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Wow, very cool and what a bike to create. So the video claimed a 260 race weight, not sure if that's dry or wet? and a 160hp. It was stated a weight savings of 80+ pounds over a stock R6. I don't know much about the R6, have to look up the specs but I imagine 160hp is a big step up from the stock engine's output.

Wicked niche product though. I remember getting turned on by the BRC 500 kits for the newer fuel injected KTM xcw's. I thought that would be cool as they can be made street legal with the way they are titled. However not cheap to do. I think the KTM kits were about 7k.

I can not answer to the piston circlip(s) position except to say pay attention to not accidently dropping it into the crank area when your properly seating them into the grooves they spring into of the piston.

Regarding identifying the cylinders I personally have Chinese cylinders and I can say they have these tell tale signs of not being original. For example they don't deburr the sides of the fins where they are cut to size and shiny. Also there is a cut mark, where a cutting tool just nipped the surface on the bottom of the reed area, it's not noticeable once installed. There is other differences for sure, maybe best to just take some good pics and add them to this thread. I'm sure somebody could tell you if they are original or not.

Looks very proper and Made in America

Yep you're absolutely right about that. Those couple seconds can be very dramatically contemplative. Took a ride today on my KTM 1290, rode a lot further away from home, a lot faster at times and in some very pretty country. Had to keep myself in check, in other words slow down a bit. However at one point I thought to myself even at say 35 mph. Hitting a deer is still not going to end well.

Looks minty mint!

Hit a baby deer today on the RD. Really got lucky though I tried to swerve out of the way and just nipped it's left hind quarter. Gave a good wiggle to the bars but the bike stayed bolt upright and watched the poor deer do a 360 on it's side. Very,very lucky! no damage to the bike or me or the deer I figure as it bolted off into the woods.

That was a first for me, definitely a ohh sheet moment.  

Yep those are the cylinder kits I got as well.Says Kveldwulf on the packaging.  Looking back, it was worth it to spend more.

Well as far as upgrading the reeds I will definitely do the RM100 mod at some point(hoping tariffs will go away in a few months and it's a better winter project) for now I'm using the stock reed blocks with Boysen reeds. If that's good enough let me know otherwise I'll assume the RM100's are an upgrade.

Yep I watched that, entertaining video collaboration between two pretty popular motorcycle You Tubers. Besides relocating the existing cylinder sleeve with his risky uninstall reinstall I got a kick out of him JB welding the casting where he broke thru some of it grinding away clearance for the V Force reeds. I think he said that was kinda thing that happens with some but I think he also said those cylinders were the cheaper under 100$ sets one can get off Ebay.

 

Is that blood and guts on the engine?

RIP John Penton. I'm 51 years old so Penton motorcycles were really before my time but just as my interest in dirt bikes was budding at the age of 16. So was that mutual interest was among other kids in the neighborhood where I lived.

One of my childhood friends had a family business that his  grand father,father and a couple of uncles were involved with...excavating for water,foundations,sewer,septic work.They had this great sprawling 15 maybe 20 acre property that was a combination of wooded land and open land. The open land was dedicated to dump trucks, trailers, excavators and backhoes. Heavy equipment to name a few plus space for sand and gravel piles etc,etc. There was also about three or four storage containers and one of him store the past of friends father and his uncles...motorcycles. One such bike was the Penton Six Days Enduro 125. Of course there were many tales to be told about that bike and just the bike being there leaning against another one told a story of itself. It looked rugged manly and badass.

At the time we were riding some pretty rinky dink bikes in comparison. My friend and his brother had a  Honda XR 100 and XR 80. I had a Honda CR60 that I traded a remote control car for  I think I may of had a few other bikes before that little 60 that I just a bit too old and big for but we all out grown those bikes at about the time we got em and yet they were real dirt bikes and they all ran good and it was a golden age of time for us to make memories. Anyways eventually the situation being as such we managed to dust off the Penton and get out of a long deep slumber of a rest. Unfortunately it didn't last long. My buddy let me take it for a rip, I can remember him being so proud of it and me just amazed. I got that bike booting down the road where we lived and I think as soon as I found fifth gear the rear wheel locked up and that was the end of it. The bike came to a screeching halt and I just remember that was the first time I seized an engine. Not sure why it happened to this day as we didn't know much about bikes back then but later on I found out that it had happened years before.

