Custom VT500FT Ascot Pictures...

[J6G1Z]

These are some pics that I found listed on the 'net. Unfortunately I don't have any build information to go with them.

I'll start off with what is most likely the only "Real" VT500 CAFE Bike. Instead of some hack job with upside down handlebars. Normally I would consider the Ascots as unfit for CAFE Bikes, but this one is certainly the exception.

[J6G1Z]

Here is a real clean custom with MAC Exhaust on it.

[J6G1Z]

Here is another clean custom...

[J6G1Z]

Here is a super Trick VT500 & probably my favorite of the bunch.

[J6G1Z]

For some reason unknown to me... This pic was included in my search. Although not an Ascot, 'tis definitely a smooth looking ride!

[J6G1Z]

Here's a more "Patriotic" color scheme...

[J6G1Z]

Here is a "Euro" version...

[J6G1Z]

...And the last one for today, a serious Street Tracker.

[Dougie]

My favourate has to be the silver one, excellent attention to detail.

[cdntfindanAscot]

have you seen this beauty??
its what inspired me to get the grinder out

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-VT500-street-tracker-by-Spirit-of-the-Seventies-/171101051598?ViewItem=&item=171101051598&nma=true&si=OHkivOAgVoaMveGr0qZvkoNla3Y%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[Trinorman]

John,

I'm the owner of the cafe Ascot that you started this thread with.  Thanks for putting it up!  Best of luck with your new forum.  Here are a couple more photos (if I figured this out) and a link for more photos if interested.  Also, here is the build info.





I have posted some photos on my Photobucket page of my 1984 Ascot that I converted into a café racer over.  It’s not an obvious choice for a café bike, but I always liked the engine, gearbox, and driveshaft of this bike.  I bought the bike in 2008 just for this project.  I thought you might be interested as I think it is probably one of a kind. 

The last photo in the album is my first café bike that I built back around 1970 from a 1965 Honda CB77 Super Hawk.  I fitted it with a Paul Dunstall tank, seat and clip-ons, among other things.  It took me a few years to get around to building my second one, this Ascot, which was a bit more involved.

The Photobucket links are (the first is individual photos, the second a slideshow):

http://photobucket.com/AscotCafeRacer

http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k55/trinorman/Honda%20Ascot%20Cafe%20Racer/?albumview=slideshow


Here is what I did to it:

1.   Custom twin exhaust system using chrome Shadow header pipes with 17” Emgo megaphone style mufflers.  Custom pipes fabricated to join headers to mufflers.
2.   K&N air filter and DynoJet jetting kit.
3.   Seat from a 1989/90 Honda GB500 with about 1” removed from the front to allow for a longer tank.
4.   Gas tank and side covers were custom made by Fred Muhlenhort of Racetec in Oxnard, California near where I live.  They are strictly one-off items that Fred designed after I showed him photos of the look I was going for.  Fred makes a lot of the gas tanks for AMA Pro Flat Trackers among other things.  His workmanship is outstanding, a true artist!
5.   Raask (Sweden) rearset foot pegs. 
6.   Tommaselli adjustable clip-ons.  I’d like them lower for the true look, but at my age my back can’t take them much lower, so a compromise. Front suspension is stock, albeit moved up about 30mm to accommodate the clip-ons mounted above the triple tree.   
7.   Alloy headlight brackets (Tommaselli copies) with a 7” classic British headlight assembly.
8.   Stainless steel mini speedometer and tachometer.  The speedo has warning lights for oil pressure, high beam, neutral and turn signals.
9.   Handlebar mounts removed from top triple tree and then polished.  The fuses were relocated to inside the headlight.
10.   Both wheels stripped of the black paint to the natural aluminum.
11.   Norton Commando fork boots.
12.   Lower fork legs polished.
13.   Digital water temperature gauge.
14.   Alloy fenders, front and rear, with hand fabricated mounts.
15.   Lucas type alloy tail light.
16.   Hagon rear shocks.
17.   Stainless steel front brake line (not fitted in photos).
18.   Roller bearing headset
19.    Lots of time and TLC!

