[:)] I've found HEAVEN !

[swamp fox]

It's like I've found a new candy store and I can't get enough. I have a 72 Berkshire that has been in the garage for 30 yrs and have been going nuts on ebay buying parts from Larry Perkins, and lo and behold I find him here! I saw Jeff Reid's bike for sale and thought I was looking at my bike. If I'd have only been doing this sooner, but life is strange. I hope to pick all of your brains for more parts and tech info, but right now I have a lot of forum to read and catch up on.
Robert Manucy





 

[Paul Danik]

Robert,
   Welcome to the POG website, I think you will enjoy it here!!!  Sounds like you are one of the lucky guys who kept their machine from yesteryear. This is a great place to find parts and information about you Penton.  I would also suggest that you join the Penton Owners Group so that you recieve the quarterly newsletter.  There is a wealth of info in each newsletter, such as tech articles, member profiles, ect that is more than worth the $20.00 annaul dues. When you get a chance tell us a little more about you and your machine, and maybe some of your riding experiances.
Paul

 

[rob w]

Hi Robert,
 You found us, the Penton Owners Group, is'nt it amazing? I remember the first time I went to "search", and typed in the word P-E-N-T-O-N, then clicked on the POG.....nothing has been the same since.
 They say history always repeats, I'll tell you, I used to think the happiest days of my life were riding my Berkshire or Sixday as a teen-ager, but I think it's even better this time around.
You'll find that there's only great people here, all with the common goal of having a good time.
Welcome again,
Bob


Oh, have you ridden it yet?

 

[tmc3c]

Swamp Fox huh? sounds like you are from my neck of the wood's of South Carolina! and I to welcome you to our merry clan! You can talk to the best guy's around here and they will go out of their way to help! Knowledge is plentiful at this site! WELCOME AGAIN !

Thomas Carmichael

[swamp fox]

Hi guys,
It's great to know there are still people out there that cherish what I do. I agree, my fondest memories are of trading my 72 XL250 motosport for my Berkshire. It rode like nothing else. It cracked a ring, and seized the rod and then has sat inside since. The local dealer broke the crank in half, so I got a brand new crank/rod ass for cost. Then the cylinder was sent to Penton in Ohio and resleeved. Both have been in the boxes since.(you know- girls,high school?)Well, I also needed some trans parts to make it complete and never got back to it. Now I find this wealth of information and parts. I ended up buying a cr250 from a friend and still ride, mostly out in the Francis Marion forest where they run the Swamp Fox enduro. I'm actually related to him way back. I never did any racing, but have owned bikes since '70. Now my 8 yr old daughter says she likes the "cool orange ones" at the KTM dealer that just opened around the corner. Looks like I'm going to get into it deeper. I'll be checking for the bearings and seals and get this thing together. I hope I don't offend anyone who is also looking for parts on ebay, but it's like seeing my wife in her red shorts cutting her parents yard for the first time again!
Thanks Guys

 

[rd400pi]

Paul Danik,
  Speaking of the newsletter, is there anyway to get back issues?  Those of us new to the whole thing might benefit.  Thanks.

  Mike Husted (rd400pi)

 

[Paul Danik]

We usually only have a limited amount of extra newsletters printed and they go out to new members who join between newsletters. We have a POG meeting this Thursday and I will ask then to be sure that I am correct. It is worth noting that the POG has created a "collector series" of postcards that will be given to it's members.  The first of the postcards was included with the latest issue of the newsletter.  Each postcard is made from an historically significant photo.  The first postcard is of Mr. John Penton and Mr. Erik Trunkenpolz together. Mr. Trunkenpolz was the president of KTM. As the saying goes, "membership has it's privileges". The series will be added to yearly to members only through the newsletter.

 

[rd400pi]

Paul,
  I am a member and did receive my postcard.  I was asking about back issues to possibly have access to more "tech" type articles.  Thanks.

  Mike Husted (rd400pi)

 

[Paul Danik]

Mike,
  I will see if any exist at the meeting on Thursday, but I don't think that they do. I also plan on asking Alan Buehner, the Pres and editor, if it is possible to reprint them, I don't know if he has them on a disc or exactly how the printing process is handled.  
Paul

 

[tmc3c]

I have riden francis marion forest many many times "round pond" Charleston is my home but now I am in the upstate.Did you get your penton from Stokes Honda?

Thomas Carmichael

[Doug Wilford]

Mike;
If you have an idea of which old keepin track you are looking for, I may be able to help, I do know that some issues there are none left and some issues there are only one or two.    Each issue is $5.00 which helps a small bit to pay for the printing and postage.    Send your request w/payment to POG P.0. Box  756 Amherst, OH  44001

 

[swamp fox]

Thomas, I have lived in Mt. Pleasant (you know, the pleasant side of the river) all my life. I am a crane operator for the State Ports Authority and have been pretty busy lately. We have been loading a fair share of military ships for the gulf, and I just got back home. I don't know when I actually had a full weekend off. I got my bike from an individual and I can't recall his name. He lived West Ashley and I never saw him again. I could assume it came from Stokes, as they were the local dealer. Stokes has long been out of the bike business and now sell cars. The bike store on Dorchester Rd is now called Champion Honda, and they just opened a new KTM Yamaha store in Mt. Pleasant. We used to ride out at "the dike" where they pumped dredge mud out the river. It is now Patriots Point. There were also dirt pits at the airport and Cross County Rd. We could ride from one end of Mt. Pleasant to the other, but not any more. A lot of the forest has changed to. It seems everyone wants to come to the lowcountry.

 

[tmc3c]

Swamp fox, I lived in west ashley all my life ,my father owned the SOC station on st.andrews blvd.My father and I rode pentons,I raced at chislom trails and I am very fimilar with Patriots point and have played golf there.We had a motorcycle track off of bees ferry rd out in red top.I flat tracked my Pentons and highsided it at Charleston speedway,broke femur and busted spleen. 7 weeks in Roper and 2mnths in a body cast.Have raced at Summerville speedway when it was dirt and orangeburg fairgrounds.I am friends with Edward Stokes,Eddie and Jerry.I moved from Charleston in 95 and still have a brother there in summerville.Could be you have one of my bikes.I had a steel tanker and if it isn't mine I know who you did get it from.I remember when Stokes used to be on Rivers ave.WOW how time fly's. It is great to have another South Carolian that LOVES PENTONS like me.

Thomas Carmichael

[swamp fox]

Thomas, This is getting weird! The man I got the bike from had a small house that was in an older neihborhood between st. andrews blvd and 17 south. I do believe there was a SOC station near there. If you went down 17, and turned at the old Krispy Kreme donuts, the road would angle off at 45* and we went up maybe 3/4 of a mile and turned right. This neihborhood is now gone. I think there is a Ryan's steak house on part of that property. My Berkshire has a red fiberglass tank and had a 125 cyl on it. I traded a first year XL250  for it about 1975-76. I knew the Stokes boys, but not to well. Just from going into the store alot. That Eddie can ride a bike, but if I had a dealership dad, I could have had all those toys to.

Robert

[tmc3c]

Hey Robert, You are talking about St andrews homes,it was like a project housing,and yes that was my father's SOC station at the fork of 61 & 171,your bike isn't one of mine I never swapped out tanks but it could have been Buddy Gillard's bike.And yeah Eddie could ride and still can,last I heard he is riding a cr250 and is flat tracking up at the track at Harleyville off of I-26, have you seen the track, they race cart's there too!Oh Yeah Jerry had a ama national #67 and raced all over ,Daytona,Huston astro dome ETC but it was his brother Edward who could ride"Eddie's Father" but business got into his way.

Thomas Carmichael