1968 - 2008
PENTON 40th. Anniversary
Built Overseas For The Americas.
Welcome to the official PENTON motorcycle web site. This site is to show people how a great man went overseas and created a great motorcycle for trail riding and for competition. They were distributed all over the United States and are still very popular today. The reason it is the official web site is because the PENTON name is trademarked. Done the legal way and the right way. This site is for all people who have a passion for one of the great motorcycles and motorcycle stories of all time. It is to keep the great PENTON marque alive many years into the future. Like so many I love the past and would like to see it return in some fashion. I will try my best to see that this happens some day. Who knows, maybe even an updated new version of the great PENTON motorcycle will return. You can feel free to e-mail me or call me anytime at one of the phone numbers listed below if you need parts or have a question pertaining the any PENTON motorcycle. I as a young kid, I got to race dirt bikes over an 8 year period and still have a great passion for them. I hope to continue getting the great PENTON name out to others and even the youth of America so they too can learn about the man that created his own motorcycle and was agressive doing so, just as he was on the racetrack. The PENTON story should be learned by anyone who enjoys riding and racing motorcycles of any kind. Please enjoy this site and I will continue to always try to add new items and information in the many years to come. You can contact me anytime about PENTON motorcycles at 330-364-2050 or 330-364-5073. Also click on the e-mail link and e-mail me anytime. I will always answer as soon as I can. Thank You. Terry Everett. New Philadelphia, Ohio. Now read about the great story of how this exciting event unfolded. The PENTON name is a registerd trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark office. Any unauthorized use of this name on motorcycles, motorcycle parts or motorcycle accessories is strickly prohibited.
330-364-2050 phone or 330-364-5073 phone
Mail Checks to:
Terry Everett P. O. Box 1084 New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663
PENTON NATION!
PENTON, PENTON where have you gone?
Please tell us all, how it went wrong
When it first began, it was truley great
Offroad racing changed, Berkshire 68
Remember when the Japanese were not
Lots of excitement, European was hot
From red to dark green, the idea went forth
Now more people noticed Amherst up North
Yes he was right, changes were near
All of a sudden Jackpiner the next year
The color was light blue, how could you miss it
More and more dealers filled their showrooms with it
One motor name and then another,
Trunkenpolz choose to go with the other
Enduro, Motocross,Trials and Hare Scrambles
Could it be one day everything would be in shambles
Time marched on, bigger and faster
Red tank, Gold tank, he is now called the master
West of the Miss, three letter name
East of the Miss, could only bear his name
His family known around the globe
Now with HI-POINT accessories, sales explode
Austrians, Americans, who could be right
The one up north never ran from a fight
Attack, Attack the way he was raised
Suprise, Suprise the white tank is on the way
So lets finish this up, ten years came and went
Let's recap it all so e-mails can be sent
Steel Tanker, Six Day, Jackpiner made their stint
Wassell, Hare Scrambler and finally the Mint
The past must be remembered, so let's continue to tell
But to capture the young, a new bike must sell
Could it happen, the great name at the checkpoint booth
Very well could, and don't discount the TRUTH
When that day comes, the party will be large and insane
But the one great thing, the name on the tank will remain the same. (PENTON)
The PENTON Story:
Over 50 years ago the first motorcycle that had the letters KTM on it rolled off the assembly line over in Austria. 1953 probally was an exciting time for Hans Trunkenpolz (The T in KTM) when the dream of building motorcycles was fullfilled and the factory was off and running. A car repair shop from back in the 1930's climbed up the food chain to enter the very demanding and also very popular motorcycle industry. With a small roster of workers (Probally 2 dozen or so) the KTM factory was humming along and putting out a grand total of approximately 3 motorcycles each working day. The KTM R100. Then around the year 1956 they had someone enter a competition event and won. The two brave industrialists knew then their future was the off road category of motorcycles. enter Mr. John Penton from the great state of Ohio, a true pioneer and visionary of the motorcycle industry and who himself was already very popular in the off road racing scene in America and different parts of the world. He decided to start putting together ideas of having a competition bike put together the way he thought it should be. It turned out he was right on the money. In 1967 the Austrian KTM factory put out a model called the "Gelandesport" (Terrain Machine) or the GS for short. Mr. Pentons one idea of a new motorcycle for competition here in the United States helped make over 500 more of these brillant machines through out the year 1968. It was now official. The great John Penton was about to change the world of motorcycling and off road racing. these first machines used a motor made by the Sachs motor company in Germany and later known for the wide finned or radial finned head for better cooling and and were 125cc. Mr. Penton always with top quality and precise workmanship on his mind, which worked well with the thinking of the Austrians had made sure his bike that would eventually carry his now famous name on it, would be great for its time. History shows that the frame came from an excisting moped KTM had made and squeezed that Sachs 125cc motor in it along with top quality rims, good forks for suspension and the great Magura levers for the controls. The short wheel base used made the ground clearance way up to approximately 10 inches. At that time KTM was putting out approximately 4 to 5 hand built bikes a day. KTM started exporting two sizes to the United States. The 100cc Berkshire model, red in color and the 125cc Six Days model, that carried the PENTON name on those always rememered green and white gas tank with the yellow number plates all made out of steel. Known as the Steel Tankers still today. What a beautiful site they were. I remember them well and I own a 1968 100cc Berkshire, the first year Mr. Penton imported them. Number 522 on the frame. They were the talk of every racing event around the country and even still today in other countries where Mr. Penton and his three sons raced and won many world wide events over time. The ten year span of the PENTOn motorcycle, 1968 to 1977 was a great ten years. More improvements to the frame and engine brought not only more marks in the win category, but mor larger models. The famoue 175cc Jackpiner with the beautiful light blue color, early on became an instant hit with many riders. Then came the 250cc Hare Scrambler and the 400cc Mint. KTM was now very busy. Not only were they keeping John Penton in his motorcycles here in the United States to keep all his dealers happy, KTM by 1971 was winning motocross events in the 250cc class over in Austria, with a man by the name of Friedrich Grabbner who took the 250 championship that same year. starting in 1973 the KTM factory was or had grown to approximately 400 workers and was making over 40 different motorcycle models. 1974 brought KTM the world 250cc motocross championship by a Russian rider by the name of Gennady Moiseev. He replayed the world motocross championship song for KTM in the years 1977 and 1978. By this time KTM had built its own engine and quit using the little Sachs motors and opened a national headquarters in Amherst, Ohio which is John Penton's home town today. Now exports were three fourts of KTM's bisiness and in 1979 KTM had already built over 70,000 of their own engines. Only one problem. The name PENTON was no longer on the motorcycle after 1977. A true fallen out might have occured, for what reasons only John Penton can answer that. I guess a lot of things had changed after 10 years of doing business on a hand shake. This is truly great history and a great family. Mr. John Penton is very active today at 82 years old and his one famous son Jack was involved up at the KTM USA plant in Amherst, Ohio in the racing division.