Home Page Photo Quiz - August 2004

[firstturn]

Person #3 Leroy Winters
  Again just a little personal side of some of the people in this months Picture Quiz.  I guess so much has been said and written about Leroy that I don't want to bore people with the same old stories, but I did happen to be friends with Leroy and want to share with everyone some insight on Leroy.
  I first met Leroy on a racing MX racing trip up through Arkansas and Oklahoma back in 1973.  He was nice, but I could tell he was too busy to bother to hit a few races.  I later found out that he was busy readying for the ISDT.  So I only got to met and visit and discuss Pentons and that was our initial meeting.  
  Some years later, after going to work for Honda, Leroy and I started trying to get Honda more involved with the enduro market and ISDT.  To put this in perspective Leroy was a Honda dealer.  Our efforts along with a lot of input from others was starting to get some interest from Honda which produced the first XR line.  As I moved from one job to another at Honda, Leroy and his friend Mike Lewis(ISDT Rider and also a Honda Dealer) became better friends and we had more input to Honda on various bikes.
  Leroy's shop was located in Fort Smith Arkansas and was a show place in itself.  Leroy once built a Helecopter that was so beautiful that the company that built the kit bought it back from him to use as the show piece.
  Later in life I followed Leroy, seems like I was like so many other always behind him, into the wilds of Mexico and Copper canyon and beyond.  To say Leroy was full of adventure was an understatement.
  There are many other stories, but I wish Kevin Grimes would tell a story or two on what it was like to grow up in the same town where Leroy's shop was located.
  Anyone else with a story please jump in.

Ron Carbaugh

[Kevin Grimes]

Story-1 Growing up down the street from Leroy's Cycle Shack was a great opportunity for a young lad to observe and learn many things that I still use today, but more about that later. I remember the first cycle shop being in the basement of the house located on the property that would later be the sight of the "Honda Store" as Leroy would always call it. I have pictures of Leroy actually erecting this structure himself. If you ever visited the place you couldn't help but notice the architecture of this huge buiding made up of 12 inch wooden beams, encorporating three levels, a high arched ceiling, a loft for displays, and an apartment upstairs. Leroy  designed this building and salvaged the lumber to build it from a locomotive repair depot. The landscaping outside was all Leroy with rock walls, waterfalls, and live fish swimming around through the moat as I use to call it. When I asked Leroy why he was up on top of all those high beams himself erecting the building, he said he didn't have enough money to hire people to do things he could do. Needless to say Leroy could do it all. In later years Leroy eventually moved out of this building and relocated to a new struture south of town in front of his house. There is a whole other story in itself, imagine a house, round in shape, multiple levels, secret passage ways, and a swimming pool that had a window so you could see beneath the water from inside the bar area. Leroy's son Bart, at one time reopened the orginal Cycle Shack and called it Bart's Bike Barn. Today the original building still stands, privately owned and not used for any commercial purpose. If your ever traveling through Fort Smith Arkansas detour over to the corner of Hwy. 271 and Cavanaugh Road and see this ghost of history past before it either burns or fall down from 40 years of relentless termite attacks.     Kevin

[firstturn]

Kevin,
  Thanks for the input on Leroy and other priceless input you have given this site.  O. Sherriff will be putting up a new Quiz this week so get any last minute questions or input on this one.  A Great thanks goes out to Kevin Grimes for this picture.
  Any pictures that you feel would be worth of the Monthly Quiz either email them to me or mail me a copy.

[email protected]

or

Ron Carbaugh
PO Box 272444
Houston, TX 77277

Thanks for everyones input.  Great Quiz because of all the input.

Ron Carbaugh

[Kevin Grimes]

Story-2 Every school day I would ride my bicycle past Leroy's Cycle Shack on my way to another daily dose of education. Many mornings Leroy would be out with a water hose washing down the parking lot. One day it was raining and sure enough there's Leroy out in the rain washing the parking lot. I had to stop and ask why he would be engaged in such activity in the pouring rain?
 He replied "oh that's easy.....you use less water." As I road off to school I realized I had just received the days education.
                       Kevin

[rob w]

Whoa...Whoa...Whoa, hold on a sec Big O., ya only got half-way across. What can you say about that #5 guy?
Just kidd'n

I would honestly, earnestly, whole-heartedly like to thank Mr. Ron Carbaugh for his wonderful creative contributions to this site. It takes dedication and time on his part to add to the supply of returning-interest, news, knowledge, information, and most of all FUN! that is necessary to make this the first-class site it is.

I would also like to thank Kevin Grimes....oh what wonderful stories! , I can't get enough of those kind of cool stories, I'd love to hear more someday. Thanks

Thanks for keep'n it fresh and fun Ron!


Bob



 

[firstturn]

OK COACH,
  In Texas that's good for 10 yards and a cloud of dust.  Thanks to all the people that add so much to this site...........it is OUR site.  Rob don't over look yourself on some of those late nite searches through you archieves for not only the answers but you do great add ons.  Kevin you are just great at the insight of knowledge of Pentons and Huskys.
Omar Sherriff

Ron Carbaugh

[JKPEACHY5186]

JUST FOUND THIS SITE-WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PICTURE REFERRENCED AS HOME PAGE PHONT QUIZ AUGUST 2004, SINCE RALPH IS MY BROTHER.

RUSS HASLAGE

[lksseven]

Hi Russ,

the website had a major server crash in 2005, and I don't think backups were able to be 100% recovered, so this pic may or may not still be findable.   Perhaps your best bet would be to send an email (from this site) to the Admin or Paul Danik (President of POG).  Admin is the "author" of this thread - go to the first page of this thread, click on email icon (middle one) in the Admin's initial post, and email your info/request to him.

Regards,


Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[Paul Danik]

Russ,

   Welcome to the POG website.  I just spent some time looking through a number of photo albums and I don't have the original photo in question.  I do have the newsletter that ran the picture on the cover, I will be more than glad to make a copy of the cover of the newsletter and mail it to you.

    I remember your brother, his name comes up quite often when I am around the gang from Amherst.  Do you remember Al Born?  I traveled with Al and John Penton to Sears Point, Cal. a few years back and lots of Al's stories revolved around times that he and your brother spent together.  You can send me your address at   [email protected]

    Great to hear from you.
Paul Danik

[firstturn]

Paul,
  Is that a picture that I submitted?  I will check my archives when I get home tomorrow.

Ron Carbaugh

[firstturn]

Russ,
  I found the picture.  If you will email me I will scan the picture.  If that doesn't work I will have a copy made and mail it to you.  Please email me.  Thanks for bring up the subject.

[email protected]

Ron Carbaugh

[firstturn]

Russ,
  I sent you two emails and they were returned undeliverable.  I sent them again.  If you don't get them send me your phone number and I will make other arrangements.  I actually found another picture of your brother with Leroy Winters that I sent you.

Ron Carbaugh