Added A "PINTO" To The Stable Today...

[J6G1Z]

After missing out on a deal for a very clean looking black VT500FT a couple of months ago. I have been watching Craigslist & advertising that I was seeking a VT500 Ascot. I received a reply to my Ad last week & was finally able to meet with the seller today. Waiting for me to check out was a 1984 two tone VT500FT. The bike was one of the red Ascots that had somehow lost its original side panels & had black replacement panels. I suppose that makes it a Pinto doesn't it? Here are a few pics.

[J6G1Z]

The bike is a typical Northwest bike that has been ridden & exposed to the elements. It has a bit of surface rust here & there & the color is faded a bit... but I think with some cleaning & a bit of elbow grease she might clean up well. Meanwhile I now have a bike that I can ride in the rain without worry.

Check out the custom exhaust that some previous owner had fabricated. The so called "Power Chamber" has been removed & the bike now has true dual exhaust. It even has what appears to be EGT (exhaust gas temperature) bungs on each head pipe. The exhaust sounds real good! It's a deep throaty type of sound vs. the raspier type of exhaust note that the MAC pipes have.

[J6G1Z]

It was odd to take the bike for the first test ride. I haven't ridden a VT Ascot since about 1995 or so, but I felt like I was slipping on a favorite old pair of jeans. The bike just felt so natural & familiar to me.

As I was saying... She's no Cherry, but she does run real good & now I have the freedom to customize the bike however I like. The gauges need some attention. They still function, but the housing is broken. I may watch eBay for a while & see what pops up, or I might just replace the whole thing with a Trail Tech Vapor unit, or something similiar.

[J6G1Z]

Well... There she is. My new (to me) Ascot. Now I have both an FT & a VT. Afterall... I couldn't really operate a forum on both bikes without having one of each, right?

To the rest of you out there that are looking for an Ascot, I wish you good luck & happy hunting. Now that I brought one home, there will probably be several that pop up for sale this month. LOL!

J.

[Hughlysses]

Nice Ascot, and very interesting homemade exhaust.  How's it sound?

[J6G1Z]

Sounds real nice & throaty. I like it.

I have an NOS MAC system that I was planning to use, but I like this system better.

Thanks
J.

[Jaimo!]

I've been eyeing up the MAC system, in the ebay ad it states you can still use the center stand...  Is this correct?

Jaimo!

[Jaimo!]

By the way...  Nice bike!  Congratulations! 

It looks like it needs just a little lovin'.  When I picked up mine, it also had the surface rust and a small dent in the tank.  I'm trying to figure out low some cost remedies for these problems...

Jaimo!

[J6G1Z]

I've been eyeing up the MAC system, in the ebay ad it states you can still use the center stand...  Is this correct?

Jaimo!

There are two different MAC systems. The original NOS system & the newer two tone system. I don't know anything about the newer system. The older NOS system that may still be available from: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=33.0 requires that the centerstand be removed or modified. If you cut the tail off on the exhaust side of the kickstand it should clear the exhaust. When I had mine back in the 80's, I just removed the centerstand. Removing the original Honda exhaust system & centerstand takes a lot of weight off of the bike.

Please let us know if you buy that system and/or learn anything more.

Good luck
J.

[J6G1Z]

By the way...  Nice bike!  Congratulations! 

It looks like it needs just a little lovin'.  When I picked up mine, it also had the surface rust and a small dent in the tank.  I'm trying to figure out low some cost remedies for these problems...

Jaimo!

Supposedly extra fine steel wool & lemon or citrus juice (mild acid) is good for removing rust speckles from chrome & metal surfaces. I've never tried it. Others have told me that steel wool & WD-40 works good also. It all depends upon how much elbow grease you want to invest.

Naval Jelly is a product that will remove rust & anything else it comes in contact with, like paint, skin, etc. Be careful with this stuff because it does not mess around.

