What on Earth Has Happened to Larry Perkins???

[DKWRACER]

I don't know, would someone in the know, please explain it to me how a man, who has made so many contributions, ever decide to bow out, it does not make sense to me....I can understand "death in the family", "personal financials", "desires from the heart", "a feeling of accomplishment"...he has always communicated with me on an even keel, I fear the departure of one of the Penton Family

[firstturn]

To Everyone:
I am not speaking for Larry, but have spoken to him since his decision to sell his equipment.
(1) Larry is my friend and always will be.
(2) Larry does well on the internet and will continue to do well until everything is gone.
(3) Some of us know that owning your own business, racing and being a great source for parts(for many restorers and racers) has to get old.  I feel that this may be a down stream effect of all this time and effort.

I am posting this only as a friend and in my opinion no other response is necessary unless Larry feels he needs to repeat what he has already stated.

Ron Carbaugh

[tlanders]

I miss Larry at the races!!! He is a terrific rider. I remember the picture he brought to Mid Ohio two years ago of him FLYING through the air on his MC5 at an AHRMA post vintage national in Pennsylvania (I think). You couldn't even see the ground in the picture he was so high up off the ground.

We miss you Larry but understand.

Teddy

[Larry Perkins]

He has left the building.

I respond to this only because it has been brought to my attention that there are people that don't understand what I am doing.  This is long and drawn out so click on by if it bores or if I have already alienated you.  I hope this won't alienate others as it is not my intention.  I am doing it so that people have a chance to understand and lessons can be learned from the losing of a member.  Hopefully I will learn too as I am the biggest loser in the whole mess.

First off Tom, I am really not very even keeled when something gets the better of me.  Just ask Ron.  He probably remembers back in "The Day" when I got in AMA trouble for taking out a pro in a first corner incident that was a buddy because I felt like he pushed me around on the track and didn't respect my right to a line.  I can be a hothead but it is usually after I feel like I took hits again and again.  That is a little bit the case here.  I am also thin skinned and have a soft heart so I get my feelings hurt easily.  Not very manly but that it me none the less.  

When I first came to the Vintage parts business I was fairly familiar because I had managed Penton parts and others about thirty years previous.  I have always been a go getter shoot high guy.  This attitude seems to always rattle cages as it did here in Pentonia.  It was a different place then and not near as many people and few to none re-made things.  

Anyway here was a new guy with alot of parts that no one knew were there and some from an inventory that had alot of cream things that several people had tried to buy for years.  Well the new guy hunted high and low and figured an angle that bought the cool inventory and I think some of the uppers at POG weren't all that happy initially. That was the initial feeling I got like, Who do you think you are? How good could the new guy be anyway because he sold stuff on ebay.  And he called himself The Penton Man.  If I had been Al at that time I would have felt like someone was going to get some $$ that would have come my way.  Anyway the cool reception was expected but was slight #1.  I of course said nothing.

In 2000 at the ISDT Reunion I had a parts booth set up and made good sales.  It was just about 4 hours from home so bringing a bunch of stuff was easy.  Al was there as were several key POG people but because it was so far Al was not selling.  He did trade me a Penton banner for some parts.  I remember him saying several times, Oh you have these, and it would be something I had forty or fifty of or like shift rubbers which then I had 600 of.  He talked about some re-make stuff he was thinking of doing and I offered to split expenses on anything if it made it more feasible to do.  He sort of shined me and to this day the offer was never taken and the rumor mill says that he and Forrest Stahl are making the 175 pistons happen.  I felt small slights with each and every one of the re-made things.  More from wanting to be on the in than financially.  I said nothing to anyone out of my own house.

2001 I decide to race the National Series and take a huge load to Mid-Ohio.  I got livid when I heard that Al and the POG display would be right with each other.  This seemed VERY unfair but a couple of people explained that was the way it had been so I felt slighted and only moaned to a very few close friends.  My booth did very well even though it was on the back 40 but I knew if I was sitting right with the POG I would have made a wad more.  It irked me enough to stay home from Mid-Ohio the next year and that week I jammed stuff on ebay to make about the same profit as the year before.

