Another New Member

[Jason Rowland]

Hello - I've enjoyed poking around the site for a while - my interest in Penton rekindled by the recent discovery of my dad's Jackpiner 175.
It's been keeping a few retired tractors and some racoons company for a few decades....
It appears complete and pretty straight, and I'll post a few pix in a follow-up post so I don't crash this one trying to get the hang of that feature.
Ate a lot of dirt on my YZ80 trying to keep up with the old man (RIP) and his riding buddies - I was the only one on a Japanese bike, as I recall.
You all know it's not right for a Penton to sit around oxidizing,  so this one needs to report to duty in some fashion - either spitting dirt and exhaust on my son, or someone else.  My siblings don't have the interest or wrenching skills and I don't have the time to devote to it's refurb, and since we're now settling dad's estate and enjoying plenty of quality time with lawyers and accountants, I need to pick your collective brain with a couple of Q's:
Who can do a functional restoration, and what's a rough approximation of cost?
And, if we need to find it a new family, what's a rough approximation of it's worth as an intact bike, or an organ donor?  Appreciate your community and what you're all doing here.  Respectfully, JR
 

[Jason Rowland]

OK, no pix posting...let's see if this link works...
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tit9d0vrq56br4f/Tr2mAjYsHv

[Rob Thatcher]

Jason,

Welcome to the POG site.  I am sorry for your loss, but your memories are priceless.  

There are several members here who do restorations, and I am sure they will post once they see your introduction.  You are also in a good part of the country, as many of the serious Penton enthusiasts and restorers live in the Midwest.  

The biggest cost and time is usually taken up by the engine. [:0] The bike looks relatively complete with exception of the seat cover.  

Not knowing how long it has sat and how much it was ridden, based on the Jackpiner I rebuilt, I would expect complete gasket/seals ($100), crank bearings ($70), piston/rings ($150) at least.  Then come all the other things, seat covers, cables, fork seals, swingarm bushings and so on.

Chicago Jerry builds an awesome Penton motor, as do others.  [8D]

A lot of it depends on what you want to do with it: display, sell or ride. A display restoration takes more time and effort than a racer. They can turn out nicer than new. I am building a rider/racer for my son right now.

Hard to put a price on the bike with the picture shown and not knowing how long it has sat.  Just a guess, but I would say $700 to $1000 based on what I can see.

[Steve Minor]

Jason....welcome to POG. You'll find the greatest and most helpful guys here that will be happy to answer any questions. In my opinion, the first thing you should do is determine what you intend to do with your Penton....you want a "rider" or a "looker". Remember, it can only be original once. It might make a great father/son project. Roll it out, clean it up, take and post pictures here and ask questions. Post the serial number, found at the steering tube and we'll tell you the month and year of production, if you don't already know.

Steve Minor

[Dale Fisher]

Here's my Jackpiner purchased in 2011 for $700.00 locally.  Seat and tank were in usable shape and otherwise complete.  The investment in powdercoating, engine work by Jerry, and other replacement parts was $3,138.44 doing the rest of the work myself.  So, as it sits the total was $3,838.44 (yes I keep track of all the bikes this closely) [:I]









Dale Fisher
Penton Owners Group - Memberships
Facebook - Cheney Twinshock Racing Group - Administrator

'70 Six-Day 125 - V2017
'71 Six-Day 125 (Dave Fisher's) - V5553
'72 Mudlark - W257
'73 Jackpiner - 175 21159727
'74 Berkshire 100 - 40171056
And some silly other bikes...

[Jason Rowland]

Thanks for the warm welcome and kind words...yeah, the memories are good ones: Washing the once-shiny Jackpiner and helpfully lubing everything - including the brake drums - really has me itching to take it for a ride.  I don't have anything too fancy in mind -  well used and well cared for machinery with all the hardware in place and operating within nominal factory specs plus an easy start is about my speed.  Although, looking at the pix of how Dale's machine cleaned up...awfully impressive - don't know if I'll be able to avoid catching a case of what you guys are infected with.  This one has sat long enough that it won't be corn gas that ate the fuel system. I'd bet that anything that was once soft is going to need to be replaced.
I'll drag it into the light and get those numbers soon.  Thanks again, JR

[Dale Fisher]

Without having a reserve of parts and expertise each project comes together with a little help from Ebay, members on this site, and great suppliers such as Al Buehner and Roberto Pettinto (Parmabike).  I have seen many bikes which started as boxes of rusty parts transformed into some beautiful, finished, running machines.  Most importantly... restore the bike to the best of your ability and liking and enjoy the "ride"  

Welcome to the forum!

Dale Fisher
Penton Owners Group - Memberships
Facebook - Cheney Twinshock Racing Group - Administrator

'70 Six-Day 125 - V2017
'71 Six-Day 125 (Dave Fisher's) - V5553
'72 Mudlark - W257
'73 Jackpiner - 175 21159727
'74 Berkshire 100 - 40171056
And some silly other bikes...