I now have two bikes with dented fuel tanks. One of the bikes is a low mile cherry other than the dent. I've been thinking of trying to contact one of those paintless dent removal specialists to see if they had ever tried a motorcycle tank. If that doesn't work, I'm afraid it's a case of standard bodywork & re-paint which would be fairly expensive.

Good luck
J.

[Bucko]

I had a small uncreased dent in the side of my tank.  I contacted several local PDR specialists and none would touch it claiming the metal on motorcycle tanks is too thick (hmm.... all those tanks on Ebay that are fixed by PDR specialists must be made of some special non-tank metal  ) ).  In any case, having nothing to loose, I made up a curved tool to get to the right spot.  With only light effort the dent popped right out, so much so that I shouldn't have used so much pressure (which was very little) as the area endued up wrinkling a bit - I could have taken my time a little more.  In any case, the result is not very noticeable - it looks a lot better than when I started -  but  I probably could have done a perfect job had I not been misled into believing the tank metal was thicker than it really was.

PS: There's no filler neck on my tank - not sure if that's normal or not (i.e. if there's supposed to be one there, it's been removed) which made access to the dent on the side of the tank pretty easy.

[J6G1Z]

That sounds promising.

There is no filler neck/tube on the few FT & VT Ascot tanks that I've seen. Just a filler opening even with the top. Both of the tanks that I have with dents have no filler tube extending down. One has the dent in the side & the other has a crescent shaped crease on the top like a heavy can fell on it. That one cracked the paint slightly & I'm concerned that any messing with it may cause it to chip.

Thanks for the feedback on your experience.
J.

[Bucko]

I've got mixed feelings about the lack of a filler neck.  Not having one allows for a little more gas to be pumped into the small tank, but I frequently overfill the dam thing spilling gas everywhere.  Doesn't happen on any of my other bikes that all have filler necks.

[J6G1Z]

Well... Shortly after bringing the "Pinto" home. I received a call from someone who had an Ascot that had been in a wreck & was now leaning up against the side of his Barn. He was wanting to know if I had any interest in it. After talking for a while & exchanging some pictures by e-mail, we made a trade. I now have another red VT500FT that has a thoroughly mangled tank & handlebars, etc. Fortunately the gauge cluster face survived & the side plates were still in pretty good condition, along with the tail-piece. With a little bit of McGuire’s fine cut cleaner & some wax, the side plates & tail-piece will be swapped onto the "Pinto" & it will once again be all the same color. 

Here's the wrecked Ascot. What a shame. Supposedly the rider wasn't hurt so that's a good thing.

J.

[Bucko]

That dent will buff right out! 

[J6G1Z]

That dent will buff right out! 

Maybe the one on the right side. The left side might take a little bondo.

The tank still holds fuel without leaking. I hooked a good battery up to the poor neglected pile yesterday. At first there was no sign of life at all. The key would barely rotate. I lubed it up with some WD40 & kept turning it off & on. Finally the idiot lights flickered on, then the running lights & finally the headlight. I pulled the easy plug on each cylinder & shot some WD40 inside. The plug for the rear cylinder was fuh-glee! At first the starter button wouldn't move... More WD40 & some messing with it finally made contact & the starter spun but didn't engage the engine. I kept pushing the button & finally the starter engaged the engine. Some milkshake looking brown crap came flying out the rear cylinder plug hole & shot me in the leg. The crankcase oil looks like there is some water in it also. I don't know if the engine has overheated in the past & has a leaky head gasket, or if it is some serious condensation from sitting exposed throughout several winter rains. There is several pieces of tall grass growing up through the bike & up underneath the tank. The plugs have spark, but the fuel line is leaking severely. That's about when it started to get dark & I put everything away. Poor old bike! It's a real shame that it wasn't stored inside somewhere, or at least have a tarp thrown over it. It's looking more & more like a full on parts bike. I was hoping that it might be saveable. I picked up a bore scope from Harbor Freight today. I plan to try & get a look into each cylinder & see if they are rusty or not. Well see...

J.