At the POG display many owners had bikes on display and best of each displacement and other awards were given.  I was displaying my 1974 250 that I called "The Rocket".  It was a beautiful bike completely redone with a hand built pipe and silencer.  There were no other 250 bikes on display.  No 250 award was given.  Maybe an oversight but to me it felt like a slight.  I won Over 40 Intermediate at Mid-Ohio on that bike which has nothing to do with this but I am still proud of that.

2001 I ended up winning 3 Intermediate Natinal Championships, two in MX and one in Cross Country.  For a year in print and verbally I heard Al go on and on about the Expert Championships of Gary Roach and Kevin Brown.  I mean to take nothing away from these guys.  They are Great Guys and can blow me away.  But I felt like each of us on Pentons that won championships were equal.  The POG is just now speaking of exposing Pentons to youth.  Two National Champions that year on Pentons were under 18.  Chad Danik, Paul Danik's son and Jesse Livingston, my girlfriend's son.  No one went on and on about them or what I was stoked about three titles for me and one for Jesse-4 in the same house.  Yeah I felt slighted and was given the impression that to be in the in you had to win one and be an expert.

I quit racing for a year over that slight, not that there were not other things that weighed into that decision just as there is with this one.  When I did come back to race I had sold all my going bikes and found a going Husky 125 here in town.  From the moment I raced that Husky I caught hell on the POG and in person about not being on a Penton.  Some of it was in fun but some had the You Traitor tone especially after taking a 2nd on it at Mid-Ohio.  I loved Pentons but I did not have one at the moment.  I mumbled but did not moan.  But I caved to the pressure and sold it to build a 125 Penton.  I hate to be a bubble burster but the Husky 125 is a better MXer than the Sachs powered Penton. Which is neither here nor there.  

Then new people came that knew nothing of all this tivial history and they wanted the website to change to be more convienent for them.  I don't know if this was actually that many people but the powers that be or at least the computer packers began to move in that direction.  It only made sense to me that if you allowed venders to show their product that it would benefit the repro stuff the most as NOS is only around so long.  It was also obvious that the person that had the most to gain by this was the holder of most of the repro items.  That path led to two houses with a single door.  I already went into feeling like I was shut out of Carl and Al's tie together and on the repro stuff in my last posting.  So I won't go there other than to say it felt like a poke too.

This seemed like one more unfair advantage and I was locked out again.  This time I complained, though.  Even though I knew it would cause me grief.  I was told that this was not the place to air out politics.  Where would be?  I can't vote on a proposal or vote into office someone that might do different.  It seemed like I was being told to be quiet.  

To make matters worse I asked if this or some of the other things were what was best for the POG even if it unfairly benefitted or hurt one person.  Mike Husted was the only one that saw the warning signs of hard heads about to go the other way.  No one spoke up, took a stand yea or nea, seemingly no one cared because if it helped them how bad could it hurt me or help Al, he's a nice guy.  And he is.  

The end for me was a finger poke at a time and the last one was Al's message through Paul Danik.  I am sure he feels like he thought that message out well, but not so if you wanted me to stick around.  Paul called me the other night and said many nice things searching for a fix.  He said to me that no one from the POG ever intended me any grief.  I think my previous Byron quote suffices.  "Though the boys throw stones at the frogs in sport the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest."  I felt slighted and uncomfortable a step at a time till that grief, be it mental or real, combined with too many things to do, and not enough sleep sent me packing.  My Grandpa used to say if there are too many logs in your path it probably is the wrong path.  

There are no fixes that my journey down another path won't fix.  I will deal with different pokes but not these anymore and you won't have to listen to me ramble and moan.  And the whole thing can go on as if there were never anything wrong.  I do hope things are learned here so that I won't have something so special be ruined and you guys don't lose someone that helped a little and tried to make money along the way.  Like I said before I think I am the far bigger loser but I have washed my hands and looked the other way.

Now is the end of an era(Maybe Tom Cruise will play me in the movie).  One of the larger parts inventories and personal stashes is going into circulation.  My advice would be to start your own inventory to help supply your bikes as I think in the end there will be one main supplier and NOS parts will become more and more scarce but reproduction things will happen as long as the economy stays good and Vintage guys and gals continue to spend.  Buy what you think you might need.  It will help me and it will all be gone someday.  Perhaps sooner if my deal with Puerto Rico comes to pass.  If that happens it all goes to a collector there.  Buy while you can and your business is always appreciated.

