POG bios

[thrownchain]

As a fairly new member Id like to throw out an idea. How about creating a bio page? That would give people a breif background on who they are talking to. Stuff like general area of the country youre in, how long youve been into motorcycles, what drew you to the PENTON brand, are you into any other brands, full time rider, part timer, dirt, street, combo and any other info you would like to share. If youd like I can go first.

[thrownchain]

OK I'll start this. I'm from the Finger lakes region of upstate NY. I've been into bikes since the late sixties. I grew up on a four hundred acre farm , so I had lots of room to ride. I am also a graduate of AMI. I am kind of an advanced Hobbyist at motorcycle repair, primarily jap, but also did Triumph and BSA. Allways had a soft spot for Euro dirt bikes. I like to watch flattrack and I am a fan of IOM roadracing. Also a fan of Sammy Miller.[^]

[dennis foley]

where in the finger lakes, im just outside of dryden,

[tmc3c]

I am in upstate S.C.I have been riding for 40yrs.My father owned a sevice station in Charleston S.C. and we had a track beside the station,so I rode EVERY day.I started scrambles then went into Moto cross before finding my true love of flat tracking"which almost killed me"My father put me on a Penton and I have never felt a connection to any other bike like the Penton.I have had Bultacos and Huskys and Hondas but when I found a barn fresh Penton 250 about 6 yrs ago it brought my life with Pentons full circle.I have met some of the FINEST people just because of that old bike.I knew motorcyles then,now I am going back for the people!!I am married and a father of two.I am a Laminate extrusion operator by trade.I ride every chance I get and hope to be bringing up the rear this year in a couple of cross country events with AHRMA.NEVER will go back on the street again!!"almost killed there also"Motorcycle injuries are as follows:Broke left femur,left arm with bone through skin,left middle finger rebuilt,3 left ribs,both lungs puntured,right collar bone.HA a whole new twist added to this post!!!Can anybody top this?



Thomas Carmichael


1970 125 Six Day
1976 250 Hare Scrambler

[bentrims]

WOW this could get ugly comparing battle scars Tmc.

Good idea on the bios Chaintosser. I am 1 of 5 AHRMA (MX) guys from Minnesota. Every race we go to is a 1000 mile trip minimum. I rode factory MX bikes when they really were WORKS bikes for Honda and Kawasaki. Spent time in Japan working with their engineers. I am a mechanical engineer and operate two businesses. Same fantastic wife for 25 years, 3 grown adult kids, and the Lord has really been good to me. Injuries many:( 3 knee surgeries, 1 foot/toe dislocate surgery, 1 career ending exploratory surgery.

Love my only Penton. Racing it has given me a reason to keep riding because the Poggers are so cool.

[Ron]

Hi Guys,

I hope comparing battlescars does not put my mental capacities in question here.

Here's mine on separate occassions:
 
1. 1969 fractured collar bone, broken front tooth.
2. 1973 Left shoulder skinned to the bone along with forearm and
   both knees. Plastic surgery required.
3. 1976 Hyper-extended left knee.
4. 1979 Semi-comatose 1 week, bleeding pressure on the brain,
   multiple fractured ribs.
5. 1985 Multiple fractured ribs.
6. 1998 Broken left collar bone.

You'd think I would have learned by know and quit trying to keep up with the kids. Guess I just never grew up myself.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to All,
Ron Watson

[tmc3c]

I have always heard that when you ride close to the edge of the envelope that when you fall it HURTS!!![]

Ron, Tell us about you "other" self!:D


Thomas Carmichael


1970 125 Six Day
1976 250 Hare Scrambler

[bentrims]

Ron,
If anyone can out ugly your medical bio I dont think I want to read it...OUCH

Have a Merry Christmas you guys. God Bless you and those old scars.
Tom B

[Dave Withrow]

Geeze, I thought I was the only one crazy enough to throw a leg over a bike after life/career changing injuries.  If someone really want to know, I'll send you a list of my replacement parts!

I was born and raised in southern West Virginia.  Everyone I knew had dirt bikes and we rode the wheels off 'em.  Played college ball at West Virginia Tech.  Worked summers at the coal mines.  Entered the Air Force in '82. Had a few jobs (special ops stuff)but eventually became a firefighter/rescue technician.  Worked at NORAD, Peterson field, Sicily, and Chanute in IL.  While in Sicily I played Semi-pro football for a couple of years.
I stopped riding in'79 after a bad crash, but got the bug to ride again in 1999 after finding this site on the net.  I bought a Mint 400( the 1st of 14 Penton?KTMs) and have been having fun riding and meeting riders since.  I'm still a firefighter and have about 7 years before retiring from Champaign IL.  Most people that know me think I'm just a big (6'4"-225) kid.........they're right!  Hopefully, I always will be.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!          GO PENTON!

[fasmith]

yep..   this is going to get ugly... gotta love the scars.

I got a feeling all the original Penton guys here are going.. boy.. we gotta do something about all these yahoos joining the club here.

I started riding enduros in 1977, hanging out with a Vietnam vet who rode Pentons.  I am originally from SC, rode the SETRA enduro events, and raced motocross up and down the east coast, and moved to Texas in 2000 after the company I worked for 22 years went down the toilet and I was offered a job in Round Rock, Texas working for Mr. Michael Dell.  First thing I found out about the Texas crowd was that they are not scared to snick it into top gear and go WFO over these big open mile long pastures.  Good lord. These pastures are littered with all kind of things.  

let me see, here's my list .. but knock on wood - no injuries since 2001.

