Who the Hell is John Penton?

Being born in the early 1990s has left me with quite a bit to learn about the early years of motocross, and the motorcycle industry. Trying to expand my knowledge of moto, while also digesting as much info as possible about any other motosport, can be a bit taxing and things slip through the cracks at this point. One thing that had slipped by was the story of John Penton. What did I know about Mr. Penton? I was aware that he imported the early KTMs into the US under his family's name, but other than that I didn't know too much about him. Well, recently I got an invite to go to a screening of the story about this life, "The John Penton Story".

Once I arrived at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood, I immediately ran into Todd Huffman. Todd was the man behind The Motocross Files and the director/ producer for the movie about Penton. After a few minutes, Todd informed me that I was going to be very surprised about everything John had accomplished as not only a rider, but what he had done for the motorcycle industry as well. He was beyond right.

So what about the actual movie? The John Penton Story follows John's life from his childhood through his time in the Navy during World War II. After he returns is where his love for motorcycles begins. John spent the end of the 1940s modifying Harleys to be used in Enduros, and in 1950 he and his brothers opened a motorcycle shop that started carrying German and British motorcycles. John continued racing locally and modifying bikes until 1958, when his wife passed away. John's family helped him take care of his three boys while he spent the rest of that year traveling the Midwest winning state Enduros one-after-another. He even set out and beat the record time for a motorcycle to go from New York to Los Angeles. This record stood for over ten years.

Fast forward into the late 1960s. Penton is now a Husqvarna dealer and gets invited to compete in the 1967 ISDT (International Six-Days Trials) in Poland, as a member of Team USA. While in Europe, he visits Husqvarna's factory and tries to convince them to build a smaller engine and lighter motorcycle. He didn't receive the answer he was looking for, and instead went to visit KTM in Austria. At this point, KTM was just a maker of mopeds and bicycles, but John saw that they could build exactly what he was looking for. After putting up his own money to fund the prototypes, KTM agreed to build the 100cc bikes he had been wanting. This sparked a great business partnership that would have Penton as one of the most desirable motorcycles in America for the next ten years. All this time John continued racing, winning countless Enduros and a handful of medals from the ISDT. This trend would continue with his sons as well, as they all became notable riders in their own right.

John's legacy goes beyond just the bikes, as he was the creator of Hi-Point brand and was the man who convinced Alpinestars to start producing motocross boots. The movie has quite the cast, including his family, Malcolm Smith, Dick Mann, Carl Cranke, Ryan Dungey, Marty Smith, Danny LaPorte, and more that share their two cents on John's life. All this goes on while Lyle Lovett narrates the movie, which was a perfect fit considering not only his love for motorcycles, but his passion for the Penton brand as well. (Lyle's first job was working at a Penton Dealership).

I won't spoil too much more, as all of this is was just a small part of this impressive film. You should go grab a ticket and check this movie out for yourself. To get more info on the movie and find a screening near you, check out PentonMovie.com.