Prototype History?

[Tony Price]

I heard to day that JP raced a 200cc Penton a couple of times.

Any one know anything about this bike?  Was it a sleeved down 250, and if so, know any of the details?

This would have been one cool displacement, and light years ahead of it's time.


Tony

[Doug Wilford]

Tony;    In all the searching through my memory banks, there is no recollection of JP riding a bike with the engine size that Penton never produced (ala 200)   I think your source was pulling one of those world renown "Texas Stories".   He gottcha!!

[Rocket]

I don't believe a 200 was ever made, mainly because in that time period, a 200 would have had to run in the 250 class.  In 1972, I had a 185 Suzuki, (I know, shame on me) and depending what club I was riding an event at, I sometimes ended up in the 250 class.  The 200 class didn't come into being until the early 80's when Kawasaki's and Yamaha's made 200's.
Just my thoughts,
Rocket

[firstturn]

Master Doug,
  Not my story(for once) and Rocket the early 185 Suzuki was, in my book, one of the most bullet proof bikes I have ever seen

Ron Carbaugh

[TGTech]

Rocket:

What was the Triumph Cub's displacement? Yes, there was a 175 class, but it was largely as a result of the European classes. Over here, in the Enduro series, there was a 200 class.

The second inception of the 200 class, was fostered by Kawaski. When Jack and I were running the True Sport team for Kawasaki, the Japanese engineers asked us, why there were 175's, when the class in American enduros, was actually 200 cc. In the Spring of 1981, they supplied us with some prototype cylinders that were built to be put on the KDX 175 bottom ends. The worked OK, but we felt that they needed to be stroked and have different pipes on them. so from that piece of information, yes, "JP" did ride a prototype 200, but it was Jack Penton and the motorcycle was a Kawasaki, not a KTM manufactured Penton.

In the Summer of 1982, I was asked to go to Telluride, Colorado, for testing of the prototype of the 1983 KDX 200. That was one  sweet motorcycle, and it incorporated many of the ideas that the True Sport team developed in 1980 and 1981.

Dane

[bentrims]

Thanks for the history Dane. Very cool story.
Tom Benolkin

[dkwkid]

Out here in District 37 desert there was a guy named Mark Adent who raced a DKW that was somewhere between 176-250cc.I dont know about the internals(stroke x bore)but he ran in the 250cc class.Rumor has it that he used a Suzuki 185 piston but I,m not sure.It won a few bets drag racing down fire roads on Saturdays before the race.I dont remember if the transmission held up or not.

[Paul Danik]

Mark Adent also has some history with Penton motorcycles.  I didn't get to know Mark during the qualifier series in 74, but then again there were a lot of riders trying to make the team,  Mark finished 12 th in the series standings on his Penton and made the US team for Italy. He rode what was listed as a 350 Penton in the Camerino event. Mark crashed on a road at high speed on the 4th day and DNFed.
That was Mark's only ISDT but he sure was a great guy, fast too!!!

  29 years later on a windswept hill in Mass. I see this beachboy surfer type guy with a big grin on his face and sure enough it was Mark, he had made the trip to the reunion ride.  He is still the same great guy.  I must admit, the fact that Mark's sister, who made the trip to Camerino, could have been a Baywatch star has nothing to do with the fact that I remembered Mark so well:D

If anyone has an interest in the history of the 1974 ISDT event they need to read Marsha McDonald's article in the Jan. 1975 issue of Cycle Illustrated, titled Elimination Day. Here is a quote she printed from Dane in his attempt to keep on Gold with his 100 Penton. " I rode harder than I ever have in my life.  I left the throttle on and never turned it off. I scared myself so many times I can't remember-and there was just no way I could do it."  Dane was in good company as the small bore machines were up against the wall in that event, and I mean that almost letterly as the mountains were quite steep and full of golfball size rocks.  

   Thanks dkwkid for mentioning Mark, I had to dig into the archives to get a bit of info but I always enjoy such an endever.
Paul

[smkt342]

And the 175 Kawi is a great bike too as Dane has told me.  I love mine.  I have Jack's 1980 Brioude France Six Day bike!  I'm going over it now, maybe have it ready to go for the two day qualifier in AR or at least for the ISDTR '05.

Keith Taylor

[olgoose]

Mark Adent was one heck of a racer. A fast dude that won many District 37 desert races,but looked like he should have been on the beach surfing. Mark was sponsored by Penton West for some time. He was an asset to our Penton race efforts with his many wins. The 1974 ISDT in Italy in which Mark rode, was my first Six Days also. It was an experience i will never forget. It was led that year by team manager Larry Maiers, General manager of Penton Imports.
I still remember the terrain as being stone city. A lot of the Americans did well,and some not so well.
Back to Mark's sister Linda, Yes, she was a looker, and great supporter of the team. I will try to get an update on the surfer man.

David Duarte loomis, Ca.