Custom VT500FT Ascot Pictures...

[J6G1Z]

That Sportster headlight looks like it belongs there & sits about perfect!

Do you have any pics of the left side?

Thanks
J.

[redlynr]

those pics are terrible. so bright. 



The whole album...

http://www.redpepperracing.com/gallery/v/crxfanatic/album13/vt500_002/

[J6G1Z]

If it were my bike, I'd work up some kind of side covers to hide the battery & maybe even put the tail-piece back on.

By any chance have you seen my post on the Antigravity mini-batteries? They're awesome! They only weigh 3lbs & are a bit over 5" long X a bit over 3" wide X a bit over 4" tall. They come packaged in a box that has some closed cell foam pieces to make up the difference between the battery & the OEM battery box. Not only is it compact & lightweight, it produces 360 CCA! They are pricey but they last a good 5 to 6 years or so.

Good luck
J.

[redlynr]

Yeah, she's a work in progress...

I'd really like to come up with a custom seat pan, with a  rear bump that I can tuck an sla and other electronics under, and with sides that would come down to meet/hide the seat rails... If that makes any sense...

That battery would be perfect for what I want to do!

[J6G1Z]

What's an "sla"?

Are you familiar with the copies of the Harley Davidson XR750 seat pan & tail section? It is the classic Flat Tracker tail-piece & fits the Ascot vibe real well. There is a part that runs the length of the seat pan that covers the frame rails. Here's a pic of one that is sized for a Yamaha RD350/400 frame. It's a bit wide for the FT Ascot, but I don't know how well it would fit the VT.

Here's an FT with a XR750 tail-piece on it. http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=13.0

Keep up the good work
J.

[redlynr]

sealed lead acid... they can be mounted in any orientation, no spill, no worry. Lithium is even better due to smaller dimensions than a similar output sla...

Yes, I have seen many seat pans; that one is high on my list if I choose to buy instead of make...

Cheers

[thumperdh]

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...






Cheers

That. Is. Absolutely killer. I want a VT so much right now.

[J6G1Z]

...I want a VT so much right now.

Keep an eye on Craigslist. Or better yet, place a Wanted Ad on CL stating that you are wanting to buy a 1983-84 Honda VT500FT Ascot. When doing a Craigslist search, do a search for "Ascot", "Ascott", "VT500" & "VT 500". I have found Ascots labeled as all four of those search terms. I'm not certain, but I think there may be more FT's out there than VT's. I have had better luck running a Wanted or WTB: Ad than finding a bike listed for sale. I have seen VT's advertised for $1200 on up to over $3K for the dreamers. You should probably be prepared to go as high as $2K to maybe $2.5K for a Cherry bike with less than 10K miles on it. The problem with Ascots is that there just isn't a whole lot of them around. A lot of people think they are rare & collectable, but that is not really the case.

Good luck & happy hunting
J.

[thumperdh]

...I want a VT so much right now.

Keep an eye on Craigslist. Or better yet, place a Wanted Ad on CL stating that you are wanting to buy a 1983-84 Honda VT500FT Ascot. When doing a Craigslist search, do a search for "Ascot", "Ascott", "VT500" & "VT 500". I have found Ascots labeled as all four of those search terms. I'm not certain, but I think there may be more FT's out there than VT's. I have had better luck running a Wanted or WTB: Ad than finding a bike listed for sale. I have seen VT's advertised for $1200 on up to over $3K for the dreamers. You should probably be prepared to go as high as $2K to maybe $2.5K for a Cherry bike with less than 10K miles on it. The problem with Ascots is that there just isn't a whole lot of them around. A lot of people think they are rare & collectable, but that is not really the case.

Good luck & happy hunting
J.

I was tracking one down a few weeks ago but when I got to finally look at it there was extensive rust damage all over the frame of the bike. One of the downsides of living just a few blocks from the ocean.

[Luke]

Apologies if this beauty has already been posted ... 


http://jokermachine.com/joker-racing/johnny-jumps-1984-honda-vt500ft-street-tracker/

[J6G1Z]

Apologies if this beauty has already been posted ... 

http://jokermachine.com/joker-racing/johnny-jumps-1984-honda-vt500ft-street-tracker/

Hey, That's Johnny Jumps Ascot. He's a member of the Yahoo VT Ascot Owners Group. There are some pics on this forum of that bike somewhere, but I didn't have any build details to add. Now here they are:

1984 HONDA VT500FT – Street Tracker

•Renthal Bars
•CRG Levers
•CBR F4i Front Brake
•ODI Lock-On Grips
•Motion Pro Clutch, Speedo, Choke Cables
•Honda CB750 Front Headlight
•Twinline Customs Handmade Rear Cowling and Seat Pan
•Saddlemen Custom Suede Seat
•DynoJet Jet Kit
•K&N XSTREAM Series Air Filter and Custom High-Flow Intake Tube
•Accel Ignition Wires & Coils,
•D&D Exhaust 2-1 Megaphone
•Joker Machine – Brake Rod, Brake Tip & Bar End Mirrors
•Hammerhead Designs Shifter
•K&N Filters Handmade Side Panels & Speedo Mount
•Honda CBX250 Speedo
•Honda CRF450 Foot Pegs
•Progressive Rear Shocks
•Round Bulb type rear blinkers
•AirTech “Frenched” Rear Brake Light & License Plate Mount
•Stock Honda VT500FT Wheels – Powdercoated Gloss Black
•Avon Dystanzia Tyres
•Paint by: Gauvry Customs – Riverside, CA

It is one of the best looking VT Ascots that I've seen. I was supposed to receive a write-up & ride report, but Johnny is a busy guy.

