Ever restored anything you knew you couldn't sell?

[LynnCamp]

AMA Hall of Fame Museum is asking people to submit their stories of restoration that cost too much money to sell.  All of the expected types of stories are there (no Pentons by the way), but I loved this one from Ripples Magoo of Nantucket"

"Nope. But I've bought lots of stuff I knew I couldn't afford to restore."

http://home.ama-cycle.org/forms/vbackfire/vbackfire.asp

[Mike Lenz]

Yep, probebly my next winters project, a 125 Penton mc-5. No one seems to think this bike is very good...unless I can get it to really run! Then someone will want it!!

[OUCWBOY]

Mike,
I heard that they were very fast and don't know why people don't like them. In the 76 Dirt Bike Shootout between the Penton GS5 and the Honda CR125M, Honda got the nod in the shootout, but used Marty Smith as one of the test riders for the Honda. Here are some quotes about the Penton: "The better the rider, the more at home they felt on the Penton" "The MC5 is FAST, but it very definitely has to be kept on the pipe" "It has a  heavy flywheel which doesn't allow the bike to be reved quickly" "Ridden properly, the Penton would keep up with the Honda on the MX track and on tracks with less traction, the heavy flywheel gave it the advantage" "There is a lighter Motoplat internal flywheel that should improve the ridablilty" "Our better riders felt that the Penton was the equal to any 125 around, when kept on the pipe" "Some of the European riders liked the Penton better and compared it favorably to the Honda" "The Marzocchi forks and the laid-down position of the Marzocchi Gas shocks on the rear, performed flawlessly" "Some thought the Penton steering was as good as there is to be found" "All agreed that the bike would go where it was pointed" "Under race conditions, the Penton is the better shifter of the two" "Riders felt it was a very tall bike" (I wonder what they would say about todays bikes?!?!) "Again the European riders prefered the Penton's height"
Honda claimed HP 22.3; Penton claimed HP 24
Honda was 17 pounds lighter.
Honda was overmatched in the suspension department and had the edge in handling.

Donny Smith

[Rain Man]

Hi Lynn, I got a 1970 Sachs 125 Cross Country that I'm restoring for what reasons?? I like the way it looks aside that chrome Harley.[8D]   I imagine by the time I'm done digging around for un obtainables and whatcha ma callits I'll have betteren  2 grand into it. And it will be a nasty looking rat bike to boot. That Earls front end is just the ticket. And its got buddie pegs so me and Mom can drive down to the river on Saturday night and have a few pops and I'll still be able to drive it home at 6 miles an hour, double!! I only know a few guys that ever think about restoring bikes like this around here, I jsut love that little relic.
Raymond

[cardojr]

I think there's a pretty broad line between restoration for money and
and restoration for love. The bikes I've built to sell have been almost too good (and too pricey) to ever ride. They've also been, on the whole, rather soulless. The bikes I restore for myself may not be completly correct (my cotton sports a sherpa front wheel),but somehow feel right. Under that nice coat of paint, you can still feel
the rock that sent you flying over the bars 20 some years ago and occasionally you still get a whiff of bean oil from that freshly painted exhaust. These are the keepers.
I digress. The answer is yes!
rob

[john durrill]

Mike,
 I sold one of the very first 125 KTM's. It didnt work well at all for enduro or trail rideing. It would sieze if the moon was in the wrong phase chuckle chuckle!!!! If you look close at the ports you can see why. Larry and I were talking about this engine a few months back. We both believe that you could help it a lot by lowering the compression some and either changing the pipe or replaceing it with an after market. Thats one engine a Lectron would do wonders for . Talking to Barry Higgins a week later , he said they made most of them 175's. Added some length to the center section of the 125 pipe and the customers were pleased with the results.
 A , D motor cylinder and head would be another option also.
I have an NOS liner for the  76 KTM 125 and have spent several hours looking at it and comparing it to the 125 Sachs , the 72-76 175 and the 77 175 cylinder im useing on my 73 Six-Day  Sachs engine.  
 If i were building a Road Racer the 76 125 KTM would be high on my list as a power plant. * GRIN *
John D.

[Mike Lenz]

Siezing is a problem that should be able to be figured out. Ive also heard some say they break cranks, but the crank is the same one as in the 175 and I havent heard about any 1976 175 crank problems?? What got me going on the idea about building one was also a  mag article, Modern Cycle, oct 76. This was when Super Hunky was running that mag.

"of interesting note, is that the Honda could stay with the KTM on level ground, but lost two to three lengths up any decent hill."
"It will accelerate with the fastest [namely, the YZ 125] bike in its class, but has much more power at mid range than any bike we've ridden lately."

Test rider lap times:
Rider 1,
Honda- 1:54 secs.   KTM- 1:50 secs.
Rider 2,
Honda- 1:51         KTM- 1:44
Rider 3,
Honda- 1:47         KTM- 1:44

Im confused!!

[john durrill]

Mike.
 You can get an engine so close to the edge in tuneing that it can require constant jetting changes for differences in air temp, density, altitude etc. ( I built a 100 cc Hodaka to RR specs for MX like that once). The compression i think was a major  contributor to it. That and pipe design. A shorter stinger or a bit larger one could have helped.
 I think thats what happened with the very first shipment of 125's. I know they changed some things in the second batch but by that time we no longer had the shop and i was out of the loop.
 I think the broken cranks were from hooking down shifts and over reveing. The back cone angle could be increased and help with that.
  With a steeper angle the power will drop off quick once you excede the rpm that the engine design is set for. almost like a rev limiter.
 John D.