Godspeed Dane Leimbach (TGTech)
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LuckyStar64
PR Addict
Oh no... Very sad news indeed. When I was a member at Meadowlarks in the mid '90's, Dane was the only sane person there. He did alot for the club, and he was quite an accomplished rider when he felt like it. I saw him ride a hare scramble once, and I was suprised at how fast he was for a guy that only threw a leg over a bike once a decade. I won't forget him. --L*64
mooch
PR Elite
RIP Dane.
About a half dozen years ago, Mosher and I took a trip up to his shop to pick up several boxes of old motorcycle mags from the 70s and 80s that he so generously gave away to me.
That was the only time I met him, he was super down to earth and cordial, talked with us like we had known him for years. It was apparent from that one visit with him that he was an awesome guy.
My condolences to his family.
About a half dozen years ago, Mosher and I took a trip up to his shop to pick up several boxes of old motorcycle mags from the 70s and 80s that he so generously gave away to me.
That was the only time I met him, he was super down to earth and cordial, talked with us like we had known him for years. It was apparent from that one visit with him that he was an awesome guy.
My condolences to his family.
MarctheSharc
PR Founding Father
Dane was a founder, there from the start.
Deep into moto, he came from it’s soul.
Never resting a moment, always ready to help.
A kind friendly face in some far away place.
My condolences.
Deep into moto, he came from it’s soul.
Never resting a moment, always ready to help.
A kind friendly face in some far away place.
My condolences.
LuckyStar64
PR Addict
"Dane was a founder, there from the start"
Back then we had to deal with these f-ing mandatory meetings at the club house. After about 20 minutes of a beered up Plummer (haha!) ranting and raving, along with a whole gang of wannabe supercross star dads-- you'd want to commit HariKari. (I actually learned to sign in, then break camp- it took awhile before I learned that though) Dane didn't want to deal with the BS any more than anybody else, and found a way to cut the ranting, get to the point, and get the meetings over with before dark-thirty. I cringe a little to this day every time I go into the Amherst club house due to flashbacks from those meetings! haha!
Anyway-- they should have a big ride day party in the spring in Danes' honor, with the proceeds going to his family. --L*64
Back then we had to deal with these f-ing mandatory meetings at the club house. After about 20 minutes of a beered up Plummer (haha!) ranting and raving, along with a whole gang of wannabe supercross star dads-- you'd want to commit HariKari. (I actually learned to sign in, then break camp- it took awhile before I learned that though) Dane didn't want to deal with the BS any more than anybody else, and found a way to cut the ranting, get to the point, and get the meetings over with before dark-thirty. I cringe a little to this day every time I go into the Amherst club house due to flashbacks from those meetings! haha!
Anyway-- they should have a big ride day party in the spring in Danes' honor, with the proceeds going to his family. --L*64
GeorgiePorgie
PR Founding Father
Dane is a moto genious. He will be missed. He's touched many in the sport, me personally by building a holeshot pulling regional mean green machine of a supermini.
We love and will miss you dearly Dane.
Does anyone have obituary information, i want to know where to send an arrangement. or does the family have any wishes other than arrangements?
We love and will miss you dearly Dane.
Does anyone have obituary information, i want to know where to send an arrangement. or does the family have any wishes other than arrangements?
RocketRobin
PR Founding Father
Dane will be sorely missed by the entire off road racing community. Godspeed Dane and heartfelt condolences go out to his family.
firedan
PR Addict
Born in September of 1951, Dane Leimbach comes from one of the most talented
cross country/ISDT/Enduro blood lines in the U.S. His mother is John Penton's
sister, and Dane grew up with his Penton cousins and uncle John. Jeff Penton
came to live with the Leimbach's after the untimely death of his mother, and
Jeff's father John was a frequent visitor. One of Dane's earliest motorcycling
experiences was when his uncle John came to visit the Leimbach's over the
summers and took the kids for rides on his 250cc enduro converted BMW.