1) shattered ankle- cased a double) - four screws, three pins, one plate. (BTW, I was on a 1981 KTM 495)
2) compound fracture tibia and fibula - 27 screws, three plates - this one was nasty - the splintered part of the tibia cut through my boot.  (1992 Honda CRE 250)
3) broken, but not displaced femur - two screws  (1985 KTM 500)
4) tore all four ligaments in the right knee - had to have reconstruction surgery using cadaver tissue - caught foot in rut and my foot decided to stay in rut while the rest of me decided to stay on bike and go on. (1981 KTM 250 WR)
5) 4 broken fingers - pins inserted- days before bark busters.
6) torn Achilles tendon - hose clamp held it for two years until new surgery re-attached it.
7) 3 broken ribs. Flak jacket got injuried too. 1981 Suzuki RM 250
On a metal tanked Husky, hit myself on the tank hard enough to have to have surgery to repair the family jewels and stop internal bleeding. The tank was dented in 2 inches.
9) Broke the bones in the midfoot after a close encounter with a pine (lighter) stump. Neat thing here was that the force of the blow was so hard on the top of the foot that the flesh on the bottom of my foot split open. (1989 KX500)
10) Fractured/displaced patella- tibia plateau fracture - (1985 KTM 500) (a tree would not move)

Ironically, I never hurt myself on the 1977 GS and the 1980 GS. Another reason I should have kept those bikes.

[Tony Price]

Umm, Freddie, about that "let's get together and ride" thing....[]

I'll take my three back surgeries, two knee surgeries, one foot surgery, and one shoulder surgery and go sit at the kid's table!

Actually, only the foot, one knee, and the shoulder surgery are directly related to playing Yard Dart.  My surgeon does blame most everything else on not quitting though.  Idiot.

As for the BIO, as a card carrying agent in the Penton Intelligence Agency as well as being in the Senseless Protection Program I'll have to work on it a bit....


Tony, errr, Agent Smith.  From Iowa.

[tmc3c]

OOOH,this could get ugly!!!

You know it is a bad sign when you are riding with a group of riders and you have that one guy who is riding a KX500 in the woods and he starts saying "I have been riding 25 yrs and have never been hurt"!! I had just stopped to take some pictures and when I caught up with the group they all come over to me and this guy says "does this look BROKE?"  HELLO!!!! Why did they wait for me?HMMM....



 
The guy separated his shoulder.



Thomas Carmichael


1970 125 Six Day
1976 250 Hare Scrambler

[fasmith]

Personally... Ron, with the skin thing and plastic surgery... *that* had to hurt.  I'll take a broken bone over skin injury any day.

My wife is pretty good about nursing me back to good health.  Got a sense of humor too.. one time she put training wheels on the bike and parked it on the deck as I healed.  I got ragged quite a bit about that.

You guys have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year..!

Freddie

quote:Originally posted by Tony Price

Umm, Freddie, about that "let's get together and ride" thing....[]

I'll take my three back surgeries, two knee surgeries, one foot surgery, and one shoulder surgery and go sit at the kid's table!

Actually, only the foot, one knee, and the shoulder surgery are directly related to playing Yard Dart.  My surgeon does blame most everything else on not quitting though.  Idiot.

As for the BIO, as a card carrying agent in the Penton Intelligence Agency as well as being in the Senseless Protection Program I'll have to work on it a bit....


Tony, errr, Agent Smith.  From Iowa.

[clayman]

Fellow POGers,

All of this injury talk makes me queezy! I raced Professionally from 1973-1984 and had a huge list of painful injuries. We had the first 103 foot double jump (big thing back in 1979) and I missed clearing it by 3 feet. Only one rider ever cleared it. The list goes on and on......I bet Tom B has us all beat, though! He was always one of my favorite riders back in the day and am thrilled he shares our same love for the green bikes!:)

Didn't get hurt again until desert riding in eastern Oregon in 2002 (broken ribs) which was the most painful of all those injures sustained previously  (which included losing fingertips after a pileup in the 125cc Pro class at Portland; we were all digging for out bikes- I reached for my shift lever and my glove went throught the countershaft!!!:( ENOUGH!!!!

Clay

[skiracer]

I live in Sullivan County New York, which is about 85 miles north of the City.  It is pretty rural here, so there was always room to ride.  I started out woods riding on a Honda S90, and moved to a Hodaka 100.  Bought a 1969 Penton 125 Sic Day in 1972, rode in the woods, and started racking motocross in 1973.  I moved to a 250 Husqvarna the next year, and turned expert that year.  Then I made the mistake of getting talked into a program that the Maico factory had for local “warm shoes”, and raced a 250 for half a season……Maico breako!!!!!  In 1976, I bought my 250 MC5, and started winning again.  Turned pro in 1977, and had lots of fun all over the US.  Left the Penton for a ride on a red Honda, sorry guys.  I got too old to race competitively, so I parked the bikes.  Four years ago, my son wanted to start riding, so, fresh gas, 6 kicks, and the Penton fired right up!!!!  Recently, I bought a 1980 KTM 175 for my son.  I really enjoy riding that bike in the woods more than my 250.  I am thinking of doing a couple enduros this coming spring.  I found out that I had surpressed the desire, and love for riding for over 25 years, and have regained  it over the past six months!  I guess that is one of the plus sides to a divorce!!!  LOL!!!  If anyone lives close by and would like to go riding this coming spring, let me know.  I have put sheetmetal screws in my tires, and I am riding on the ice right now!  Ride on!