Dane Leimbach

[Jack Penton]

As many of you know Dane Leimbach was diagnosed some time ago with Aphasia and has been steadily losing the ability to talk and comprehend written communication. For those of you that see Dane at the monthly POG meetings you have noticed that he has also been losing weight.

Very recently the doctors have retested Dane and it is with great sadness that we have been told that the original diagnosis was incorrect and that Dane has ALS / Lou Gehrig's disease. The symptoms we have seen progressing over the last year are not confined to Aphasia as originally thought but are sadly the progression of ALS which has no known cure.

Dane has touched so many lives in a very positive way and the POG and it's members are testiment to that.

For those of you who don't know Dane he is the nephew of John Penton and cousin to the Penton boys, father and grandfather. Dane has worked, raced and lived motorcycling from his youth. He has raced the biggest races in the world and helped design the motorcycles we ride and the parts that go on them. You may not know Dane but there is a good chance you have been touched by his contribution to motorcycling.

We love Dane and he is a good man please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Jack Penton

[Lew Mayer]

Dane will be in my prayers.
Dane, hang tough.

Lew Mayer

[Steve Minor]

Thank you for sharing this with us. Dane and his family have been added to my prayer list.

Steve Minor
Wilmington, NC

[Bob Bean]

Jack,
  Sorry to hear this about Dane.
You are so right about how he has touched the lives of many
and made this world a better place by his being here.
We will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.

Bob Bean

[Randy Kirkbride]

Jack,
This is very sad news for all of us in the Penton - POG family. We'll keep Dane in our thoughts.

[chicagojerry]

since moving to ohio 24 years ago, i have been fortunate enough in life to have gotten to know dane pretty well and i am a better person for knowing him. he is an outstanding guy to work with and be around. he has always been supportive of anything that i have consulted him on, whether it was for something for amherst meadowlarks (which he has an integral member of) or for pog or teaching me some fine points of motoplats or penton bikes and motors. thanks jack for sharing this with us. God bless you and the rest of the family in this most difficult of times. you will remain in my prayers.
chicago jerry.

[tofriedel]

It is with a heavy heart that I write this brief note.  I have known Dane for some years and hold him in great admiration.  He has been a mainstay of the Penton MC's for as long I as I can remember.

He is in my prayers and thoughts.

God Bless Dane and everyone else in the Penton group.

Tony Friedel

[taxman]

My prayers are with the family. I have a great respect for Dane as a person and a motorcyclist. Amherst Meadowlarks is planning a couple of fund raisers to offset medical expenses. We'll keep everyone posted.

Jim

[firstturn]

I have known for sometime of Dane's situation and am not surprised at the diagnoses.  My Admiration goes far beyond motorcycles when it comes to Dane.  He was a excellent example of the old saying "if it is worth doing it is worth doing it right".
Dane always helped with thoughts and ideas I had for the 100/125 Sachs and I had always wished we could have had he and Jack working for Honda in the late 1970's after the Penton brand went away.
I attended the Race at Tomahawk along with several the POG Members to Honor Dane when he was Recognized as a Lengend.  I think he was surprised to see me even though I told him I would be there.....now I am so Happy I was able to be there to Honor him.
Dane and I used to share Factory parts that he and I picked up over the years and share stories about how much the factories did to get a edge on the other factories especially in Moto X.  I will miss these discussions.
In closing I will have Dane (and his entire Family) in my Thoughts and Prayers daily.  Thanks Dane for all the priceless memories.

Ron Carbaugh

[tomale]

Jack, living in the Northwest there are many I have never had the fortune of ever meeting. But I certainly know who Dane is. I am sure that you are right that I have been the benifactor of His work. It sadden me to think that he has this aweful disease. It will effect not just him but all of you in dramatic ways and by extension all of us. who love all of you. May the God of all comfort, comfort all of you as you ride this difficult trail. I will continue to keep all of you in our Prayers.

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
74'250 hare scrambler (project)
74' 1/2 440 maico
78' 440 maico
72' cr125 Husky (project)
74' TM125 suzuki
93' RMx 250 suzuki

[hankthecrank]

I dont know Dane real well, of course I know who he is, but after meeting him a few years ago and talking to him at various events I have come to realize that Dane is one of those rare indiviuals who are truly mechanical genuises.Most of our POG members do alright in the nuts and bolts part of our sport. Thats part of the allure of the Penton mc. However, Dane does more than just alright. If he sees a problem, not just a Penton problem, but any elctrical or mechanical problem, he intuitivly grasps the problem, diagnoses the problem, figures out how to fix the problem and then reengineers the whole piece so its better than it was designed to be. And he does this instinctivly. He is also one fine human being. My family will be lifting Dane and his family before the throne of our almighty Father. Thru him all things are possible. Hang in there Dane, this is a special test section.   Hank

Hank Rinehart

[brian kirby]

Dane will always be "Mr 100" and a personal hero of mine. I am grateful that I had the chance to meet him for the first time at the '08 Tulsa ISDTRR when I was on my Berkshire. He was the honorary starter for the 100 grass track moto, which I managed to win, and my Mom took pictures of him greeting me at the finish.






I will never forget Dane, or this moment.

Brian

[Dwight Rudder]

Dane has been a close friend of mine for many many years.  His kindness to me when I first started riding nat'l event was greatly appreciated.  He offered to let me pit out of the famous Penton Cycleliner at the ISDT Qualifiers in 1975 and became great friends with Dane and Teddy.  Teddy's loss to us in 1980 hit me hard. I felt like I had lost a brother. I too had known of Danes Aphasia and how he was embarassed by not being about to communicate.  Dane walked around the MX test at the last ISDT Reunion with me and Greg Holder. Never said a word but would smile and point to the best lines and I would give him a smile and thumbs up. I missed seeing him at Indy Dealer Expo this year. I hope his family can make him comfortable and content in this trying time. Jack, I appreciate you letting us know. I had been periodically speaking with Barb about his condition.
Dwight

[Rocket]

So very sorry to hear this about Dane.  I haven't known him for very long but it didn't take long to admire his accomplishments and his knowledge of the Penton motorcycles and especially the Motoplat ignitions!  It is very hard to express in words the sad feeling I have after hearing this.
Rod G

[jeff greenberg]

Dane-  We are praying for you and your family.
Jeff