the "other" Ohio two-wheeler manufacturer

[OhioTed]

Hey, all.  This is of course a website dedicated to the fabulous Penton Sportcycles.  However, it certainly also celebrates John Penton himself, an Ohio native who impacted the entire motorcycling industry.  
In keeping with honor paid to motorsports innovators, I would hope that you might enjoy reading up on the story of another Ohioan, who also had great effect on the two-wheeled world.  

Click here to learn more: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebe87d2159d82570c5869a0/t/5edeb7b541e6737178943af4/1591654328165/Rupp+Industries%2C+in+PDF.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0uVApobo09xUUL8jERkJqyBeB3oK1GtSmuVYcV6xsDZQwmweKd8hjBfKI

Note to Webmaster - please remove if deemed inappropriate.

[Don Roth]

Ted,
Good read, willing to bet the majority of folks here have some saddle time on these things , myself included, never had a rupp but several homemade and the obligatory Honda  mini trails in various displacements, still have a chibi in the garage for grandson and smiles.
-don

[Daniel P. McEntee]

Mickey Rupp was also involved with unlimited air racing, and had a VERY nice modified P-51 Mustang called Samurai. I was at an airshow/air race at the old Oleatha, Kansas Naval Air Station in the mid 1990's and got to see/meet Mickey and the airplane. It was pretty fast, equipped with a Jack Roush prepared Merlin race engine. Unfortunately, during a heat race, something cause the engine to blow  big time and Mickey had to mayday out of the race but made a very nice dead stick landing. I have pictures of it being towed back to the pits with the whole fuselage covered in oil and leaving a trail of oil dripping behind it!  As kids, we lusted after the adds for his products in the adds in the back of magazines. he sponsored a USAC sprint car that was driven by AJ Foyt many times, The Dart Kart Special, and I have a die cast model of it. Fun time back then, wish we were there now!
   Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

  PS; Just did a little research and Mickey lost the P-51 in a flaming crash and it was destroyed, but he managed to survive. As of last year he was retired somewhere in Florida

[Rick Bennett]

Good one. Back around 68 or 69 I wanted one real bad. One of the kids in the neighborhood had a green Enduro, 5 hp. I looked at the ads a lot but couldn't come up with the bucks. Fast forward 50 years and a WW1 buddy called up and ask me if I wanted one. The motor was off but it was pretty complete. It is a purple Roadster ll and I ride it around after mowing the lawn. It is not as fast as I remembered it to be.

[400gs6]

Grew up riding Rupp minibikes and had a Dart Kart when I was a kid. Pretty fast/fun for the day!  Also got a Rupp L100 buried in the shop.(Fuji power) I've always found it amazing how the Rupp 100 looks very much like a scaled down Penton Six Day or Jackpiner. So many detals like tank shape, seat and pegs are the same.

-Kurt@trailrider

KURT FLACHBART

[Normandy10]

Rupp at least used to live just west of Palm City, in the 80's and 90's. Used to see him flying a P51 often. Suffered a bird-strike with a buzzard and was still able to land safely and save the airplane. Also had a business making outriggers  and other equipment for sport fishing boats.

Mike

[Normandy10]

Just checked, Rupp Marine is still in business that n Florida.

Mike

[Marlon Sellen]

Hey Ted, your Rupp post prompted me to finally respond to the message board. After being a member for twenty years!? In the late 60s we had a Rupp dealer in my small upstate NY town. I rode my Honda 50 step-thru with a couple of brothers who owned Rupp minis. I had more speed of course but they were powered by torque converters and ate me up on the hills. Oh yeah, we were young teens then. They beat the heck out of those machines and they were at the repair shop quite a bit as I recall. Anyways, I liked the looks of the Rupp snowmobiles back then. My family ended up buying a Skidoo with my input but I ended up rebuilding a '69 Rupp Sno-Sport about 10 years ago. Some things about it were ahead of it's time, some weren't! Long gone now. Thanks for stoking the memories again Ted!

Marlon Sellen

[Marlon Sellen]

Correction: Already screwed up my first post. Time frame for my previous post was circa 1968 (a great year for off road cycles). After a little research, it seems that prior to '70, the Rupp minis were just automatic clutches with jackshafts. They still could climb though...

Marlon Sellen

[erickz]

I bought one from a kid in the 'hood with my first communion money. Never realized the frame had cracked at the steering head. Big fun!
ez