The first Penton I ever saw

[paul]

Rob, small world...I bet I am the only person to ice ride across and around Silver Lake Michigan (near where your photo was taken) and up the sand dunes in January of 74 on a(excuse me) Suzuki TM 125. That is the best time to ride the sand as its hard and offers SUPER jump opportunities as the wind blows up some natural jumps. My family is from the area and I spent many many hours riding around there. Best times Ever First Penton was as Steel tanker in my neighbors garage in Lansing MI which he never rode. He said he and his uncle had ridden the Jack Pine Enduro. Greg Holcomb was his name and he was a couple years older than I in school. Damn, this site jogs my memory.TTP

[VICTOR MONZ]

The first Penton I ever saw was in 1964 and I ate the whole thing ! It was an apple pie from Penton Farm Market.

If you get the "Still Keeping Track" you may read of my first Penton siting.

My friend to this day, Rick Belsole, came screaming up on a 100 cc Berkshire at our local practice spot in Lorain, Ohio.

Victor

[glb1glb1]

My first good look at a Penton was at a series of races in West Georgia in 75, 76, 77 known as The Franklin Hare Scrambles. There was usually someone from the Penton team there. I particuarly remember Jack Penton being there at least once. There were a couple of very talented brothers who raced Pentons in the southeast in the seventy,s that owned a VW repair shop. There names were Buddy and Art Lanier from the Atlanta area. The last rider I remember was a pharmacy student at University of Georgia. I think his name was Jeff Hill. Very smooth and fast.

Thanks for reading.  GB

74 Berkshire 100
73 Jackpiner 175
97 KTM 200
74 OSSA 250 SDR

[tomale]

Growing up in the bay area of california, and my earliest rememberances of dirt bikes came fairly late, I never actually saw a Penton until the era was almost over. The first race bikes I had ever been around were Triumphs set up for dirt track, and then there were the guys that took Moto cross bikes and trail rode them. It seemed like the thing to do......It was not until the move by KTM to put their name on all the bikes coming from the factory did I ever see one. IN the spring of 76 I was down visiting my friends at Proto Pipe when two guys came in with brand new bikes in their truck, They were looking for custom pipes.... I think.... the bikes were early versions of the MC5. (AS I remember)... the tank was a little different... It looked liked the 75 MX model but the frame was definitly the the MC5  I thought they were the coolest bike that Penton/KTM had yet produced. Several months later I just had to have one..... I still have that bike.... What impressed me was it was not a old frame fixed up to handle new travel but a whole new bike... there was never a doubt how reliable Pentons were but at the time when it came to the evolution of Motocross bikes Penton was behind the times.... that all changed with the MC5 bikes....It had everything.....What can I say I am a motocrosser, I love riding lots of kind of events but it seems that my default setting is motocross..

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)
72'sixday (project bike)