UPDATE:  Since that description was written and the photos taken I have made a few changes, but don’t have any new photos to show the changes.  But here is what has changed.  The 17” Emgo mufflers were replaced with Norton Commando peashooters.  I replaced the digital water temp gauge with a round analog gauge.  I made a custom gauge mount for the  speedo, tach, and water temp gauge.  And finally, I changed out the rear end for one from a 500 Shadow for slightly taller gearing. 

Chris

[J6G1Z]

Chris,

Thanks for the info & the update. I have seen pics of your bike for a while, but didn't know any of the details. It is truly a unique & great looking bike!

What's it like to ride & what made you select an Ascot as your base model?

J.

[Trinorman]

J,

I got interested in the Ascot about a dozen years ago when my wife learned to ride by taking the MSF course.  They supplied motorcycles during training, but we needed to get her a bike of her own to ride after training.  I found a used Ascot, but she thought it was too heavy for her.  So I rode it a little and it just made a good impression on me.  It was pretty lively for a 500, handled OK, 6th gear was a plus, and I liked the shaft drive.  We sold it pretty quickly though and bought her a Honda 250 Nighthawk that suited her better.  But the impression stayed with me and I felt it would be a good, but unusual, platform to build an old style cafe bike.  So, some years later, looking for a project bike, I bought a used Ascot for a song and went from there.

It's fun to ride and always get a lot of comments from all types of riders no matter what their particular ride might be.  When I bought the bike it had a pair of mismatched brand tires on it, but almost new, so I rode those for awhile.  I finally installed new tires, Pirelli Sport Demons, and those tires transformed the handling.  Went from OK to pretty darn good.  Also, the fork tubes are moved up in the triple trees about 30mm to accommodate the clip-ons.  To partially compensate for that 30mm, the Hagon shocks are slightly shorter than stock, about 1/2" if memory serves.  The change to the forks/shocks quickened up the steering a bit so turn is faster.  It did not seem to affect high speed stability.  I also prefer the Shadow 500 rear end.  The bike is more relaxed.  I always felt the stocker was geared too low.  I used to start off in 2nd gear with stock gearing without having to slip the clutch.

Chris

[speedy]

Here is another clean custom...

That's my bike now.  She's in Austin Texas. 
Here's the build write up:   http://www.johnnystoybox.com/honda_vt500fc_ascot.htm
John did a great rebuild on the bike.  He does a great job on all his bikes it seems. 

[cdntfindanAscot]

Here is another clean custom...

That's my bike now.  She's in Austin Texas. 
Here's the build write up:   http://www.johnnystoybox.com/honda_vt500fc_ascot.htm
John did a great rebuild on the bike.  He does a great job on all his bikes it seems.

That has to be one of the cleanest builds I've seen. Kudos to the man for taking the time and no little expense to produce such a beauty.

[J6G1Z]

That's an extremely clean Ascot & looks real sharp with that color scheme!

Here's a couple more pics.

[speedy]

Yes..the color scheme is in honor of the Elisinore CR250 bike.  And it does look great.  I'm not keen on the gold wheels so I may redo those.  Thanks.   
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/asp/membersonly/museum/images/b96/HondaCR250_600.jpg

[WmVIII]

Hey folks, new to the forum and thought I'd share.

Here's a few pics of my '84 VT500FTC "ShAscot", so named because I have swapped on to it numerous items from the VT500C Shadow.  I always liked the 'custom' aesthetic of the Shadow yet I vastly prefer the sportier tank/seat/pegs/bars arrangement and riding position of the Ascot. 