I hope this explains better why I am packing it in.  Real or paranoia?  On purpose or accident?  It felt real and it does not matter hurt is hurt.  If I can help give me a call and I will try.  Enjoy! This is special.  It proves you can live twice.  Just don't let them change too much.  Like I told the Webmaster, Be careful of how much you improve something as they once improved motorcycles so much that we sit around thirty years later wishing it was "The Day".

Twere vain to speak, to weep, to cry.
Oh more than tears of blood can tell
When wept from guilts expiring eye
Are in the words Farewell, Farewell.

[CWilson]

Larry...after reading your post I've come away with two things; an appreciation for your honesty and candor and also sadness for the way things have turned out.

Craig Wilson

[swamp fox]

Larry,
I too feel a loss with this as well. If I hadn't, out of the blue, searched Ebay that fatefull day last January and seen your parts listed, I probably would not have had the pleasure of talking to you on the phone and finding out that many more people like me had been bringing their bikes out of mothballs and reliving their youth. I don't know why it took me so long, maybe it was just not having a need to hit the internet,  but it has been exhilarating with every part and piece of trivia that I have been able to accumulate. I would like to thank you for your help in getting my old bike out of the corner of the garage and back to a place of prominence. I hope you and yours will have a merry Chrismas. Thanks for all your help.


Robert Manucy
72 Berkshire

[tomale]

Larry,
It saddens me to see you go, but I too understand. I have experience a similar kind of thing but not with this group. Hurt is hurt as you put it and it does not matter whether some one intended harm or not. Sticks and stones may break my bones but word go right to the heart.
I for one wish to thank you for all that you have done to make pentons ridable once again.  
To bounce off something else you said:
Let us not forget and make the same mistakes again. I for one am grieved over what has become of motorcycle racing. It is no longer about the bike or men and women who race them it has become a side show for those who do not understand and have no more interest other than to sit in some grandstand and watch men flying through the air. How many more will be injured  or God forbid die. Why do Enduro's and trials events go unattended and supercross pack the house? We have allowed them to change us and for what? This is why I think that vintage racing is growing, because some of us remember when it was good and it was about the racing and not the selling of some ticket. We were willing to travel to a event because we understood the drama. We wanted to be apart of it. Is'nt this why we do this once more?
I remember the first time I saw Joel Robert. The track did not even have a built up jump. The coarse was so difficult that I tried to walk it after the event as I cleaned up the grounds. I could not and I marveled at the ability of thoses great men. By contast I laughed at the pro's as they battled the deap mud at that last world supercross.
Again Larry, Thankyou you will be missed.

Thom Green,I own and ride a 76 250 MC5 MX which I bought new.

[Gavin Housh]

I'd also like to thank Larry for his help in what ever questions I could throw at him about motor building. I've also purchased some parts from Larry off ebay, and they are always what they are represented as. I've found him to be a very friendly and an honest person, and these qualitys will serve him well in any log strewn path he chooses to follow. I had no idea that a rift was being formed between the two best sources for parts that we have in America. I guess I'm somewhat insulated from the goings on of the midwest here on the west coast. In any case it would be a great loss for Penton owners of America if these parts end up in Puerto Rico! Larry I totaly respect your decision to move in a different direction. As for the movie I dont think we can aford the $20,000,000 for Tom Cruise. Keep on truckin, just remember to keep the rubber side down. Gavin Housh

[ssfx]

Larry, I hate to see you go, but I understand the motivation. It seems that when a hobby, whether it is racing or selling vintage parts, is no longer fun it's time to find another hobby. Sure, some will argue that it is more than a hobby, and to some it is. But the bottom line is that it is supposed to be fun, remember fun...it's why most of us still ride and restore vintage bikes. I am sorry the fun is gone, and with it your knowledge and contributions. We all lose in this one. Maybe some more than others.

[Jeff D]

Larry,
To me at least, you will always be The Penton Man.  You are a fair and square dealer and a FAST guy on the track, and always with a big smile on race day.  There's a ton of Pentons around now that would still be sitting in barns or worse were it not for your help.  The various BMW motorcycle organizations have what they call "Friend of the Marque" awards for people who go above and beyond.  If such an award existed for Penton, you'd be a candidate.  I hope your path does not take you too far from the vintage tracks.
God bless and Merry Christmas to you and your family.


Jeff DeBell