Bud Green's 1969 ISDT Penton Six Days Bike

Tanker Talk

by Alan Buehner

photos provided by Bud Green

Originally printed in the 2014 issue #64 of Still….Keeping Track

In 1969 the Penton team consisting of John Penton, Dave Mungenast, Bud Green and Leroy Winters traveled to Germany to compete in the ISDT being held there. Bud was given a 1969 Penton 125 to ride.

Somehow Bud managed to finish the event, earning a bronze medal. Photo "A" below shows the back of the bike with the rear wheel cocked to the right side. Imagine yourself riding this bike for six days.

The frame broke on the first day when the right side shock broke off. Due to riding a full day with one shock being broken, the frame was being twisted causing the frame to break as shown in photo "B".

Photo A - The rear wheel was cocked because of the broken frame. If you look at the picture of the rear you will also see that the rear was bent.
Photo B - Showing the upward frame tube on the right with the break just above the area where the swing arm is attached.

All of the Penton riders rode stock bikes. After receiving the bikes the only modifications made were by the individual riders to attaching tools and extra replacement parts. I can only assume that there were extra gussets added to all the frames at the KTM factory after the event to keep the same problem happening to the other Penton motorcycles being made.

He had a bad gas tank leak due to the tool bag being mounted on the tank. The weight of the tools and extra chain being carried in it caused the seam on the tank to break out, causing a leak. He had bad gasoline bums due to riding all day with gasoline in his right boot.

The exhaust pipe broke just before the heat shield and if you look carefully at photo "B" you will see how he added 2 clamps, a bracket, and wire to hold it together. The heat shield somehow disappeared. This may be the reason why the bikes being made in 1970 to 71 came with welded-on heat shields.

The top part of chain guard (also seen in the photo) was broken off. Amazingly the chain lasted the entire six days ofriding without having to be replaced.

Another problem he encountered was hitting a boulder which punctured the clutch case cover. He repaired the hole with chewing gum and duck tape.

When Erik Trunkenpolz saw the bike at the end of the event he declared the bike "Kaput"!

The broken bike, along with the fact that Bud finished the event, shows just how fast and determined a rider Bud was. He always rode to win.

Cycle World magazine published an article about the event in their January 1990 issue. According to the article there were many other bikes at that event that suffered bent rims, broken seat, bent swing arms, and bailing wire holding things together.

The Americans were not the only riders on Penton Motorcycles. Italy's Arnaldo Farioli was reported to have won a Gold medal riding a Penton. This shows how highly regarded the Penton Motorcycles were even though they were only on the market for 2 years.

Bud Green on his Penton 125 in Germany at the ISDT. He was 34 years old when this photo was taken.
1969 ISDT Penton Team L to R - John Penton, Dave Mungenast, Bud Green, and Leroy Winters.

See also...

Budd Green's Profile

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