77 MC5 colors

[maurice reynolds]

What colors were available for the 1977 mc5 250's & 400's, did they still come as Penton in the east and KTM in the west or were they all KTM and only one color available for the whole country.
I know the 250 ktm's were red in the west but not sure if the orange Penton's were still sold in the east and have never heard what colors were available for the 400's on either coast.
I just bought a 250 and 400 and trying to decide what color to do them when it is time to paint the tanks and decal them.
Maurice

[brian kirby]

400s were white and 250s red in the East for '77 with Penton badging, I think all were Red with KTM badging in the West for '77. I think it was the '76s that were all orange.

Brian

[gooddirt]

1976's  MC's  west coast ; 125 and 250 red, 400 white.  Have had bikes with a larger blue tank on both 76 -77 400 MC . West coast followed  Euro themes  most of the time.  Although the 1976 125 MC from Canada that I have came in orange with KTM on the tank. I don't know what the other 1977 west coast  would be with out guessing.

[Daniel P. McEntee]

My '77 MC-5 400, frame number 550-06067, is titled in Missouri as a 1978, but we know that isn't correct. It's got an orange tank and has Penton decals on the tank. It is a GS sized tank. I haven't seen enough of them to know if it's supposed to have a small MX style tank. It had a Preston Petty headlight and rear fender on it, and has several Missouri state inspection stickers on it, and I think it was mainly a farm bike since it came from the Kansas City, MO area. I added a rear frame loop to make it more like a GS, and to better support the rear fender.This is the bike Jeff DeBell helped me acquire.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[rob w]

Confused yet ?

1977 MC5's

 Penton's - apx. east of Miss. river - Orange

 KTM's  - apx. west of Miss. river - Red

[maurice reynolds]

Very confused....
Still not sure what was available, I have read white 400's were early 1976 (did they change color mid year ?)but no mention of 1977 colors.

I have read all 1977 were badged as ktm and same red color everywhere but no mention of the 400's only 250's

I have also read and seen pics of orange 1977 penton 250's but don't know if it came that way or someone restored it that way, again nothing found for 77 400's

In Western Canada i only knew of one 250 Ktm in 1977 and it was red, other than that never saw another one back then

So confused as no 2 answers are the same

Maurice

[Daniel P. McEntee]

If they have stock tanks, what color are they now? That can be your answer. Just restore them as they are. Just may need the gel-coat rubbed out, or if you want to paint them, match they color that they are now. if the tanks seem like they have the same age as the rest of the bike, I would figure they are original, and that's the route you should go. If they are Hi-Point aluminum tanks, just polish them out nice and shiny.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[brian kirby]

I have a '77 MC5 400 and it is white, but obviously all that would have to be done is swap the tank to change the color.

Brian

[Daniel P. McEntee]

Hi Brian;
  Yeah, no other plastic to mess with. I'm guessing mine was in MX trim as it was shipped from the factory, and the dealer added the Preston Petty stuff, swapped the tank out, and you have a sorta GS version. I understand that they all came with the same MotoPlat, but even that could have been changed. All the parts on my bike seem to have the same "patina" to it like it all aged together, and I'm only the second owner, I think. You just didn't see many in our area back then, and don't see many now to be able to compare. Other than 125's and JAckpiners, you just didn't see many Pentons at all on the starting line at a typical enduro here in the MidWest back in the day. I wanted to buy a 250 in late 1974, early '75 and Mungenast just couldn't get any, so I bought my Husky instead. I had been looking for a 250 Penton ever since and finally caught up with one last fall! Never reall saw a 250 or a 400 until we got hooked up in this vintage thing years later, so they weren't very common.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[hankthecrank]

Hey all. I had a 76 400 that was all white with a silver frame. Wish I still had it. Hank


Hank Rinehart

[Big Mac]

Several stock 77 MC5 250s and 400s in the Pac NW with the tomato-red orange color and "C" KTM decal, all the same. A different red than the earlier 74-75 red harescrambler. 77 GS6 with rear frame loop and "turtle-back" frame from hereabouts in Jackpiner blue, like the Euro KTMs.

Jon McLean
Lake Grove, OR

[rob w]

quote:Originally posted by maurice reynolds

Very confused....
Still not sure what was available, I have read white 400's were early 1976 (did they change color mid year ?)but no mention of 1977 colors.

I have read all 1977 were badged as ktm and same red color everywhere but no mention of the 400's only 250's

I have also read and seen pics of orange 1977 penton 250's but don't know if it came that way or someone restored it that way, again nothing found for 77 400's

In Western Canada i only knew of one 250 Ktm in 1977 and it was red, other than that never saw another one back then

So confused as no 2 answers are the same

Maurice

Maurice,
Plain and simple.
In 1977 the bikes in the eastern half of the US, were branded as Penton's, and the MC5's were orange.
The bikes in the western half of the US were branded as KTM's, and the MC5's were red.
Of course there were some exceptions, but this was the basic rule of thumb.
Bob W

[maurice reynolds]

Bob....just to clarify

all 125/250/400 in 1977 were orange in the east
all 125/250/400 in 1977 were red in the west

no color designation for the size of the bike

That is the answer i would like to hear as i planned on doing the 250 orange with penton badging and the 400 red with ktm badging


Daniel... unfortunately doing them the color they are doesn't work as no tank or number plates came on the 250 and the 400 looks like the tank was white originally and 1 side plate is red and the other one is yellow under all the paint.

Maurice

[Rocket]

What about the blue 175 MC5's in the west?