Tthe SMX League celebrates another incredible milestone in the life of off-road motorcycle icon and pioneer John Penton, who is celebrating his centennial birthday, turning 100 years old. Penton is one of the most influential men in the history of motorcycling. Born on August 19, 1925, he first learned to ride motorcycles while growing up on his family’s farm in Amherst, Ohio. After serving in the Merchant Marine and the Navy during the Second World War, he bought his first motorcycle and began competing in various forms of competition. He became a national champion in off-road racing, and he represented the United States at seven different versions of the annual International Six Days Trial (now the International Six Days Enduro). Penton also set a transcontinental record in 1958 when he rode a motorcycle from New York City to Los Angeles in 52 hours and 11 minutes.
Penton and his brother opened a motorcycle dealership in their hometown of Amherst, Ohio, where they sold European brands like BSA, BMW, and NSU that were lighter and more nimble than the American brands of the day. Penton eventually became a distributor for Sweden’s Husqvarna brand, and he hoped to convince them to build even lighter off-road machines. When they passed on Penton’s idea, he went to the Austrian KTM brand, which at the time produced bicycles and mopeds. He put up $6,000 of his own money to get them to build a lightweight off-road motorcycle to his specifications. He sold them in America as Penton motorcycles, while they sold as KTMs to the rest of the world. The partnership lasted for a decade before KTM bought the U.S. distribution from him. By that point, some 25,000 Pentons had been sold in America, and to this day, Pentons remain coveted by collectors and enthusiasts. The KTM brand, which also owns Husqvarna and GasGas, remains one of the biggest and most recognized motorcycle companies in the world.
John Penton was also a pioneer in the motorcycle aftermarket business. He partnered with the Italian brand Alpinestars to build an off-road motorcycling boot that he sold under the Hi-Point Racing brand in America. He also built and sold Hi-Point Racing trailers, lubricants, tires, riding apparel, accessories, and more.
Along the way, Penton sponsored and supported some of the most successful motorcycle racers in history, including Bob Hannah, Dick Burleson, and his own son, Jack Penton. And when a promising young 125cc supercross rider named Jeremy McGrath stepped onto his first podium at the 1990 Seattle Kingdome race, he was wearing Hi-Point boots.
John Penton was a charter member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which was established in 1998. The Grand National Cross Country Series named the John Penton GNCC in Ohio after him, which remains one of the longest-running stops on the calendar. And last Thursday, the town of Amherst, Ohio, held a 100th birthday celebration for John Penton, who still lives there.
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