POG bios

[thrownchain]

I knew if I got this started it would run. I just didn't think it would turn into a forum on injuries. I feel left out as only have a broken collarbone. I was out riding in about a week. Dennis, I'm in the town of Scipio which is just south of Auburn. By all means folks keep the info rolling in. Thanks:)[][^]

[don howard]

Hi .I don,t feel to bad and reading some of these injuries. My starting riding motorcycle at 14 years old on a whizzer motor bike, thats all it took to get me hooked. Did lots of road riding while in the Navy stationed in Norfolk Va. Rode 12 hrs. to New Hampshire on week-ends. crazy huh? But thats home to me. Always went to Laconia for bike week back in the crazy days at Gunstock area. Scrambled a 125 cc Parilla ran on a 6 volt lantern battery = one broken collarbone at Monson Mass. After that went to the woods on a Greeves had no serious injurys.Lots of riding off road with bikes can,t even remember. In 73 went to the ISDT in Becket Mass. Left me with a strong desire for a Penton Steeltanker got lots of info from that weekend. Impressed by a lot of our own POG,ers. One day was in a junk-yard in Maine and low an behold was a steeltanker on top of a pile off junk heading for the crusher was my dream come true, told the owner i wanted that bike, he said $100.00 climb up and get it. So i dragged that 71 tanker off that pile. All it needed was a flywheel, side cover, cleaned the tank, fresh gas and that,s all. Still runs good replaced fenders covered the seat, My dream came true. My Son and myself went to the reunion ride in Mass just like we did in 73 ,had Mr John Penton sign my freshly painted tank, also had everybody sign it that i could get to sign it. Had the time of my life. Iam 71 years old still ride the woods, you could call me a life long rider.I was the guy with the tank in the Dale Earnhardt bag asking for autographs but everybody was nice about it, sorry had to interrupt J Penton while he was eating a delicious peach, but he was so nice about it. Great guy, got some pictures while shaking hands with him, made my day. Well thats it in brief.   Don Howard

[Mick Milakovic]

Don, your experience in "dragging" your steel tanker  back to life is one we all wish we had!

[thrownchain]

Hey guys don't slack off on me now. Theres lots of members we haven't heard from. Step up and tell us about yourselves. Say as much as or as little as you want.[][8D][^]

[socalmx]

My family moved from Illinois to California when I was 11. My older brother got interested in motorcycles and my younger brother and I followed along. First bike was a Honda CM91 step thru 90. Learning to ride meant riding up and down the alley. First real dirt bike was a '71 Honda SL100 that I got for Christmas. My dad always felt that motocross was too dangerous so he decided that we could race in the desert if we wanted. First desert races were the Ponderosa Hare Scrambles that were held monthly outside Lancaster, Ca. I learned early on that the Honda lacked power (course had a lot of deep sand) and due to the short wheelbase, swapped ends very easily (I still remember my first "over the bars" crash). I also started racing the AMA District 37 races about the same time. Senior year in High School found me looking for a new bike. Penton Berkshires were too expensive so I purchased a new-used '73 DKW 100 (Betor front end). During '74 I started to win my class and progessed from Novice to Amateur. I DNF'd Check Chase that year but did finish Barstow to Vegas. In early '75 I had to quit racing due to family financial problems but started racing again in '76 on a Suzuki RM100. Late 70's into 80's found me racing a RM125 and then a PE175. A "B" type movie called Desert Racers filmed in '81 gave me my fifteen minutes (seconds) of fame. During a D37 desert race segment,they showed different people trying to climb this difficult hill. They filmed me because I was riding up the hill shaking my head. Truth be known, I was cursing the race organizers for having such a rotten hill so early in the race. In '87 I raced Barstow to Vegas on a Husky 500XC which was the worse mistake I ever made. I ended up looping the bike at speed dislocating my shoulder in the process. After getting rid of the Husky, I purchased a '87 YZ250 which I play rode a couple times a year until I purchased my latest bike. I picked an old man's bike - a '97 Honda XR400. These days I play ride with my brother and nephews.
Penton wise, purchased my '72 125 in 1984 for $50. I decided early on that I wanted it restored to race conditions (vs showroom). I have restored it a couple of times and currently race it twice a year at the Adelanto and Elsinore Grand Prixs just for fun.

[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!  

[thrownchain]

I knew if I got this started it would run. I just didn't think it would turn into a forum on injuries. I feel left out as only have a broken collarbone. I was out riding in about a week. Dennis, I'm in the town of Scipio which is just south of Auburn. By all means folks keep the info rolling in. Thanks:)[][^]