Tech support column

[NYPenton125]

After all the great advice and help I got from the forum this week, I had an idea to have a "Tech" section on the main POG page. The forums are a great source, but a section devoted to technical articles and tips would be great. (An electronic version of the "Let's Do It Right" column.) I have a few original "Keeping Track" issues and thought maybe a start would be to scan in the tech articles. Any ideas on this ? Is it feasible ?

Matt Burns

[thrownchain]

I'm with ya, I think a resto page would be a good idea also.
You could list paint codes, decal producers, other parts dealers, [ rims, spokes, seat covers, plastic or fiberglass fenders, etc]
Kind of a one stop guide to resto questions.
Tech page, or section would be good also. There always seems to be a rehashing of the same questions.

[NYPenton125]

Great idea for a restoration page. Is there anyone from POG Admin with thoughts on this ?

Matt Burns

[thrownchain]

Matt, I tried this once before and it seems to die as a good idea. I've put up a couple of different ideas I thought would make the whole process easier, which makes it more fun, but with little results. Everybody says if you have a question ask, but why keep asking the same questions? There's an ID page, why not a resto page. The info doesn't change, paint is the same for multiple years, decals change, so a listing of what goes on what years would be a help.
Has anyone seen the book put out by Strickly Hodaka?  A nice compact history of the brand. No reason that couldn't be done here. Limited copies and when they're gone it's done. Be a collectors item in no time.

[firstturn]

IN RESPONSE TO THE FOLLOWING:

Matt, I tried this once before and it seems to die as a good idea. I've put up a couple of different ideas I thought would make the whole process easier, which makes it more fun, but with little results. Everybody says if you have a question ask, but why keep asking the same questions? There's an ID page, why not a resto page. The info doesn't change, paint is the same for multiple years, decals change, so a listing of what goes on what years would be a help.
Has anyone seen the book put out by Strickly Hodaka? A nice compact history of the brand. No reason that couldn't be done here. Limited copies and when they're gone it's done. Be a collectors item in no time.

MY RESPONSE:

Thrownchain,
  I think all of these are great ideas.  Strictly Hodaka is owned as a business as is their web site.  This is a club and therefore any of the ideas you come up with have to be done with FREE TIME donated by the people in this club.  All that you have seen done to date, most before you joined I might add, was done with donated time.  People only have so much free time and in my life my Family and Friends need time before my hobby.

  This is not meant to be a negative post, but you need to understand all of us probably have great ideas but they require time and money to complete.  Just look at the problem you are having trying to get some people together for a Northeast meet.  I think you have TRIED VERY HARD to get this done, but there still has been no meet.  I will say that our meets down here require me to travel 1600 miles round trip, but I feel that the guys I visit with are worth it.

  In closing, your ideas are good ones, but if you want someting done you should start the ball rolling by volunteering to do the project and following through with your thoughts.  Just my thoughts, and not meant to offend just put things in perspective as to what can be accomplished in a all volunteer organization.

Ron Carbaugh
Kerrville, Texas

[Bob Seymour]

Ron,Matt,Dan. I believe everyone is making good points regarding this topic. Tom Brosius also has a similar topic on this subject posted right now. What would be required to have another sub-category added to our homepage that would accommodate this? Is this something that could be explored as a agenda item with the membership. If its a matter of expense to reimburse someone for thier time to do the additions to the Web site then that should be considered also. I know there is a wealth of technical knowledge among the membership that would have a oppurtunity to become centralized in addition to the myriad of service and supplier venues that are not known by everyone. Ron,I feel as you said in the early part of your reply, limiting the possible frustration in keeping our bikes rolling makes our hobby endeavors and interest to do so all the more enjoyable. Just my thoughts.
                                   Bob

[firstturn]

I feel adding another heading is just adding more choices for people to even be more confused.  Just go back and look in the last 15 days where people have put items in the the wrong headings.  If you need a tip on how to put a pipe on ask and it will probably be answered in less than 1 day.  Another heading that was added a long time ago and still people don't use, don't understand how to use it or simple don't want to use is the search engine we have?  When I have someone send me a question via email rather than answer it I sometimes put a link to the answer that was given on the POG site at a earlier date.  OK I have used up my alotted time now.  [8D]

PS: Some weeks it is not uncommon for me to answer 10 questions off this site (via email)due to people not wanting to ask on the site??  If you ask a question we all learn.  Just my take.[:0]



Ron Carbaugh
Kerrville, Texas

[thrownchain]

Let me contemplate and I'll get back to you.
[ don't think I haven't thought about doing the book myself !]
[And the NE meet isn't dead yet!!!]

