Best trip over the bars you ever had ?

[Tom Penton]

I've been to Edinburgh and went sightseeing and shopping with my wife ... good choice, huh?



Tom Penton

[marsattacks]

It is a close call whether I'd do it differently if I had the choice over again. Yes for sure I'd want to avoid the endo!  I'd upload photos if photobucket weren't so complicated these days.  At least I had a hand to drink beer with!

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Mars , I hope you were drinking Guinness instead of just beer while you were in Ireland! But dont worry I drank enough for both of us when I was there! I think you did a proper enough over the bars on the Mtn. bike to be in the hunt1  So far Rob W. gets my vote for the best one yet !  []

[Tom Penton]

Well, my photobucket link worked yesterday, today it says "image not available" Anyone have any hints?

Edit: I may be on to something. I'm trying using Google's Blogger.





Tom Penton

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

I love the open face helmet & the military surplus goggles ! I had a pair just like that! 49 yrs. ago! [8D]

[Tom Penton]

Ronnie Rall, Nationally ranked flat tracker, also rode local Ohio TT, Motocross and hare scrambles. A dairy farmer, he'd as often as not be late to the races and have to scheme to get a late sign-up: "Had to milk the cows ... no, can't skip even one day!" An all-around fast racer and a gentleman to boot!

Tom Penton

[johnborn]

I have the article from cycle news about Jack beating Halm. I will bring it to the next meeting. My dad always spoke highly of Ronnie Talk.

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Just think what Mr. Rall would have done if he was on a Penton! The Russian never did so good after they put them back on CZ,s after the KTM  World Champ.  [:0]

[Rick Bennett]

WOW...
Want to see a perfect trip "over the bars"
Look in Keeping Track #20
Jack Penton gone in a cloud of dust!
Happens to everyone I guess.

[T Buckles]

One of my most memorable trips over the bars was at the Trask Mountain qualifier sometime in the late 70's. The special test was so dusty you could barely see past the front fender. There was a small jump or hump that I didn't see coming so I wasn't ready for it. The rear end came straight up, me over the bars and when I was coming down my right foot went between the spokes and fork leg up past my ankle. When I hit the ground I was so tangled up I thought I was going to need help, no help came so I had to rotate the wheel backwards till I rolled my foot out. It bent the axle so bad it touched the left fork leg. I had to loosen the clamps and rotate the axle around to clear the fork. It was a miracle that I didn't break a leg, must have been the quality of the HI Point boots I was wearing.

Tom.

[Mike Rosso]

Just want to say Hi to Tom and welcome to the board:) I haven't talked to you in the longest time......and yes I'm still into Mopars and have three currently, how about you? We'll have to "talk" in another thread so I don't hi-jack this one. Again hello and welcome to the board.

Mike

[T Buckles]

Thanks Mike for the welcome aboard. I've been following along for sometime. Saw this post and thought I'd share my "trip" aboard my KTM. Been forever since we spoke. Still have both my Mopars.

TOM.

[Tom Penton]

A welcome from me, to, Tom namesake. I guess I'm a Mopar guy too, though I never thought of it that way, and if I have a handle on what it means (Chrysler product?) First 4 wheel vehicle: '72 slant 6 Dodge Van, '87 Plymouth Grand Voyager, '96 Dodge Grand Caravan, 2018 Dodge Caravan.

Tom Penton

[derek martin]

Another OTB episode of mine - 2013 AHRMA ISDTRR I was pushing my 74.5 HS to the start from Parc Ferme on day 1. It was a far piece but downhill so I ran/pushed hopping on the bike after achieving a pretty good clip and promptly stomped the bike into first gear with a poorly placed foot. Perfect front flip over the bars landing flat on my back. Quickly jumped up and bowed to some bemused observers., Really made a showing.there.
You fellow Mopar enthusiasts - I'm needing a rust free trunk lid for a 70 Plymouth B Body. Will go on a 70 Roadrunner I'm restoring.

