VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P125
Other buzzwords of the day
were the brands of components
featured on the machine. Ceriani
forks, Metzeler tires, and Ma
-
gura controls were aftermarket
brands that Japanese bike own-
ers had to purchase and install
on their motorcycles. These
components were standard is
-
sue on the KTM, and they made
the staffers smile and bray about
the performance difference.
The KTM was fast. CN wrote,
"Acceleration is unreal for a
250. Coming out of the corners
in third gear, a twist of the right
hand sends the front end a foot
or two off the ground as the rear
Metzeler hooks up."
The Austrian machine had
some old-world clunkiness,
and it was mostly coming from
the gearbox. Six speeds were
crammed into the transmission,
and even Carl Cranke admitted
to having to stomp his machine
through the gears. The banker
who owned the CN test model
also voiced his frustrations with
having to bully his way from gear
to gear, but CN felt "the box ap
-
pears that it will hold up, and the
ratios are well-matched to the
powerband.
"The Motoplat electronic igni
-
tion," the test continued, "gives
a fierce, quick spark, and the
revs climb quickly. The engine
is a little more buzzy than some
other 250 machines, but the
combination of quick turn, easy-
twist Magura throttle, and the
handy six speeds don't make it
that noticeable."
The writers went on to de
-
scribe the handling as "recti-
linear…(a) two-bit word (that)
means you go fast confidently in
a straight line, get on the brakes
hard, place the front wheel where
you want it to go next and gas
it, continuing confidently in a
straight line."
Keep in mind that motocross
bikes of the '70s didn't always
brake so efficiently or steer so
well. A motorcycle that did both
with such aplomb was a jewel,
and it seems as if the test crew
appreciated the KTM for these
characteristics. The suspension
also responded nicely and kept
the rear wheel pumping its 34
horses to the ground.
The motorcycle featured
other niceties, like Nyloc nuts
and drilled-out sprockets, just
a few examples of the details
that made the testers believe
that it was designed and built
by people who actually ride (and
maintain) dirt bikes.
The headline posed the
question, "Can any 250cc dual-
purpose bike be worth $1600?"
In today's money, that would
be approximately $10,600.
Good handling, plenty of power,
adorned with reputable compo
-
nents made the Penton shine in
1974. The staff seemed to agree
at the end that it was indeed
"worth the money."
CN
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(Left) Cycle News tested the 1974 Penton 250 and said it was worth its $1600 MSRP.
(Right) We said of the 1974 Penton 250: "Testers believe that it was designed and built by
people who actually ride (and maintain) dirt bikes." Some things haven't changed.
