| December 1, 2024
Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
Former Cycle News Feature Editor John Huetter did it all
By Kent Taylor
Four score and 5/6 months of earthly life were given to Cycle News’ Feature Editor John Huetter. Plenty of days, which he then partitioned into a life of many lives. He was a diver of both sky and sea, a world traveler, served in Vietnam, authored books and earned a PhD in political science. Huetter was a sailor and an avid hunter of abalone, defined as a marine gastropod mollusk. While enrolled at UCLA, Huetter even hung out with Jim Morrison! People are strange, indeed, especially those who consume gastropod mollusks. But whatever it is that tickles your tastebuds, you can’t argue that John Huetter had himself one helluva run.
Indeed, John Huetter had the credentials, so when he said the Penton was a good MX bike, you had to listen. So, when a renaissance man like Huetter wrote in the July 30, 1974, issue of Cycle News that the best big-bore motocrosser isn’t a proven performer like a Husky or a Maico or even a CZ, you should at least hear him out—even when he announces that the fastest and best-handling open class racer of 1974 is a Penton!
A Penton, of course, was a rebadged KTM and while KTM has indeed been one of the most successful MX brands of this century, in the early ’70s the Austrian brand was best known for its successes in enduros, ISDTs and other disciplines of off-roading. Seeing a Penton on an MX racetrack was as rare as finding a gastropod mollusk in Jim Morrison’s jacuzzi (or maybe not).
But KTM’s star brightened when they captured, albeit dastardly, the 1974 250cc World Motocross Championship. Cycle News tested the 250 and concluded that it was worth its princely $1600 MSRP. Would they be able to say the same about its big brother, the new Penton 360?
“The machines are as expensive,” Huetter wrote, “as two of some other bikes, but the handling…is the best experienced on any stock motorcycle.”
John Huetter spent a small portion of his busy life as the Feature Editor for Cycle News in the mid-’70s. The 1974 model featured an all-new frame, which, along with high-end suspension components, helped the Penton earn such lofty praise. Ceriani forks, the standard bearers at this time, provided seven inches of travel up front, combined with six and a half inches in the rear, thanks to Ceriani gas-damped shocks. While at the rear of the bike, notice that there are different mounting positions for the shocks’ upper and lower mounts. Two bolt holes up top and six more along the swingarm allows the rider to experiment with different positions. Huetter tested the bike with the shock in its most extreme, laid-down position and found the setup pleasing, though conceding that the rider would have to be “a finely tuned professional” to notice any difference in the adjustments.
On the racetrack, the Ceriani components did their jobs well. Testing took place at the Valley Cycle Park, and Huetter determined “it was impossible to go fast enough to use up the suspension’s capabilities. There may be such courses, but we’ll bet most of them are called Grand Prix circuits…or maybe one of the Belgian-Dutch sand tracks after four or five motos.”
Huetter, by the way, had worked as a freelance journalist covering the World Motocross Championship battles and thus knew well the bumps and bulges that comprised the European MX tracks.
Cornering with this motorcycle was dealer’s choice. The Penton rider “can use the berm…or ignore it completely to make the turn or come off the berm at any point you want and get on the straight line to the next corner.”
The Penton 360 did it all well, giving the rider a boost of confidence that encouraged them to execute the next corner even faster and then hit the next one faster than that last corner.
“There’s a feeling of personal indestructibility,” wrote Huetter, “that you get while pushing the Penton 360 hard.”
Known for its success in off-road racing, Penton began making a name in motocross in the 1970s. Looking for the power of the devil? Are you feeling the cloven hoof, imagining the bifurcated tail and inwardly snarling at the safety-conscious speed limits observed by most motocross bikes? Open the gates of hell! Release that Magura clutch lever, twist that throttle and…spin?
“The mind and chain-snapping burst of power,” CN wrote, “when the 360 KTM engine comes on the pipe results in instant wheelspin if you’re a gear too low.”
Huetter advised Penton racers to make certain that they are in the correct gear and let that 4.50 Metzeler (an aftermarket buy for most racers, but showroom stock on the Penton) eat dirt!
Plenty of power, though the Penton seemed to be gasping for air at its most extreme high speeds, with Huetter and the staff noting that at the top of fifth gear, looking to shift into sixth, the motor suddenly stopped pulling and “wouldn’t even stay near the powerband.” The plug reading was fine, and the carburetor jetting was spot on. After numerous calls to the distributor, Huetter and his friends determined that the undersized airbox was suffocating the bike. “Had the Penton been ours,” Huetter wrote, “we would’ve stuck in the highest volume filter element we could find and drilled holes in the side panel.”
The Penton 360 was officially marketed as the Penton Mint 400, a somewhat odd choice since the Mint 400 off-road race wasn’t a motocross event. The snow-white Penton was as rare as a white tiger; this model was a loaner from an MX-riding businessman, and it was one of only about 30 in the country at the time.
John Huetter left us this past September, just a few months shy of his 81st birthday and per his request, his family sent him off Viking style. With his cremains tucked inside a miniature longship and a die-cast 1/12 scale Suzuki Boulevard strapped on deck, the vessel was lit afire and cast upon the waters. Perhaps an icicle white, best-in-class Penton Mint 400 will be awaiting him to enjoy in the afterlife.
Valhalla, Mr. Huetter! CN
