In Fear of John Penton.

[cubfan1968]

Yesterday I took the Penton to the area where I like to trail ride. Conditions were a little (alot) sloppy on account of the monsoons we had here last weekend. The bike ran great, had a great time. Well when I got home I was tired. All I wanted to do was unload the bike, grab a cold one and relax. Well I unloaded, grabbed that cold one, and stating looking at this bike covered with mud and grime. It first I did the Scarlett O'Hara, "I'll think about it tomorrow".

Then I remembered that damn brouchere by John Penton that contained the phrase "Cleanliness is next to godliness and boy when it comes to a motorcycle, this is it all the way". Then I remembered that the Berkshire Hathaway meeting was in town this weekend. You know that company run by Warren Buffet where the stock sells for $90,000 a share. All I could imagine is John Penton in town for this meeting, taking a wrong turn, ending up in front of my house and seeing my dirty Penton and coming to the door and confiscating it on account of neglect.

OK I thought I'll get it going, but my intention was to do a so so job then touch up along the way. So I hosed under the fenders got the mud cleaned off the underside, cleaned the rims and started cleaning the engine off. Just as I thought I was about done, I remembered, "Man, in six months you will have junk and you will never win a blasted thing unless it might be a dunce's trophy and a flat pocketbook". So I removed the ignition cover whiped it down took a hair dryer blew it out. Checked all the bolts, cleaned the filter.

When I was done this puppy was Penton calandar quality and totally serviced.

I'm 6'2" tall John Penton is probably about 5'8", there is no way I'm going to mix it up with him. When John speaks I listened.

Rod Whitman
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[firstturn]

Rod,
  That same discussion in the Penton Owners Manual has made me clean bikes even after a 500 mile trip.  I remember a Policeman stopping at the carwash in my home town at 2:30 AM asking what I was doing?  I told him the bike had to be cleaned after every race....  after washing it I took the ignition cover off and fired the bike off and set off home.  He pulled me over and ask me if I knew my bike engine was running(on the trailer)?  I then had to explain about why I ran the engine to get any water out of it.  Needless to say he followed me home.
  At 3:30 he saw me heading out without the trailer and bike.  He pulled me over again to see if I was lost?  I told him I was going to work.  Several years late the same Policeman showed up at a local race and found me....his son wanted to race and he wanted help teaching him about racing.  I told him no problem.  I hope you have guessed by now that I dropped off a copy of the cover letter that John Penton wrote about care of a Penton.
  I have found that over the years that this one basic element of the care of a race bike is so over looked and causes more DNFs then any other problem I have seen except for the poor starts for forgetting to turn the gas on[B)].  Thanks Rod for the great story.

Ron Carbaugh

[cubfan1968]

NEXT QUESTION

Rod Whitman
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[DKWRACER]

Rod.........there are no next ?'s. It's all about devotion, which this group seems to have [8D]
Another, in our quest, is our country, which is being assaulted from every emotional angle, it's so hard to pick and choose.....
tho not a Political Forum, I don't think John would be a-shamed of "putting one away wet" I am sure it has been done b-fore, including me.......But, my Pentons remain.........They bring me something....value!
Tom Brosius []

[Gavin Housh]

Bob would you care to elaborate on that word "Mung". I haven't heard that since reading Dirt Bike magazine in the early 70's, but I remember the phrase being "Mung and drool". At the time my friends and I where 13 or 14 years old. You can imagine the fun we had useing that phrase. Gavin.

[OhioTed]

Ron's account of the local officer checking on him reminds me of all the times we would return home from out of state races, well after midnight on Sunday nights (well, Monday mornings).  In our little burgs, there was absolutely NOTHING going on, so we always had the on-duty officer's full attention.  I never had the guts to fire the bike at the car wash at that time of night, though.  That RC, he's a wild one!  Gavin's reference to old Super Hunky really brought back memories, too.  I do believe Rick coined quite a few phrases that have become standards in our dirt bike language.  At least for us old guys, anyway.

[Speedy]

quote:Originally posted by cubfan1968

Yesterday I took the Penton to the area where I like to trail ride. Conditions were a little (alot) sloppy on account of the monsoons we had here last weekend. The bike ran great, had a great time. Well when I got home I was tired. All I wanted to do was unload the bike, grab a cold one and relax. Well I unloaded, grabbed that cold one, and stating looking at this bike covered with mud and grime. It first I did the Scarlett O'Hara, "I'll think about it tomorrow".

Then I remembered that damn brouchere by John Penton that contained the phrase "Cleanliness is next to godliness and boy when it comes to a motorcycle, this is it all the way". Then I remembered that the Berkshire Hathaway meeting was in town this weekend. You know that company run by Warren Buffet where the stock sells for $90,000 a share. All I could imagine is John Penton in town for this meeting, taking a wrong turn, ending up in front of my house and seeing my dirty Penton and coming to the door and confiscating it on account of neglect.

OK I thought I'll get it going, but my intention was to do a so so job then touch up along the way. So I hosed under the fenders got the mud cleaned off the underside, cleaned the rims and started cleaning the engine off. Just as I thought I was about done, I remembered, "Man, in six months you will have junk and you will never win a blasted thing unless it might be a dunce's trophy and a flat pocketbook". So I removed the ignition cover whiped it down took a hair dryer blew it out. Checked all the bolts, cleaned the filter.

When I was done this puppy was Penton calandar quality and totally serviced.

I'm 6'2" tall John Penton is probably about 5'8", there is no way I'm going to mix it up with him. When John speaks I listened.

Rod Whitman
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

Dont worry,..I am a shorty and I am looking down on JOHN.
So he is only tall on his inside not on the outside.:D:D

Helmut Clasen KTM
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Dundas Ontario Canada
Ph.905-627-5349
[email protected]
http://speedy_c.tripod.com
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