It's rare...it's old...it's a Honda

[page62]

I just picked up a 1983 Honda VT500FT Ascot yesterday. Have you ever seen one of these before? I haven't! Sweet little bike, looks like a baby Sportster. V-twin 500...with a 9500 rpm red line! Really smooth-running motor; liquid-cooled. Not lightning fast, but it ain't slow, neither. Twist the throttle and she responds. So we'll call it "quick". And light. Excellent handling, smooth riding. Shaft drive, 6-speed overdrive -- a solid bike from Honda's golden era.

Best of all this thing looks like it's an '03! Only 17K miles. I was working through some bugs today (surging at speed) and perhaps I got it sorted out. No matter -- she's a really cool bike that's a hoot to ride!


(Not my bike, but essentially the same. I'll post pics as soon as I can!)

[ariwhiteboy]

Sweet little ride!

[dbracing]

I bought the lovely Barbie(my wife) an '84 Ascot in red for her birthday 2 years ago. It had about 12K on it when I bought it. She rides it and loves it, and I think it is super cool as well. The only issue I have read about and experienced is the coils. because of where they are located, the absorb a lot of heat and go bye bye after some time. They are still available from Honda. The symptom of failing coils is hard starting when the engine is fully warmed up. There is no test you can perform on them because it is a heat soak problem.

You are right, it is a Harley XR750 clone. That was the king of the half mile and mile dirt tracks in their day. If you have seen the movie On Any Sunday, Mert Lawell was featured riding the XR750 in the movie. Mert was at Mid-Ohio riding his XR750 road racer for the Harley 100th anniversary in 2003.

The VT Ascot has be4come quite the cult bike these days and there are any number of people hoarding them because of their collectible nature. The VT was only made in '83 and '84. The FT500 Ascot(single cylinder) was a pig and didn't last long.

Be prepared to be stopped and talked to by excited former Ascot owners. They will tell you about how much they loved the bike and how they wish they hadn't solt theirs.

Great find!

[jerjohn]

Sorry for the   but do you think you could do the GM coil mod on your ascot like hondo did on his cb1000?

[highwayjamin]

Great looking bike    If you have any questions about this bike you need to email dbracing.  He/wife have one of these and they love it.

[skramer360]

They are nice looking bikes. I saw Barbie's a couple weeks ago. Good find page62. How much, if you don't mind?

[gammer]

The Ascot is a sweet bike. I owned its cousin...the Shadow VT500. I believe mine was an 83 or 84.
Great bikes and engine has good torque.
I put a MAC exhaust on mine and it sounded like a Harley after that...which I wasn't fond of.

[fishball]

I would have bought a VT500 if one in decent shape were available last year when I got my cb650sc.  Can't wait to see the actual photos of your new bike.

[page62]

They are nice looking bikes. I saw Barbie's a couple weeks ago. Good find page62. How much, if you don't mind?

$2K even. A high price, indeed...but she is truly museum quality! 

I finally got a chance to take her out on some twisty roads nearby and open her up. HOLY SMOKE BATMAN! This thing could probably put some modern-day sportbikes to shame. No wonder people are hoarding them. They are extremely well-sorted out in the suspension, handling and performance departments. I wonder what the heck Honda was up to in terms of intentions when they developed this bike. I dunno. But I consider myself lucky to have snagged one of these rare cats...

[dbracing]

Page.....that was a fair price for what you got.

[page62]

Not exactly the greatest pics ever...but they'll do for now! 

[page62]

Notice any resemblance here? Nah...

[fishball]

Nice pics.  Could you do me a favor and get a close-up of the instrument cluster?  From the front view of the bike it looks like the cb650sc but from the long view it looks a bit different, would like to see the details.

[gammer]

Is that the original exhaust?
My Shadow VT500 had pipes out both sides at the back.

[detdrbuzzard]

i tried to find an ascot but 450 nighthawks were easier to find. wonder if you could do a round headlight conversion on the ascot

[gammer]

wonder if you could do a round headlight conversion on the ascot

When I had my VT500 I was toying with the idea of getting a bikini fairing from the Yamaha TW200, painting it black and mounting it on my square headlight...give it a Nighthawk S sort of look.

[hppants]

The Ascot is nice, but I'm digging the C/G behind it.  And is that a Ford Ranchero I'm seeing as well?  You've got quite a stable Page62.

BTW - what's on page 62?

[ariwhiteboy]

I agree with hpants, The bike looks great but lets see some more of that beautiful Karmann Ghia!

[page62]

I agree with hpants, The bike looks great but lets see some more of that beautiful Karmann Ghia!

[ariwhiteboy]

Must...pick....jaw....off....flooor

[hppants]

Nice looking car.  Are the bumpers hard to find?

[fishball]

That car is a beauty!

[RIDERED]

awesome ghia for sure, yea you need some spiked bumpers on that lol

and lose the mudflap on the ascot and add  1/2 and 1/2 paint and it would look killer for sure, its funny your garage is a lapse in the time portal

[page62]

and lose the mudflap on the ascot and add  1/2 and 1/2 paint and it would look killer for sure, its funny your garage is a lapse in the time portal

Mudflap is gone. No need for an inspection sticker now that I have a Texas "Antique Motorcycle" plate. With regards to the paint, the original paint is still so nice there's no way I would touch it!
 

[jerjohn]

Is twenty five years old the minimum to qualify for the antique plates? Where did you get plates from 83?