[Mike Rosso]

Tom your dad is a Mopar guy too with several Chrysler T&C's. Also several of the "back in the day" Mopar engineers (aka "The Ramchargers") were big time dirt bike riders and along with most of them being big bore Husqvarna riders, before the bigger bore Pentons were available some also had Penton 125's. The first Mopar engineer I met was Dick Maxwell who was one of the original "Ramchargers" and developer and head of the Direct Connection racing products program. After he retired he went to work for the AMA as the AMA Pro Racing promotion manager. He was the father of the Dodge and Plymouth "Six Pack Lift-Off-Hood" (A12 package) cars that were built mainly as a street racer and his personal Woodward Avenue street terror. He told me "Mike I can say it now but not back then it was the last "B@d@$$" street racer car we could build before the EPA and insurance costs shut us down. (The Demon Challenger was somewhat modeled after the A12/Six Pack concept). At an EPA meeting about national off-road emissions regulations the EPA's chairman came to me during a break in the meeting and said; "Mike my dad wanted me to ask you if you are the same Mike Rosso that used to ride 6-Days and the enduros and 6-Day qualifiers here in Michigan?". "My dad used to take me to all the events that he could when he wasn't working or on the road to other races." Turns out his dad is John Wehrly who from 1962 to 2005 was the head of Dodge division engine development. That included the Hemi and six pack cars, etc.,. I was asked to call John and we became good friends, we just spoke a few days ago and he asked me how JP was doing. I introduced John W to John P (a hero of JW's) back when and I drove JP, JW and his JW's wife to the Packard Museum, in JP's Chrysler T&C of course, and we were all interviewed on the radio there. The first time I met JW in person was when I invited him to a big Chrysler national at Carlisle, PA after he retired. The biggest surprise was here we are at a huge national car event and John brings a large photo album of dirt bike photos of him and riding buddies (one on a 125 steel tanker Penton) and his sons. Dirt bike guy through and through. JP autographed and gave JW his book and it was amazing how excited and honored JW felt...... JW sent me three big boxes of late '60' to early '70's of MOTORCYCLE magazines, brochures and memorabilia. Included was one pristine, perfect PENTON steel tanker brochure. There are lots more Mopar Penton, Husky and dirt bike racers and riders out there and after meeting some of the Mopar engineers and owners it seems their Built for Champions and Ready to Race was a shared attitude. John Wehrly gave me his 1979 Husqvarna WR 250 to take care of a few years ago. His staff got it from Malcolm Smith as a birthday present for him back in '79. Malcolm came to Michigan and John and several engineers and friends went on a week long trail ride in the UP, if I can I'll post photos of that ride.

(Derek where are you located, I'll post a "parts wanted" on one of the Mopar sites I'm a member of for a clean, no rust, no damage '70 Road Runner trunk lid if you want?)

To keep somewhat on topic. Appalachia Lake (pro) motocross back in the early '70's. Dave Coombs Sr. event, three moto format, 125, 250, and Open classes. I'm on a 125 Husky and sign up for the 125 and 250 Pro/expert classes. The 125 class has Gary Bailey his son David, Tim Hart (CA but hung out in the east a lot) and quite a few top east coast guys. Gary on his Bultaco disappears in all three 125 motos, Tim Hart breaks his Maico 125 gear box in the second moto and is out. David and I scrap it out for second and third after that....the little 14 year old woops me [:I] I end up 3rd. Have two top tens going in the first two 250 motos on the 125. Start the 3rd 250 moto and bad start and mid to rear of the pack half way down the start when all of a sudden I go from the stretched out over the rear of the seat and rear fender acceleration position to the flying W, skydiving position over the bars and basically belly flop to the ground, knock the wind out of me and ring my bell and somehow get missed by a cartwheeling 125. Sit up and just sit there wondering what just happened. It was either a huge groundhog hole or a big, deep hole that may have been from the track crew removing a large rock? (rumor). I myself think it was a leftover WWII land mine as it put me about 15 feet in the air with more than enough time to realize my day was over.

Mike