New to me FT 500 Ascot

[saleen322]

I happened into an '83 Ascot. It looks decent for its age and I got it for a fair price. It had set for about 5 years and would not crank at first. I wanted to freshen the starter but could not get it out so i just lubed the starter drive. Got a new battery and it started right up. It was tweaked over the years I am pretty sure. The carb is a slide/needle Mikuni that has a small plate stating "Not for aircraft use" so I am guessing that is not stock. K-N air filter, superbike bars, and Supertrapp exhaust are on as well. Leaking fork seals are also there and I could not get the fork bushing back in right so I am going get a driver and new bushings along with the seals. The front tire is leaking at the valve and someone tried to silicon it up so I am doing the front tire at the same time. No rush to get it done but I am a little anxious to get it out on the road. Really feels so light and nimble. I am looking forward to the project and I will be asking a lot of questions.

[J6G1Z]

Sounds like a very interesting Ascot.    I look forward to hearing more details.

Do yourself a favor & buy new tires for each end. Usually tires are only good for about 7 years. You don't want to experience a tire failure on a street bike.

Good luck
J.

[saleen322]

Thank you for the reply. This will be a longer term project and I don't know if I will have it on asphalt anytime in the near future. I have a Goldwing that I ride on the street and I live off a gravel road. The existing tires are claimed to be 6 years old and they have a dual purpose type tread pattern. I want to see how things go together and I will take my time with it. My seal driver is to be here Saturday and the bushings should be here soon after. The new battery cranks very well and it seems to start pretty easy. The plug is very dark and sooty indicating it is very rich on the mixture but that may be from it being run with the choke on. Only after I am able to ride it on the road will I get a more meaningful reading. The carb appears big and, again, I need to ride it to see how close it is to being right with the jetting. I want to enjoy the work so I have no set schedule to get it done by any particular date. It does give me a smile even looking at it and I appreciate all of the help.

[saleen322]

Got the front end back together tonight.....

[grcamna2]

How do you like the exhaust on it ?

[Lefty]

That's a thumperStuff head pipe, real nice! I have one on my black '83, along with a SuperTrapp muffler which looks similar to yours. Once you jet it correctly you will love the throttle response you get out of that engine