John Penton had a huge impact on two legendary motorcycle manufacturers at roughly the same time. Husqvarna and KTM both owe some of their success to the Ohio farmer.
When Penton’s wife died in 1958 he took a year off to ride motorcycles. In the course of that year he won the Jack Pine and the Corduroy off road on a NSU 125, crossed Mexico on a BMW R69 and then set the New York to California time record on the Beemer (52 hours).
He joined his brother’s motorcycle dealership selling Honda and Yamaha, and in 1967 John became the East Coast importer for Husqvarna. Penton pressed Husky for a smaller, lighter competition motorcycle and Husky said no. John rode the 6 day trials (in Poland that year) in 1967 and took a side trip to a moped maker in Austria (KTM) and commissioned a prototype off road racer.
Introduced at the Stone Mountain in 1968 the 125CC Penton was on it’s way. Penton sold 400 units that year and ordered 1000 for 1969. KTM marketed the same motorcycle in Europe as the GS or MC 125. The rest is history. By the time this 1973 Penton hit the market the bikes all had KTM badging on them.
The 1973 Penton Jackpiner 175 used a 171 CC air cooled two stroke motor that made a brutal 26 HP with a dry weight of 226 LBS. Cerani front forks with a 21” Akront wheel, Girling rear shocks with an 18” Akront, a double loop tubular chrome moly frame, and 9.5 inches of clearance made this a formidable package.
This particular 1973 Penton Jackpiner 175 is listed as a Husqvarna, but is clearly a KTM. The bike (VIN# 730464139) is located in Scotts Valley, California and is listed as ‘in good original condition’. The bike is currently priced at $702.69 with reserve not met
Sources:
Dirt Bike Magazine
Wikipedia
KTM Blog https://blog.ktm.com/tbt-throwback-thursday-penton-and-ktm/
Speed and Sport (parts) http://www.speedandsport.com/motocross/penton/
Off Road