Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546787
32 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Once back at the camp, I spent some me mill- ing around with the crew and just enjoying the scene. Amongst the many familiar faces was ISDT Gold Medalist Kevin Lavoie, who happened to be eyeing up my '76 Penton 400. The draw was that Kevin had raced an iden cal bike at the Six Days in Austria in 1976, and when I offered it to him for a loop or two, he jumped at the chance and returned with a mile-wide grin. Chance en- counters such as this are what make the vintage scene so enjoyable. As for the bikes, yes, they are light-years away from modern offerings, but it's a great reminder that what worked well back then s ll works well today. The third Penton I had in tow was the '75 250 MC. This is a bike that I've had in my collec on for over three decades. One of my prized pos- sessions and a true "Shop Queen," it's been a hot topic of discussion among friends because, incredibly, this bike has never been properly rid- den in the dirt. That's right, other than occasional pavement use, this Penton had never been en- joyed as intended. The original owner purchased it new, had a ligh ng kit fi ed, and used it to commute into town every now and then. Being so perfect, I didn't think it was right to beat up such a beau ful piece and con nued the tradi on. It had been a number of years since this one was run, so I decided it was me, and maybe the Vintage Day at the Ranch would be a nice place to enjoy it as a pit bike of sorts. Well, a er a few trips around the gorgeous course, I decided it was finally me to take the 250 out and twist it in the woods. Well, my friends, what a treat it was, and with zero regrets, I enjoyed that 250 Penton to the fullest, twis ng it through the pris ne, chocolate-cake-like soil as John Penton intended, with a grin across my face like a kid at Christmas! With the sun se ng and everyone having had their fill of riding the ranch, the fes vi es con n- ued as the rock cover band OC5 expertly played all our favorite tunes, including plenty of Led Zep- pelin, while fires burned throughout the camping area.