In Honor of Dane Leimbach

[firstturn]

I thought it would be good to post a short Bio of Dane so that some of the New People on the POG site and those that are younger can relate to Dane and to just some of his many accomplishments.  And since I have followed Dane for many years I will tell you he is dedicated to the cause he takes on and is very detail when he takes on a task.  For those of you who have met him and/or seen some of his medals he has earned it is staggering to imagine the time he has spent preparing, riding and traveling around the world to earn these awards.  I simply call him Mr.100.



Legends of Cross Country
Honors
Dane Leimbach



Born in September of 1951, Dane Leimbach comes from one of the most talented cross country/ISDT/Enduro blood lines in the U.S.  His mother is John Penton's sister, and Dane grew up with his Penton cousins and uncle John.  Jeff Penton came to live with the Leimbach's after the untimely death of his mother, and Jeff's father John was a frequent visitor.  One of Dane's earliest motorcycling experiences was when his uncle John came to visit the Leimbach's over the summers and took the kids for rides on his 250cc enduro converted BMW.

At some point his uncle John gave his sons Tom and Jeff a 125cc Yamaha street bike on which to learn to ride.  This was the first motorcycle Dane ever rode, taking the dirt lanes around the farm that was owned by the Penton family.  Later on, Dane got to ride an enduro-converted Honda SL90 that belonged to another cousin.  There never seemed to be a motorcycle shortage amongst this family.

Dane's father had two brothers who were doctors, and their perspectives with regards to motorcycles were not good.  Convincing his parents that riding a motorcycle off the road wasn't that dangerous wasn't easy.  It wasn't until his very late teens that Leimbach was able to persuade them to let him get his own motorcycle.  He was able to get the funds together and purchase his very first bike, a brand new 1969 100cc Penton Berkshire.  Initially it was a motocross machine, and for most of the first year he rode TT scrambles, motocross and hare scrambles.

The next year he fitted up the little bike with some enduro gear and entered his first enduro, the famous Courderoy in Ontario, Canada.  He led the event overall on the first day.  On day two Leimbach says he got "a little lazy" and dropped to third overall, but was still the highest placing 100cc machine ever in the event.  There was a trophy given to the highest placing rider in a class other than the actual overall rider, and Dane was recipient of that trophy.  Leimbach's enduro debut was impressive to say the least.

In 1971 Leimbach rode the ISDT qualifying events with his Penton cousins.  Late in the summer, Jeff Penton broke his collar bone and was not able to go to the ISDT to be held on the Isle of Man.  As a result, Leimbach was to be the replacement rider for the U.S. Trophy Team.  The end of the event saw Leimbach as the highest placing American rider that year; he finished 8th place in the 100cc class.  Over the next 10 years Leimbach qualified to ride the ISDT each year and earned 5 Gold Medals and one Bronze.  The other four years injuries and mechanical difficulties kept him from finishing the event.

One of Leimbach's most important roles was that of coach and mentor to his younger brother Ted, 7 1/2 years his junior.  Leimbach greatly enjoyed teaching Ted about the off-road game, and was gratified to see his growing success in it.  Under Dane's tutelage, he won his first Gold Medal in Sweden in '78 at the age of 19.   In 1980 Ted, as well as Dane had qualified for the ISDT to be held in France.  Two weeks before they were to leave for the event, Ted was in a horrific car crash within a block-and-a-half of the Penton's shop.  Suffering massive head injuries, Ted was still in a deep coma when it was time for Dane to leave for France.  Upon the advice of his family, he went ahead with the trip.  Ted died of his injuries the first day of the ISDT competition.

With the death of Leimbach's brother ultimately came the end of Dane's desire to continue competing.  He focused his energies more intently on the business and technical side of the sport, which he had been involved in since his teen years when one of his uncles put him to work in his machine shop.   The machine shop did work for Penton Imports Company, so he began to learn about the technical end of the motorcycle world.  This eventually got him deeper into the Penton motorcycle development process, where he worked up until late 1979.

