Enduro book

[Rick Bennett]

At Mid Ohio last summer I picked up a rolling frame for an early 72 Six Days. Since I had turned my current one into my Vintage 1000 ride, I was short a cross country machine. AHRMA Mid Atlantic is starting the schedule on May 17. I decided to rebuild the roller into a new racer and have it running now and ready to go. One of the problems I ran into was how to seal off the top of the air box above the pipe. I had what I thought was the right aluminum plate for the job, but there was no mounting tab on the frame at the seat/gas tank cross member. On the Facebook site one of our members remembered a pattern for this part had been published in Still Keeping Track. During my search thru the archives I came across a story that mentioned the book "Enduro" by Thomas Firth Jones, published in 1970. I found a copy on Amazon for $12 and it arrived a couple days ago. It covers the early days of Enduro riding from the 50s and 60s, with several mentions of John Penton, Doug Wilford and a few others you may recognize. In the back are tables listing champions going back to 1934. There are several photographs I hadn't seen before of John riding in the early days. It also covers how to get started, machine selection, preparation and maintenance.
My point is, for all us newer members, there is lots to learn and a good place to start is the archives. You can literally spend days and days reading here and not see it all.

[Paul Danik]

Rick,

   That is an incredible book, as you have stated. My copy is still packed away, but in the book is a picture of Leroy Winters on a Steel Tanker, I think coming out of a creek. If you look at the photo closely that machine is a Puch powered machine. I remember initially thinking maybe the photo had been reversed, and finally getting my trusty magnifying glass out and studying it closely to see just what was so different about it. I brought that photo in the book up at a very early POG meeting,  after a bit of head scratching the details of the Puch powered Penton Steel Tanker started to surface from "those in the know".

   I also have a photo, still packed away, of a Puch powered machine in the KTM R&D department with Mr. "T" himself apparently evaluating how to alter the early airbox, short version I believe, to work with that engine and carb setup. Seeing Mr. "T" personally evaluating that situation seemed to dispel, at least to me, the concept of how he did not look upon the Puch folks/machinery favorably as one of their engines was in his Penton / KTM machine sitting in his R&D department.
The Puch powered machine in the KTM R & D department is powered by a different engine from the one in the Leroy Winter's machine, I will need to dig that photo out and take it to a POG meeting for our resident Puch expert to evaluate. Bottom line is, there was more than one version of the Puch powered Steel Tanker.

   One other Puch comment, I remember at a very early Penton Dealer School being told that a certain gentleman there was in fact a Mr. Puch. Was there in fact a Mr. Puch, and was that him, those facts I can not confirm 100 percent, but I remember like it was yesterday being taken aside and being told that bit of info by someone who should know.

   Back to the book, didn't mean to yammer on, nice picture of Doug in there as well, pushing his Penton up a slippery trail section. I remember showing it to him and remember his comment of how he could ride hundreds and hundreds of miles on the pegs and just for a minute need to get off and push and surely there would be a photographer standing next to a tree to get his picture

Paul

PS  The book is titled Enduro and was written by Thomas Firth Jones and is available on eBay as well as Amazon, at least today...

[Tom Penton]

Rick, I'm familiar with that book "Enduro" from seeing it during visits home to Ohio, but haven't had a copy myself. Just ordered it from Amazon, price up to $16, Covid relief check put to good use!

Paul, you got off on a bit of a tangent there with the Puch thing, but it's very timely. I had just made a facebook comment a couple days ago about the 1972 ISDT and Lars Larsson being the top American. I didn't mention it, but he is listed in the Speedtracktails.com Steward's report as being on a Puch. I missed much of the Puch adventures because of being in the Air Force (1969 - 1973) and when I got out I think I was in the dark in a kind of "need to know" basis, or maybe I just wasn't curious enough. More likely my memory is just fried. What I'm getting at is, wasn't dad somewhat involved with putting together the Puch team? My memory is of many of our Penton riders switching to Puch, and as riders we stayed friendly. Anybody out there able to refresh my memory? Maybe the '72 ISDT Top American can be somewhat a one/two Penton victory ... Lars and Jeff?

I just got off the phone with Dad 5 minutes before reading this post ... he sounds good! Next time I talk to him, I might see if he can rattle a few brain cells himself about the Puch thing. I know we were starting to feel marginalized by KTM and found them unresponsive (stubborn) about many of our needs. Dad wasn't beyond seeking "leverage".

From a comment to a Carl Berggren comment to a Jack Penton comment in a Wes Habermehl Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3427753330585699&id=100000531972698

Thomas Penton comment:  I went to the Steward's Report at Speedtracktales.com  for 1972 and saw that you were included in a group of four USA gold riders within 30 seconds of each other. Jeff Penton: 3990pts, Billy Uhl: 4005pts, Carl Berggren: 4009pts and Carl Crank: 4023 pts. After 6 days, a virtual tie! Congratulations to you all! I have, however, left out the Top American, Lars Larsson at 3935pts. The Swedish invasion was well under way!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3211465755544625&set=gm.2436783696612290&type=3&theater&ifg=1


Tom Penton

[Daniel P. McEntee]

Interesting thread on the book and the Puch presence. I have to check and see if I have the book, knowing that I purchased such things back then when I was getting into enduros. The only thing I can add to the Puch mystery is that I saw a Puch that had "Penton" as part of it's emblem down south in Dwight Rudder's bike collection while visiting years ago. he talked about JP having something to do with the brand at some time I think, too long ago to remember and nothing to ever re-enforce the memory of what we talked about. I think the bike was a 125 or 175 and not sure at all of the year. I just remember the logo on the bike. I noticed it leaning against a wall, and the logo caught my eye right away. If some one has current contact info for Dwight he may be able to offer up some info.
  Type at you later,
   Dan "PunkinHead from VINDURO" McEntee

[Paul Danik]

Tom,

   I am thinking that a gentleman by the name of Bob Holfer (sp) was possibly the front person in the Puch / Penton connection, but not sure.
I can vaguely remember some ads in long ago cycle mags with Bob shown in the ads as he told of the virtues of the Puch brand. Possibly a call to Matt Weisman might be in order as he usually remembers a lot of long-ago details.

   As for the Puch ISDT Team, I think Carl tells in the John Penton movie about getting an offer from JP to ride the ISDT, and finding out a little later that he would be aboard a Puch. Possibly someone who has watched the movie recently can confirm if my memory is functional...or not !

   I love your "leverage" comment....

Paul

[Richard Colahan]

Paul, that was Bob Hopfer, who was the eastern Puch distributor based in Downingtown PA. "Hoppy" as he was known...
And I recall the ads...I'll try to find one in some old CW issues boxed up under the workbench.
IMO...one of the Puch ads that featured Hoppy was VERY similar to an ad for the Penton which featured JP.
Be like Mike??? In this case...perhaps an attempt to "be like John".


 


Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA

[Richard Colahan]

Back to the Enduro book for a moment...
Published in 1970 it's certainly a time capsule of Enduros in the 60's. Plenty of great Boyd Reynolds photos...from Sandy Lane, Jack Pine, Little Burr and others.  
There's a cute little section on buying a used Kawasaki 120 with bent forks for $125...fixing it up...and riding your first Enduro on it.
And that's how so many of us got started back then!
For me in 1968...a Hodaka 90 with a broken piston for $50 found in the Upper Darby News want ads...


Richard Colahan
1969 V1225
Upper Black Eddy PA

[dennis brown]

i know  a man that has a 175 puch enduro with the penton logo around the puch tank badge.the bike is in showroom condition! never raced!

dennis l.brown