[454MRW]

I would have to agree with Ron, as on a day like today...raining and just overall nasty outside I may check the website several times in one day and I read all of the posts. The more questions about repairs or restoration, the more I learn, even if I had forgotten about the same topic in an earlier post. As my range of bikes that I am building increase, as does my quest for knowledge about them.
If there does eventually become a file on commonly asked questions, I would suggest it be on a separate page, like the production years and frame/engine numbers link, not on the message board. Mike

Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 250'S

[NYPenton125]

I like Bob and Mike's idea to have a seperate link off the homepage. John Durrill sent me a link this week to an old "Let's Do It Right" article on transmission adjustment. It was scanned in as a .pdf file on a website. This article was exactly what I was looking for, but I would not have found it if not for John's post.
 So, my idea was to put these articles and other tech tips on the POG website. I know it would take considerable effort and time (and probably server space) to put this in place, but I think it would be invaluable to have.
  With that said, I am willing to put some time into this. I have some old "Keeping Track" issues and thought a good start would be to scan the "Let's Do it Right" sections and forward them to POG. I beleive the "Still Keeping Track" issues have a tech section as well, and this could possibly be scanned and uploaded. Would anyone know who in POG I should contact to float this by? Any other thoughts on this ambitious plan?

Matt Burns

[thrownchain]

All right, I know alot of work was already done before I got here, thanks to all that put time, and effort and hard earned knowledge into this site.
I also know that as time progresses it's to our advantage to try to improve this site also. A restoration page or a Tech page would be a help. It's something that should be brought up at a meeting and discussed to see if it's feasable.
As to the people who list under the wrong headings......I realy don't want to hurt anyones feelings, but.....
I've met alot of people on line and in person and so far they have been both friendly and helpful. Some of these people have owned Pentons from the days when they first came out. Some like me are just now discovering them. Alot ride, some race. and some just own.
Racers know you have to keep changing to be competitive, John Penton knew that or there would have been just steel tankers. But he improved the bike on an on going basis, chrome molloy frames, always looking at different powerplants, trying to stay conpetitive. The same ideas could be applied to this site to make it better.
The Penton display at M/O is discribed as the one to follow. This site could be the same.   my 2 cents   Dan

[Bob Seymour]

I think you guys are hitting the nail right on the head. A seperate category like Mike had mentioned was the way I was thinking this needed to go. If its properly segregated from the discussion and for sale boards I dont see that creating confusion, after all we are reasonably intelligent fellas are'nt we? Dan,your analogy was on target. If we cant implement improvements for ourselves then we become static and stale. The POG meeting in February being at the AMA Museum I suspect will be well attended. I was there last year and it was a full house. Perhaps some research and inquiry like Matt said could be done in the interim and then presented at this meeting for the memberships consideration.
Just think, if each member only contributed one piece of technical information or one service provider or supplier they had utilized how wonderful reference and resource this could become for all of us.
                                                       Bob

[thrownchain]

I knew this was an idea thats time had come. I'll be there in Feb.
Dan

[Admin]

Matt,
This sounds like a great idea however at this time we have several projects we are working on that haven't been completed.  But if you want to send me some formal guidelines on how you vision this, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill
[email protected]

[NYPenton125]

Thanks Bill. I emailed Paul Danik last night with the idea. I will work on an outline and also see how well those articles scan. I am planning on working on it a bit this weekend, maybe use Photoshop to touch up the scanned images. I'll get something to you soon and we can go from there. Thanks for considering my plan and we'll be in touch!

Bob and Dan, if you want to collaborate on this send me an email.

Matt Burns