Modern Bikes

[Nick]

I was just wondering how many folks also own modern bikes and what the differences between them are.  I have a 1976 Penton 250 MC5, which is a great bike, but was also thinking of getting something like a KTM 300 EXC.  I imagine the suspension is a lot better, but then again, I'm not sure since I've heard Works Performance shocks on vintage bikes can be very plush.

[Rocket]

Nick
I have an 03 200 KTM EXC and in my opinion, better brakes, suspension, power band and they are very reliable.  But it should be better, it's 30+ years newer.
Rocket

[Tennessee Vol]

Nick,
 I have a 2002 KX 250 the modern bikes are great all the way around compared to anything 10 years ago much less 30 years.One thing to really consider is a KTM like you are thinking about.On the jap bikes you have to spend a extra $1500-2000 dollars just to get them ready to ride in the woods or off road they are brutal.
 Also with the KTM just put on barkbusters and go the EXC is great the suspension is great right out of the box jetting and everything but the seat is a stone get a enduro engenering soft seat is the only other thing you need.I have ridden all 3 sizes 200,250 and 300 the 200 is awesome for even a fat butt like me.I have owned three 300's and they are a tractor and very stout.
 All that matters is get out and ride.Sorry for rambling just wanted to give my opinion.Let's here from everyone else.

Bobby Stults

[tmc3c]

Hi Nick, I just wanted to add my 2 cents in on this matter and say that the new bikes are fast and handle and brake a lot better but they cannot hold a candle to making heads turn when you unload a Penton that looks new! I have just finished a 1976 250 GS and I have been to the woods three times and each time I have had other guys come over to check my Penton out. I know that I can't go as fast as the new bikes but speed is in the mind anyway right? sorta like the older I get the faster I was..... []

Thomas Carmichael

[tomale]

I currently do not have a "new" bike but I have ridden a couple of them. last summer I rode a 97 KTM 360?? It was fast and it handled great. I loved the brakes too. It would take some getting use to though none the less I would love having it. And last fall I rode a brank new 04 YZF 250 that was fun to ride but it kept stalling on me. and then it was hard to start. It seemed to load up with such ease. The seat was like a rock. On both of the bikes they were so tall that starting them was a chore. I could not just sit on the bike and kick start it. I had to get off the bike and lean the bike to one side and then kick. I am sure that I would get use to it, but I did not like it either. I am not that short it is just that they are that tall.
I agree with you...Thomas, everytime I take my 76 out into the public I get stares and alot of people who just want to come up and talk which is cool too. in fact Priceless
The other thing is too that alot of people did not even know about these bikes. I talk to one young person that thought that KTM didn't start making bikes until 1990 or so. boy were they off. They missed the first 15 years and a few world championships to boot.
I let my great nephew ride my 250 and he really loved it, he was really impressed with how nice it really was. He said it was fun to ride in the woods. I would agree. Maybe there is hope for the youth after all.[8D]

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

[Rain Man]

Hi Nick, I got a katoom 360 exc and have spent a lot of Sundays riding it and the things bullet proof.  I agree with D.R.Rocket with the brakes and suspension and all.  It dosen't break my body to throw it around all day long in the woods, where the Pentons seem to find all those tender spots,( old injuries) and they do rattle your skeletal structure.  So if it takes til Wednsday to heal Monkey Butt:D...  D.R.= Dirt Rider.
Raymond

[tmc3c]

Hey Thom, I went into my local Honda shop the other day to pick up a couple of plugs.I told the girl behind the counter the plug # and she looked them up and couldn't find the plug like I was asking for.She asked me what it fits and I told her a Penton. You know that look when a deer looks in the headlights ? Ever seen it in a human? At that point I just said KTM and everything went back to normal.

Thomas Carmichael

[Cappy]

Nick,
As previously stated nothing turns heads and attracts attention more than unloading a +30 yr old Penton at the track.  But ride wise, it's like comparing apples to oranges.  The new bikes are so vastly superior in every espect.  I have owned and raced the modern KTMs (from 200-450 EXCs) since 1998 and enjoyed them all.  It is hard to beat the linear power and handling of the modern 4 stroke enduro KTMs, even if they don't have Penton stenciled on the back of the seat!
Cheers,

John Cappel

[Rain Man]

one more painful thing I've learned from the "SHKU" is the lack of ground clearance. rocks and roots and stumps become an issue for my feet!! ouch
Raymond

[Nick]

Thanks for the responses guys.  I love my 250, and may or may not part with it, but with 2 back surgeries less than 3 years apart, I'm looking for something that is really plush, and doesn't beat me up so much.

[tomale]

Thomas, I hear ya bro! I have seen that look so many times. I must admit I love my vintage bikes but I also agree with the other guys too. I will need to get a much newer bike if I am to continue to ride in the future. I turned 53 and I ain't getting any younger. I figure at the rate I am going I will be able to race a few more years but after that. The woods will have to be enough... not that that is bad or that those who only ride that are somehow less. They are not, it is just me and my need to race.. The thought of having to give it up is not a pleasant one. but surely a future reality.
"still crazy after all these years"

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

[bildough]

everything previously being said so well there is one last aspect to consider. The new bikes handle so well though the whoops, corners, and BIG bumps and rocks. However due to their increased ability to handle real rough terrain you tend to ride much faster and jump much higher with better control. But alas we are human and some times part company with our bikes. On the newer bikes at higher speeds when I hit mother earth, it  has a bigger impact on this 50 year old body. Resulting in bigger injuries. If you want to push the limits the new bikes will accomplish that, you just need to keep the wheels on the ground . i ride a new bike most of the time for all the previous posted reasons, but have the vintage bikes to race and turn eyes. A great compromise I think.

[bkinnon]

I am lucky enough to have as my modern bike a '97 KTM Jackpiner 200LE. I haven't ridden any of my old bikes in years, but hope to before this summer ends. I do like the KTM, light, quick and reliable.
Bill

'97 KTM Jackpiner 200LE
'00 KDX 200
'80 KDX 250
'74 Hare Scramble 250
'73 Jackpiner 175 (3)
'73 Jackpiner 175 original owner
'73 Six Day 125
I need..
any steel tank Berkshire
any fiberglass tank Berkshire
any steel tank Six Days

[sdm]

I rode my 73 6Day the other day up a trail that I take for granted
on my 04 250 EXC and it was alot more work than I thought it would
be. After shifting the heck out of the Penton I finally made it
but it brought back the memories of what the old bike were all about.
  I think that the biggest thing about the older bikes that I enjoy
is their simplicity. The new bikes definitely make it easier to go
fast and I think are safer due to brakes and suspension , but the
older bikes will make you think more about what you are doing and
pick your lines better.
It's all fun....
My 2cents
Sam

[Steve Minor]

I agree with Sam about having to think more on a vintage bike....I watch, with wonder, guys like James "Bubba" Smith and Ricky Carmichael ride motocross....they are amazing...but lets put them on a Maico 501 Radial Fin with about 5 inches of wheel travel, mechanical drum brakes and see what happens. Oh I'm sure they would go fast.....but could they ride like my old heros?....like Roger DeCoster, "Bad" Brad Lackey, Jim Pomeroy, Tony "D", et al?


1977 400 GS6 Original Owner
1977 125 GS6 Project
1978 400 MC5 Project