When the Penton motorcycle business converted to the KTM business in 1978 Jack Penton made an agreement with Kawasaki Motors Company to create an enduro team for them.  Jack hired his cousin Dane to be the chief mechanic for the team, and Kawasaki hired him to run the enduro team as well, which he did for a year.  Deciding to get out of enduro competition, Kawasaki then put Leimbach in the Team Green Amateur motocross program as their north region technician.  After later turning down another regional position which would have required a move to California, Leimbach was next approached by Penton Imports to start up the Hi Point trailer business.  In '86, they moved Leimbach back to the Motoplat ignition testing and development business where he is today.


Ron Carbaugh

[Steve Minor]

Wow....thanks Ron. That was great!

Steve Minor
Wilmington, NC

[brian kirby]

Thanks ron! As someone who hopes to emulate Dane as much as possible in the new AHRMA 100 class, that was a great read. I think I will need to have a Dane signed tank on my Berkshire.

Brian

[firstturn]

Brian,

"I think I will need to have a Dane signed tank on my Berkshire."

I agree and  actually built a 100 Penton in his Honor several years ago and had him sign the bike.  One thing hard to duplicate is the time and detail Dane put into his bikes.  You picked a winner to look up to.....I do.



Ron Carbaugh

[Randy Kirkbride]

This is a very good post from a few years ago. Thanks Ron.

[Lew Mayer]

Thanks, Ron.

Lew Mayer

[brian kirby]

Excellent post from Uncle Ron.

I never did get Dane to sign my tank, I kept saying, "oh, there's no hurry"...

Folks, if you want to do something, dont put it off, life can change quickly.

Brian

[Ernie Phillips]

AHRMA Tomahawk 2008 honorning Mr. 100.




Handing out awards to CC winners (Dane & Teddy)
The ever thoughtful Dane (and POG) giving out JP book too!

Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[ALB]

There have been times when I have thought about the POG and all the time and energy that goes into it. In some ways it all seems kind of silly. A bunch of adults reliving their childhood. And then something like this, the death of Dane, happens and I gain a new perspective of what is going on and what the POG is all about.
     I look back and think about all the good that has happened since the formation of the POG and that most of this would not be if the club was never started. Because of the POG we have this wonderful web site with an open message board to share information. I and many other POG members have been able to meet and get to know Dane, Leroy Winters, Richard Saunders, and Dave Mungenast. It is a shock to see them go, and so quickly.
     It is wonderful to read the stories of experiences with Dane that many of you have shared on the message board. Your stories have helped me know about Dane even more. I have heard stories about how Dane would help out other riders at events. I have seen Dane pitch in to help out at POG events to help set up and pack things up without having to ask him. He was that kind of person.
     The past couple of years were tough for me, seeing Dane gradually deteriorating. It started at a POG meeting where he was adding his two cents to a topic and his speech was slurred. Some of us thought that he had suffered a stroke. It gradually became worse to where he had trouble talking to the point where he couldn't talk. But I give him credit for pushing on. He still came to the POG meetings and the events and he generally had a smile on his face to show that he was happy to be with us and of course he was always ready to jump in to help if needed.
     I am thankful for my part in the POG, for because of it, I have been able to meet and get to know many wonderful people like you.


Alan Buehner

[wfopete]

Ditto AL.

For each posting about Dane here & other on fourms, there are probably a dozen that can't bring themselves to post.  I was one, until now.  I don't think I ever really met Dane except on the phone chatting about a PVL ignitions but his passing still impacts me.  I saw him at the Reunion Rides and I could just tell he was such a helpful, key individual.  Guys like Dane make me proud to be a member of POG & the bond we share. I'm not going to try to express to you who Dane is and what he means to all of us, that has already been said here in so many ways & much better than I can say.

To all of you all I can say is "Well said gentlemen, well said".

Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good

[skiracer]

Ron,  
As one of the "younger members,"  it was nice to get some background on Dane...  Thank you!  May his example inspire all of us to try harder, and to reach further.....
Regards, James

1976 MC 5 Original Owner
1980 KTM GS
1982 Suzuki PE 175
1976 Husqvarna 175GP
2002 KTM 200 EXC
1975 Jackpiner (project)
1976 Penton 175 GS (project)

[Mike Bower]

As a new member to the POG, I had never met Dane and was ignorant of his history of great accomplishments. Reading and seeing the wonderful prose and photos of him from his loved ones and friends is is heart-warming and at the same time heartbreaking.  He obviously fought ALS as he did in hard-core ISDE  competition... 100%