At
some point his uncle John gave his sons Tom and Jeff a 125cc Yamaha street bike
on which to learn to ride. This was the first motorcycle Dane ever rode, taking
the dirt lanes around the farm that was owned by the Penton family. Later on,
Dane got to ride an enduro-converted Honda SL90 that belonged to another cousin.
There never seemed to be a motorcycle shortage amongst this
family.
Dane's father had two brothers who were doctors, and their
perspectives with regards to motorcycles were not good. Convincing his parents
that riding a motorcycle off the road wasn't that dangerous wasn’t easy. It
wasn't until his very late teens that Leimbach was able to persuade them to let
him get his own motorcycle. He was able to get the funds together and purchase
his very first bike, a brand new 1969 100cc Penton Berkshire. Initially it was a
motocross machine, and for most of the first year he rode TT scrambles,
motocross and hare scrambles.
The next year he fitted up the little bike
with some enduro gear and entered his first enduro, the famous Courderoy in
Ontario, Canada. He led the event overall on the first day. On day two Leimbach
says he got "a little lazy" and dropped to third overall, but was still the
highest placing 100cc machine ever in the event. There was a trophy given to the
highest placing rider in a class other than the actual overall rider, and Dane
was recipient of that trophy. Leimbach's enduro debut was impressive to say the
least.
In 1971 Leimbach rode the ISDT qualifying events with his Penton
cousins. Late in the summer, Jeff Penton broke his collar bone and was not able
to go to the ISDT to be held on the Isle of Man. As a result, Leimbach was to be
the replacement rider for the U.S. Trophy Team. The end of the event saw
Leimbach as the highest placing American rider that year; he finished 8th place
in the 100cc class. Over the next 10 years Leimbach qualified to ride the ISDT
each year and earned 5 Gold Medals and one Bronze. The other four years injuries
and mechanical difficulties kept him from finishing the event.
One of
Leimbach's most important roles was that of coach and mentor to his younger
brother Ted, 7 1/2 years his junior. Leimbach greatly enjoyed teaching Ted about
the off-road game, and was gratified to see his growing success in it. Under
Dane's tutelage, he won his first Gold Medal in Sweden in '78 at the age of 19.
In 1980 Ted, as well as Dane had qualified for the ISDT to be held in France.
Two weeks before they were to leave for the event, Ted was in a horrific car
crash within a block-and-a-half of the Penton's shop. Suffering massive head
injuries, Ted was still in a deep coma when it was time for Dane to leave for
France. Upon the advice of his family, he went ahead with the trip. Ted died of
his injuries the first day of the ISDT competition.
With the death of
Leimbach's brother ultimately came the end of Dane’s desire to continue
competing. He focused his energies more intently on the business and technical
side of the sport, which he had been involved in since his teen years when one
of his uncles put him to work in his machine shop. The machine shop did work for
Penton Imports Company, so he began to learn about the technical end of the
motorcycle world. This eventually got him deeper into the Penton motorcycle
development process, where he worked up until late 1979.
When the Penton
motorcycle business converted to the KTM business in 1978 Jack Penton made an
agreement with Kawasaki Motors Company to create an enduro team for them. Jack
hired his cousin Dane to be the chief mechanic for the team, and Kawasaki hired
him to run the enduro team as well, which he did for a year. Deciding to get out
of enduro competition, Kawasaki then put Leimbach in the Team Green Amateur
motocross program as their north region technician. After later turning down
another regional position which would have required a move to California,
Leimbach was next approached by Penton Imports to start up the Hi Point trailer
business. In '86, they moved Leimbach back to the Motoplat ignition testing and
development business where he is today.
Ron
Carbaugh
cross country/ISDT/Enduro blood lines in the U.S. His mother is John Penton's
sister, and Dane grew up with his Penton cousins and uncle John. Jeff Penton
came to live with the Leimbach's after the untimely death of his mother, and
Jeff's father John was a frequent visitor. One of Dane's earliest motorcycling
experiences was when his uncle John came to visit the Leimbach's over the
summers and took the kids for rides on his 250cc enduro converted BMW.
