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.
