Home Page Photo Quiz - September 2004

[firstturn]

Donny,
  I think Carl is a Honorary Member?  Not sure, but I think I remember reading that somewhere.  Doug, front and center, please!

Ron Carbaugh

[OUCWBOY]

Ron,
I'm sure he could be, or better yet should be. However, most of us aren't exposed to that type of information and all I had to compare was the Member Directory. I also know there are members who are not in the Directory.

Donny Smith

[firstturn]

Donny,
  If it is true I think I read it in the minutes of a meeting.[]  Who knows.  We will probably find out it isn't true[B)].

Ron Carbaugh

[Doug Wilford]

Carl Cranke has been approved as an honorary member of POG.    He is not listed in the latest "Members Directory".

[firstturn]

Thanks Doug for clearing up that subject.  Like I said I thought I saw that in the meeting minutes.  As  stated by Donny, Carl Crank well deserves to be a Honored Honorary Member of POG.

Ron Carbaugh

[firstturn]

Next Question:  Who is the gentleman standing to the left of Joel Robert(in the center) with a tie on??

Ron Carbaugh

[firstturn]

This past months quiz was guessed early to the Sherriffs amazement except that I did show the picture around at Mid-Ohio, but it was fun for all and I want to Thank Doug and his Wonderful wife Dot for letting me look through their pictures.  The picture tells a lot of how much Doug was/is thought of by the many time World Champion Joel Robert.  It is truely one of my most prized pictures in my collection.  Thanks Doug for the picture of a lifetime and for being such a great contributor to the Sport of Motorcycling.
  Get you brain cells ready ........... next months Quiz is close at hand and a little tardy due to the 6 Day Reunion.
O. Sherriff


Ron Carbaugh

[TGTech]

Hey Ron:

Might the person pouring the gas in the picture, be Mike Rosso? That proboscis looks awfully familiar.

Dane

[firstturn]

Danr,
  Only from Ohio[].  You know now that I look at it you could be right or a long lost cousin.  Great comment.

Ron Carbaugh

[hotgrips]

quote:Originally posted by dandk

The event was held in Camerino, and in that little town, there was a university that had not convened for the school year. The American contingent, stayed in the dormitories at the university. About the only thing I really remember about staying there, was that in the cafeteria, they used a band saw to cut the bread. It don't remember the bread as being that tough, but it must have been. But of course, I love most kinds of Italian breads, so maybe I was over looking that fact.

One rather funny occurance I can remember, was when we were getting out bikes ready for the event, Jim Hollander had his bike sitting on a low wall, sort of like on a milk crate. And for some reason, he started the bike up and the throttle stuck. When he pushed down on the back end to try and make the back wheel contact with the ground, to stall the bike, it jumped over the little wall, and headed right toward a glass enclosed vestibule. The only thing that saved the windows, was that somebody bulldogged the bike to the ground before the point of contact. Maybe Doug will remember a little more about the incident.

I have a "memento" of this event, hanging in our shop, and I'll try to take a picture of it tomorrow and get the picture put on this thread.

Dane

This is what REALLY happened. It was at the end of the Six-Days in Italy. We had to clean our bikes for crating and then disassemble them for the trip back to the USA.  I had taken the whole front (forks, wheel, etc.) of the bike apart, and the bike was sitting on a milk crate with the rear wheel on the ground. The handlebars were off, the gas tank was emptied, and the throttle and cable were curled up in a compact circle and taped to the triple clamps.  I just realized that there was still gas in the carb float bowl and if the bike were on it's side on the trip home, it would end up leaking out.  So I got the BRIGHT IDEA to just start the bike, let it idle until the gas was burned up.  I pulled the starter-handle, and the bike instantly did a wheelie, knocked aside the milk crate and headed down the sidewalk directly down a concrete stairwell, down the steps until it lay on the bottom of the steps on a landing, burning up the rest of the fuel.  What an idiot, the compact throttle cable in a circle with throttle attached had pulled up the throttle slide, raising the engine to higher than torque convertor engagement speed, and off she went.  No, it didn't hurt the Rokon.  If only we had  someone there with a quick camera.
 
Jim Hollander


James Hollander

[Paul Danik]

Hey Jim, good to hear from you.

    I was just thinking of you the other day.   We were doing some filming around John Penton's home and the Penton homestead when we walked past the duplex, Jack mentioned how lots of different folks had stayed there over the years.  I don't know if you remember staying there before we headed out west for some qualifiers, the duplex is located down behind JP's house.

     Speaking of Rokons, if I'm not mistaken, Jeff Penton either seperated his shoulder or almost seperated his shoulder on one of those.  I am pretty sure we were in Oregon and he was offered a chance to ride one, he got on the bike and gave the throttle a quick twist as he always did on his Penton, problem was the thing launched forward and did a number on his shoulder.   Maybe Dane will remember more about that incident.

Take care,
Paul Danik

[hotgrips]

Yes, shared the duplex with Billy Uhl (Idaho rider with long ratty beard).  I had a "room in the back" the size of a large closet, part hallway, 5 ft x 8 ft.  I was living out of a suitcase set on boxes. One Saturday morning John Penton came in and woke us up, "what are you guys sleeping this late for".  It was probably 7 am.

I skipped college graduation to ride the '72 Berkshire 3-day event, sleeping in a tent at the fairgrounds, riding a steel-tanked 125 Six-Day Penton. Engine seized on road section, & John Penton stopped in a Ford Maverick to help.  The pipe & head was off. He looked in his car trunk but didn't have a spare piston.

Later Jack Penton came over to my tent, his Dad wanted to see me. JP and I talked, he invited me to Ohio, he'd fix the engine. I took off the front wheel & chain, tied the forks into the 2-stroke Saab Wagon and with rear hatch up, drove 600 miles to Ohio. It was a neat job, sanding old race bike frames. Good pay $2.50/hr so I could start paying off my $10,000. college loan. Heroes all around me: Jack, Jeff, Tom, Dane, Billy Uhl, Doug Wilford. Several months later JP arranged for me to be a Canadian rider at the ISDT in Czecho.  I'll never forget the duplex where John gave me a free place to stay while working for Penton Imports.