Thank You POG.

[garrettccovington]

Well I took my bike out for a real ride today.  Its the 1st time its been out in 20+ years.  I was suprised at how fast it is.

I have to thank all the Poggers and the POG web site "search" area.  This info is priceless.

A special thanks to the following!!

 Clutch worked great, shifted great. Thanks Doug W.

The rear suspension was perfect.  Thanks Lloyd B.

AND last but not least  Al B.  For having all those little parts I ordered 1 week at a time.  The guys a saint.

 Note: The VP gas worked great.  The  inside of the tank wasn't all gummy afterward.  Still drained it though.

I wish I knew how to post a pic.

G
Next Stop Nov. 22nd Competitive Edge Raceway!!!!

72 six-day

[joe novak]

Hello,  Did you use VP C-12 in your Penton?  Did you check your spark plug and/or need to rejet?  Also, I priced C-12 locally.  I was quoted $187 for a 5 gal. container.  That is about $36 per gallon.   Does anyone know of a supplier of VP fuels in the Amherst, Ohio area?   Thank you for any sugestions on fuel usage and Penton fiberglass tanks.   joe

[Dwight Rudder]

Be sure NOT to use an oxygenated fuel. They contain alcohol. Alcohol will destroy a fiberglass tank.
Dwight

[VICTOR MONZ]

Joe.

Are you the Joe Novak I used to race with at Meadowlarks in the early 70's....probably me and Rick Belsole and Jack Horinek, Jr. ?

Victor Monz

Old # 117 on a Berkshire.

I pay about $70 for a 5 gal can out here in So Cal for C-12.

[brian kirby]

VP comes in 5, 15, 30 and 54 gal sizes. $187 sounds like for 15 or 30 gal to me.

Brian

'72 Berkshire

[joe novak]

Hello Victor!  It is so good to hear from YOU, and also a past Penton competitor.   You bet I remember you, Rick Belsole, and Jack Horinek, Jr.  Boy, weren't those the days racing at Amherst Meadowlarks.  We always had the fastest racers in the 100cc class to chase.  If it wasn't Dane Leimbach, it was Ted Leimbach, or his other brother, Orin.  My cousin, John Shinsky was real fast, too.  (p.s. I know where his old Penton Berkshire is sitting in a barn.  I saw it there...  It was the bike that Jon Leak won the Ohio State Champ race on.)   Talk to you later,  joe n.

[Lloyd Boland]

Glad to hear they worked.
See you on 11/22/09.
Lloyd

[jeff greenberg]

Joe, It's possible that Jon's family might be interested in that Berky. I can contact Jon's sister if it's available?
Thanks,
Jeff

[joe novak]

Jeff,  I think I remember Jon having a sister at the races some times.   I will re-contact the current owner of Jon's old Penton, and see what the status is.   joe

[garrettccovington]

Joe, The VP C-12 108 oct. fuel worked really good. I e-mailed VP and one of their Engineers emailed me back and recomended this as a leaded, non oxy fuel.  I ran some pump gas and the tank started to get all gummy inside.  Now it feels rock solid again.

I mixed it with Maxima SuperM high performance 2 cycle oil. A Ester based Synthetic Blend at 40:1 ratio.

I used a NGK B7HS plug to start off just to warm the bike up and then switched to a NGK B9HS for the plug check. I think it might be a tad lean. Not far off.  Keep in mind this bike hasn't run in over 25 years and i was shocked it started on the 2nd kick when I started this project months ago.  I didn't touch anything on the motor except the clutch bushing and shims.  I didn't pop off the top end or anything.  

The carb is a  bing Model 84  1/28/511. with a 140 main.  This is not the carb I remembered as a kid.

 I think my brothers changed it when I went into the army in 74

I called up Bing and ordered a 145 main  and rebuild kit today, but I think I'm just going to richen up the mixture a little. Maybe 36:1

I rode it around out here in the desert and it really flew. A little boggy on the bottom end, but, I now weigh 60 lbs more than I use too.
Plus I might have put too much oil on the air filter.

I'm really hoping some Penton experts will show up at the race Nov. 22nd. For a sanity check.

G


72 six-day

[joe novak]

Victor and Brian,  Thanks for giving me the heads up on VP C-12 pricing.   The quoted price of $187 for 5 gal. container ($36 per gallon) seemed way too high.   I can imagine that if alcohol based gasoline is harmful to the fiberglass gas tanks, that it would not be good for engine main seals, gaskets, fuel lines, carb floats (the foam ones), and rubber tipped float shut-off thingies.  I know VP fuels are available in N.Ohio b/c I have heard racers talk about it at Amherst Meadowlarks.  joe

[VICTOR MONZ]

Jeff/Joe.

If the bike is available to Jon's family...I would sure kick in parts, cash and whatever to restore it for them as a gift and tribute to him....as I stated Jon and Jeff were the guys that got me to many races just to see if they were there and I could watch them....let's do it !

Victor