[Woodguy]

Hello, I am new here and just wanted to add, I think you all have done some nice work on your VT 500's.

I am in the process of getting my first VT 500 shadow, and hope to do some work changing the stock look of it. One of my biggest questions is where do you find the 2 in 1 exhaust systems that you use. I saw for example the machin from johnny jump has a D  & D 2 in 1 megaphone exhaust, but on their website, there is no mention of such an exhaust system. I have also seen other bikes that have similar 2 in 1 systems on them,

Any help or info would be much appreciated.

[J6G1Z]

Hello, I am new here and just wanted to add, I think you all have done some nice work on your VT 500's.

I am in the process of getting my first VT 500 shadow, and hope to do some work changing the stock look of it. One of my biggest questions is where do you find the 2 in 1 exhaust systems that you use. I saw for example the machin from johnny jump has a D  & D 2 in 1 megaphone exhaust, but on their website, there is no mention of such an exhaust system. I have also seen other bikes that have similar 2 in 1 systems on them,

Any help or info would be much appreciated.

I believe that exhaust on Johnny Jumps bike was fabricated by the owner.

The VT Ascot came from the factory with a 2 into 1 exhaust. There are a couple of after-market offerings, but they are both a true dual exhaust system. Both systems are manufactured by MAC. The first set of pipes they produced for the Ascots in the 80's have been discontinued. Here is a link to the last NOS MAC pipes for the Ascot: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=33.0
The new system from MAC can be found here: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=34.0

Some Ascot owners have swapped over to the Shadow exhaust to gain a factory dual exhaust system with a pipe on each side of the bike. Often the mufflers are exchanged for a classic reverse megaphone, such as the first bike in this post: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=20.0

That's about it on readily available exhaust systems.

Here is a post that you might find inspirational. This member wanted an Ascot, but could not locate one. So he built his version of an Ascot out of a Shadow. I think he did an excellent job: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=25.0

Good luck
J.

[cdntfindanAscot]

Here is a post that you might find inspirational. This member wanted an Ascot, but could not locate one. So he built his version of an Ascot out of a Shadow. I think he did an excellent job: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=25.0

aw shucks 

Originally mine had a 2 into 2, well two separate 1 inti 1's, we just found a random 2 into 1 collector and cut and welded at the furthest point that the two pipes ran parallel - this leaves just enough flex in  the downtubes to be able to be pulled a little to enable fitting the exhaust to the heads (they sit in the sockets freely but need a little tug to clear the recess when removing, but nothing untoward.
and now painted black

[Woodguy]

well, thank you both for your replies, I had already read the post about 'couldntfindanascot' and smiled, because , well mine is a shadow as well. I have seen some riders use the shadow exhaust system up through the collector beneath the bike, and then run megaphone exhaust tips from the collector to the rear. First I have to get the bike running, the PO had trouble with it only running with full choke, as soon as he shut off the choke, the bike dies,, thats where I come into the picture.

Well, I dont want to hijack this thread, I will start my own when the bike is in the garage..

[Woodguy]

oh, I do have one last question. Since the frame on the VT 500 C shadow is different then the one that comes with the VT 500 FT Ascot, ( known as the PC 10 ) I am considering a frame swap..

Is the US PC 10 frame identical to the european PC 11 frame? I have compared a number of pictures, and they sure do look the same.

[J6G1Z]

oh, I do have one last question. Since the frame on the VT 500 C shadow is different then the one that comes with the VT 500 FT Ascot, ( known as the PC 10 ) I am considering a frame swap..

Is the US PC 10 frame identical to the european PC 11 frame? I have compared a number of pictures, and they sure do look the same.

This would be a good question to post up by itself.

Good luck
J.

[thumperdh]

Apologies if this beauty has already been posted ... 


http://jokermachine.com/joker-racing/johnny-jumps-1984-honda-vt500ft-street-tracker/

Finally I get to see more of this glorious machine. I can't seem to remember my Yahoo login anymore so I haven't been on the Ascot group site in some time. Interesting that it's linked to Joker Machine, they do that really nice magnetic oil drain plug that I hear so much about.

[J6G1Z]

Joker Machine makes some really cool parts. That's where my horn came from. Unfortunately, what sounded loud as hell in my shed, is actually about average loud on the street.

Check out the CAFE parts on JokerMachine.com

J.

[J6G1Z]

That is a nicely done VT500FT.

Super-Trapp is still around & have a few designs that will fit the Ascot's head pipes.

J.