked me all weekend long!!!

I love going to Barber!!! I love the CC course, which used to be too tight but has improved as of late, and I really like the grass (dirt) track for the MX. I got to start right next to Dave Aldena last year - what a thrill. He did get the hole shot, but I was right behind him. I think he is 65, hard to keep up with those young guys!!! I will go early and save you (AL B./POG) a space at the side of my open trailer behind our motor home in the off-road pit area if nothing else opens up for you. Teddy

Got 'em on my Mint 400 and Hare Scrambler - I feel they made a big difference.

I built my "rocket ship" Mint 400 using a 1972 non HB Piner frame to save weight. Never weighed the frame, just always heard they were lighter. Of course the JP Morgen reed valve job and the 1981 495 "snake pipe" and the bored out to 40mm Mikuni carb probably made more difference in making it a hole shot wizard than the weight of the frame. Wanna drag? Teddy

Thanks guys. Rosemary is hoping they made a video also. Who was the guy showing the pictures at the banquet? We should be able to get pictures from him right? Teddy

It was a most wonderful weekend and it was glorious to finish the Berkshire after 42 years on the same Penton steel tanker Six Day. I bought my steel tanker new in January 1971, I was 29 years old. In the 1971 Bershire International Two Day Trial, there were 129 riders entered in the 125cc class and only 29 of us finished the first day which was 195 miles long. Midway through the second day, my arms had turned to marshmellows and I had to call it a day for safeties sake. I guess sitting at a desk all week long, every week, didn't properly prepare me for a two day enduro. After the adrenaline stopped flowing, I couldn't turn the key in the ignition of the car for two days, Rosemary drove us back to Ann Arbor, Michigan across Canada.

I thought it would be a great idea (even though everyone told me not to do it) to ride the weekend on the same bike I rode in 1971. It still has the orange paint on the major components that were put on it at tech inspection in 1971 before putting the bike in the impound. I felt like a tortoise last weekend, but the goal was to finish and the Penton did the job. Now I can retire the bike - I put the medal on the bike in the barn!!!

Rosemary was in her element at the banquet, she had a great time. She did a terrific job of putting together collages of pictures on large posterboard from 1971, 1973, 2003 etc. I think there were 10 posterboards in all. Thank you for all the appreciation that you gave her. Teddy

Thanks guys. Rosemary is hoping they made a video also. Who was the guy showing the pictures at the banquet? We should be able to get pictures from him right? Teddy

It was a most wonderful weekend and it was glorious to finish the Berkshire after 42 years on the same Penton steel tanker Six Day. I bought my steel tanker new in January 1971, I was 29 years old. In the 1971 Bershire International Two Day Trial, there were 129 riders entered in the 125cc class and only 29 of us finished the first day which was 195 miles long. Midway through the second day, my arms had turned to marshmellows and I had to call it a day for safeties sake. I guess sitting at a desk all week long, every week, didn't properly prepare me for a two day enduro. After the adrenaline stopped flowing, I couldn't turn the key in the ignition of the car for two days, Rosemary drove us back to Ann Arbor, Michigan across Canada.

I thought it would be a great idea (even though everyone told me not to do it) to ride the weekend on the same bike I rode in 1971. It still has the orange paint on the major components that were put on it at tech inspection in 1971 before putting the bike in the impound. I felt like a tortoise last weekend, but the goal was to finish and the Penton did the job. Now I can retire the bike - I put the medal on the bike in the barn!!!

Rosemary was in her element at the banquet, she had a great time. She did a terrific job of putting together collages of pictures on large posterboard from 1971, 1973, 2003 etc. I think there were 10 posterboards in all. Thank you for all the appreciation that you gave her. Teddy

I rode one on my Piner in 2001. It was a Lynn Burton organized AMA Dual Sport ride in Arkansas. Other than the Reunion Rides, it was the most fun I have had on a bike.

I rode one on my Piner in 2001. It was a Lynn Burton organized AMA Dual Sport ride in Arkansas. Other than the Reunion Rides, it was the most fun I have had on a bike.

You guys and gals are great!!!! I couldn't get anything done yesterday for all the emails, phone calls, text messages, cards in the mail, etc. It was trully overwhelming. Thank you so much.

The TURP operation, to trim down the size of my prostate, last month has made an enormous change for the better in my health. All fall, when I was having to go to bed to sleep in the afternoon and was light headed all the time, we thought my malaise was caused by the after effects of the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever because everybody who has had RMSF has said that it is the way they felt for months/years/forever after getting RMSF. However, when we discovered in December that my kidneys were failing and checked out the retained urine in my bladder after peeing, I was carrying over a liter of pee in my  bladder and it had backed up and didn't allow my kidneys to clean my blood. My bladder was extended and my kidneys were swollen. After the surgery, I lost 9 pounds in a week as my body eliminated all the backed up toxins. I feel great now and am almost back to a normal schedule, I am still sleeping more each night than a year ago before all this happened.
 
I can't wait to hop on my Pentons again and have fun with you all. Rosemary and I received more Christmas cards from our bike friends than from our relatives and non-bike friends!!! What a special group of people you are and then this outpouring of love on my birthday beats all!!! Rosemary made me wear a badge yesterday to work that said "I'm not 70!!! I'm 18 with 52 years of experience." One of my co-workers said that it was not true, he said I was 16 with 54 years of experience. I do feel 16 except when I have to run up and down the stairs a few times!!!

We are looking forward to seeing you all sometime this year.

Love,

Teddy

I sure enjoyed this video until about the 8th minute!!!!!! I guess the inside was faster than the outside in that corner!!!