Restoration Opinions

[thrownchain]

Just looking for feedback. Which is better, restoring to stock?? or to period correct?? What are your opinions and why?? I've talked to some people and get various answers. Let's hear your thoughts.

[Randy Kirkbride]

Thrownchain,
When I restore a bike, I try to make them look just like the ones I had back in the 70's. My bikes will never be museum pieces, so I try to make them the way I liked my new ones. If you look at pics of my bikes now, and compare them to my old pics from the 70's, it's hard to tell the difference.  
I guess the best thing to do is what you're comfortable with.

[TGTech]

It depends on what you want and the history of the bike. If you have a machine with a notable history, then it is best to only make it like it was. Mark Mederski from the Heritage museum gave a talk on this subject a few years back, and that was his perspective.

If you have no history for the bike and you aren't going to ride it, then make it like or better than new.

Dane

[KJDonovan]

Thrownchain,

Great question, I am quite pleased that someone besides me actually thinks about this kind of stuff.  Just my 2 cents but, I am nearing completion of my first ground up restore of a Penton, a 72 Piner that I saved from the curb (literally, one of my buddies, cousins wives had convinced him to put it out for the trash man). As a kid I rode Penton's and liked 95% of the stock bike, so on this restore the only thing I am changing is the 5% I thought I could improve on.  I am hoping for a show quality bike when I finish, but I am sure that "purists" will only notice what I have changed to suit my likening.  The bottom line here is that this is my bike and beyond showing it I plan on riding it, so the point of this restore for me is to resurrect my ideal bike. I could sink more dough into this project and restore it identical to stock but in my opinion that's not what the Penton brand are about.  When the Penton brand hit the market it was John Penton's' vision of the ideal bike.  To this day, I wish I had a tenth the insight that he did in developing the brand. But if you think back a bit, you will remember back in the 70's when you bought a new bike, the first thing you did was to change it to make it "your bike" and not just one that looked or rode identical to the kid's next door. So to wrap this up, when you start your next restore make it your vision of the ideal bike.

KD


Kevin J. Donovan
Foster, Rhode Island
72 Jack Piner (My Ride)
72 Six Day (Wifes Ride)

[cubfan1968]

After I purchased my first Penton Al Buehner raised the question to me,"are you going to ride it or show it?". At the time I was going to show it but one trip around the block made me change my mind I was going to ride it. If you going to ride it, I agree with Kevin. try to keep it period correct but made it friendly to your style of riding. If your going to show it you'll need to go stock as much as possible.

The main thing is to enjoy it. Good luck on your Penton.

Rod Whitman
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[Chakka]

My thoughts are similar to Randy's. When I am restoring a Penton I try to make it look like the bikes I had back in the mid-late seventies. Back then I circled practically every item in the Hi-Point catalog so I spend lots of time looking for accessories for the Penton's I am rebuilding. Preston Petty, Hi-Point, Renthal, Malcom Smith...most of my bikes have a few select items from these companys.

I also study old photos of the ISDT Team Pentons to get ideas on how they were set up. The things that look fuction and cool end up on my bikes if I can locate/make them.

Chakka

[Rain Man]

Hey LT, whats your take on this  

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[imported_n/a]

Since we're on the subject, question. I've been told by more than 1 POG veteran to "make sure you use all the orig. hardware/fasteners (ie:bolts/nuts)." I've got only 1 vintage project going right now and no parts bikes to pirate from. Could spend valuable time digging through the local bike boneyard but time is hard to find these days. I'm getting to the question, I promise. Have a 1974 Six Day that is clearly original top to bottom and with relatively low hours (orig. tires/sprockets/bore/cables/pipe/etc.), however and strangly the thing was, until I disassembled it, quite "cobbled" together with various/mismatched bolts & nuts, likely done during regular maintainence & cleaning over the years when "accuracy/originality" weren't really an issue. Here's the question: Is it taboo to use new metric hardware on a project? What about a mix of new and OEM (new stuff where it doesn't show, etc.)? Opinions? Thanks,

chris h.

[Randy Kirkbride]

Chris H.,
When I do a restoration, (rider), I replace all the original hardware with new stainless steel parts. I know some guys will cringe when I say this. But, I do save all the beat up, stripped out, rounded off, parts. I've got boxes of them. I also use new rims and stainless steel spokes.

[gthong]

I have what I consider a very low milage and very original 250 enduro.. a 1974.5.

It is very stock and original but has a couple small things changed/added. I intend to leave them as is... I was an enduro rider in 1974.. and the very small changes are the exact thing we did then to "dial in" a new penton.. so I consider it very period correct..

my two cents

[thrownchain]

What's the real difference in if you're going to ride or show it?? You're still going to have the same basic machine. You can almost bet someone will see it and say, thats the way I remember them. Or thats the stuff we changed to make it better. Or the stainless  hardware, someone will say, boy that's what we should have had. Still room for more opinions: I can't beleive only 9 people want to step up!;)

[Chakka]

I save all the hardware and replace with stainless as well. I use the occational odd size nut, bolt or washer if they can be cleaned up to look new again. Some metric fasteners used on Pentons are not that easy to locate.
Chakka

[Lew Mayer]

I don't have the money or space to restore a bike,which to me would mean, with correct hardware. Mine are all riders, though, with the stainless hardware that I wish I had way back when.

Lew Mayer

[desmond197]

I have made the mistake of restoring to next to new and then realy like riding it. In two months all that time and money spent is kind of wasted as it is a dirt bike and it likes to play in the dirt. I do some now for show and that is all they do.

I semi restore the riders now. Get them clean paint the frames,pipes and tanks. But no more  getting out the old tooth brushes and dental tools to get every bit of grimy dirt off the bike. Riders get stainless hardware and show bikes get bolts replated. Race bikes get new trick stuff like WP shocks and PVL ignitions.

[rpage11]

In the architectural field the terms preservation, restoration and renovation are interchanged a lot of times and most of the time they are used incorrectly.  They all have very different meanings and they all are useful terms to determine the way a project is undertaken.

Preservation is to maintain something of historic value in an unchanged condition, guarding it from future harm or danger, and keeping the intangibles intact.  This would mean that if George Washington carved his initials in the windowsill of his bedroom you would leave it.  Also, if a famous rider crashed his bike in turn three and dented the tank, the tank would stay dented.  A person looking at the example is more able to put him/her self in the past and imagine the action.

Restoration is bringing back to a former condition.  This is not always to the original building but a lot of times building are brought back to the condition they were in when they had their greatest historic significant.  Additions, porches, carriage houses that were built after the original structure do not deter from a historic building, but actually will give character that is pleasant to view and more interesting than the original box that was built to protect a family from the elements on the plains.

Renovation is to restore to a former better state.  In buildings with historic charm, we usually do some form of a renovation.  Most people like the modern comforts, like indoor toilets over an outhouse, AC, insulated glass, etc.

Back to the original question, if the bike has significant historic value preserve.  If you want to restore the bike, you make the decision when it had the greatest significance and what parts made it significant.  If you want a rider then renovate, a modern chain, tires, etc. are safer and creature comforts don't hurt your performance either and you'll still look good.