The motorcycle community sadly just lost one of the greats in the form of John Penton, who passed away peacefully on September 7th, 19 days after his 100th birthday. Penton was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 1998, and when you realize the length and breadth of his contributions to the world of motorcycling, it's not hard to understand why he was inducted while he still had another 27 years of contributions left in him.
Born in Amherst, Ohio, on August 19th, 1925, Penton learned how to ride on his father's 1914 Harley-Davidson as a youngster, but it wasn't until he returned from World War II that he started making waves in the motorcycle industry. After finishing second in the 1948 Jack Pine 500-Mile Enduro, he noticed how much lighter the European machinery was than its US counterparts, specifically the B-33 BSA that took him to second place.
He'd go on to become one of the US's best enduro competitors and even represent the states at the International Six Days Trial seven times between 1962 and 1970. But Penton wasn't just a great racer; he was just as good at motorcycle development and business. And although KTM is having one of the worst times in the brand's history, Penton is the one who put it on the map here in the US.
Penton approached KTM in the late 60s and offered the company $6,000 to produce prototypes for him. The Austrian delivered six 100cc Penton prototypes, which Penton raced and developed himself. Over the next decade, he'd go on to sell more than 25,000 Penton motorcycles before the brand eventually transitioned fully to KTM in 1978. But Penton and the Penton brand had solidified the idea in the US that lightweight motorcycles were unquestionably better for racing off-road.
Eventually, Penton would go on to collaborate with Alpinestars to launch the Hi-Point off-road motorcycle boots, which would go on to become best-sellers in the US. Between his riding, the bikes he developed, and his outspokenness about the importance of safety gear in the off-road world, Penton was a pioneer in every sense of the word.
If you want to learn more about Penton's life, check out the documentary, “Penton: The John Penton Story”.
