My Best Penton Crash

[wildman]

Around 1978, I bought a basketcase 1977 250 MC5 from a rich kid that had fixed the bike up with Fox airshocks and rode the winter series in Florida. Working at a Penton dealer at the time, I soon got it together and had the coolest bike around.
My buddy Bruce had a 250 Husky and we were always in competition with each other (just trail riding) so we rode pretty hard. We were going down this powerline road built up throu the Luther swamp; a continous line of whoop-de-doos with swamp on both sides. Well. I needed more setup time to dial in the Fox shocks because the bike started wic-wacing sideways and I highsided
off backwords and landed head and shoulders in the swamp. To add insult to injury, the bike landed on me and pinned me underwater! Luckily, I guess, Bruce was behind me and saw the whole thing, he pulled the bike off me. Nasty,slimy, stinkey and covered with duckweed, didn't hurt the bike though. Wish I still had that bike. Comeon, Lets hear your best crash!

1975 250GS in Mich.

[Mick Milakovic]

All right, this wasn't a Penton, but it's the best story I've got:

1978 Burr Oak Enduro in Roselawn, Indiana.  I'm tapped out im 5th gear on my 390 Husky when I realize the tree line quickly approaching is disguising a 10-foot ditch!  Just enough time to hit the brakes hard once, gear down twice and gas it to lift the front end.  Well, the front end cleard but not the back!  I endoed, with the bike going one way and me another.  Here comes the best part:  the bike is lying on it's side running wide open and I'm tangled up in an electric fence!  Zap! pause Zap! pause Zap!  I finally clear myself, run over to the bike and pull the plug wire, Zap! again.  It was one of those where you look around to see if anyone saw that, and nobody was there.  

Luckily, the bike suffered no damage, not even bent bars.  I went on to finish 3rd in the open B class that year, and our team, The Limb Lickers, finished 2nd in B class.

[Rocket]

Mick
Roselawn enduro, Naked City, are you sure it was a ditch that made you crash?? [:0]    
Rocket

[OhioTed]

How to pick one out of the many, many I have survived over the years?
Well, there was the year at the Blackwater 100 when I was running a KTM 350 Enduro.  We wore a lot of open-face helmets back then, and I had on my Bell Mag 4 & Hi-Point glasses.  I was on lap two, bouncing across the rocks on the power line road on the way to the 2nd water crossing.  Thought I had the hot line way off to the left over by the trees, when I suddenly found myself flat on my back, staring straight up at the sky.  I heard someone yelling "Don't move, don't move!", then felt spectators helping me to sit up.  My whole face felt numb.  
Turns out I had hit one of the guy-wires from the power line towers, partially obscured by the tree limbs & leaves.  The thing had caught me right in the mouth.  Amazingly, no teeth were knocked out, but it tore hell out of my lips and gums.  Another "yanked out of the saddle" experience occured while trailriding on my '84 KTM 250 E/XC.
Powering down the side of some railroad tracks, I felt something tugging at my right boot.  Thinking there was a piece of brush or something caught between my foot and the bike's sidecase, I stretched my leg out behind me to free it.  A moment later, I was stopped dead, stretched horizontal to the ground like I was Superman - flying low.  The KTM, meanwhile, shot out from beneath me and continued quite a ways up the tracks.  My friend, who was following, arrived and helped me to untangle me from the partially buried cable that had looped over my foot, pulled taught, and yanked me off the bike.  Wheee!

[OhioTed]

Mike "Rowdy" Piper left the line at Dave Coomb's old Fireball GNCC event in Tarentum, PA, on a brand spanking new KTM 500, only to return at the end of the FIRST lap with the bike's seat base broken in half.  When asked how he managed to do such damage to the bike, Rowdy simply said, "I looped it".

[OhioTed]

Sorry, guys - I can't stop myself:  First year at the Blackwater, I'm on an '84 KTM 250 E/XC - crossing the infamous bogs.  If you never rode the event, you would have to see this to believe it.  One mile wide, five mile long valley of bottomless mud, covered by a thin layer of coarse grass.  Walk across it no problem, but knobbies cut right through.  There are no obstacles to speak of, so you just lean back and keep it pinned.  I'm tapped in 4th one moment, then lying on my back, looking up at the sky the next.  Where'd my motorcycle go?  I'm not hurt, just a little dazed.  Sit up and start looking around for the bike.  Hey, there it is - about 20 yards behind me, sitting bolt upright.  I had hit a soft spot, instantly stopping the bike like giant flypaper.