Shadow parts include front facia and gauges, dual outlet muffler, centre stand (required for compatibility with the dual muffler), driver and passenger foot pegs, and 16" rear wheel with Avon AM26 Roadrider tires (F&R), as well as differential (the C had higher gearing due to smaller diameter wheel) and matching silver rear brake housing. Plus I have replaced the headlight with a 7" round unit.  Very little customizing was required - most of the parts just bolted right on. Also installed is the optional Hondaline rack designed for the VT500FT.

Engine performance upgrades include Dynojet Stage 1 jet kit and dual Emgo reverse megaphone shorty mufflers re-packed with more substantial FMF 4-stroke glass matting.

Braking performance upgrades are limited to the front - EBC cross drilled brake rotor and HH sintered pads, with custom Galfer SS braided brake line.

Chassis performance upgrades include Progressive Suspension shocks and fork springs, and Pro Taper bars.  Aftermarket seat cover is by Travelcade.

I've added a 12V socket for my GPS, a throttle lock, and customized a new radiator shield from expanded steel sheet (painted black) which reduces some of the visual bulk of the original shroud.

Everything else is original, including paint!

Cheers,

Bill

[J6G1Z]

Hey Bill, Welcome to the forum & great looking bike! I really like the exhaust. How loud is it with the reverse megaphones? I have one of the black one piece EMGO reverse megs on my FT500 & it's a bit on the loud side.

Good luck
J.

[WmVIII]

For about the first year after I installed the dual exhaust I had the oem Shadow mufflers on it, and they were loud enough to give the bike character but they had road rash on them and I wasn't overly committed to the slash-cut style.  Having seen pictures of the gorgeous cafe racer of Trinorman's that began this thread (standing ovation btw Chris!), I took inspiration in the look of the mufflers and was surprised to be able to source a set fairly easily. 

They come with very little fibreglass installed, and when I tried them initially it was very loud with a harsh popping edge to the note.  So I immediately re-glassed them with FMF 4-stroke fibreglass wool mat, and that made a tremendous difference to the sound - dropped the decibels to a more reasonable level, but also mellowed the note. Now, probably 2,000km later, they've mellowed even further and sound amazing.  I've received no complaints from neighbours or the law so far so I think I'll be ok with these unless our town starts cracking down on aftermarket mufflers.  I've kept the oem's such as they are just in case.

Cheers,

Bill

[J6G1Z]

I may have to try one of those reverse megs later on down the road on my FT500 hybrid. I have a feeling that the meg that is on there now will draw too much of the wrong type of attention. It's about half a Harley loud right now.

I used to own a VT500FT many years ago & I installed the MAC dual exhaust system on it. It was a bit on the raspy side, but so was I back then.   That's when "Loud Pipes Saves Lives" seemed like a logical motto. Now I like a pipe that's loud enough for pedestrians walking alongside the road & bicyclists can hear me coming, but not obnoxiously loud. I have one bike that is whisper quiet & have had a couple of bicycles weave out in front of me.

J.

[Bucko]

Hey folks, new to the forum and thought I'd share.

Here's a few pics of my '84 VT500FTC "ShAscot", so named because I have swapped on to it numerous items from the VT500C Shadow. 

Just wondering why you didn't call it an AsCow. 

[WmVIII]

Ahhh hahahahaha!  I love it, and from a man named Bucko to boot :-)  Consider it renamed - AsCow it is!

[redlynr]

A few pics of my vt... I need to get current ones.

I removed everything unnecessary, jetted up, added uni filter to the intake 'plenum' under the gas tank, harley headlight, sport bars...








And another one I found along the way...




Cheers

[cdntfindanAscot]

Redlynr -  That was the bike (the red one) that  put me onto VT's!! Can't remember what I was surfing the net for at the time, but came across that pic and decided there and then that THAT was what I wanted.
Unfortunately it turned out Ascots are a bit thin on the ground over 'ere  , but I'm working on it.

Can you remember what jets and filter you used? could be a good starting place for me when I get round to removing the std airbox.

cheers
nev