Mr.John Penton?

[wildman]

Not knowing the Man himself, I'd just like to ask: Does he not have a computer online, does he "lurk" reading our post's, or maybe too busy? I sure would like an occasional story or tip from the original, so to speak. Never having been to a POG meeting, I am in awe of John's accomplishments, talk about a living legend! Thanks to those in the know. Dan Pagel

1975 250 Cross Country, 1974 175 Jackpiner, 1975 125

[tmc3c]

I am with you Dan, I would love to hear from any of the Penton's !!

Thomas Carmichael

[Doug Wilford]

John does not have a PC but he does attend all the POG functions, besides the monthly meeting John will be at Mid-Ohio.   Dane at Penton Imports PVL sees John most every day.   If you have a message or request write to Dane he has just changed server so I don't know his new e-mail addy.

[DKWRACER]

Would it really, really, really make a difference to hear from one of the Penton family?
Consider this, we have already made a decision and made a commitment, to something that makes value in what we do....
Retreat to the garage, work on it, live with it and believe that he is with us, in many ways other than words......

[tomale]

DKW, maybe not, but it is really cool that the legend is still amoung the living. How many other major manufactures can say they same. What other motocycle has caused such a cultural change in any nation and that the original builder is still alive. It is nice to know that what he has created lives on as well. Maybe not in new bikes but in the attitudes of those who ride them and preserve them.  In some ways better than before.Where would America be now with out the Penton's, hard to know.
 I realize it is not world peace or anything that significant but to alot of people it has made a difference and still does. Would we be riding another brand ?  Maybe, but would it be as good as the Penton, probably not. I hope one day to meet the man that inspired the bike I now ride.
Just my two cents worth... not all that profound.
 What I think is important is to allow people to be who they are. It is not fair of us to make them into want we want them to be because it is to our advantage. There are a number of people who are involved with this group who are not on-line. They contribute alot and we may think that it would be helpful, but who is it really helping? what would happen if they did not do what they do and were instead on line, I think we would all suffer. Each of us have our strengths and weaknesses and we can not do it all nor should we expect others to. OK I will get off my soap box. What would you expect from a preacher anyway... I don't mean to come down hard but thought it might be helpful.

Thom Green,I own and ride a 76 250 MC5 MX which I bought new.

[firstturn]

John is probably  on his tractor doing what most people call work.  I have NEVER gone to visit Mr. Penton that he wasn't busy doing or building something.  He is a worker and is a doer.  The old Army saying (sorry Rocket the Marines didn't come up with this) "lead, follow or get out of the way" is probably the best way I can describe Mr. Penton.
  Thom I think you said it best when you  stated about the importance to "allow people to be who the are".  John Penton is what he is and I appreciate all that he and his team (all of them) did to make a product that  was what it was, and is now what we have have brought it back to for so many people to enjoy.

Ron Carbaugh

[Larry Perkins]

Now don't everybody get pissy about this.  I have heard John say several times if in 1966 Husqvarna had built the small bike he pitched to them there would have been no Penton motorcycle.  So I guess if John had not done what he did we might be riding Huskys.  Oh wait I ride them and Pentons.  

Truly no motorcycling person in the USA did as much to change dirtbiking as Mr. Penton.  This is well chronicled in Ed Youngbloods book.  Most likely without John KTM nevr rise from bicycle maker to the largest non-Japanese motorcycling manufacturer and Alpinestars doesn't rise from small ski boot maker to the largest motorcycle boot maker in the world.  

I believe that John is the ONLY LIVING originator of a motorcycle today.  Go to Mid-Ohio and meet him while he is with us.  If you love Pentons it will complete the puzzle and you may find yourself listening to great stories that you once read about in the magazines.  Stories told by the man who lived them.  It will be a surreal experience as it has been several times for the little boy from Texas that still lives in me.  The boy that to this day remembers a moment long ago when Mr. Penton crossed my path for a brief moment, patted me on the back, and said, "Good job".

[Rocket]

Short story about Mr. Penton.  I believe the year was 2000 and myself and 2 buddies were riding our bikes to New York for the National BMW rally.  I thought this would be a great time to just drop in on Mr. Penton and meet him.  I looked his address up off of the internet and as we passed through Ohio, we stopped.  Probably spent 3 hours with the gentleman talking m/c's and everything else.  Made all of us feel very welcome and treated us all as long lost friends.  What a great guy.  Went to Mid-Ohio a week later, came home and bought a 75 400 from a friend,  bike hadn't been moved in 23 years until I dug in out of his shop.  Now I have nine.  I believe I contacted a disease while in Ohio!!
Oh yea Ron, almost forgot,
Marine Corp motto:
We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we can do anything, with nothing, FOREVER!
Rocket

[wildman]

Please make no mistake, I was simply asking if Mr. John Penton was online. I am delighted to hear that he is busy with tractors and such (so am I). I am so curious about all aspects of the Penton marque, you never hear anything about how most other brands were developed. Gosh, I owe them a lot. No, it wouldn't make any real difference to know, I just wondered. I will be at Mid-Ohio and will try to meet the legend himself. Thanks,Pentonites. Dan Pagel

1975 250 Cross Country, 1974 175 Jackpiner, 1975 125

[metalkfab]

It's funny to read that John's probably out on a tractor working.I stopped out at PVL Headqtrs.a couple of weeks ago and lo and behold,there's John chaining down a tractor onto a trailer to go work in the fields.It's like you guys have a spy satellite.