At
some point his uncle John gave his sons Tom and Jeff a 125cc Yamaha street bike
on which to learn to ride. This was the first motorcycle Dane ever rode, taking
the dirt lanes around the farm that was owned by the Penton family. Later on,
Dane got to ride an enduro-converted Honda SL90 that belonged to another cousin.
There never seemed to be a motorcycle shortage amongst this
family.
Dane's father had two brothers who were doctors, and their
perspectives with regards to motorcycles were not good. Convincing his parents
that riding a motorcycle off the road wasn't that dangerous wasn’t easy. It
wasn't until his very late teens that Leimbach was able to persuade them to let
him get his own motorcycle. He was able to get the funds together and purchase
his very first bike, a brand new 1969 100cc Penton Berkshire. Initially it was a
motocross machine, and for most of the first year he rode TT scrambles,
motocross and hare scrambles.
The next year he fitted up the little bike
with some enduro gear and entered his first enduro, the famous Courderoy in
Ontario, Canada. He led the event overall on the first day. On day two Leimbach
says he got "a little lazy" and dropped to third overall, but was still the
highest placing 100cc machine ever in the event. There was a trophy given to the
highest placing rider in a class other than the actual overall rider, and Dane
was recipient of that trophy. Leimbach's enduro debut was impressive to say the
least.
In 1971 Leimbach rode the ISDT qualifying events with his Penton
cousins. Late in the summer, Jeff Penton broke his collar bone and was not able
to go to the ISDT to be held on the Isle of Man. As a result, Leimbach was to be
the replacement rider for the U.S. Trophy Team. The end of the event saw
Leimbach as the highest placing American rider that year; he finished 8th place
in the 100cc class. Over the next 10 years Leimbach qualified to ride the ISDT
each year and earned 5 Gold Medals and one Bronze. The other four years injuries
and mechanical difficulties kept him from finishing the event.
One of
Leimbach's most important roles was that of coach and mentor to his younger
brother Ted, 7 1/2 years his junior. Leimbach greatly enjoyed teaching Ted about
the off-road game, and was gratified to see his growing success in it. Under
Dane's tutelage, he won his first Gold Medal in Sweden in '78 at the age of 19.
In 1980 Ted, as well as Dane had qualified for the ISDT to be held in France.
Two weeks before they were to leave for the event, Ted was in a horrific car
crash within a block-and-a-half of the Penton's shop. Suffering massive head
injuries, Ted was still in a deep coma when it was time for Dane to leave for
France. Upon the advice of his family, he went ahead with the trip. Ted died of
his injuries the first day of the ISDT competition.
With the death of
Leimbach's brother ultimately came the end of Dane’s desire to continue
competing. He focused his energies more intently on the business and technical
side of the sport, which he had been involved in since his teen years when one
of his uncles put him to work in his machine shop. The machine shop did work for
Penton Imports Company, so he began to learn about the technical end of the
motorcycle world. This eventually got him deeper into the Penton motorcycle
development process, where he worked up until late 1979.
When the Penton
motorcycle business converted to the KTM business in 1978 Jack Penton made an
agreement with Kawasaki Motors Company to create an enduro team for them. Jack
hired his cousin Dane to be the chief mechanic for the team, and Kawasaki hired
him to run the enduro team as well, which he did for a year. Deciding to get out
of enduro competition, Kawasaki then put Leimbach in the Team Green Amateur
motocross program as their north region technician. After later turning down
another regional position which would have required a move to California,
Leimbach was next approached by Penton Imports to start up the Hi Point trailer
business. In '86, they moved Leimbach back to the Motoplat ignition testing and
development business where he is today.
Ron
Carbaugh
Moto878Mom
PR Addict
Sad to hear of Dane's passing. My thoughts and prayers are with the Leimbach Family.
beenridin
PR Elite
Sorry to hear of Danes passing. A stand up man ..very helpful and modest. He will be missed at the track and around the pits. I have many fond memories of him asking about this tree and that landscape issue. He was as passionate about his Farm as he was his motocross. All in all a great guy. One of the true great sportsmen of our time . Godspeed Dane.