[OUCWBOY]

The year, 1969. The Bike, 1969 Penton Six Day. The track, Medicine Park, near Lawton, OK. The event, end of season Championship MX. Point standings, in 1st place in 125 Class with the local Maico dealer, who owned a very fast 125 Maico, 5pts behind. All I needed to do is finish one place behind the Maico and the Championship was mine. On Thursday that week, a group of us had gone out to practice. I was getting the last minute changes to the track down, to pick the best lines and to try to improve my speed. I rode very hard behind Mike Lewis, who was riding his 360 Husky. Let me tell you, that in istself was a mistake. That thing throws BIG chuncks out from that rear wheel. As darkness was coming on us I discovered that I had a flat on the rear, so I packed it in for the day. My Father, who never really paid much attention to the things I did, must have been getting grief from my Mother for not spending time with his son, decided to fix the flat on the Penton. I though that was great. He actually came to watch the race on Sunday too. I made about 12 laps around the track during practive and things were looking real good. I was able to pass the Maico just about anywhere (Thanks to Mike Lewis and Leroy Winters for the 152 kit). I had gotten everything tuned in, the air pressure, the jetting, and most of all myself. As we sat on the starting line (left hand on your helmet, bending forward as much as you can get away with, to get as close to the clutch as you could and not get caught)  I felt that I was ready and nothing was going to stop ME from winning that championship. They guys were even taking odds that I would blow that Maico away. As the flag dropped, we shot off the line and through the first turn. I was in the lead. Throught the whoop de doos and into the old creek bed we went. The Penton in first and the Maico in second, but right on my heels. I slipped a little wide on the big right turn that took us back out of the creek and that little Maico squeekd by me. Into a series of about three or four passes in and out of the creek, I flew by that Maico and was in the lead again. Hitting a long straight that went into the "NEW" BIG jump. As I approched the jump, I looked over my shoulder to see where the Maico was and I was a good 10 seconds ahead at that time. I was all smiles (at 17 that was the most pleasure I'd ever felt). I hit that jump and all was great. Did the perfect landing heading into a sweeping left turn that completed the 1st lap. As I was full throtle and flying I felt the rear wheel start to break loose and got into position for a good flat track slide. At the end of the left you had to make a hard right to hit the whoop de doos agian. If you missed that turn there was a 25 drop off into the creek that had water running through it. I started to feel like I was slowing down some and before I knew it............ the back wheel locks up, hit the berm and wham I'm in the air falling into the creek. I landed first and the Penton right on top of me upside down. Let me tell you, that steel tank hit me in my pride and joy and as I went to scream, my mouth filled up with creek water. I wasn't really hurt, just my pride. I had lost that Championship and that hurt the worst. This is a very improtant lesson that I learned. Never let you dad work on your race bikes. Seems that when he fixed the flat, he forgot to put the little washer in between the sprocket hub and the swing arm. It got so hot that the hub welded itself to the swingarm. To this day, NO one works on my bikes, but me!

Donny Smith

[tmc3c]

I was 16 yrs old riding a 1976 125 Penton and I was at Charleston Speedway flat tracking and when coming out of turn two broad sliding with feet up the back tire caught a bump that the race cars had left the night before, I high sided and got a free ride to the hospital with a busted spleen and a broke left femur,7 weeks in traction in the hospital and 2 months in a Full body cast. A stock 125 with a spool wheel and the right gearing could take on all anything and could run with the cheaters also. Nothing like broad sliding a Penton with your feet on the pegs !!

Thomas Carmichael

[firstturn]

Thomas,
  The pictures that I have seen you doing the broad slides with  feet on the pegs is awesome.  Especially when you see the competion behind you with the left foot down.  I like your starts putting away the Elsinores and Rickmans(Montesa).

Ron Carbaugh

[tmc3c]

Ron , I could have done it a lot better if I would have had a "SWEETIE" like you own now !!

Thomas Carmichael

[cardojr]

1 penton story-1 not penton story.

penton--I forgot to tighten down my brand new solid aluminum bars. They folded on the first jump and wrapped my brake cable around my front tire. Needless to say, I launched, broke both collarbones and, as you would guess, didn't get the girl.

not penton (the next year)- had my cz 380 timed hot-it backfired when i started it, but ran fine at the start line. I dumped the clutch , ran over a few guys BEHIND me and almost destroyed a really big guy's maico when I hit the rear brake and did the reverse endo. He socked me and broke my nose.

thanks for dredging up THOSE memories
rob

[OUCWBOY]

Rob W.
I not too sure I would have told that story! Here's your sign!:D

Donny Smith

[Mick Milakovic]

Rocket, how do YOU know about Naked City?

[Larry Perkins]

1984 Barstow to Vegas on a later model Penton(1984 250 KTM).  I am about 30 miles from the finish and running 4th 250 doing about 50mph in open desert dodging pucker bushes and chasing a dust trail ahead in the distance.  

In my mind I go from that picture to my body skipping along on the ground with no recollection of the picture in between.  I am going skip OW skip Ow and trying to figure out how I am on the ground now sliding and wondering where the bike is.  About then it lets me know by catching up to me and whopping me in the back of my ribs.  I am now doing a slower skid and thinking at least it is almost over when the guy behind me that was also chasing a dust trail runs directly over me.  

After everything settles I discover that I am badly bonked but no broken bones.  I gather up the bike with badly tweaked bars and discover the front brake is locked on.  The upper cable guide apparently broke and at speed when the forks compressed and came back up on rebound they snagged the front brake cable.  

Moral of the story is if you apply only front brake at 50mph or so there is no mental picture between riding and soil sampling.  I got out my tools and romoved the front brake and finished though not with the zest I had minutes before. I still ended up I think 11th.

[Rocket]

Mick
I have been riding the Roselawn enduro since the mid-70's.  Probably heading that way in 2 weeks for the spring run.  The enduro starts on the landing strip for the nudist camp now, not that I would ever look! [:0]
Rocket