Wanted: Penton Owners and Riders

[Ernie Phillips]

Bob, Thanks for the reality check and inspiration.  Young Jeff had "no quit" in him.

"I used to have the blues,
Because I had no shoes.
Until upon the street,
I met a man who had no feet!"

Gentlemen, always remember to count your blessings ...


Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[TGTech]

Bob,

The pictures that you showed of the one armed rider reminded me of when Jack, Jeff, and I used to motocross locally. There was a rider down here, who did not have a left hand and he had a ring clamped to his handlebars and he'd put his "wrist" in the ring.

I don't think that he ever beat one of us, but he was right on our tails. We would chat after the races and more than once, he made the comment that he just couldn't understand how we could hang onto our bikes with both hands because his one hand would get so tired.

Dane

[Knute]

That's a great story Bob.  Thanks for firing up your new scanner and sharing the photos as well.

Kent

[cubfan1968]

Some folks just can't be beat. Great story.

Rod Whitman
Omaha, Nebraska
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[Lew Mayer]

Inspirational story. Thanks Bob.

Lew Mayer

[tmc3c]

Bob, I am not sure of the guys name but there is a guy flat tracking now in AHRMA that has one arm. I saw him ride and he gets the job done!!



Thomas Carmichael


1970 125 Six Day
1976 250 Hare Scrambler

[rob w]

Thank you all for your comments, and allowing me to share this.

Bob

[firstturn]

Bob and Everyone,
  As we travel through life we begin to realize that what we have done is a lot of times interesting to others we touch in our everyday lives.  Bob's story of his Friend Jeff is so touching and such a success story that it is hard to top, but the fact that his Friend also has touched so many people over 30 years later is important.  I for one feel we need to keep this going and be in touch with Ted on stories that are serious, funny or life changing and keep this thread going even if you add a new threads.  Also you can send your stories directly to Ted.

  Thanks again Bob and as I mentor young people who are not doing well in life you can bet I will use Jeff's success story to make the point that nothing comes easy without the effort.  I will step down from the soapbox and hope that others will add to this important thread.

Ron Carbaugh

[dennis brown]

dane,i recall the rider with one hand i belive his mane is larry schidale live here in ashtabula oh i remember him at austenburg race track

dennis l.brown

[TGTech]

Dennis,

Austinburg was one of my favorite motocross tracks in northern Ohio. Many years ago, when my son was racing at Dirt World and Holeshot in that "neighborhood", I took him by the location of the old track to show where the place was.

Dane

[SouthRider]

Well this certainly isn't near as moving of a story as that of Jeff Dorrell, but I have one testimony about how the toughness & reliabilty of the Penton motorcycle helped to win races.

In 1977 I was 22 years old and racing a 1976 Jackpiner in SERA enduros. It was the new long travel lay down shock model with silky smooth suspension. The envy of all riders in that era.

That summer there was a points paying run in North Little Rock that was in some serious hills (they looked like mountains to me...).

In the first few miles just before the first possible check I got ahead of my row, realized I was a little hot, and pulled over to let time & my row catch up with me.

As I was slowing down I looked over my shoulder to see where my pals were. We were riding in little fist sized rocks that were piled up like gravel - well needless to say I fell over going about a half mph.

I jumped up as quickly as I could - fired up the bike and hopped on before my friends could see me and razz me big time - here they came - just ease it into first & take off.

But there was only a one inch stub where the gear shift lever was supposed to be (High Point folding shifters were only a weld on accessory then).

I quickly used the heel of my boot to jam it into first gear, but had no idea how to up-shift. Ahhh - I'll attach my vice grips - after them coming off 4 or 5 times while shifting & having to chase them down the trail I gave up on that idea - only to use my trusty Penton riders wrench to reach down, hook the stub, and upshift.

Now  - downshifting became the real problem - nothing like coming into a corner being a gear too high - then looking down at the footpeg, finding the lever, and jumping up and putting all your weight on one heel hoping to downshift. You missed about 9 times for each successful shift.

90 miles later I finished the event - and honestly I probably gave one of the more thrilling Kodak moments of the day at the spectator hill - it was long, steep, and had a crown in the middle so you couldn't see the top from the bottom.

I hit the bottom in 3rd gear about 20 mph TOOO FAST, jumped the crown, and then ended up frying the clutch all the way to the top, finally running alongside the bike and pushing the last few yards.

Those Pentons had bronze clutch plates, and I ended up in 2nd or 3rd gear that whole day just wailing on the clutch. Well it never complained, never faded, and didn't even need adjustment after the race.

I ended up in the top 40 that day, but couldn't tell you where. I did get 3rd place in the 175 B class, and it was my last year in the B class, and last year on a Penton until 2008.

I will never forget how that little bike saved my day. The reliability and toughness of the Pentons won many events where other bikes would have failed.


Clark A. Gristina
Covington, LA


1979 SERA Louisiana State Champ

[VICTOR MONZ]

Austinburg was one of the first tracks I raced, I remember my Dad driving us from Lorain to Ashtabula in his 1972 Ranchero with me and 3 buddies and the 4 of us cramped in the Ranchero with 4 bikes in the back.  

I raced a Kawasaki 100, my friend Rick Belsole on his brand new 1972 Penton 100 Berkshire, and my other buddies on a Suzuki 100 and a Yamaha 100, other than the Penton, ours were enduro models with mx "kits" ie, Hooker header pipes, etc...I even only had enduro tires...a little slippery !

It was a muddy Ohio Fall day and I got the bug from there.....one of my favorites tracks also.

Ravenna, Ohio track was a very fun, natural track, too...anyone remember that one ?


Victor Monz

[TGTech]

Victor,

OIR (Ohio International Raceway) at Ravenna, is still around and is actually run with a better group of people today. The Hand family runs the track and they always get 4 to 6 hundred entries at their events.

Dane

[Mick Milakovic]

Me and a friend of mine took a motocross vacation one summer and visited several tracks from Indianapolis to New York.  We took two weeks and visited about 6 tracks, camping at the tracks for a couple of days and practicing, racing on the weekends.   Two I remember were Ravenna and Moreley's Motocross Park in Southeastern New York (we tried to get into Unadilla, but it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox!).

Anyway, Morley's was a family-owned, personal-property track that was located behind the house of the owners.  The lady of the house was really nice and said go ahead and ride and when you're done come back to the house and wash your bikes.  Wow, and I thought Southern hospitality was nice! [8D] We rode  a beautiful track and went to wash our bikes.  The lady came out again, talking to us and telling us about her daughter's wedding.  We were starting to feel a little uneasy when she invited us into her house to look at the pictures [:0] When we went in there were pictures on the mantle, and the groom was Cheeh Marin!  The "Wedding Album" had tons more and we were blown away!  Of course, being a Cheech and Chong fan didn't hurt!  I really miss those days, 20 years old with no responsibilities, but this forum helps re-capture them.  Thanks for letting me share a story with you all,

Mick

[dennis brown]

i live only a few miles austenburg mx track, i was riding a lot of enduros and hare scrambles back then and did not ride mx, but a lot of  my friends did. when i could i'd go to watch them. and it never failed ,in would come the  what they called the penton gang.often jack, jeff,tom, and dane, still have on there lights and tool bags on the rear fender,then beat every one there it really tore up the mx racers that enduro riders could do that!. it was fun to watch

dennis l.brown