[firstturn]

Karl,
  We do and you have been the focus for sometime.
Rocket,
  You are correct about the Marines:).  I am proud to have worked with them during my time in the Army.

  Well I have to go load my tractor and get some welding done on it.

Ron Carbaugh

[DKWRACER]

The impact of a simple post...
I am astounded today @ the truly amazing hidden qualities of the responses that arrive. This re-affirms that we are a coveted group, hell bent on delivering to each other and to the Man.....

[TGTech]

OK guys, here's your JP stories for the day. This afternoon (Thursday 5/20) at about 2:30, I see JP wandering into the shop in sort of a timid, forlorn looking manner. This usually means he needs my help fixing something. This is the time of the day, that I see that the orders for the day, are all packed and ready to be shipped, and JP knows it, so he doesn't like to bother me at that time. And quite frankly, I don't like to be bothered either. But I know that if I don't give him a hand, then he'll be unable to keep doing whatever it is he was doing. So I asked him what was up, and he said that he needed me to come outside and look at something.

Understand, that JP has lots of tractors. If I'd venture a guess, I think that there are about 6 or 8, (not counting the mowing tractors) each for a different purpose. When I went outside, he had his spraying tractor backed up into one of the parking places outside the building. It seems, that he had backed around too closely to something with the sprayer arms out, and bent one of the hinges to the point, where the arm wouldn't stay on the sprayer. (sort of opened up the roll of the hinge) And he wanted me to see, if I could re-roll the hinge closed around the pin. With the torches and a couple of vise grips, I had him fixed and on his way back to spraying the weeds and grass at KTM.

Oh did I forget to mention, that he is THE weed sprayer/fertilizer for all of KTM's greenery? At 81 years old. And he doesn't just sit on the tractor to do the spraying. The tractor is just to power the sprayer. He actually uses a hose and spray gun to spray all the grass and fence lines. He'll park the tractor in one place, and walk the lawn as far as the hose will reach, and then he'll move it to another location.

And today, it was in the mid 80's and quite humid here. You know, the kind of weather where it is really nice to sit in an air conditioned room and just relax?

This is probably the truest definition of John Penton. And it doesn't really change from season to season. In the winter, there is snow to move and trees to trim. Plowing snow, now there is another good story.

Here is a man who has enough money to live very comfortably and can buy any sort of equipment he needs, to a particular job. (Including any kind of van he wants. He has a newer Ford van for over the road trips, but around town, he still drives a beat up, school bus yellow, 1976 E-150 with who knows how many miles on it, that was originally purchased for Penton West, way back when. It's had a new sliding door, due to a "problem" with one of the tractors and who knows how much other mechanical work done to it.) Yet in the winter, if the snow isn't heavy or too deep, he will use a piece of 3/4" plywood with a piece of angle iron screwed to it, to clear off his drive way. And this isn't just a one or two car drive. You could probably park 10 cars on this driveway. One time, he bought a track drive type snow blower, and didn't like it, so he gave it to one of his children, I think. If the snow gets too deep, he'll get out his back hoe, and use the loader bucket to clear off the snow. And if it gets too deep along side the drive way, he will use the loader to load it into the dump truck, and haul it away somewhere.

Yes, the man is a worker, and in many instances, he can out work men half his age. 12 years ago, when he had both his knees replaced, his major complaint, was that he could no longer get down on his hands and knees and climb into the ditches he'd be digging to drain people's property, because the new knees don't bend as far as the OEM parts.

If it weren't for the knees, the back surgery, and the open heart surgery, he'd probably be dead right now. Not that he wouldn't have lived otherwise, but he'd probably have committed suicide, because he wouldn't have been able to do anything. In the winter, if there isn't any snow to push, or trees to trim, or other chores to do, he gets nuts and quite frankly, becomes a real pain. Busy is best for John, period.

Dane Leimbach

[DKWRACER]

Thank You Dane...
National Treasures!!!
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[BrianTaylor]

I think what we need to do is get rid of the Chopper Guys on "American Chopper"  and hire the Penton family to host the show same format only builing ISDT bikes .... have cameo appearences (sp) by Doug Wilford, Dane etc. and throw in a Northern neighbour (CDN) no not Helmut not Mike O.  but me ,,,,,I would watch faithfully ...... Brian T.[8D]

Brian Taylor