There are plenty of defunct motorcycle brands out there. Some are classic names from the past, like Matchless, Laverda, Ossa or Garelli, but there are some obscure ones out there too.
Which brand would get you a perfect score in the quiz show Pointless? Trawling through the history books, we rediscovered Penton Motorcycles, which manufactured off-road motorbikes from 1968 to 1978, and helped play a major role in establishing a certain Austrian company as a major player in the off-road market.
John Penton was, and indeed still is, a legend of the US off-road motorcycle scene.
After serving in World War Two, Penton established himself as a top class enduro racer. Along with his brothers, he ran a dealership selling BMW, BSA and NSU motorcycles in Massachusetts, while he would represent his country in the International Six Day Trial (the predecessor to the current International Six Day Enduro) seven times.
Penton rode Husqvarna motorcycles and was even their US distributor, as dirt bikes became popular during the 1960s. The Swedish brand were well known for the quality of their bikes, however they were big capacity machines, and John felt that there was a demand for smaller and more agile off-roaders. He approached Husqvarna, asking them to make a lightweight machine, but when the factory bosses turned down his requests he approached KTM, then a fledgling manufacturer making mainly bicycles and mopeds.
Penton reportedly paid the Austrian company $6,000 to build some prototypes. The first bikes were introduced in 1968. The first six 100cc prototypes arrived early in the year and were entered in a national level enduro event in Georgia, but suffered mechanical issues.
The bikes were reengineered ahead of production. They used engines sourced from German company Sachs and ran Italian Ceriani suspension. Two models were introduced, the 100cc Berkshire and the 125cc Six Day. At just 84kg, the Penton branded machines certainly met John’s objective of being light and easy to handle. Demand exceeded expectations and in 1969, 3000 examples of the Six Day were produced and sold.
Outside of America, KTM sold the bikes under their own name – using the model names GS100/125 and MC125 – and, by 1972, the range consisted of 125cc, 175cc and 250cc models, powered by KTM built and branded engines.
KTM eventually took over the development of the models, although the Penton name was still used on the North American bikes until 1978, when KTM set up its own sales and distribution network and sold the bikes under its own brand.
In total, 25,000 Pentons were sold in North America in that 10 year period, and set the Austrian manufacturer on its way to become the most successful makers of off-road motorbikes.
John Penton remained in the industry and enjoyed great success importing motorcycle boots. These days he’s a well-known figure in the classic off-road scene, a real legend of the American motorcycle industry.