I dunno maybe not much of a story but it was an awesome time in my life to be alive and inspired by motorcycles. Found out that the Penton was one of two my friend's family had bought and it was purchased by a fellow that had a interest in them himself. He may have been first if not only Penton dealer in the area where I live back in say 1970. Just selling and servicing them out of his residence. Back then the neighborhood, talking a five mile radius, as a kid for me seemed huge with lots of connecting trails thru hilly rocky dense woods to folks backyards and some of them were basically sprawling multi acre properties that were bone yards for old heavy equipment, trucks and cars and bikes. It was a fun time to be alive, we got into a lot of mischief.

Present day today I still live in the neighborhood in the same house I grew up. That Penton is long gone as well as all the other abandoned machines. The trails are mostly grown in. My friends business while still active moved and is much smaller in scale, a majority of the property was divided into house lots and developed. Likewise for the couple of other properties that were graveyards for machines too. I wouldn't call it dirt bike heaven like say So Cal is but I imagine being so rural back in the day before my time my parents generation were swept up in the magic of a dirtbiking adventure that maybe trending across the country. Yeah I could see Penton was a part of that for sure.   

The estate wagon, now that is a custom build. I love it.


 So I did get to thinking about how a liquid cooled conversion needs a radiator to hold the coolant. In hindsight I can see the front crash bar serving a  purpose to frame in the radiator. Had to revisit this posted topic to satisfy my curiosity. Again such a cool bike, I would love to be the custodian of that.

That RD250 looks very unique. Maybe it's the flash of the camera as I imagine the photo was taken at night but the white color really pops. Like it's fresh paint and a contrast to the wornout seat. Interesting story, cool bike. I like the crash bars and rear rack.

What became of that bike? Did you have it for a long time?

Is that a pretty good deal for the shape it's in? OTOH maybe the price reflects the market? I dunno but I feel like RD400's just seem to fetch more than the 250/350's. Then again maybe they just made less of the 400's?  

So funny to see a backrest on a RD. I've never ridden a 400 but it doesn't seem like the kinda bike I would want to double on. I just imagine the extra weight really making a lackluster experience but just as transportation I know it's doable. Actually upon thinking about it years ago somebody I know admitted to me that he really didn't like doubling with his wife on his HD Fatboy. More or less implied that it killed the thrill, he was happy she got her own bike.

That is awesome. Always admired your collection from afar!

LOL, that's a great a story. It's like the registry granted you amnesty from their extortion but only after 30 years of holding out you won! I love it.

Well I'd say you did well to get good deals on some of those bikes. I guess that makes up for the oddball expensive stuff here and there. Actually when you think about it and I think it's crazy but a lot of guys that get modern four stroke sportbikes will also upgrade to a full ti exhaust and that gets pretty pricey. I'd say 2k is kinda cheap to do that. I know some will settle on a much cheap slip on, that's what I did for my Superduke GT. The full ti system for that bike made by Akrapovic or this other company Techmo I think was maybe over 3k. Even just getting a link pipe that eliminates the catalytic part is kinda rabbit hole as it leans the bike so your then obligated to do all ecu tuning/fuel remapping to compensate.Not to mention the invitation to remove smog related stuff. I just left it as is and come to find checking out forums that the bike is pretty well optimized power wise as stock from the factory. I do like the slip on though, it's smaller and lighter and actually I got that part reasonably cheap on Ebay 5 years ago, it's made by Delkevic. I think those are made in UK. So imagine it would be much more expensive now.

Yeah I guess the answer to avoid the tariffs is to get an aftermarket exhaust  made here in your home country or if it's not then maybe it's already stocked in a warehouse somewhere in the country? Or maybe just have a friend in Europe buy it for you and then send it to you? I dunno, definitely makes me think about this stuff. Like Vape ignitions will get a bit more pricier.

I do like your 70' R5 that is a pretty bike. There's a couple of 71' R5 for sale locally to me right now on marketplace. One is more of a barn find than the other and the asking prices are 2500$ to 3k so not too cheap. The 3k dollar one looks a whole lot cleaner,nicer shape and somewhat recently revived, cared for. Fair prices but probably would need some servicing who knows.